Intro
If you want to have your cake and eat it too, then you are at the right place. The new Supermatic 120mm carbon bike is pure sexy combined with ultimate performance.
Its' 120mm of travel is delivered in one of the stiffest packages to date, and it provides massive pedalling efficiency with bump absorbing abilities that will leave your mouth agape. It's been developed and ride tested by the greatest ever, constructed with the highest end materials, and uses the latest in design and lab testing techniques. If you are serious about getting down to business, fire up the corporate jet and open your briefcase, because the Supermatic 120 is a serious two-wheeled weapon.
Reviews
Overview
The Supermatic is a 120mm wonderbike designed from the ground up to deliver stiffness, lightweight and high performance.
Hi modulus carbon tube wrap elegantly over a structure that's been optimized to make every ride an epiphany.
Features
- 120mm travel, designed for 120 or 130mm travel fork
- Tapered head tube (1 1/8th top to 1.5 lower)
- 5 pound/2300g frame weight with Fox RP23 shock
- Optimized carbon fiber front triangle, individual lay ups for each size.
- High modulus carbon fiber with aluminum dropouts.
- Fits SRAM, Shimano and FSA front derailleur's
- Full seat post extension
- Dual water bottle mounts on all but small size
- Up to 2.35 tire clearance
- 68.7 degree head angle, 73 seat angle, 13.1 BB height, 17 inch chainstays
Tech
The benefit of using carbon fibre to build a bike are the obvious stiffness and weight advantages. But just using a high-tech material like carbon only tells half the story.
Not only is the quality of the material and the process to construct the frame important, but the design of the frame and the tube shapes play an integral part of a producing a superb machine. In the case of the Supermatic, we started with what we knew worked: Additional layers of carbon on the bottom of the down tube and top tube to distribute loads evenly; stiffening layers on tube sides (when they have the greatest effect in bending) to reduce lateral flex; box section top, down and seat tubes to counter lateral bending; rounded tube-sides to counteract torsional loading; and specific lay-ups for each size. It's a winning combination and the resulting performance advantages are no surprise.
But, that's just part of the story. The Supermatic starts with a dual triangle design (front triangle and rear triangle), which is the stiffest and lightest way to design a frame. We use custom oversize aluminum shafts through the main pivot, rocker link and rear shock, which eliminates any chance of lateral flex occurring. Stiffening the joints between the front and rear swingarm translates into greater rider control and improved durability (a stiff package means the bearings aren't being side loaded), but it also results in better suspension action. Isolating the rear shock, and eliminating any loading ensures that the suspension is always ready to absorb bumps.
The pivot location is also an important factor of the Supermatic's performance. We placed the pivot to minimize pedalling forces on the suspension and eliminate brake jack, while at the same time enable the bike to gobble up bumps. We then custom tuned a Fox Float RP23 shock to further improve performance. The result is really an exceptional overall package, and test riders were throughly impressed with the performance benefits.
The Supermatic benefits from a number of industry technology advances as well. For example, the tapered head tube (1.5 lower/1 1/8th upper) on the Supermatic provides a 25% increase in stiffness. In addition, by using an internal headset, we are also increasing the strength at the head tube without adding material (and weight) or increasing the head tube height.
Specifications
| Supermatic 1 | Supermatic 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| FRAME | 2011 Supermatic 120 Carbon Suspension, 5 pounds /2300 grams | ||
| COMPLETE | 24.5 lbs / 11.1 kg | 25.5 lbs / 11.5 kg | |
| HEADTUBE | Tapered, Internal Top, External Bottom. Top ID 44mm, Bottom ID 50mm, Frame standard with FSA headset for tapered steerer | ||
| FORK | Fox 32 Float RLC FIT 15QR Taper | Fox 32 Float RL 15QR Taper | |
| Rear Shock | Fox Float RP23 200x51 | Fox Float RP23 200x51 | |
| R/DERAILLEUR | Shimano XTR 10-Speed | Shimano XTR 10-Speed | |
| F/DERAILLEUR | Shimano XTR 3-Speed 34.9 | Shimano Deore XT 3-Speed 34.9 | |
| SHIFTERS | Shimano Deore XT 30-Speed | Shimano Deore XT 30-Speed | |
| BRAKES | SRAM AVID XO Front 180PM/Rear 160IS | SRAM Avid Elixir R Front 180PM/Rear 160IS | |
| CRANK | Shimano XTR 42X32X24T, 175mm | Shimano Deore XT 42X32X24T 175mm | |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Deore XT 10-Speed | Shimano SLX 10-Speed | |
| CHAIN | Shimano Deore XT 10-Speed | Shimano SLX 10-Speed | |
| WHEELS | Crank Bros Cobalt 2 26"Front 15mm/Rear 135x10mm | Easton EA70XC 26" Front 15x100/Rear 10x135mm | |
| TIRES | F-Specialized Fast Trak Control 2BR26X2.2, R-Specialized Fast Trak Control 2BR26X2.0 | F-Specialized Fast Trak Control 2BR26X2.2, R-Specialized Fast Trak Control 2BR26X2.0 | |
| HANDLEBAR | Easton EC70 XC HB 685 31.8 | Easton EA70 HB LO 685 31.8 | |
| STEM | Thomson Elite 90 31.8 | Easton EA70 STM 6D 31.8 90 | |
| SEATPOST | Thomson Elite 30.9 367 7¡ setback | Easton EA30 SP 350 30.9 | |
| SADDLE | Fizik Tundra 2 Manganese | Fizik Tundra 2 Manganese | |
Geometry
| Small | Medium | Large | XLarge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shock ETE | 200x51 (7.875x2) | 200x51 (7.875x2)) | 200x51 (7.875x2) | 200x51 (7.875x2) |
| Rear Travel | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) |
| Fork Travel | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) | 120mm (4.7ins) |
| Head Tube Angle | 68° | 68° | 68° | 68° |
| Seat Tube Angle | 73° | 73° | 73° | 73° |
| Head Tube Length | 115mm (4.5ins) | 115mm (4.5ins) | 130mm (5.1ins) | 150mm (5.9ins) |
| Seat Tube Length | 393mm (15.5ins) | 443mm (17.5ins) | 485mm (19ins) | 534mm (21ins) |
| Effective Top Tube Length | 549.4mm (21.6ins) | 584.2mm (23ins) | 609.9mm (24ins) | 633.4mm (25ins) |
| Wheelbase | 1066.4mm (41.9ins) | 1095.6mm (43.1ins) | 1122.39mm (44.1ins) | 1141.1mm (44.9ins) |
| Chainstay Length | 433mm (17.0ins) | 433mm (17.0ins) | 433mm (17.0ins) | 433mm (17.0ins) |
| BB Height | 335.2mm (13.1ins) | 335.2mm (13.1ins) | 335.2mm (13.1ins) | 335.2mm (13.1ins) |
| Standover Height | 760.6mm (29.9ins) | 763.8mm (30.07ins) | 765.9mm (30.1ins) | 779.3mm (30.6ins) |
Sizing
| Sizing | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 5'0" to 5'4 | 1.54m to 1.65m |
| Medium | 5'4' to 5'8" | 1.65m to 1.77m |
| Large | 5'8" to 6'0" | 1.77m to 1.82m |
| XL | 6'0 to 6'6" | 1.82m to 2m |
Setup Guide - Suspension Setup
For a handy graph of our suggested suspension setup, please click here:
The best way you can maximize the performance of your bicycle is by ensuring correct rear shock sag. To set sag, push the O-ring completely forward on your rear shock (towards the shock seal). Now sit on the bike in a normal riding position near a wall to steady yourself. (Note: If you use a hydration pack, make sure you also have this on. You want your "ride weight" to be as close as it is when you normally ride.) Without bouncing on the saddle or pedals, distribute your weight on the saddle and pedals in a normal riding position while holding the handlebars. Push the O-ring back up towards the shock seal and gently get off (to avoid moving the O-ring)
Recommended Sag Applications
Cross Country (Automatic/Carbide) 25-30% of total shock travel in sag, This should be 9.5mm and 11.5mm between the O-ring and shock seal on the Carbide and 12.5mm to 15mm on the Automatic.
Trail (Snyper/Vanish): 25-35% of total shock travel in sag. This should be 14mm and 20mm between the O-ring and shock seal on the Snyper and 16mm to 22mm on the Vanish.
Spring Adjustment-Air Shocks
To install air pressure in the main air spring, remove the air cap from the Schrader valve located above the large air spring canister. Attach the pump to the Schrader valve. The hiss you hear when unscrewing the pump is only the air left in the pump itself and not from the shock. This does not affect your pressure setting in the shock. Likewise, when you install the pump, the shock will fill the pump and reduces the registered pressure previously installed in the shock. This usually is a 10-15 psi difference between what was in the shock and what the pump is reading. This is all normal procedure when adjusting the air spring pressure. After removing the pump, be sure to reinstall the Schrader valve cap.
Rebound Damping Adjustment
The rebound damping controls the return rate of the shock after it has been compressed to absorb a bump. Rebound damping can be adjusted for different spring rates, terrain, and rider preferences. Rebound on shocks can be adjusted by the red knob on Fox shock and the blue knob on Manitou shocks, which is located on the shaft eyelet mount on coil shocks and the air canister eyelet mount on air shocks. As a general rule, rebound that is adjusted too fast will exhibit a springy ride that has excessive pedaling movement and kick up the rear end on multiple bumps and big hits. Rebound that is adjusted too slow will exhibit a packing of the rear wheel that is identified by a low ride height, stiff feeling on multiple bumps and the rear wheel drifting to one side on stutter (braking) bumps. A good rebound starting point is to set the shock to achieve a return movement that is just short of "snapping back".
