[zedro]

I believe they designed that rear triangle to flex, particularly the chainstay, as there is no pivot at the rear wheel. Sorta like the ibis softail, or the old gary fisher sugars.

yeah, seems there were interested in mainly lateral stiffness, especially since that chainstay is mostly being used in tension anyways as a link to the shock. Also i had always thought that allowing a certain natural flex in the vertical plane would alllow for better vibration damping or even better high frequency response.

oh wait just saying it looks 'flexy' is oh so much easier

 

[Sandwich]

is there a price on these anywhere or a website? the old lahar.co.nz is gone.

 

[bballe336]

dang maybe i should have stayed those extra 2 years for a ph.d then to make it 9 years in college.

9th grade is freshman year in highschool.........or am I missing something?

I'm hoping it's the ladder because you seem like a damn smart fellow.

 

[Sandwich]

according to some dude on vorb it costs 5500 nzd or 3500 us.

 

[Sherpa]

9th grade is freshman year in highschool.........or am I missing something?

I'm hoping it's the ladder because you seem like a damn smart fellow.

9 years in college

 

[Kram]

this guy owns it.....he has a rep for going fast and hard. (up there in the top of NZ riders)

http://www.vorb.org.nz/ftopict-39653.html

 

[dump]

Never heard the word lahar before... assumed it was a person's name.
I guess you learn something new everyday... except of course if you know it all already.

 

[zedro]

9th grade is freshman year in highschool.........

9 years in college

figures, the kids have all that fresh useless information on tap while we've been parting the trivia out of our brains with higher learning and alcohol.....

and Frasier's an english major or something so he doesnt count :redX:

 

[Transcend]

figures, the kids have all that fresh useless information on tap while we've been parting the trivia out of our brains with higher learning and alcohol.....

and Frasier's an english major or something so he doesnt count :redX:

Journalism, and I only knew it from the discovery channel volcano week stuff.

 

[Transcend]

9 years in college

4-5 Undergrad, 2-3 masters, 2-7 phd

Some people take up to 5-7 years to do a PHD thesis alone.

 

[Sherpa]

4-5 Undergrad, 2-3 masters, 2-7 phd

Some people take up to 5-7 years to do a PHD thesis alone.

I know. My mommy spent 9 years in college. I was referring to bballes post and what he said about vitox spending 9 years in college. Maybe im just f'ing confused.

 

[bballe336]

I know. My mommy spent 9 years in college. I was referring to bballes post and what he said about vitox spending 9 years in college. Maybe im just f'ing confused.

I must have confused myself, causing you to be confused. Terrible really.

 

[vitox]

9th grade is freshman year in highschool.........or am I missing something?

I'm hoping it's the ladder because you seem like a damn smart fellow.

yea well i dont have the faintest clue about the US school system, nor about lahars, never been to the states so thats what you and i missed.

and thanks for the ladder part of your post!

 

[bballe336]

yea well i dont have the faintest clue about the US school system, nor about lahars, never been to the states so thats what you and i missed.

and thanks for the ladder part of your post!

I figured as much after I posted. But I always do enjoy reading what you have to say about suspension.

 

[Punter]

Re: Lahar

The pictures shown there are of my bike.

I also have the model before this one DHV M8. I've raced the bike to two top fives in the NZ national series and 8th last season, although I was injured the whole season.

My last Lahar was raced for Lahar by 3 riders before I got it. In total it has raced 7 full seasons of pro elite level racing. Including world cup 04, canada 03. The swing arm that some wrote thinking will snap like a twig is the same one that has been on the bike since new. The old model has a alloy rocker(the M9 has carbon plates). This is the only part of the bike that has partly failed. It has two hairline cracks.

The mainframe has been raped for 7 seasons and is still competitive at the highest level.

The bike rides better than any other bike I've ever ridden and it doesnt break like every other bike I've owned.

The new one is awesome. I test rode the first of the new models and it was an improvement on an already wicked bike.

Those rockers raise when the suspension compresses, and they are higher than the old model, and i very rarely hit the hold rockers.

I cant wait to get the new one(pictured) fully built up. just need some minor bits and its a runner. For those of you who are interested you can buy a new framset as shown in the picture for $5500NZD. This gets you -Frame, rohloff, cranks/drivetrain, rear hub. A hand built carbon DH bike for $5500... not much. they rule

you can email me if you want any further details on lahar at whosdaddy2@gmail.com

peace out
Punter

p.s. BB height is 14.2 inches

 

[xy9ine]

cool to hear they're runners - not just a showpiece. be great to see some more detail shots - esp the rohloff area. i saw a lahar @ whistler a couple years ago - i was amazed by the original, 'clean sheet' approach to the design - great organic sculptural aesthetic (imo) as well. good to hear the company is still in buisness; who's the brains behind the bike?

 

[Punter]

cool to hear they're runners - not just a showpiece. be great to see some more detail shots - esp the rohloff area. i saw a lahar @ whistler a couple years ago - i was amazed by the original, 'clean sheet' approach to the design - great organic sculptural aesthetic (imo) as well. good to hear the company is still in buisness; who's the brains behind the bike?

Brains is an eccentric dude named Aaron Franklin. He's clever as fook as you can see by the work of the bike. The mould for this is hand made - No computer had any part. Hand sculpted perfection. Don't see that often these days.

 

[xy9ine]

here's a built pic. freakishly cool.

 

[coma13]

I cant wait to get the new one(pictured) fully built up. just need some minor bits and its a runner. For those of you who are interested you can buy a new framset as shown in the picture for $5500NZD. This gets you -Frame, rohloff, cranks/drivetrain, rear hub. A hand built carbon DH bike for $5500... not much. they rule

Wow! That's like $3,500 USD... That is a really surprising price especially considering the price of a Rohloff unit on it's own.

 

[Punter]

Wow! That's like $3,500 USD... That is a really surprising price especially considering the price of a Rohloff unit on it's own.

then go ahead and buy one!

The pic above is of Cameron Cole. Hes a reasonably fast junior. Look for him in the results at Willingen.
cu

 

[bballe336]

Does lahar have a working website? I'd really like to read a little bit more about these bikes.

 

[Sandwich]

what's the HA and chainstay length on these badboys? final weight as built?

 

[Punter]

what's the HA and chainstay length on these badboys? final weight as built?

head angle is either 62or63. Cant remember which
weight varies on set up. but that one is about 39pounds

 

[mud'n'sweat]

I'm hoping it's the ladder because you seem like a damn smart fellow.

Is this the ladder that croses over the flow of Lahar for scientific observations?

 

[bballe336]

Is this the ladder that croses over the flow of Lahar for scientific observations?

You're hilarious

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Just bustin' your balls for making the lahar/education comment. Kidding with you of course

 

[Huph]

Not sure why xy9ine refered to the 2-stage thread.
I guess it's going to be rockin' a Rohloff hub in there.
I'd like to see the finished product and a new website.
Beautiful frame.
MMMM, gearbox bikes.

The reference to the 2-Stage s because both are NZ designed and built DH bikes that have taken a fresh approach to what the think makes a good GH bike.

There is a whole bunch of discussion on both bikes HERE including a lot from the dude who conceived and builds the Lahar

 

[xy9ine]

wow, i didn't realize how light those things were:

"mainframes weigh 1300g, swingarm 500g and rocker assembly 180g.
~5lb + shock for full frame.
Our 20mm front and rear hubs are 120g incl bearings.
Full bikes in dh trim with dh tyres and tubes,raceface cranks, fox F40 forks is 41lb."

i want!

 

[thecowgoesmoo]

its intresting

 

[bballe336]

wow, i didn't realize how light those things were:

"mainframes weigh 1300g, swingarm 500g and rocker assembly 180g.
~5lb + shock for full frame.
Our 20mm front and rear hubs are 120g incl bearings.
Full bikes in dh trim with dh tyres and tubes,raceface cranks, fox F40 forks is 41lb."

i want!

Some weight needs to be added. There is a rohloff hub in the frame. So, it's probably 1300G without the hub.

 

[xy9ine]

Some weight needs to be added. There is a rohloff hub in the frame. So, it's probably 1300G without the hub.

yes - thats without the rohloff. 5lbs frame only is ridiculously light; add the shock & rohloff & you're still lighter than alot of conventional frames. an easy sub 40lb dh bike with a rohloff gearbox is a pretty impressive accomplishment (esp. for such a small operation). it'll be interesting to see how the new bikes fare on the circuit this season.

 

[Bicyclist]

Damn. I likey more the more I look at it, and the more I likey the more I look at it. Never ending you could say.

 

[metalMTB]

I'd destroy that linkage below the bottom bracket in a few runs... thats scary low

 

[erikkellison]

I was going to comment on how the head tube ought to rip off, how the chainstays and the lower linkage would get destroyed, and how the rest is just too wide to avoid damage, but that post from Punter put all my naysayings aside. Awesome.

 

[Bicyclist]

God, I can picture one of those as a sexy light race bike. And I just came in my pants.

 

[karpi]

nah, don't like it, seems like it would brake by just staring at it

 

[lovebunny]

id love to throw a leg over that bike. damn 3500 for that? not bad. isnt 62 or 63 a lil slack for a headangle?

 

[Bicyclist]

isnt 62 or 63 a lil slack for a headangle?

Just what I was thinking. I'd want a custom one w/ more like a 65.5 degree HA.

 

[SlackBoy]

Just what I was thinking. I'd want a custom one w/ more like a 65.5 degree HA.

Perhaps you just don't ride fast enuff
The design man hisself

The new m9's have been tested now by near 20 pro level riders, many of whom have experience on the m8. They are unanimous that the M9 is better than the M8 in every respect. With the input of guys like 03 NZ#1 Tim Nelson, national champ Nathan Rankin, ex junior champ Wyn Masters, pro podium regulars Byron Scott, Punter, Scotty Sheldon it shouldn't be a surprize.

Rankin, nelson, wyn, punter...The m9's longer wheelbase and slacker head is appreciated for stability and reports are that it corners tighter and faster than the m8 on offcambers.
our extreme mass centralisation means it takes little effort to change direction or attitude.

There were several motivations for commiting to a gearbox bike program in the early nineties.
I had studied all the literature on chassis design available and it was obvious that all the objectives for maximising suspension performance had been identified pretty clearly by the 1930's, and the world of motorised suspension was under no illusions over this.
It was obvious that no rear suspension system that had a chain drive directly between BB and rear wheel could achieve the golden performance objectives of good sprung/unsprung weight ratio, mass centralisation, neutral drive squat and brake dive behavior, brake and drive independance from suspension. The mainstream of mtb rear suspension was then and still is all about attempting to balance a jacking force from the chain with thrust squat inevitable when the rear wheel can get closer to the centre of gravity under power. This is an impossible task when the ratio of chain force / drive thrust is different in every gear with your transmission on the rear wheel. This fundamental flaw has been used as the driving force for new suspension bike sales by an over-hyped industry that every year promises that they have finally got it right. The gearbox solution answered all of the golden performance objectives.
The other side of the coin was the built in obsolesence of deraileur drivetrains and the fact that their short lifespan enables simularly short longativity in frames and other components to seem acceptable. I had observed that the immensely talented juniors coming up through the ranks were almost inevitably doomed to depart the sport once their parental bike sponsorships expired. The lack of improvement since deraileurs were borrowed from road bikes is evident in the fact that many top dh pros use road deraileurs. I wanted to build a dh machine that could be raced competitively with full mechanical reliability for at least 5 years. I envisaged these bikes being bought secondhand by juniors who could then charge on on a reliable and competitive bike with minimal service costs- like the road scene. I am immensely proud to have shown that this goal is possible with the 2001 designed M8 bikes proving unkillable in the hands of the countrys most destructive riders in upto 7 pro seasons per bike. The facts that the m8 performance level can still impress top talented, experienced riders with thousands of dh runs under their belts and they are trusted enough by their owners that they are prepared to loan them out for a season to the countrys 2 top u17 riders Dave Scandrett and Pete Cooper make me immensely proud.

 

[no skid marks]

Put me down for one.
Heck even a used M8.
I think that due to the floating rear brake as well as other things mentioned it makes it easier to weigh the front end up and naturally be riding a bit steeper geometry anyway,this is just speculation on my part. Personally I'd like a slightly steeper one to but tracks near me are slowish and tight.