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Iron Horse Licenses Ellsworth's Suspension

Damo

Short One Marshmallow
Sep 7, 2006
4,603
27
French Alps


"I'm not usually a praying man, but if you really are up there, please don't let Sam stay with Iron Horse next year Superman!"
 

Santa Maria

Monkey
Aug 29, 2007
653
0
Austria


"I'm not usually a praying man, but if you really are up there, please don't let Sam stay with Iron Horse next year Superman!"
I don' t think that the 2010 Sunday will have any similarities with that Bike.

Come on, the licensed a new suspension system nothing more, let's see what they come up with in the end.......
 

klunky

Turbo Monkey
Oct 17, 2003
1,078
6
Scotland
The folks at Iron Horse share my vision for building bikes with real, proven suspension technology, rather then concocting some gimmick to market for another few years before the next new gimmick

uuuhhhhhhhh
 

Steve M

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2007
1,991
45
Whistler
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Iron Horse goes from zero to hero, then back to zero. What freakin morons.
 

Wrench

Chimp
Jan 19, 2005
49
0
This comment is the best part of the whole story.

The folks at Iron Horse share my vision for building bikes with real, proven suspension technology, rather then concocting some gimmick to market for another few years before the next new gimmick,” said Anthony Ellsworth, founder and patent holder of Ellsworth’s ICT technology.


DW, Please give us your take on this.
 

BillT

Monkey
I know that everybody hates Ellsworth and Tony in particular, but the suspension design is pretty nice, especially for XC/Trail bikes...now if they can implement it in a sound package backed with good customer service, I think they'll be fine.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
What's the actual differance between ICT and typical faux bar susps like the one used in kona or old banshees?
 

Inclag

Turbo Monkey
Sep 9, 2001
2,750
439
MA
The suspension design isn't horrid in the least. It's a bike frame, which isn't a very complicated mechanism.

The biggest problem that I see is Ellsworth has a long standing history of sub-par customer service, some big engineering flaws in past products, and laughable geometry for there more competitive longer travel bikes.

Hopefully IH is doing everything external of Ellsworth. Unfortunately even if they do, I'd reckon that the Ellsworth reputation, even if it pertains to the past, will overshadow anything that IH does.
 

pinkshirtphotos

site moron
Jul 5, 2006
4,827
521
Vernon, NJ
I know that everybody hates Ellsworth and Tony in particular, but the suspension design is pretty nice, especially for XC/Trail bikes...now if they can implement it in a sound package backed with good customer service, I think they'll be fine.
and i thought i was the site moron :brow:
 

Pslide

Turbo Monkey
That is some real drivel in that marketing release...shocking.

But ICT is not a bad design. Cross the Lawill rear end and FSR and what have you got? Can't be a bad thing.

Has Sam Hill already said he's leaving IH, or is that up in the air?
 

Bulldog

Turbo Monkey
Sep 11, 2001
1,009
0
Wisconsin
The suspension design isn't horrid in the least. It's a bike frame, which isn't a very complicated mechanism.

The biggest problem that I see is Ellsworth has a long standing history of sub-par customer service, some big engineering flaws in past products, and laughable geometry for there more competitive longer travel bikes.

Hopefully IH is doing everything external of Ellsworth. Unfortunately even if they do, I'd reckon that the Ellsworth reputation, even if it pertains to the past, will overshadow anything that IH does.
I think you're wrong. The Ellsworth suspension design is fantastic and has a great reputation. How many times do you hear "it rode great...BUT"? It's their company/CS that sucks. If all IH did was license the suspension then great for them (although FSR for faux-bar could have worked fine too). Now if only IH could partner with someone to improve their quality control they might have something interesting.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
I think you're wrong. The Ellsworth suspension design is fantastic and has a great reputation. How many times do you hear "it rode great...BUT"? It's their company/CS that sucks. If all IH did was license the suspension then great for them (although FSR for faux-bar could have worked fine too). Now if only IH could partner with someone to improve their quality control they might have something interesting.
Ummm........isn't that what he said?:crazy:

Dave is right.......few things that come to mind for me that explain what Dave was talking about:

Engineering flaws: infamous for cracking
Laughable geometry: silly high BB heights, short WB (see pic Damo posted below)
 
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CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
I'm having vivid flashbacks of Dangerous Dan now, thanks
"He can build you a birdhouse"

My roommate and I spent the past 2 days watching Kranked 3-4, Statement, NSX7, Down, NWD 1, etc. etc. Makes us really glad to see the direction the sport has taken in the past 6-7 years.:rofl:
 

rbx

Monkey
When in hell is the industry going to produce a properly excuted horst link bike!?

Horst link has the potential to pedal as good as any vpp or dw link out there but The horst link should be dropped way lower and foward of the rear axle with a properly positonned top link


In general ICT center of curvature is very near the main pivot so the bike should pedal like a low single pivot, but brakes alot better almost like a full floater.(this has to do in part with the horst link that is very near the rear axle)

Physics never lie and ICT theory is false, turn down pro pedal on a sunday and on a dare, and then tell me the dare pedals as good as the sunday.
 

Brian HCM#1

MMMMMMMMM BEER!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 7, 2001
32,119
378
Bay Area, California
Who gives a rats ***!!! No one really cared about IH until DW came aboard a few years back. Face it, it's no longer the "Bandwagon" bike of the year. We all need to focus on the new "Bandwagon" bike........... The Demo 8. :D:D ;);););)
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I'm willing to bet ironhorse will just slap the rear end of the ICT on their sunday front triangle...IH bikes have always seemed cheap to me, every single one, and they were only saved by DW's suspension design and the input of a few very talented people. The bikes still struck me as bargain basement products (IH's main focus) that were very well thought out. You just can't cover up low quality though.

If those people are gone, you're going to be left with low quality and somebody who doesn't want to listen to anybody else or fix things when they go wrong. People will still buy IH for a couple years until they realize something is up.

Also, while I'm not arguing the overall goofiness of the dare pictured above, keep in mind that it's got an 888 with RISER crowns as high as it can go in the clamps. You tell me you can put the same fork on the front of a sunday and it won't look almost as ridiculous.

Ellsworth is the reason I'm hesitant to buy an Eastern Slash as a slopestyle bike...just scary.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
So let me get this straight...if IH is licensing the ICT, to make it work don't they now have to start licensing the FSR pivot as well?

Oh...and countdown begins til NRS makes a comeback.
 

offtheedge

Monkey
Aug 26, 2005
955
0
LB
I know that everybody hates Ellsworth and Tony in particular, but the suspension design is pretty nice, especially for XC/Trail bikes...now if they can implement it in a sound package backed with good customer service, I think they'll be fine.

Agreed. T.E. may be an asshat, but his bikes work and do it well.
 

rbx

Monkey
You mean like this?

Yes and even that M1 has the potential to pedal better, if it had a walking beam top link that pushed back the CC further backward!

You would have a sweat pedalling bike with better braking then a VPP design and the rear derailleur would not hit the chainstay, but for the life of me i dont why companies or IH doesnt make such a bike!

Its like there 2 or 3 people in the industry that REALLY know about suspension physics and the rest are ignorant morons that slap rear suspension designs to their bike because it has a catchy ring to it!
 

Prettym1k3

Turbo Monkey
Aug 21, 2006
2,864
0
In your pants
"The ICT system will improve efficiency, traction control, bump absorption and overall ride quality."

Over DW link? Sorry you nepitistic company (WWC and RS Cycle)... but that's a gross overstatement for what the ICT will do versus DW link.

Ellsworth bikes are WAY overpriced. I certainly hope to see a MAJOR price-drop from Iron Horse for their bikes.
 
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