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Craftworks ENR

hmcleay

hmcleay

i-track suspension
Apr 28, 2008
117
116
Adelaide, Australia
SPAM alert!

I'm very pleased to introduce the RM community to the Craftworks ENR.
This is the first production bike to feature the i-track suspension system.
Craftworks expects to start shipping in April.
Pricing & pre-order details available soon.

s1200_Craftworks_ENR_Production_MU.jpg


Quick details:
6061-T6 Alloy Frame
160mm travel (vertical), with 48mm rearward travel (note, our press release had a typo, stating 43mm, it's actually 48mm).
66.5deg Head Angle
75.2deg Seat Angle
1150/1170mm Wheelbase (Medium/Large sizes)
418mm Chainstays
BB 10mm below axles (roughly equals 347mm BB off ground - depending on tyres)
Threaded BB.
Syntace X-12 axle system (non-BOOST 142x12)
Ample room for full size drink bottle.

More info at www.craftworkscycles.com

Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
Da Peach

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,683
4,912
North Van
Neat bike. Typo in your website:

"The new Craftworks ENR features the patented i-track suspension system to deliver kinematic characteristics that have notXXXXXavailable until now"
 
hmcleay

hmcleay

i-track suspension
Apr 28, 2008
117
116
Adelaide, Australia
StiHacka said:
This thread needs more leverage curves, otherwise it won't escalate.
What's the CS length @ sag?
Click to expand...
haha. Yeah I'll post the leverage curves once that other thread settles down.
Chainstay at sag is 445mm.

Da Peach said:
Neat bike. Typo in your website:

"The new Craftworks ENR features the patented i-track suspension system to deliver kinematic characteristics that have notXXXXXavailable until now"
Click to expand...
Cheers for that; it's now updated.
 
Wuffles

Wuffles

Monkey
Feb 24, 2016
157
98
Mmmmfff....

Is there any chance you'll be making a production version of the prototype you show? I have a thing about hydroformed tubes. Also, I can't deal with those filled in seat tube-top tube triangles. It's probably a mental disorder, but I just can't buy a bike with it. Would freaking love to get that prototype though...
 
L

LAP

Chimp
Mar 5, 2016
48
33
hmcleay said:
SPAM alert!

I'm very pleased to introduce the RM community to the Craftworks ENR.
This is the first production bike to feature the i-track suspension system.
Craftworks expects to start shipping in April.
Pricing & pre-order details available soon.

View attachment 121686

Quick details:
6061-T6 Alloy Frame
160mm travel (vertical), with 48mm rearward travel (note, our press release had a typo, stating 43mm, it's actually 48mm).
66.5deg Head Angle
75.2deg Seat Angle
1150/1170mm Wheelbase (Medium/Large sizes)
418mm Chainstays
BB 10mm below axles (roughly equals 347mm BB off ground - depending on tyres)
Threaded BB.
Syntace X-12 axle system (non-BOOST 142x12)
Ample room for full size drink bottle.

More info at www.craftworkscycles.com

Enjoy!
Click to expand...
What are you aiming in term of weight for a medium?
 
Flo33

Flo33

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2015
2,065
1,304
Styria
Looks like the one from my trail bike, Derpalized Pitch, which works just great with a Pushed RP2 and Corset
 
Vrock

Vrock

Linkage Design Blog
Aug 13, 2005
276
59
Spain
Looks really nice, but be careful with that shock, it's not designed for bikes with too much travel.
 
Flo33

Flo33

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2015
2,065
1,304
Styria
StiHacka said:
OK, quick q: why so regressive in the last 1/3 of travel? Coil shocks a no-no for this frame?
Click to expand...
Just realised the big difference in numbers, this is really curvy. A coil will have hard times in that frame or the rider at mid travel.
 
hmcleay

hmcleay

i-track suspension
Apr 28, 2008
117
116
Adelaide, Australia
Happymtb.fr said:
Is it the same linkage design as the i-track p3?
And is it correctly analysed here? http://linkagedesign.blogspot.se/2014/05/i-track-enduro-650b-2015.html?m=1
Click to expand...
It's pretty close to that analysis. I didn't give Tony the pivot locations though, so he must have done it based on the photo, so there would some error associated with that. Exact P3 data is on the i-track website.

MmmBones said:
I think I read somewhere that it's designed for air shox but it would probably work fine with a DHX
Click to expand...
Yes, the leverage curve (progressive-linear-digressive) is designed to complement a typical air spring curve (digressive-linear-progressive).
In particular, the idea behind the very high initial LR is to reduce the initial wheel force that would otherwise occur with a more linear linkage (or god-forbid, an 'undrideable' digressive linkage).
I haven't tried it with a coil shock, and can't really see any reason why I'd want to (apart from curiosity).
 
Udi

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
@hmcleay
A question for you (though not directly related to this bike) - do you have a reasonably good working knowledge on the current patents that apply to (and potentially restrict) a rear suspension design?

For example - I'm not sure which particular elements the dw-link patent covers - since other bikes use the same rear triangle and twin links (in same rotation direction), and other bikes also implement falling AS curves beyond sag point.

Obviously your bike does both of these things but adds the extra rearward travel and the linkage mounted idler - but I'm curious how one decides whether they are or aren't infringing on an existing patent. Banshee for example is so close in both function and packaging/layout to dw-link that I don't understand how no infringement occurs, unless it's a case of "small enough company = turn a blind eye" which I suspect is the case.

I don't want to jack the thread but it's something I've been curious about. I know you reference other patents on your site, but I'm curious if this means "sub-royalties" need to be paid, or if you had to negotiate some kind of "fair-use" deal beforehand.

Obviously your design adds something beyond what existed before (which I think is very cool) but I've been wondering if that negates the need to license the previous designs for the shared components.
 
hmcleay

hmcleay

i-track suspension
Apr 28, 2008
117
116
Adelaide, Australia
Hey @Udi,

The DW-Link portfolio is covered by three patents, with claims (extremely condensed version) as follows:
US7048292: Anti-squat is higher in the beginning of travel, and lesser thereafter.
US7128329: Instant Centre is beyond pivots of lower link at 0% travel, and in between pivots of lower link towards full travel.
US7828314: Anti-squat curve has negative slope at the beginning and end of travel, and less negative in the middle.
These are the US patents, but there are equivalent ones in other jurisdictions.

Shoot me an email at hugh [at] i-tracksuspension.com and I can elaborate further for you.
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,368
1,606
Warsaw :/
Not afraid the lengthening of the CS will make the bike sluggish? It's less of a problem on dh bikes but on endurpoo bikes that have to ride tighter tracks I wonder if it's not a downside. 445mm at sag means it's longer than most competition if I remember right.
 
Happymtb.fr

Happymtb.fr

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2016
1,913
1,268
SWE
What about the chain jumping from the idler pulley? Is it for real or just a bad excuse from Zerode to go away from a high pivot location?
 
hmcleay

hmcleay

i-track suspension
Apr 28, 2008
117
116
Adelaide, Australia
Wuffles said:
Mmmmfff....

Is there any chance you'll be making a production version of the prototype you show? I have a thing about hydroformed tubes. Also, I can't deal with those filled in seat tube-top tube triangles. It's probably a mental disorder, but I just can't buy a bike with it. Would freaking love to get that prototype though...
Click to expand...
Sorry for the slow response; I missed this one.
No, there won't be a production of the black prototype. Both this proto and the production version use hydroformed downtubes, it's just the production one is a bit more boxy and straighter (and looks way better IMO).
Also, the filled in ST/TT gusset looks way better than the open one... you must have a mental disorder! But there is also an engineering reason for this.
There are only two of the black prototypes in existence. It's unlikely (but not impossible) that they'd ever turn up in the 2nd hand market.

norbar said:
Not afraid the lengthening of the CS will make the bike sluggish? It's less of a problem on dh bikes but on endurpoo bikes that have to ride tighter tracks I wonder if it's not a downside. 445mm at sag means it's longer than most competition if I remember right.
Click to expand...
Yes, 445 CS at sag is longish.
From 0% to 30% travel, this bike has about 20mm more CS growth than a 'convential' drivetrain bike.
This would make it roughly equivalent to a 'conventional' drivetrain bike with a 0% chainstay measurement of 438mm.
I don't have any troubles doing wheelies or manuals on this bike, so I don't really notice it. I think also having excellent pedalling performance helps to mask the longer chainstays.

Cheers,
Hugh.
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,368
1,606
Warsaw :/
hmcleay said:
Yes, 445 CS at sag is longish.
From 0% to 30% travel, this bike has about 20mm more CS growth than a 'convential' drivetrain bike.
This would make it roughly equivalent to a 'conventional' drivetrain bike with a 0% chainstay measurement of 438mm.
I don't have any troubles doing wheelies or manuals on this bike, so I don't really notice it. I think also having excellent pedalling performance helps to mask the longer chainstays.

Cheers,
Hugh.
Click to expand...
Manuals is not an issue since people manual on dh bikes. That's not what I was mentioning. Enduro racing tracks as well as regular tracks people ride their trailbike tend to have quite a few more tight turns vs dh tracks. That's where a long CS might be a problem. The Megaaavalanche track is a real pain to ride on a dh bike in some spots. Same for Mountain of hell. That's why I wondered why you didn't go 10mm shorter.
 
Electric_City

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,994
716
norbar said:
Enduro racing tracks... regular tracks people ride their trailbike tend to have quite a few more tight turns vs dh tracks. That's where a long CS might be a problem... That's why I wondered why you didn't go 10mm shorter.
Click to expand...
So like, I'm ripping this enduro to shit bro! But then there's this 7'-2" radius switchback... My bikes sag must have been at like 56%, cause like, my chainstays must have been maxed out! I like totally failed cause of that. I could have been first... Only if my stays were precisely 10mm shorter...

Not every bike is perfect for everyone.
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,368
1,606
Warsaw :/
Electric_City said:
So like, I'm ripping this enduro to shit bro! But then there's this 7'-2" radius switchback... My bikes sag must have been at like 56%, cause like, my chainstays must have been maxed out! I like totally failed cause of that. I could have been first... Only if my stays were precisely 10mm shorter...

Not every bike is perfect for everyone.
Click to expand...
So we should not have a discussion or is this another answer of "I'm to cool to talk about technicalities" ?

I'm curious since bikes with a high rearward component in susp are hard to balance geometry wise and most companies fail when they try to do it.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,067
5,976
borcester rhymes
norbar, my guess is that due to physical limitations, chainstays couldn't be much shorter. 419mm at top out is really incredibly short, I would even argue too short for good stability at speed, especially the speed these goons are getting up to on the enderpo circuit.

Hugh's own suspension concept doesn't really correlate to short chainstays at sag because of his theories with axle path. Personally, I don't think 445mm is that bad at sag, and in fact I'd wager any bike with high anti-squat is going to sit around that area at sag. For local trails and lower speeds, then yeah, I'd rather have shorter stays but I'd also probably rather go with a much simpler suspension system. This looks to me like it would work wonderfully on a purpose built bike for enduro or DH racing, but for XCing? maybe not.
 
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