[HaveFaith]

The bike was built up and complete at the Sea Otter. I spotted it and said hello. HaveFaith is a super nice guy and the bike looked great.

Thanks dude! I gave rides to as many people as I had time for and everyone seemed stoked. Definitely got more than a few people asking what the brand is/will be called and when we start making actual ones. Being the only gearbox bike at Sea Otter that was race functional was really rewarding. Thanks all for the support! Pat got some cool pics and will post up some shots soon.

On a side note, I was feeling fast and smooth in practice and knew I could kill the course. Bike felt insanely good. Race run I pushed too hard into the S-berms before the drop and washed the front straight to my inside elbow. Damn!

 

[Mc.Dub]

Can't wait to see the pics. I know I'm not alone.
Congrats on the bike making it to Otter.

 

[no skid marks]

So what does it weigh???

 

[HaveFaith]

Weighed it today. 42.5lbs with steel spring, manitou travis, medium weight wheels with tubes in the tires.

The proto also has some pretty thick straight gauge tubing on the seat and down tubes (saving the nice butted stuff for later). Running an air shock, lighter fork and some production ready pivot hardware (instead of the solid steel shoulder bolts the proto uses) will easily see the weight right at the 40lb mark.

I can say however that this bike rides like its much lighter and smaller than it is. Change of direction and lifting over stuff made me think I was riding my trail bike. I was truly impressed, and the handling exceeded all my expectations. The only other gearbox bike at the otter was the rotec one and it was not being raced. That thing looked nicely built however.

 

[JewBagel]

Now that it's done, when do we get to see a pic? I'm currently in school to be an engineer and every time I see something like this I can't stop obsessing over it. Pics please:biggrin:!!!

 

[PatBranch]

They are comming!!! I'll get them up tomorrow.

 

[John Sullivan`]

Hey HF,

It was a pleasure meeting you down at the Otter! Sorry I didn't get chance to catch up with you later in the weekend to see how things went.

Sounds like you had a successful showing, great job!

As for the KVR, I got to do a few runs on course on fri and sat with it but no race runs. I'am no racer, by anymeans.......but I do like to go fast, when I can.

Rode the KVR around the entire weekend and it was goodtimes everyone that saw it and I am sure it was the same with you were stoked to see them.

The G-Boxx2 like the V-boxx itself is a continuing process that involves customer feedback, improvements and yes at time setbacks.

Keep up the great work, you are on the right track with your design.

Hopefully you can make it up to Whistler for Memorial day weekend next month or during the summer, I'll be there....so let me know when you're up this way.

Keep it real,

Sully

 

[HaveFaith]

Hey HF,

It was a pleasure meeting you down at the Otter! Sorry I didn't get chance to catch up with you later in the weekend to see how things went.

Sounds like you had a successful showing, great job!

As for the KVR, I got to do a few runs on course on fri and sat with it but no race runs. I'am no racer, by anymeans.......but I do like to go fast, when I can.

Rode the KVR around the entire weekend and it was goodtimes everyone that saw it and I am sure it was the same with you were stoked to see them.

The G-Boxx2 like the V-boxx itself is a continuing process that involves customer feedback, improvements and yes at time setbacks.

Keep up the great work, you are on the right track with your design.

Hopefully you can make it up to Whistler for Memorial day weekend next month or during the summer, I'll be there....so let me know when you're up this way.

Keep it real,

Sully

Sully, Great to meet you also. Sorry for the assumption that it was not being ridden, I guess I just saw it being pushed. Im stoked to hear you got to take it down the course, I hope you had as much fun as I did on these things!

Your work is first rate and Im excited to see what can be done with these designs. PM me sometime with your email address, as I'd like to share some ideas...

Now for the next round....Beating this thing down and fixing the issues!

Pics are coming!

 

[ire]

I can't wait to see the final photos...

 

[Total Heckler]

Pat, photos, now.

Speaking of gearbox bikes, I got to ride the Rotec one. So weird not having to pedal to shift.

Anyways, hope to see pictures of your ride soon. Sounds awesome man.

 

[jvnixon]

 

[OGRipper]

Speaking of gearbox bikes, I got to ride the Rotec one. So weird not having to pedal to shift.

Not to derail the thread but I was also given the chance to take the Rotec for a spin. I've always liked Rotecs and the gear box seems very promising. Not only that but Sully is a super cool guy.

Great to see the passionate people behind the products. That applies to Sully/Rotec, Have Faith, and many many others at the Otter.

 

[fortenndu]

That looks pretty sick.

 

[xy9ine]

so. the bike has been built for nearly a week, hung out @ sea otter all weekend & no one has a picture yet?

 

[jonKranked]

pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics pics

 

[PatBranch]

Today, soon!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dogboy]

Today, soon!!!!!!!!!

Seriously man, a simple pic will do.

 

[Ozzer]

Today, soon!!!!!!!!!

Didn't you camp with Collin? You didn' sneak out of the tent faking to go to the tree to pee and snap a spy photo of the bike? You could be battling with the media right now with "seen here first" pic coverage.

I still have no idea what the heck you're saying in the message you left in my voicemail, Pat.

Post it...

 

[FCLinder]

Dude I hope you got some free product at the Otter to go on this thing for waiting so long to put up any pics!!!!!! If you don't I will be very disappointed even though it has a G-Boxx on it.

 

[Ozzer]

We're waiting, Pat!!!!

 

[HaveFaith]

Ok, I took some low quality snaps to hold the wolves at bay! As you can tell, the bike was ridden and is still dirty. The goods are coming, along with a nice little weekend writeup....

I know these are crappy, I took them quickly. I promise the real deal is coming...

 

[fortenndu]

That's sick, good job.

 

[Lollapalooza]

Sick! It came out really well.

 

[donkeyWC]

looks good hf!

 

[ire]

looks damn nice! I like the integrated post!

 

[NY_Star]

Sweet. I love it. So did it ride up to your expectations

 

[demo 9]

sweet deal

 

[HaveFaith]

Guys, thanks for all the compliments. We certainly worked hard to get this thing done. All I can say is that it honestly rode better than I was expecting. I wouldnt lie about this, as Im trying to keep this process as transparent as possible.

Ran into a few small issues at SO during the component build, mostly around tensioning the chain, but I got that worked and next version will be dialed for that.

I was able to ride this thing like it was a much smaller bike than both the travel and weight would suggest. It was massively flickable, ate up the bumps and sprinted like my trail bike. The upshifts make me laugh they are so good. The one handling trait that stood out most was its willingness to change directions. You could almost slalom race the thing some more.

The whole process has only solidified to me (who before this was basing my opinion of gearboxes on hearsay and assumptions) that gearboxes are the way of the future. Why no company is doing this for racing in the states is beyond me. Who knows what holds for the future. All I can say is I cant wait to get out and thrash the thing!

 

[Mc.Dub]

Looks great. Nice to see the sport going in the new direction, with new technology. And even cooler to see it happening step by step. Goodluck with the bike and allt he plans you have for it's future.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Looks great, but how do you adjust the seat pole height?? Or don't you? And did you manage to heat treat it before you rode it?

 

[FCLinder]

Great job man!!!! I really like how it came togther. By the way what was the build weight and just the Frame and shock weight?

 

[HaveFaith]

The quest to race our own DH race gearbox bikes started out as wishful thinking for me and my buddy Ryan back in mid-january. Frustrated with mis-shifts, bent/broken derailleurs and constant maintenance, we knew there had to be an alternate option.

The existence of gear-box bikes has been well known for the past several years, with a few examples being raced in the international spotlight. Lucky for us Americans, there is not a single example of race orientated machinery available at a reasonable cost. That got us thinking. We had been wanting to build a bike for a while as a side project. Maybe a steel road frame, or single speed jump bike.

F-it. Lets build a gearbox bike. How rad would that be to ride our own gearbox bikes here in the states? So rad, we said.

Flash forward to beginning of february and the CAD designing had begun. G-boxx was the most feasible option, as they have cad data available directly on their site, and contact info that actually went through to a human being. 2 G-boxxes on order? Check.

With the CAD starting to take shape and the gearboxes ordered we realized that the commitment was made. We had to build these things. And why not for Sea Otter. Seems reasonable, 2 months, right? Ryan began sourcing steel and I went for aluminum. We know we could have stuff CNC'd by our buddy and do the rest of the fab work ourselves. The CAD came together relatively quickly and I had completed the analysis work by around the 3 week of February.

At the same time I was doing detailed design, we were purchasing material and spec'ing out the tubing. We figured out what we could waterjet and started getting on things like the bell cranks which were simple.

Unfortunately, work was crazy at the same time and neither of us could dedicate the type of hours we knew we needed to in order to get the thing done at a reasonable pace. I definitely spent some late nights and weekends after racing working on finishing the design and producing drawings for machining. As we began to send out drawings to the shop along with waterjetted material blanks, orders were being placed for hardware, components and other items that would be necessary to build up the prototype. Machining took a bit longer than expected and we recieved the first steel pieces back about a week and a half before sea otter. These things needed to get welded up ASAP! I cut and fit the tubing and Ryan and I built up the tooling to correctly space and align the chainstays. Our buddy Steve volunteered his time to weld them up.

Soon after we got the aluminum machined bits and time was running short so I jumped directly into cutting, coping, bending and fitting the frame pieces so that the welding would go as quickly as possibly. I designed up a frame jig and had to make some sacrifices for time's sake. Steve joined me for a couple of late nights the days leading up to Sea Otter to finish the main triangle; I definitely couldnt have done it without his help. Unfortunately, Ryan also had some important business to take care of so it was partially a solo effort. He's stoked to be around for the next one. The main frame got welded up fully wednesday night and I pulled an all nighter fitting the frame to the g-boxx, reaming pivot points, assemblying linkages and just finishing the small stuff all around. Put it in the oven for heat treat till 5AM Thursday morning and we are good to go!

Upon arrival at Sea Otter, I headed straight to qualifying for expert DS. Got 2 runs in for qualifying/practice and made it into the 16 man cut in 12th place. Rush back to the campsite to start assemblying the bike with all the components I had brought along. Not the ideal work space, but with a stand and a tarp on the ground, you can get it all done!

It started to get pretty dark and freaking cold so I had to wrap up the build for the night. Plus I had DS racing at 9AM so I had to get SOME sleep sometime! I woke up, ate a small bit and headed over to practice before the race at about 7:45AM. I started learning the course better and feeling good. Racing starts, I beat the first guy. 5th seed. Stoked. For my first DS race, let alone first expert race, thats all my goal was for, move on to round of 8. Well, little did I know, I would end up beating the 4th and 1st place seeds on my way to a 2nd place in the finals. WTF?? Super happy.

Ok, back to the campsite to start building the bike again. It all is coming together and parts are fitting pretty well. I end up cruising the expo for some shock hardware, brake line cutting and a little dremel action to fit the chain and tensioning. The bike is finally rideable by sundown Friday. Soo sweet!

Saturday I had practice and also help out the ex-girlfriend with her first DH race. It was a long day of delays, but I finally got to ride this bike like I meant it around 5PM Saturday. First run was shaky, especially after catching a girl in the middle of the log drop and having to cut speed, ending up coming up really short. Got to the bottom and the axle had slipped, machining the caliper with the rotor and bending the caliper mount in the process. Shiiii....t. I got that quickly repaired and with about half the pad material left in the rear, got a couple of more runs in. Final run of the day, I felt pretty dialed and had gotten used to the snappy feel of the bike. Damn did it feel good to be riding my own creation! Not only that, to have it ride so good, and be so impressed with the G-boxx, I couldnt have asked for anything more.

More of the same in practice Sunday, the bike and I felt super dialed. Hit all the gaps clean, railed the corners and felt really fast in general. Legs were still strong. Race rolls around and I unclip into the first sweeping corner. Damn. Through the rhythm with a fat whip on the final table to nearly missing the step up. Double damn. Rail the corner on the gas. Pat takes the pic.

Im pushing hard now because I know I need to make up a good amount of time. Coming into the s-turns before log drop I am killing myself in the sprint. First berm, start to enter and BAM! dropped to the shoulder and hip faster than you can say washout. At this point, my race run was finished but I got up, cleaned the drop and finished in strong form. Down about 15 seconds or so total, and should have podiumed had I ran clean. The bike didnt hold me back though, thats for sure. After the race, I check it out, make sure its looking okay and after a weekend of beating on it out of the box, it is fully intact. Sweet!

I look forward to getting more ride time on it and fully realizing the capability. I feel like I hit the geo numbers directly on and got the thing to handle like nothing else Ive ever ridden for DH. Changes directions like an RC car and floats over the rough stuff. On top of that, the g-boxx upshifts under power like a CVT. No lie. It is that good. No hype, no BS, you cannot get the thing to even pause when you are grabbing gears. Oh yeah, want to downshift for the slight rise after the table mid-air? Go ahead. I did. And it worked. This is not the last of this project for sure, I cant wait to get a more dialed version complete. In fact, neither can Ryan, he is busy machining for the next go around as I type. Unfortunately I couldnt get the bike around for too much media over the weekend as I was busy racing, building and running around in general.

In closing, here is a money shot of the bike after a hard weekend of riding. Im pretty beat also, with a pummeled elbow and hip.

PS, I found the chunk of skin from my elbow in the lower g-box mount yesterday. It looked like beef jerkey and felt like a gummy ring. Thanks to Pat for the help and the pics!

 

[HaveFaith]

check out my summary and sea otter review here: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2907166#post2907166

 

[EVRAC]

awesome.

glad to hear the box performed well.

keep up the good work.

 

[yesimaddicted]

narly

 

[MattP.]

I saw you pedalling that thing around and it caught my eye every time. Mad props for you! Congrats, and you were ripping on the DH!

 

[SPINTECK]

Sweet ride and great post!

 

[MobileChernobyl]

I dunno if this was mentioned, but what bearings are you using for your main pivot?

 

[FOXROX]

how many gears?

dude i love it!

 

[demo 9]

thas the sickest gearbox bike ever