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Watson Bikes - WTF?

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
I would love to build a linkage front end and I think there is huge potential for weight savings and improved handling.
This isn't quite what I had in mind though. I think he made that whole bike with 1/2" plate and a water jet.
Gotta give the guy credit for thinking out of the box but he needs to learn a bit more about stressed part design.
 

Segunda

Chimp
May 7, 2007
76
3
Way beyond the box :D

Had one of those Girvin Vectors back in dem dayz,
linkage forks can feel really nice.
If you use a decent shock and build it in a way that doesn't look like it fall a part on the first ride....
 

Ithnu

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
961
0
Denver
I'd like to see how that thing rolls over obstacles, seeing as it has that extra thing sticking out the bottom where the shock is mounted. And of course, what does it weigh? <-- edit, saw that, 2.3 kilos.
 
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Trekrules

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2007
1,226
148
holly sh*t that is realy 1 complicated bike:shocked:.How would that be holding up on the DH trails.
 

Segunda

Chimp
May 7, 2007
76
3
That front... eeuh... thing..., nice..., could find uses for that..., like a bullbar for bushes, small gritters, etc :D
That stuff about isolating the handlebars sounds nifty though !
 

frorider

Monkey
Jul 21, 2004
971
20
cali
humm...the front suspension directly loads the rear suspension and vise versa… interesting. Talk about getting your rate just right. I wouldn’t mind genie pigin it though…
huh? i see two separate shocks, one mounted on left side of the frame, one mounted on the right. one controls the simply elevated single pivot rear end; the other controls the linkage-controlled front end.

that bike is in a whole 'nother category of fugly.
 

frorider

Monkey
Jul 21, 2004
971
20
cali
bwahaha.

cam said:
What follows is a press release from Watson Bikes and is not meant to be construed as editorial.

watson's description sez:

3. Lack of complication - with only 12 bearing surfaces whereas the average mountain bike has 14 bearing surfaces (2 telescopic sliders, 2 steering head bearings, 2 swinging arm bearings, 6 suspension linkage bearings, and, 2 bearings on either end of the shock absorber) there is a reduction of 2 bearing surfaces.
yep, when i look at that bike, the first thing that comes to mind is the clean, uncomplicated design.
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,128
7,679
Transylvania 90210
huh? i see two separate shocks, one mounted on left side of the frame, one mounted on the right. one controls the simply elevated single pivot rear end; the other controls the linkage-controlled front end.
i thought the same thing at first, but i looked at the pix again and it looks like the shock on the right side of the bike is connected to both the front wheel and the rear swingarm.
 

frorider

Monkey
Jul 21, 2004
971
20
cali
i thought the same thing at first, but i looked at the pix again and it looks like the shock on the right side of the bike is connected to both the front wheel and the rear swingarm.
hmm, i dunno, i'm looking hard at the pic and it seems like an asymmetric design driving each shock.

perhaps you're watson and you're just screwing with us, trying to protect patentable technologies?
 

MtnbikeMike

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2004
2,637
1
The 909
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the frame probably gets its travel through frame flex. The shocks are there for lateral stiffness. ;)
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,128
7,679
Transylvania 90210
hmm, i dunno, i'm looking hard at the pic and it seems like an asymmetric design driving each shock.

perhaps you're watson and you're just screwing with us, trying to protect patentable technologies?
i think this pic shows the connection better.


i think the front and rear are connected.

total heckler, i'm with you, i want to see someone go nucking-futs on that thing.
 

Honus

Monkey
Jun 6, 2006
177
0
Boulder, CO
And I thought some of my bike designs were strange! This is what happens when overzealous engineering overtakes common sense. It looks like it combines a long trailing link fork with a hub center steer system.

Many designs like this have been tried in the motorcycle world and the only really successful alternative front suspensions are the Fior/Hossack/Britten fork and the SaxTrack/Telelever system. Both of these designs have been used by BMW on production motorcycles. Yamaha did use the Parker RADD design, but never on a sport or race bike. The Honda/Elf endurance race bikes designed by Andre DeCortanze and Serge Rosset had a modified MacPherson strut and were marginally successful at best.

A guy named Eric Offenstadt raced some Yamahas that had long trailing link fork but I don't recall it being a very successful design.

In the motocross world the only really successful alternative was the Ribi parallelogram fork which Honda bought the rights to (and later patented their own versions.) The used it on some or their works bikes and then promptly shelved it. They sure did look trick though.....
 

SkullCrack

Monkey
Sep 3, 2004
705
127
PNW
In the motocross world the only really successful alternative was the Ribi parallelogram fork which Honda bought the rights to (and later patented their own versions.) The used it on some or their works bikes and then promptly shelved it. They sure did look trick though.....