MOUNTAIN BIKE EQUIPMENT REVIEWS AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION
This section is always under construction and expanding, so bookmark to return later. Expect extensive reviews on Northwave shoes, Manitou forks and bars, Giant's low to mid priced hardtails in the next few weeks. Below you will find a thorough review and technical assessment of the Ellsworth Truth and a thorough explanation of the advanced technology of the Ellsworth Dare written by Tony Ellsworth himself.
FULL SUSPENSION DESIGN ADVANCEMENTS
Everyone is entitled to my opinion.
Over the past few years the industry has shoveled up a wide variety of full suspension designs, some good, some bad, some marketing crap. The original McPherson strut design of Horst Leitner's AMP has proved to be a lightening rod for the development of the best of the species for the simple reason that it was designed to work all the time. Linkage bikes, despite requiring more attention, are definitely kings of the hill, with cantilever beams following a far second. The unified rear triangle designs of companies like Trek and Ibis, while selling like hotcakes, are less-than-halfway solutions to those bumps in my way. These designs mostly work while seated and stiffen as you stand. The idea is a pitiful attempt to satisfy hardtail holdouts who still think accelleration forces are lost in the rear suspension. But hey, what do you do when you see a bump? I stand up. How about you? And what kind of terrain do you accellerate on? I want to accellerate through sand, babyheads, over bedrock ribs and roots. I DON'T RIDE ON THE ROAD. I DON'T NEED TO ACCELLERATE ON PAVEMENT. How about you?
THE ELLSWORTH TRUTH
I recently took a fellow out on the Gemini Bridges trail for a mostly downhill ride. He had just bought a new 1999 Cannondale Super-V, a weird looking cantilever beam bike. I was on an Ellsworth Truth. People along the trail were stopping to gawk at the Cannonball all decked out in flat black and yellow with its weird tubes and front fork. No one even noticed the Ellsworth. It was a confirmation of the marketing hype that encourages the big boys to build sound and fury designs--visually striking, but not thought out suspension-wise. Well, to make a long story shorter, I traded bikes with this fellow to show him just how superior a linkage bike is to a cantilever beam. I WAS AS SURPRISED AS HE WAS. After riding Ellsworths over the past few months I was frankly appauled at the deficiency of the Cannonball. Going down it bounced around like a hardtail and I lost control on the first loose and rocky downhill when I took it at the speed I would casually roll down on the Ells. Meanwhile, the fellow on my Ellsworth was cussing himself for buying the Cannonball. The Ellsworth may not look like a art deco roach clip, but the four bar linkage REALLY works.
The Ellsworth four bar linkage design is based on Tony Ellsworth's contribution to the mountain bike, Instant Center Tracking. In minimal terms, this is a rear suspension design that tries to keep the chain length exactly the same throughout its travel, illiminating chain torgue and braking input into the suspension. The Truth's four bar linkage is complimented by a link below the rear axle (not a Horst link, Tony Ellsworth is quick to point out) and low bottom bracket pivot. The pivot locations are designed as a single unit to be neutral when it comes to chain torque and braking. The upper linkage assembly is a rocker arm that pivots on the seat tube driving the shock with a smooth, powerful stroke perfect for air shocks like the Cane Creek AD-10, which came with the bike. I wanted a spring-oil shock, but I am glad Ellsworth didn't have one at the time. The AD-10 is the lightest rear shock you can buy. It doesn't work so great with other linkage designs with minimal force to overcome initial stiction, but the Ellsworth initial punch drives the shock into action without a hint of stiction. I try to run a half inch of sag. I don't like the AD-10 when it is allowed too sag much. It just busts through the mid stroke. But when it blows up on the trail, as I have seen air shocks do, I will probably hate it. Meanwhile, it has me hypnotized.
The triple clamp Manitou X-Vert I have been running on one of my two Ellsworths is light by comparison with other triple clamps, but still a full pound and a half more than a single crown fork. If it didn't work like a charm, somewhat taming the Ellsworth's tight geometry and raising the bottom bracket to Moab height, I wouldn't want to carry more weight, but the darn thing works with this bike. It also voids the headtube warrantee and Tony Ellsworth wants you to know that you should never run triple clamps on the Truth. With the advent of single crown forks with 100mm of travel there is no reason other than a bit of stiffness. So, don't listen to me. The fork's turning radius caused a slight knee injury when I tried to cut a sharp escape off of a ledge, but now that I am used to it, even tight switchbacks are no a problem. Originally, I ran the cross country flat bar with a low stem, like I was going to race or something. Now that I look back from my short stemmed riser bars I can see that the low front end is really a prelude to a head injury. If you haven't got it yet, try risers for a while. Once you have fallen on your head it may be hard to make the decision to switch.
This year I bought Ellsworth Absolute Truth and Truth frames. I was lucky enough to get one of the very last Absolutes, though having one is just an ego trip. The bikes feel nearly identical. The Truth is actually a bit lighter if my senses are intact. The Absolute's carbon fiber rear end was stiff, but man it cost a fortune to build. Tony Ellsworth demands tolerances that put NASA to shame and his constant fight with carbon parts manufacturers led to the discontinuance of the Absolute, but believe me, the Truth is already as true as it gets. After getting to know the bikes, I bought a small frame for my wife and sold a few of the bikes, as frames and complete Dreamride bikes, through the tour business. Next year we will have more Ellsworth's in our rental fleet and if you read this you will know why we would even consider such an expensive ride for rentals. The following is an honest account of my first experiences with Ellsworth. If you are considering an Ellsworth, this information should help in your decision.
The frames were quick to be delivered, and Tony Ellsworth assured me that this will be the case into 1999, but I've got a sneaky suspicion that when the bike catches on with the public there is going to be a stampeed.. The bikes are beautiful to unpack. Paint and finish on all the frames was first rate. Welds are as good as welds get, and suspiciously reminiscent of the Ventana bikes. Machining is utilitarian, sort of Frank Lloyd Wright. Like Wright's buildings though, it's what's on the inside that counts. The frames are very light as a result of work you can't see, but sure can feel. Five pounds. The Dreamride grouppo, which is chosen for strength and reliability, builds the bike to below 24 pounds. If you run a White Brothers ULSC70, Chris King wheels, and a ti bottom bracket the bike builds to 22 pounds.
The bike's pivots are well designed. After about six or seven generations, it seems that what is left is a bike for the purist who loves to nurse his steed. I can compare the bike to my old Triumph TR-4. You have to kiss it every now and then to keep it happy, but the reward is a clean machine that kicks butt. The pivots are not easy to contaminate, but I rebuild the rear end every 100 to 200 hours of use. The job is moderate, taking anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours to complete. I admit to being thorough and meticulous, so I take the maximum. I really hate squeaks and creaks. The pivots come apart with allen keys, so the job is fairly straight forward. I have been using the highest quality motorcycle bushing grease, but I plan on using a new drier Boeshield formula in the future. I will document this proceedure on the web the next time I rebuild.
Riding the bike: The way a bike feels is always effected by the bike you were on before. I was riding a Manitou FS swing link bike prior to switching to Ellsworth. The Manitou locked out a little bit on accelleration, and had a very high bottom bracket that was a blessing and a curse. I could hammer over big rocks, but I had to look for a big rock to put my foot on in order to mount or dismount the bike. Frankly, the high bottom bracket was a feature I grew to love. First time on the Ells I stood to sprint like I was on the Manitou and . . . . ooooooooh, whoaaaa. The bike felt very squishy, like I was riding on a sponge. I soon learned that sprinting out of the saddle required a much smoother stroke. Sitting was the way to go until I perfected the spin. After half a year on the bike I now stand and chug in the big chainring without feeling that sponge sensation. The bike feels like a hardtail when I want it to. I still bash the pedals a bit because of the comparable low bottom bracket height and would prefer to have things somewhere between the 13.5 inches of the Manitou and the 12.5 inches of the Ells, but a long travel fork and fat tires almost gets the bottom of the bike to where I like it. I do ride Moab, understand. It is very rocky around here.
One trick that always roosts other riders on hardtails or lesser full suspension rigs is to accellerate in the saddle up a loose and rocky slope away from them. The Ellsworth really shows its muster when the going gets rough and power goes into the pedals. It is in this situation that you will find the blessings of the Instant Center Tracking design.
Handling on the Ellsworth Truth with a stock X-Vert fork with 3" of travel is quick, responsive, aggressive, and all those other words you use to describe a great cross country racing bike. The bike's suspension augments this with forgiveness. Moabites need forgiveness. The bike with a 4" travel fork is a bit more stable with a lean towards point and shoot handling. The long travel combo with a short stem and riser bar feels a little less twitchy with less tendency to oversteer. Frankly, the bike sings with the longer fork. It dances with the shorter travel version. I feel like hopping on the short travel. I feel like slamming on the longer. I am lucky enough to have two bikes--one with a 3 inch fork, one with a 4 inch. I love them both, but, if I had to decide between the two, it would be the 4 inch.
The Ellsworth Truth comes in three sizes and three colors. The small frame is roughly a 16". The medium is roughly an 18". The large is roughly a 20". Top tube lengths in this case are the way to sort out your sizing. The medium has a perfect 23.3" top tube length fo