Here’s a few clarifications:

I like building pretty bikes, this will be one of ‘em too. The bikes you’ve seen really are protos, just to prove to concept. Things will get shapely & tapered, the brace will likely become integrated, and there will be some changes with the hardware too. Its a simple design & ought to look that way too. It’ll look nice, ok?! Not everybody will like the look of the bike, and that’s ok too; the frame will occupy a rather small niche anyhow.

We build primarily with aluminum, for a variety of reasons. The comments about the bike’s cost effectiveness are right on the mark. The idea is to have a light, vertically compliant, torsionally stiff bike that works & comes at a reasonable price.. and handbuilt.

I’m excited to combine the two materials & see a lot of potential looking forward.

The plate’s thickness is just about right. We arrived at it using computer modeling & a little know-how from other builders– it gives plenty (well within its limitations) and has adequate torsional stiffness. The brace on top helps here too. Probably won’t need different “springs” for different riders.

The shock handles most of the spring and all of the damping. The first 30% of the travel is loaded negatively into the plate, which also helps eliminate shock seal & bushing friction. It also makes the overall spring rate somewhat progressive, which is a good thing in this case.

The shock pressures so far are running about 75 psi for Mary (she’s light) and about 90 psi for Dave. This is firm enough to have virtually no sag, but takes the edge off.

So that should sum things up. We’re on the road right now riding & having fun on our way to Moab this weekend.

I was praising it. I think the ti plate makes loads of sense from a cost perspective, that;s why I said it.

I was not certain the plate is replaceable as earlier posts said this was a prototype and further integration was on the list of things to do. I am not sure if further integration means replaceable or not.

Anyway, so I am clear, I think this bike looks like it has a lot of potential. I like the design ideas regarding a ti plate on a aluminum frame.

Al w/ ti plate- would you want to pay an extra $1k+ for a Ti frame?

Also the ti plate on an alum bike makes loads of sense from a cost perspective.

The Siren Song should be not much different in this regard.

An O-ring on the shock is present and is easily checked to make sure a rider is running through their travel.

Keep in mind that 1″ of travel is hardly ‘full-suspension’ and neither is it intended to be. It is there to take the edge off of hits that the 29″ wheel size doesn’t smooth out.

If a rider isn’t seeing their O-ring move on a Dos they need to lower the amount of air pressure. It is a low pressure shock. Riders should move through the 1″ of travel frequently during a ride, much different than a 5″ travel bike where you should max travel only a few times per ride on big hits.

Kid