Recently our comments section reflected a desire on some folks part to see a “short” travel, Trail oriented 29″er. Ironically, here we have an announcement by U.K. mountain bike brand Orange Mountain Bikes concerning a new bike that may just fit the description many of you have for such a bike. The Segment. See if this may be what would work by reading the following from Orange….
Orange Mountain Bikes Segment RS model
The Segment. Divides opinions. Conquers trails.
Designed to be the fastest all-rounder we could make, the Segment takes preconceptions about what is possible on a short travel bike and pulls them apart.
A 120/110mm travel 29er that can ride way beyond its travel figure, the Segment balances its inherent big-wheel unflappability with a taught and playful ride that encourages you to let it go faster, both up and down. With its low-slung stance and the kind of angles more often found on longer travel bikes the Segment is the short travel bike that can, and does.
Commentary: You can review the geometry below, and yes…….apparently there are only two sizes on offer. No matter, since Orange Mountain Bikes are not distributed much beyond the European Union and Australia. However, it is the concept as a 29″er which we find intriguing. Using slacker geometry, a lower bottom bracket, and suspension travel more often associated with a XC racing full suspension bike than with a burly trail rig.
In our review of the Salsa Spearfish, (seen here), Grannygear touches on some of the short travel rear suspension traits and seems to think it may be the “Goldilocks” full suspension choice: Not long and burly like a bike with 140mm travel, but obviously more comfortable and controllable than a hard tail. Could the trail bike geometry matched with this shorter travel really be the type of 29″er full suspension bike most of us should be riding? Can the bigger wheels combine with an efficient suspension design to make it all feel like a longer travel bike? Those are the questions we have here. What do you think? Hit the comments with your thoughts.
Segment Geometry
| Segment Geometry | ||
| Frame Size | M | L |
| Seat Tube Length | 17″ | 19″ |
| A. Head Angle | 67.5° | 67.5° |
| B. Seat Angle (Actual) | 71.5° | 71.5° |
| B. Seat Angle (Effective) | 74° | 74° |
| C. Top Tube | 569 | 589 |
| D. Top Tube (effective) | 600 | 620 |
| E. BB Height (from ground) | 375 | 375 |
| BB height (from axles | -40 | -40 |
| F. Chainstay | 450 | 450 |
| G. Head Tube | 110 | 110 |
| H. Wheel base | 1157 | 1177 |
| J. Reach | 424 | 444 |
| K. Stack | 612 | 612 |
| Standover | 732 | 757 |
| Unless otherwise indicated all measurements are in mm. Frame angles are measured static, without rider sag. Bottom bracket height measured from ground with 750 mm Ø tyre. | ||
The Kona Process 111 is in the same vein and heaps of fun.
The key here is the tires. Grippy, tough tires that aren’t too heavy mounted on wide rims imbues any bike with instant trail worthiness. Once you make that step, I think, the step from 100mm travel to 140mm travel is less significant. And this Orange is cool because the suspension it does have looks relatively simple. I actually think the fatbike is largely responsible for this ‘goldilocks’ bike – manufacturers are realizing the potential of tires. Tire performance is being separated from frame style and travel. Read cg’s review of those carbon fatbike rims and Bluto fork – he says that hardtail is comparable to his 4″ travel fully.
Funnily enough just yesterday I was thinking about a bike like this, I wondered off the usual XC/Marathon training route I use and on to the blue routes where you don’t necessarily need lots of travel but you need a full susser and slack angles to stop the bike hanging up on all the baby heads etc. It was no fun on my marathon racing HT 29er but this kind of bike say fun just looking at it and you could race it for fun in XC/XCO/marathon as well.
Only problem is the lack of an XL (21″) size. That’s heightism that is!
Banshee phantom is also in this category. Loving mine for trail riding, feels faster and more fun than my 150mm 26er ever did.
Last year Ragley showed 2 prototypes of bikes like this. 110mm rear suspension paired to a longer fork. Too bad that since then it got really silent.
Motivated hits a good point. When I put burly Bontrager XR-4 tires on my Turner Czar, it provides a very different feel than when it is shod with pinner 2.1 xc race weapons.
The Orange Segment RS comes with a reduced travel Pike, vs. the 32mm fork on the Kona. Made in the UK, excellent geometry numbers, lovely in that blue color, low maintenance suspension. Just a shame it’s not available in the US.