SUNN announces the Kern LT 160mm-travel Enduro bike and Enduro team of Kilian Bron and Thomas Lapeyrie.
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6/25/2015 2:05 PM
'Damm Sunn. Where'd you find this.'
This suspension design looks an awful lot like the vitus sommet. Same horst link suspension. Same interrupted seat tube design allowing the shock to float between the rocker and chainstay.
Probably a good thing. Thank god this doesn't look anything like the prototype.
6/25/2015 2:13 PM
'Same, same, same', when in fact it's quite different. On the other hand, all the bikes are 'the same'. It's just how extreme you go with the comparisons.
As for the 'prototype', it's not even P of a prototype, it's some designer's wet dream, that wouldn't ever work in real life. Those chainstays for example are wha, 500 mm long? It's a truck, not a bike.
6/25/2015 2:22 PM
Fair enough. bikes with horst link suspension are becoming ubiquitous but i can't think of any other bike companies using a horst link design with a shock floating on the chain stay. It doesn't even wrap around the seat tube like trek's 'full floater'. It uses an interrupted seat tube design just like a vitus. I mean come on, that a whole lot of same to me. What am i missing? Tell me all the ways those bikes are different? HT angles are probably within 1 degree of each other (though we have no info on that yet). I'm willing to bet the chains stays lengths and top tube lengths are within 10mm of each other. What does that leave? Leverage curves? paint color?
6/25/2015 2:33 PM
Just because two companies reach a similar conclusion through there development stage the products are the same? The pivot placements are completely different for a start. The link lengths and shapes are too. Only the general layout is similar, but trek uses a full floater just as well, like you pointed out. So they don't need a hole in the seat tube, the general design is still similar then. By your logic you could say the sunn is the same as treks... Stretching the logic here, but that's exactly my point.
As for the geometry, sure, they will be close, like any other 160 mm bike out there. See where I'm going? Unless two bikes have exactly the same pivot placement and/or link shape, they are not the same. And any serious bike company will do their own design, because they are driven by their engineers opinions and the need to differentiate on the market. If you want to fill the space on the world's market, you can easily buy astro frames
6/25/2015 9:48 PM
See the new pics, the shock is actually not actuated from both sides, just mounted to the pivot axle with it's bottom eyelet. So, still similar (or the same)?
6/29/2015 7:58 AM
6/25/2015 1:49 PM
6/25/2015 4:20 PM
i added 2 more pics above of the bike (just now realized they came w/ the press release) so you can see it a bit better. the only 'tech' info from the SUNN press release is below. i didn't include this text above because it doesn't really say anything. i think they mean 'kinematic' not 'cinematic' too.
With an aluminium frame, the KERN LT benefits of 160mm travels, the frame tubes are following SUNN’s new style.
The rear shock’s position and the frame’s cinematic has been specifically made for enduro riding. That means a suspension ratio that works efficiently on shocks absorption and keeps the suspension neutral while pedaling.
We will announce very soon the specific details, such as geometry, weight and price, about this bike
6/25/2015 9:47 PM