The all new Mondraker Summum downhill bike - Sebas Romero
The La Fenosa bike park proved to be a formidable testing ground for the new Summum with a hillside covered in multiple runs, littered with huge rocks and jumps - Sebas Romero
And some of the jumps were big, really big! This was but a medium sized effort, thanks in part to Andreu Lacondeguy having done some of the spadework here - Mondraker
Curves and lots of them! The only rules to designing carbon bicycle frames are that there aren’t any! - Pete Drew
The Pro Team comes with SRAM’s superb seven-speed X01 transmission, which was designed from the ground up for the demands of downhill riding - Pete Drew
Adjustable dropouts allow either a short and snappy 445mm or a longer 460mm for faster tracks that require more stability - Pete Drew
Forward Geometry has proved incredibly successful with more brands acknowledging the performance attributed to a longer front centre with a super short stem and short stays. The Summum offsets its longer than normal front with a 20mm direct mount stem. The only issue we found was setting preload on air forks as the bars sit in the way of the air valve - Pete Drew
There’s no denying that this is a beautiful bicycle frame with racing in its DNA - Mondraker
Not only is the frame completely new, but so is the hardware used to bolt it all together. Introducing new bearings and bolts, the new linkage is designed to increase sensitivity and reduce wear and tear - Mondraker
Using an EPS skeleton to build from and a vacuumed mould to create the shape and layer of strategically cut and placed carbon sheets and resin to deliver a bespoke ride feel on the trail, you can start to see why carbon frames come with price tags like they do - Mondraker
The flying Scotsman! Innes Graham will be stepping up to the big league in 2015, with his first year in the elite category and as you’d imagine, is excited at the prospect of having a former World Champion for a team mate - Sebas Romero
The production bikes won’t have the team sponsors logos on them or a fine coating in Spanish dust, but they will be equally as badass! - Sebas Romero
MS Racing was on hand with its mechanics and huge pit stand to help all the journos feel like a pro for the day - Pete Drew
The cat's out of the bag! MS Racing’s latest signing is big news and quite rightly so… as Danny Hart is big news. Just so you know, this jump is 45ft tip to tip – that over 100ft in total length – and was the middle jump in a set of three built by none other than Rampage winner, Andreu Lacondeguy. They’re all massive! Rad doesn’t begin to cover it… - Sebas Romero
The Summum Pro’s lime green and black livery will undoubtedly prove a hit - Mondraker
The usual suspects! New signing Danny joins Innes and Austrian shredder, Marcus Pekol and not pictured was returning MS racer, Emmeline Ragot - Sebas Romero
Mondraker Summum 2015 geometry chart - Mondraker
Mondraker’s Summum turned more than its fair share of heads when it first arrived on the scene five years ago and while the advances it brought to the table with its radical geometry and low weight were revolutionary at the time, downhill bike design has shifted once again.
In response, Mondraker went back to the drawing board to not only build a brand new bike around the larger 650b wheels, but also build the lightest production downhill bike on the market using technology and manufacturing processes perfected with its stunning Foxy carbon trail bike. Check out Mondraker's videos at the end of this post.
650b wheels
The advantages of 650b wheels over traditional 26in hoops in a racing scenario have been well documented so it should come as no surprise that the new Summum was designed from the ground up to accommodate and accentuate their speed enhancing properties.
Stealth carbon
Using an eps skeleton to build from and a vacuumed mould to create the shape and layer of strategically cut and placed carbon sheets and resin to deliver a bespoke ride feel on the trail, you can start to see why carbon frames come with price tags like they do: - Mondraker
What started with Mondraker’s popular Foxy carbon has manifested itself into the new Summum’s super stiff, yet carefully crafted curves and lines. It's built around an EPS skeleton, carefully wrapped in strategic layers of carbon and epoxy before being formed in a mould under pressure and heat.
Zero suspension
Curves and lots of them! the only rules to designing carbon bicycle frames, is that there aren’t any!: - Pete Drew
Delivering 205mm travel, Mondraker’s Zero Suspension system remains at the heart of the Summum’s action packed chassis. The ‘virtual pivot’ design has been updated for 2015 with larger hardware including conical expansion washers and needle bearing-equipped shock mounts to increase stiffness and small bump sensitivity, and reduce maintenance.
Forward geometry
Forward geometry has proved incredibly successful with more brands acknowledging the performance attributed to a longer front centre with a super short stem and short stays. the summum offsets it’s longer than normal front with a 20mm direct mount stem. the only issue we found was setting preload on air forks as the bars sit in the way of the air valve.: - Pete Drew
Combining a longer front centre with a shorter stem to offset the increase in reach within the frame, Forward Geometry increases stability on steeper, technical terrain thanks to the improved distribution of a rider’s weight.
Light weight
To say that the new Summum Carbon is light is an understatement. With the medium sized Pro Team model pictured here weighing in at just under 33lbs (32.837lb/ 14.910kg, claimed), Mondraker has taken lightweight downhill bikes to another level, especially when the average pro race bike is still between 36 and 38lbs.
Attention to detail
An integrated fender in the swingarm, propriety chainstay and down tube protectors, integrated fork bumpers and internal cable routing enhance the sleek and purposeful demeanour of the Summum Carbon.
Adjustability
Adjustable dropouts allow either a short and snappy 445mm or a longer 460mm for faster tracks that require more stability: - Pete Drew
After extensive testing, Mondraker's design team settled on a 63-degree head angle but, thanks to the addition of two extra sets of headset cups, the head angle can be adjusted +/- in one- and two-degree increments. Adjustability also extends to the chainstay, which is adjustable from 445-460mm across all three sizes.
Spec and prices
The Pro Team is specced with a smattering of light race ready parts – SRAM’s X01 DH transmission system, Fox 40 RC2 fork, Schwalbe Super Gravity rubber, carbon e*thirteen chainguide and an SDG I-Beam post help maintain the bike’s race pedigree (and price to match).
The cheaper Pro model comes with a Fox RC2 shock, Marzocchi 380 R2C2 fork and an X9 10-speed transmission. A frame only option is available in the Pro Team livery and comes complete with the adjustable geometry kit (headset cups), headset and Forward Geometry stem.
Olly can trace his obsession with off-road cycling back to his childhood in the Borders, yet it wasn’t until he discovered Mountain Biking UK magazine that his obsession with bikes truly took root. He eventually found find himself as Staff Writer on his favourite mag. From print to digital and from Europe to North America, Olly’s 10-year stint in bicycle media has seen him represent a host of titles and in a range of roles, but he likes nothing more than geeking out over the latest tech. Today, Olly’s contributing to BikeRadar once again, tapping into his encyclopedic knowledge of all things off-road and occasionally radical. Away from his laptop, Olly would prefer to find himself in the woods, bouncing between rocks, roots and ruts getting into all manner of mischief on his trusty Transition Sentinel.
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