Cruising around the Outdoor Demo at Interbike, it's easy to quickly pass judgement on the bikes and products on display. I walked by Pardus's booth a few times dismissing it as another upstart electric bike company. It wasn't until I saw the bike tilted on its rear wheel that it became clear this was something different.
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Huge down tube holds a shock, not a battery
What had me fooled was the Pardus bike's silhouette, the down tube and bottom bracket area were massive, similar to any mid-drive e-bike.
There's no battery and motor clogging up the massive real estate however, the big carbon tubes were hiding the bike's rear suspension and rear shock.
The rear suspension is a single pivot set up and the rear shock is activated by a scissor link tucked inside the frame. This arrangement should keep things clean, keeps the weight low and centered, but also is likely to be a pain once overhauling is necessary.
What about dialing in the rear shock? There's a window to check sag and the removable guard comes off with two wingnuts.
Who's Pardus?
Pardus is a brand under the Chinese carbon manufacturer Taishan Sports. It makes frames and components for other brands and has its own line of road, track and tri bikes. The Cyclone is the company's first mountain bike.
How's it ride?
I don't know because the bike displayed was a non-functioning prototype. It was complete however and had a claimed weight of 11.3kg (25lbs) with 29-inch wheels.
In spite of being a prototype, it was loaded with all the up-to-date MTB features: internal cables, long, slack geometry, single-ring only drivetrain, and the rear thru-axle featured a flip chip for use with 27.5+ rims and tires.
Since it is still in the prototype phase, pricing and availability have yet to be determined.