Press Release

DATUM by DIGIT BIKES, featuring ANALOG suspension 41

The evolution of suspension bike technology - lighter, stiffer, more reliable.

DATUM

...the first mountain bike with innovative, integrated, lighter, stiffer, more reliable: Analog Suspension.

DATUM is a 140mm rear travel All-Mountain / Trail bike designed and manufactured in California, USA.

Full length video at DigitBikes.com

Its all-new ANALOG suspension matches both the better descending and pedaling attributes of the industry's most respected four-bar suspension systems, while delivering significantly reduced weight, carrying more water bottles, and offering improved reliability.

The culmination of years of development and ride testing on trails, bike parks and all-mountain terrain, Datum is our reference, our middle point between XC and DH. It's a mountain bike for riding in, across, up and down mountains - we're not going to call it a quiver-killer, but it's a bike which will deliver miles of smiles whether you're showing up for your local Wednesday Night XC World Championships or Sunday's Shred Session Enduro Series.

Its 27.5" rear wheel should be paired with a 29" front wheel and suspension fork having 150mm or 160mm travel.

ANALOG Suspension

... delivers predictable kinematics, improved reliability, chassis rigidity, light weight, 2x water bottle and long dropper capacity, and more.

Analog suspension was conceived from the realization that on most 4-bar suspension systems the upper link undergoes large angular displacement, which can cause the linkageโ€™s instant centerยน to move wildly, and for the leverage rate to get all funkyยฒ. This can cause the suspensionโ€™s behavior to change unpredictably throughout its travel, which in turn results in a loss of control for the rider.

The slider in the Analog system does away with the short upper link parts, yet functions like an infinitely long link. Doing so removes that angular displacement problem altogether, this helps keep migration of the Instant Center under control throughout the travel. The suspension performance is thus controlled throughout its travel resulting in a predictable, surefooted ride.

ย  ย  ย  ย  ยน[sometimes called the virtual pivot point.]

ย  ย  ย  ย  ย ย ยฒ[scientifically speaking]

<.gif animation not supported>

Kinematics derived from performance leading predecessors . There are several side-effects to replacing the upper link assembly with a slider, happily these are all good or great:

  • Increased chassis stiffness, because there are fewer parts to flex.
  • Reduced free-play in the chassis, because there are fewer pivots and bearings in the system. ย Using only 3 pivot sets, and low leverage ratios minimizes the stack-up of backlash in the system.
  • There are no shock eyelet bushings, which are a common free-play, stiction, and maintenance problem area on most other suspension designs.ย 
  • Significant weight saving โ€“ typically in the 200-600g range.ย ย 

Many links, bearings and pivot shafts links replaced by 13g of sleeve bearings.

  • Capacity for the longest dropper seat-posts, because the seat-tube runs straight all the way to the bottom bracket.
  • Room for two water bottles in the front triangle, there's also a third bottle location under the down tube.
  • Low 2:1 suspension leverage ratio, which reduces the loads on the frame, shock and oil.
  • Longer shocks, which allow improved spring and damper design, for optimal suspension performance.
  • Improved reliability, because there are fewer parts which could break.
  • Improved reliability, because there are fewer seals where water or mud can penetrate, the seat tube shields the shock from rear-wheel-splatter, and the shock's wiper-seal cannot be opened by side-loading (fork-type bushings resist that). Also the top surface of the lower link is angled so that any mud falling onto it is deflected away from the drivetrain.
  • Reduced environmental impact compared with other suspensions because fewer parts are made.ย ย 

A picture tells 1,000 words. So this is all I'm going to say here about the kinematics:ย 

You don't need to lose sleep over these graphs, we did that for you already.

OK, that's a lot of tech. Here's a little huck-to-flat to wake you up:

ย 

INTEGER Strut

...hidden inside the frame, it flows more oil, squeezes more air, and has fewer parts in an easily serviceable, low motion-ratio package.

Much of the technology which makes the most highly regarded off-the-shelf shock absorbers โ€˜specialโ€™ is intended to compensate for deficiencies resulting from having to squeeze performance out of the small space between the frame's shock-eyelets, and to make them adaptable for use on all different bike models. The INTEGER Strutยณ isnโ€™t disadvantaged in these ways because there is no upper eyelet to limit its length, and because it's a bespoke match for the Analog suspension mechanism.

The Integer Strut has a longer air spring, tuned to match to the frame's leverage profile; and the damper holds more oil to resist overheating (fading), and allow higher flow rates through the damper piston (for improved control).

As a result, the Integer's damper can use a relatively simple, very reliable damper design to deliver the best, most reliable performance.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ยณ[a strut is a shock-absorber (spring + damper) which is combined with a structural component.]

The Integer Strut is over 12&quot; in length - bigger is better.

The Integer Strut is made of all metal parts, and can be fully serviced without specialist tools. It has an external dial adjuster to tune low-speed rebound damping (LSR), and an external lever to adjust low-speed compression damping (LSC). The LSC lever can be used to tune support through flowy terrain (e.g. pump tracks, berms), ย or as a climb-switch/lockout (though we really don't feel that the Analog suspension linkage needs that).

Independent shim stacks are employed to control high-speed compression damping (HSC), low-speed compression damping (LSC). A cross-over shim stack, check valve and taper-needle metered orifice controlย high-speed rebound (HSR) and low-speed rebound (LSR) damping.

The Integer Strut and all the tools needed for a complete service

To learn about geometry, kinematics and more, read on at:

DigitBikes.com

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