Flowrider Racing Revel Rascal LT Sea Otter Classic Showbike 2020 17

So many prototype parts we don't even know which ones to mention here!

Flowrider Racing - it‘s me, Marc Wohler. In 1992, as a 10 year old kid, I started mountain biking. One year later i started racing XC but I was much faster downhill than uphill, so I switched to downhill racing for the next 15 years of my life. Around 1994/95 I built one of my first custom bikes - a KLEIN PULSE in that beautiful "deep forest green" color! I built that bike for my father. It was equipped with Hügi Hubs, Mavic SUB Ceramic Rims, a Rock Shox Mag 21, Magura HS22 brakes and some white Panaracer Magic XC tires. It was so beautiful, I wanted to build it again, but with a bike I want to ride now.

Since last year we are the distributor for Revel Bikes here in Switzerland. Our plan was to meet Adam Miller and the Revel Crew at the Sea Otter Classic 2020. Of course I wanted to show them an example of our work - and that‘s why we built a beautiful show bike for the Revel Booth at Sea Otter. The new version of that old Klein Pulse.

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That was the plan - you know the rest of the story: Corona virus, no USA trip for us, no Sea Otter Classic...but the bike is ready to get dirty! And we want to show it to the whole world.

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Let‘s talk about the bike and the special and prototype parts on it (there are plenty of them):

For this bike I worked really closely with the following brands and people: Ceetec (Rims, Saddle, Seatclamp, Screws, prototype Bar, Bottlecage, carbon Rear Axle), Braking (prototype Brakes and Discs), Intend BC (Fork and Shock), Ingrid (Cranks, Cassette and prototype Derailleur), Stefan from CYCLEWORKS for the paint job and of course my Flowrider Racing buddy Tobi the Mechanic! 

Highlights:

  • Ceetec/Flowrider Racing: Prototype  DH Carbon bar
  • Ceetec: C10 carbon rear axle
  • Ceetec: C1 Custom Saddle --> it‘s a custom "vegan" version for Flowrider Racing, because we are vegetarians and we don‘t want to kill animals for our saddles ...
  • Braking: Prototype of their brand new INCAS Brake System
  • Intend: brand new Edge, new age fork and Hover shock
  • Ingrid: Prototype rear derailleur
  • Cycleworks / Stefan Utz: Paint job with original Klein colors

CEETEC / Switzerland 

(Prototype Bar / Wheels / Rear Axle / Saddle / Seatclamp / Bottle Cage / Screws)

Wheels Revolution27

The Revolution27 wheels go into their 3rd year. From starting in 2017 at the World Cup in Nove Mesto to the World Championships in Cairns with Thomas Litscher's bronze medal to the development with our C-improvement to this day, always a step ahead in doing our best for a fast and light wheel. Everywhere you ride, we keep your speed.

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  • Wheels revolution27 white racing. Finish Carbon UD.
  • Asymetric rim design including the Ceetec® C-Improvement sidewalls at 356g (+-2g) with a 27mm inner width (therefore the name Revolution27).
  • Hubs OnyxVesper with ceramic bearing upgrade! 
  • Front 15x110, Rear 12x148 Sram XD Driver - Weight Set is: 551 g
  • Spokes DT Swiss Aerolite 28 and DT Swiss Nipples black
  • Wheelset weight like in this custom made specification is: 1545 g
  • The wheels are equipped with CushCore Pro Tire inserts.

Bottle Cage C1

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  • The C1 Bottle Cage MTB is one of the most favorite bottle cages in the XCO MTB World Cup. Full carbon material, maximum strength by flexible strong wings that hold your bottle safely.
  • 4 hole back plate fits every frame, with a weight of 23g. Finish Carbon UD.

Seat Clamp C1 Custom

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  • Fine carbon seat clamps.
  • The nature brings all from what we can learn - form follows function.
  • Lightweight performance construction for every conditions makes our seat clamp your ideal partner for every day.
  • Understand the forces, experience the strength and feel it in your hands and you will know it in every single moment of cycling.
  • Weight is: 7.4 g and if necessary in all possible colors.
  • Finish Carbon UD.

Handlebar DH C1

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The DH C1 handlebar describes the perfect collaboration between Flowrider Racing and Ceetec. The development of this new handlebar was started in summer 2019, especially at their request. The DH C1 handlebar was implemented by Flowrider Racing / Marc Wohler according to the dimensions in width, rise and back sweep. The work of design, CAD and production took place at Ceetec, as well as laboratory and field testing. Another high-end product, which together with the entire bike build represents the perfect finish.

  • Width: 800mm
  • Rise: 25mm
  • Backsweep: 7 degrees
  • Weight: 209g
  • Finish: Carbon UD

Axle C10 Carbon Custom

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The C10 Carbon Axle is the connection of two ends in the most beautiful form in the language of the finest materials. Each axle is made individually by selection of the finest materials. Created with the usual love and performance of Ceetec, this axle a step ahead.

  • Length: 174mm
  • Custom Gold and M12x1.75 thread, mounted by a 5mm Allen key
  • Weight: 32g

Saddle C1 Fiber Cover Soft Custom

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The best! The seat stability and therefore the power that can be achieved with this saddle is unique. Full carbon construction, in a custom made "vegan" version.

A custom made Thermo Memory Foam inside ensures the perfect seat comfort.

  • Width: 148mm
  • 90mm rail way for full adjustment
  • Weight: 152g

Disc Rotor Bolts

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Specially manufactured titanium bolts for disc rotors with an extra large head surface result in the best technical possibility for the requirement for brake discs with torsion and heat.

  • Titanium Gold with rolled thread and T25
  • Weight 2g/pc

INGRID Components / Italy 

(Prototype Derailleur / Cassette / Cranks / Chainring)

Ingrid is a young brand from Italy with a new vision in bicycle transmission component design. Ingrid is the fusion of different professional figures: designers and engineers, but also consolidated riders who wanted to analyze and review the components of their two wheels.

I asked Giulio Mancini (the man behind Ingrid) some questions about his new derailleur.

Marc Wohler (Flowrider Racing):  The main question is: when it will the derailleur be ready?
Giulio Mancini (Ingrid): I don’t know! You can understand why. ((Covid-19, still lockdown in Italy))

MW:  Do you really want to compete with the big 2, Shimano and SRAM?
GM:  No. How can a small frame builder think to fight directly against Specialized or Trek? As you know there are many faces in this market, and the way is to discover the right one. After having shot some bullets in the wrong direction, maybe we found the right target.

MW: How can we call this way?
GM: I don’t know, if it was in music and in the early 90’s, I think “grunge”.  That was more or less the translation of “rock and roll will never die”.

MW: Okay :-) But why the drivetrain?
GM:  Because it’s difficult, fascinating, and it looks like there’s an empty room in that “grunge”. So, step by step, after the first extender for Shimano, the first L1 crankset, and during the development of the 11s and 12s cassettes, we started to study and prototype our first RD. 

MW: It was the missing link to complete the drive train...
GM: Yes, it was. And it was a challenge. Now it‘s done and we are proud!

MW: Why should I prefer your derailleur? What’s the advantage?
GM: Usually we prefer to not answer, except in some cases …: because we do! Going deeper, it’s made out of aluminum and PA (black parts). 2 different and opposite technologies: one is based in removing material, one in adding material. “More or less” the same, one in one direction and the other in the opposite way. But both have some common points: flexibility, low investment, and closer to a “human thought and hand made” feeling. The same feeling that you can find with a carpenter, a jeweler or in a bespoke frame builder.

MW: Can you give us some specs?
GM: Right now it is a 12 speed MTB rear derailleur. The final target weight is 265 grams. Most important - all the parts will be available as spares.

MW: Will there be a shifter too?
GM: Yes.

MW: What‘s the price for the derailleur and shifter?
GM: I don’t know yet.

MW: Thank you very much, Giulio!

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BRAKING Brakes / Italy 

(Brakes / Disc Rotors)

Braking has been established in 1990 for the purpose of manufacturing and selling motorcycle brake disks for the after-market. In 2018 Braking launched new products for bicycles (brakes, pads and complete system).

With a track record of 119 motorcycle off-road world championships, BRAKING brings to the bicycle industry its portfolio of innovative concepts: floating disks generally provide best performance in terms of warping resistance, however, they are structurally much weaker than fixed disks when lateral stress resistance is concerned. As for bicycle applications both warping and lateral resistance are fundamental, BRAKING is launching the newest S3 semi-floating disk concept that combines the positive features of both floating and fixed disks. Additionally, BRAKING presents a range of super light, designer fixed disks and a range of high pressure sintered and organic technology brake pads.

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The Revel Rascal is equipped with a prototype of the new version of the Braking Complete System. These are the news and improvements of the prototype:

  • Lighter: we saved more than 100 grams compared to the “old” version.
  • Manufacturing: completely cnc machined.
  • New hose: thickness steel braided hose (Ø 5mm.), for a better installation and weight savings.
  • New brake pads: in this version we use brake pads with a wider surface, for a better grip and heat dissipation.
  • We have improved the hydraulic passages for a better piston fluency.
  • Brake power increased.

INTEND BC / Germany 

(Fork / Shock)

Intend is pure function, quality, sustainability and fairness. And Intend is "Mr.-there-is-always-space-to-do-something-better“ Cornelius Kapfinger!

Weight, functionality, design, stiffness - there are plenty of parameters which have to be kept in mind at the beginning of a development. Cornelius‘ personal aim are bicycle parts which are better than the usual ones. In additional to this, they are made with fair conditions. Fair prices with fair wages. A good and reliable relationship with all suppliers as well as customers is the basis of every business. 

Hover Shock

The new "coil" shock! This is a coil shock. No it isn't, it is an air shock, but you can see it as a coil shock. The negative chamber is sooo huge, that it provides (like the air spring in the forks) a kind of linear air spring. Some riders thought it is to soft, because it works so smooth.

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Why does it look so strange?

This kind of rear shock was already built by Peter Denk at Denk Engineering who worked for Scott, Cannondale - those companies featured this kind of tech in the Equalizer and Fox DYAD shocks. The looks come from a serial circuit instead of a parallel circuit of damping and air spring. I think they were ahead of the time with their pull shocks. Of course the Hover Shock is a push-shock, but it works with the same principal.

What are the benefits of this? There are 3:

  • Ideal heat emission: The whole outer surface is heat emission surface. There is no isolation of oil from the air spring.
  • One dynamic seal less than a normal air shock.
  • The two main seals are always running in oil. They can‘t run dry, this leads to soft break away force and long lasting performance.

Lockout: The Intend Hover shock has a so called Softlock lever. It provides a quick closure of the low speed compression damping. The compression is much firmer. But it is not a hard lockout, hence you will be able to compress the shock with closed Softlock. You also cannot damage the internals if you forget to open the lockout.

Weight: about 440 g

Edge New Age Fork

New Age - this describes a complete update of a whole bunch of details on the Intend Edge fork. Cable guide ? New. Bushings ? New. Axles ? New.

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In the last 2 years Cornelius worked on a lot of details to improve the technical aspects of the fork and get closer to perfection. And this comes together in what he calls "New Age". Find out all details what New Age means: Complete update of all things which could be done better.

  • Less mass on the shaft, more mass in the crown (not retrofitable)
  • SKF seals as wipers / oil seals (not retrofittable)
  • New 20to15 axle adapters (not retrofittable)
  • Heavy and light axles with knurled clamping surfaces (retrofittable) 
  • Higher bushings (retrofittable)
  • New royal flush coating (retrofittable) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7LkYRM510E
  • CNC-made adjustment knobs (retrofittable) 

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Photos by Andre Maurer Photography

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