Last week Gamux Factory Racing traveled from Switzerland to Scotland to compete in Round 2 of the British Downhill Series at Fort William. They have been in good firm; the Santa Cruz Syndicate, Madison Saracen Factory Racing, Commencal Muc-Off, Nukeproof Factory Racing and Canyon Collective FMD all tipped on Aonach Mòr to safe invaluable observe time that can crown the 2023 downhill world champions.
Gamux Factory Racing crew riders Lino Lehmann and Mike Huter have been outfitted with an up to date prototype from the Swiss producer, one which stood out within the crowd not solely as a result of of the Pinion gearbox at belt drive it sported. Thanks to its development, the CNC machined body has a reasonably distinctive aesthetic, particularly on the swingarm.
The stealthy body, uncommon transmission selection and superbly machined hyperlink and loafer pulley had us swinging into the pits at Gamux Factory Racing to study extra in regards to the bike from mechanic and sporting director, Romeo Cairoli. Unfortunately, detailed photographs weren’t allowed but.
Belt Drive Gearbox Gamux Sego Downhill Bike
The Gamux prototype in query is named the Sego, an outdated Celtic phrase which means “to win” or “to win”. With intentions clearly outlined, junior driver Mike Huter did every part doable to obtain this purpose, sending him to P2 on Sunday with a time of 4:42.523. That’s a far cry from Henri Kiefer’s profitable time of 4:36.476, however nonetheless very admirable within the context of Mike’s first run within the notorious pinball-like rockeries of Fort William.
The Sego ridden by Mike and Lino final weekend is an additional growth on the bike that was raced by the crew final season; it’s stated to have the identical geometry and kinematics, however large modifications to the manufacturing course of and linkage design would have dramatically elevated the general stiffness of his bike.
The bike has undergone some kind of overhaul since final season. It’s nonetheless a single link-driven pivot, with a structure not a lot completely different than seen on the Nukeproof Dissent, however the swingarm has a really completely different development with wishbone struts, presumably to present energy properties and of excessive stiffness whereas additionally serving to to preserve the burden cheap. The new swingarm design was vital to accommodate the belt drive.
Incidentally, Specialized’s prototype DH bike additionally noticed final weekend sees an analogous triangulated structure on its base.
Kinematics of the Gamux DH prototype
Gamux is tight-lipped on key particulars concerning body geometry and development, however Founder, Romeo, and Frame Designer, Pascal Tinner, have been completely satisfied to reply some of our questions concerning the kinematics.
Tinner informs us that the cutscene is comparatively unchanged from the Sego’s iteration final 12 months. The leverage curve of its 200mm rear wheel journey is up round 27% general. On this prototype, the entrance shock mount is interchangeable to enable riders to discover the appropriate stage of development within the linkage, however that facet is probably going to be mounted on the manufacturing body.
The rear axle tracks a rearward path for roughly 100mm, earlier than rolling ahead once more for up to 200mm. Basically, there isn’t a web change within the efficient heart again size. Thus, Gamux considers the hyperlink to be of the medium-high pivot kind.
On this prototype, Gamux remains to be experimenting with completely different loafer pulley configurations, however on the bike you see right here the anti-squat could be round 100% at sag, whereas the anti-rise values are described as “pretty “to subsidence.
Belt Driven DH Bikes Are Now UCI Approved
Obviously, a serious change for this season is the swap from a series drive gearbox to a belt drive gearbox. The wording of the UCI rules on this topic has been up to date on 1 January 2023; downhill mountain bikes can now be chain or belt pushed. Prior to this date, the UCI solely allowed chain-driven mountain bikes to compete downhill.
Romeo tells us that the Gates belt-drive choice has at all times been the model’s most well-liked choice, ever since their first partnership with gearbox producer, Pinion. The prototype raced at Fort William makes use of the Pinion C1.6 gearbox, with 6 gears offering a 295% gear vary. The gearbox may be configured with a deal with or paddle shifter; Gamux unsurprisingly opted for the latter on this DH bike.
At this level within the bike’s growth, Gamux remains to be ready to swap swingarm dropouts to enable riders to select between a 27.5″ or 29″ rear wheel; for Fort William, Lino Lehmann and Mike Huter went with the complete 29″ setup.
When are you able to order one?
We are instructed that the Gamux Sego needs to be produced on the finish of this season. Two sizes are anticipated to be obtainable, one of which can have a attain of 485mm. This is not going to be mounted, nonetheless; the Sego will use a 56mm head tube to enable the use of reach-adjust headsets.
In phrases of improvements, the Gamux Sego is one of probably the most attention-grabbing downhill bikes being developed proper now. We’ll be protecting a watch out for any new developments within the bike this season and protecting readers knowledgeable all through.
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