Ellsworth returns to the DH scene with new Dare
The folks at Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles were painfully aware that its Rogue didn't exactly receive a warm-and-fuzzy reception by the true DH crowd, who woefully lamented the passing of the old Dare and religiously awaited its second coming. That second coming is still a little ways off, but the gravity component of Team Maxxis was spotted using new prototype Dare frames at this year's Sea Otter Classic.
"The new Dare is going to be reintroduced for '08, and we made these specifically for the Maxxis team," said Mike Burgess of Ellsworth. "So far these are the only ones we've produced. We've made them really close to our old Dares, and we've given the team these bikes to tentatively test. We're going to let them ride them a little bit, and we're going to go back and adjust anything they find necessary to adjust. We're working with Fox trying to get the rear ends exactly the way they want their race bikes dialed in."
Some of the differences between the old and new Dare are plainly obvious, especially in the front end which now uses a pseudo-monocoque construction with two formed aluminum sheets welded down the center in combination with conventional tubes. Frame stiffness is said to be improved over both the Rogue and old Dare, and the new front triangle configuration is also claimed to be somewhat lighter. Out back, the new Dare retains the excellent 230mm-travel ICT rear end from the previous generation.
Relative to the more freeride-oriented Rogue, the Dare wears significant frame geometry changes that supposedly make it better suited to the bike's target closed-course DH crowd. Changes include a slacker head tube angle as well as a uniquely interrupted seat tube design that allows Ellsworth to retain the existing suspension pivot geometry and tire clearance, but gives the team racers a more rearward seating position.
Ellsworth devotees will have to wait until around Interbike time to get one for themselves, and costs will reportedly hover around the US$2200-2300 range.
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