Solstice Mountain Bikes: Inverted 4 Bar Suspension Bikes “Made To Ride It All”

Written by Thom Parsons Mar 18, 2011 11:47 a.m. ET

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Solstice Bikes is a relatively new company out of Colorado, they’ve been around for about a year, building inverted 4-Bar suspension bikes developed by industry vet Chuck Dunlap. That’s right I said “inverted.” This design is said to be the first of its kind. They’re set up with 160mm (about 6″) of rear wheel travel and a 160-170mm travel fork is recommended. Weighing in at roughly 27-28lbs, the Solstice is looking to make a dent in the long-travel, all day riding market. The bikes have already racked up some racing cred, winning the “Whole Enchilada” Epic 40 mile downhill race in Moab and the Kokopelli Chainless Downhill.

Fulls specs and more photos after the break.

Solstice Bikes Specs:

REAR SUSPENSION TRAVEL 160mm

RECOMMENDED FORK TRAVEL 160~170mm

TOP TUBE LENGTH HORIZONTAL

SMALL – 22.2in / 565mm

MEDIUM – 23.3in / 590mm

LARGE – 24.4in / 620mm

BOTTOM BRACKET HEIGHT

*SHORT LINK – 14.1in / 356mm

*LONG LINK – 13.6in / 345mm

CHAINSTAY LENGTH

17.1in / 434mm

HEAD TUBE LENGTH

4.5in / 115mm

HEAD TUBE ANGLE

*SHORT LINK – 67°

*LONG LINK – 66°

SEAT TUBE ANGLE EFFECTIVE

*SHORT LINK – 73°

*LONG LINK – 72°

SEAT POST DIAMETER – 31.6mm

REAR AXLE – 12 X 135 THRU AXLE

FRONT DERAILLUER – SRAM ROAD DOUBLE

HEADSET UPPER – TRADITIONAL 1-1/8″

HEADSET LOWER – ZERO STACK 1-1/2″

12 x 135mm rear axle. Floating shock system. Inverted 4bar modular rear chassis. Pivots are all cartridge/needle bearing.

Thom Parsons

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Bogey

13 years ago

Yikes! Not having tubes on the back end means flex city. Couldn’t they put some proper cable guides on the rear swingarm?

Chipps

13 years ago

Nice of them to put the rear shock where it’ll be continually pelted by grit and mud… I forgot, it doesn’t rain in Colorado! 🙂

Coctosin

13 years ago

Looks friggin’ fast…

Steve

13 years ago

That thing would get creamed below the BB here in Maine.

Nanci Drew

13 years ago

How much mud and sand are you going to spew on the rear-shock and linkage?? I see it has a lil’ mud flap around it but that hardly seems like enough…. Looks like you’d run into some bashing issues with that lower pivot-point under the BB too.

Yimmy

13 years ago

So that isn’t a Horst Link?

Chunky

13 years ago

That bb pivot area will get mashed to pieces in the Alps. Or any other tech riding for that matter.

pen1s hurst

13 years ago

the drive train is blocking the close up view.

The Dude

13 years ago

BRILLIANT! Wow, talk about evolving the suspension game. I mean, look at the superior compatibility with the latest products on there. I can’t wait til SRAM and Shimano make Braze-on mountain deraileurs. Triple Braze-on Force derailleur for the win! Sweet bash-guard too, that will be handy while the lower linkage takes all the hits, cool!

Make it out of carbon! Sell it for cheap!

Carlito

13 years ago

@The Dude LoL!

+1 bad shock placement
+1 vulnerable lower pivot

Still, it’s neat to see new designs, even if they aren’t perfect. I hope they make it over the startup hurtle and the design evolves…

chuckd

13 years ago

What may be seen here is how the link swings up out of the way in the sag. If there is contact, the suspension will actuate slightly and transition the rear to get over. With the mud flap and sealed needles, mud and grit is no less a problem than anywhere else.

Sevo

13 years ago

Actually this frame design has been tested for the last few years in Colorado/Utah by some pretty serious riders….like guys who have no issues popping off a 6 foot drop. It’s quite stff and the crud issue on the shock has proven by the the guys I know that have ridden them year round on the local trails, commuting on it even, and in the snow….results? Zero issues. True, maybe a NW Seattle type may have some, but these days shock seals are much better than you think.

Rear end is VERY stiff. I’m 235lbs and no noticeable issues when I spun one around. All those linkages are cold forged I-Beams really. It won the Full Enchilada in Moab (40+ mile downhill….not easy, not smooth, lots of drops, VERY technical). No issues yet with that linkage from what I hear either.

Full length housing IMHO is the way to go these days, shifts fine and no gunk (it’s dusty here). All the weight laying low makes this 160mm bike feel very light. Flicks really well from what I’ve been told by guys with lots of miles and much better riders than me.

Overall it’s a surprisingly nice rig. Those who’ve been pedaling them praise them big time. Up there with any other design. I had many of the same reservations, but I’m planning on getting one after listening to the test guys. Many subtle adjustments to tubeset have been done over the last 2 years. Chuck designed for two very well respected brands….one who still uses his designs to this day. Come see it at the show Saturday

brian

13 years ago

Is it on purpose that there is not one single linkage picture of the swingarm from the NON-drive side?

Seems fishy to me. Looks cool though! Price of frame only?

shwa

13 years ago

The Solstice is one of the smooooothest buttery oh yeah bikes i’ve thrown a leg over. Silky. The way the linkage works feels as if it puts no stress on the bearings and it just glides. Another cool feature is the way the braze on front D follows the chain line with suspension travel. Cooool.

13 years ago

I’ve seen one or three in he flesh, nothing fishy about it at all.. If you like a supple rear suspension feel, this is a great bike to consider.. If only I could get that rear linkage in 3d violet..