Home > Bike Types > Mountain Bike

Morewood Sukuma Split Pivot Trail Bike Finally (!!!) Gets Real

7 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

Shown almost two full years ago at Interbike, Morewood’s Sukuma 150mm mountain bike has finally gone from vaporware to real, actual rideable hardware.

The bike drew our attention because of its use of Dave Weagle’s Split Pivot concentric rear axle design, which at the time would have been one of the earlier uses of it. Now, with BH and Devinci making solid use of that design, it’s less news on it’s own. So, here’s what is news: The Sukuma is getting a longer travel 170mm twin called the Jabula. These bikes replace the Shova and Mbuzi and, like the rest of Morewood’s lineup, use Zulu names. Sukuma translates as “to arise, awaken” and Jabula as “to be delighted, to rejoice.”

Rejoice in your own way with full specs and more pics after the break…

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

SUKUMA SPEC & FEATURE LIST:

  • Tapered 1 1/8″ – 1 1/2″ headtube
  • Custom drawn Al 6082 T6 tubeset
  • Hydroformed top tube
  • 73mm bottom bracket
  • 30.9mm seatpost size
  • 34.9mm seat clamp
  • Split Pivot linkage design
  • 150mm (6″) rear wheel travel
  • 200mm x 57mm (7.875″ x 2″) rear shock length
  • Shock: Rock Shox Monarch Plus RT 3 HV
  • 22.2mm x 8mm front shock-mount
  • 25.4mm x 8mm rear shock-mount
  • Large sealed pivot bearings
  • 12 x 142mm dropouts, Maxle Lite Syntace X12 axle (included)
  • CNC machined 6082 alloy replaceable derailleur hange
  • Postmount 160mm rear brake tab
  • S/M/L/XL frame sizes

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

The lower shock mount and chainstay pivot share the same pivot point, reducing total hardware needed and simplifying the design. Dave Weagle is reportedly very involved in any bike design using his Split Pivot suspension platform, and he helped fine tune this bike to optimize suspension feel, braking performance and pedaling characteristics.

Seatstays are carbon fiber, and driveside chainstay has internal shift cable routing.

2013 Morewood Sukuma 150mm travel trail mountain bike with Dave Weagle split pivot concentric rear axle suspension design

Frame weight (medium) claims to be under 6 pounds with shock. Here’s the geometry chart:

JABULA

2013 Morewood Jabula 170mm Dave Weagle designed Split Pivot freeride mountain bike

The 170mm travel Jabula, which they say is also available now, shares the following specs but isn’t listed on their website as of this post:

  • Carbon Seatstay
  • Morewood’s DCD (Dual Concentric Design) frame layout
  • Press fit 92 BB
  • Direct Mount front Derailleur
  • Split Pivot Concentric rear axle with 142 mm hub spacing and Syntace X12 axle
  • Adjustable seat post cable mounts
  • ISCG 05 Press Fit 92mm BB

2013 Morewood Jabula 170mm Dave Weagle designed Split Pivot freeride mountain bike

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Matt
Matt
11 years ago

Dave Weigle would be proud that the used his design….so would Trek….So would BH….Just saying

LR
LR
11 years ago

@Matt Its “Weagle” and I’m just saying your next comment will be that all bicycles look the same. Ride each of these bikes to gain an informed opinion.

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
11 years ago

I liked the old morewood bikes better. I know licensing is part of the game but it’s like you just pay and get a different frame decal kit.

Jake
Jake
11 years ago

I hate converting bb drop to bb height. Any further bb specs perchance?

dogboy
dogboy
11 years ago

@Jake – bb drop is actually far more accurate and pretty easy to figure. BB height varies widely with different tires, so that’s where knowing the BB drop is handy. Just take any wheel with a tire you would likely use and measure from the axle to the ground. With that number and the BB drop, it’s easy to calculate what the BB height would be.

jake
jake
11 years ago

Yeah, it’s a better measurement system, but I was too lazy to break out a tape measure. Additionally, all of my other frame references are from BB height rather than drop. It’s 13.4″ bb height for Schwalbe Hans Dampfs for anyone that cares.

Gary
Gary
11 years ago

Been riding Morewood bikes since 2002 and the Sukuma still feels very much like a Morewood (been on the Sukuma for a month) but with the benefits of updated geometry and improved suspension kinematics. I have recently ridden the Turner 5spot, Santa Cruz Nomad carbon and many other bikes, Matt a bike can never be simplified to its suspension configuration. Just ride a few different single pivot bikes to understand how fundamentally different they can ride.
It is a great time to be a mountain biker when we have some incredible bikes to choose from, the Sukuma is right up there for me.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.