The press release we got is about as comprehensive as you could ask for and obviously we haven’t ridden the bike yet, so here it is in all it’s glory.

Up till now, the Maverick bikes you’ve seen were our work horse prototypes. Over the last 9 months we’ve been cutting, welding, re-valving, test riding and generally having a blast coming up with a bike that’s gunna knock your socks off. Now it’s done – A “chassis” that includes a frameset, custom rear shock, specially tuned fork, front derailer and headset. We chose these parts because they are what’re needed to make the system work.

The rest is all you. 

So, what’s it like? Well, The riding in Colorado is epic. It’s rocky, the climbs and descents are long, and this bike is a product of that environment. The frame is built stiff to be fast and spry, with comfortable geometry so you can ride happy all day. The suspension has 100mm (4”) of travel to soak up bitchey trails and drop-ins, but can still rip the tight, twisty stuff. It only accepts disk brakes, cause when it’s steep and loose, you need their modulation. And most importantly, the Monolink suspension makes the bike climb almost magically.

We drove the Easton engineers a bit mad (but they might have already been there) developing a pretty-damn-light tubeset that deals with the specific stresses of our system and is very stiff. Each tube is made from cold drawn, seamless 6061 aluminum and matched to box-section billet lugs. We tried making it even lighter, but the ride quality suffered – and this bike is all about the ride. When you try one, you will be amazed at how well it tracks.

The rear shock is very specific to this design since it functions as a damper, structural member and part of the suspension linkage. It was designed and developed by Maverick and will be manufactured by Fox Racing Shox. To make sure it lasts, we had Fox and two other labs run the shock through their fatigue tests. A boot covers the shaft to keep shmeg out of the seals.

Forks… This is a tough one for me. After designing and tweeking so stinkin’ many of them, I’ve become one picky S.O.B. The right fork is also key to setting the geometry and making the front and rear suspension balanced. We tested, tuned and messed with a lot of different brands to find and set-up one that will be balanced with the rear end. The fork you’ll get is a special, Maverick tuned 2002 Psylo Race. This is an exclusive early release of the ’02 model with no canti bosses, 100mm travel and the damper valve is modified ala Maverick. The color is Electric Blue to be in sync with the bike’s graphics too. So, even though you may have a favorite model fork, the Maverick chassis will only come with this one.

The integrated headset is a light and sleek piece of art (if I do say so myself). The self-centering bearings, made by Tange, are hidden in the head tube and remove by hand for super easy service. Gone are silly, bulging cups that have to be hammered into the frame.

We are including an XTR E-Type front derailer because it is not a common item and we don’t want you waiting around for the next boat to arrive from Shimano.

Other notable bits include:

The suspension link at the BB is an exotic, box section magnesium jewel that has the cable stop, guide and derailer mount cast in one piece – this was no trivial job.

Double sealed ball bearing pivots with 7075-T6 bolts and titanium nuts.

Integrated seat quick release lever.

Shock/fork pump, a supply of special blend shock/fork lube, extra frame graphics, swag apparel and a chi-chi owner’s manual/ride log binder. (Whew!)

Well, that’s what we’ve come up with. And even though we wanted our frame to be museum quality, it’s not meant to hang in one. This bike was bred to ride hard and fast and for a long time. Every inch of the way, our thinking was to create maximum performance, durability and beauty with the cost be damned.

Now if you want one, here’s the skinny. We are only making a limited number of them (so we can get to work on some other cool shit). The first run will be done in March 2001, but it’s sold out. There will be three more builds in April, May and June. It’s first come first served. You can buy direct from us, or have your favorite dealer purchase it for you, which is a good idea since they can build it up too.

The price for the complete chassis and extra bits is US $ 3589.00. A 20% deposit will secure you a production date.

If you have questions, or would just like to get on with it, then call us at (303) 415-0370, or you can e-mail us and we’ll walk you through it.

Looking at the pics provided, it’s certainly a pretty thing but we’re not at all sure about that shock set up for several basic reasons.

Firstly that magnesium bottom bracket linkage means your pedaling forces (including all that “must prove how fast my wonder bike is” frenzy) aren’t locked into either the main frame or rear triangle but floating in between held in place with cartridge bearings – heap big stress loading.

Secondly (Brant and Adrian have said this before) however the linkage is meant to compress the design places a huge shearing load across the plane of the shock bearings which will stack up stress, wear and stiction however good the bearings and bushings are.

Lastly we can’t think of a worst place to put a shock with a vertical stroke, whether it’s getting a boot or not. Then again Colorado isn’t plagued with mud.

It’ll also be interesting to see how close Cannondale are to this design with their new EPO which uses a very similar shock position.