Look Cycle is looking to the future with its brand new and very radical looking 986 hardtail and 920 full suspension bike, which both throw the rule book out of the in pursuit of extra performance.
Take a look at the photos on this page and you’ll notice a very unusual head tube design. Not dissimilar to the Mondraker released recently, Look have developed an integrated stem/head tube design, called Direct Drive Concept, that is said to dramatically improve lateral stiffness.
They describe it as a “new era in mountain bike” which does sound a little far fetched, but we’re impressed that Look has take a new approach. The Direct Drive Concept does away with the need for any spacers, instead a range of stems offering different heights and lengths are available. This design results in a shorter headtube, which is conical shaped and tapered to ensure the front triangle is stiffer than any of Look’s previous bikes.
920 – 120mm full suspension marathon bike
The novel head tube design features on two new bikes released for 2012, the 986 hardtail and the 920 full-susser. The new 920 full-susser, a bike pitched at all-day cross-country and marathon riders, gets 120mm of travel because Look states “120mm is the not heavier than 100mm and is the new reference for cross-country”. Frame weight is a claimed 2,350g.
Like Cannondale’s Scalpel, the carbon seat stays are designed to flex, by up to 15mm, and so eliminates a weighty pivot on the swingarm, which activates the shock via a short rocker linkage. The full high modulus carbon fibre frame features a tapered head tube, post mount disc brake mounts for 160mm rotors and aluminium downtube protection.
986 – Race-ready carbon hardtail
All the development that went into the 920 has been applied to a new version of the company’s top-end race-ready hardtail, the 986.
It uses the same integrated A-Stem so you can slam the handlebars as low as cross-country racers typically prefer. A BB30 bottom bracket ensures your power won’t be wasted when racing and the visually stunning integrated seat mast on the 986 E-Post model lowers the weight and maxes out the stiffness.
A standard RSP frame without an integrated seat mast is also available, and uses a Syntace Carbon Hi-Flex post. Frame weight is 1,200g for the 986 E-Post and 1,300g for the 986 RSP.
We’ve only got euro prices at the moment, with the 986 RSP A Stem costing €1999 and the 920 Alu Rocker €2999, or the 920 with a carbon rocker for €3499.
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