Matthieu's full squish
For several years now, we have wanted to develop a full-suspension mountain bike to meet many demands and handle as many cyclists practices as possible in the Victoire workshop. The arrival of Matthieu in our team accelerated things. As a passionate enduro rider, he relaunched this project with energy. Initially in charge of Distance frames, he now produces more and more Victoire bikes and has accumulated enough know-how from our more experienced framers to start the manufacture of a first prototype. This bike is a first step towards the manufacture of a full suspension entirely handmade in France. It is not yet perfect, but it will allow us to accumulate data to progress and achieve the mountain bike we imagine ... and it is already very interesting to ride!
This prototype is the opportunity to set foot in the world of suspension. Our experience with pivots, kinematics, kick-back or pumping phenomena is recent, and this will be an important part of development for Victoire.
The first achievement in a series that promises to be long, this prototype will allow us to accumulate experience and test many possibilities. Our goal is twofold : to create a versatile geometry that will make it possible to offer a full-suspension series under the Distance brand. And to be able to offer full-suspension bikes at Victoire by adapting the geometry and kinematics to the different customer expectations.
This bike is the work of Mathieu, who did most of the design as well as all of the manufacturing. He was supported by Samson, an engineer in training who joined us recently.
For this prototype, we have relied on a proven suspension: the single-pivot suspension. Attention was mainly focused on the position of the pivot point and the kinematics in order to obtain a linear and healthy behavior, to help Mathieu in the most involved enduro stages.
Very classic in appearance, the geometry of this full suspension already allows us to assert hypotheses and condemn certain tracks. The next version of this prototype is already in production.
The manufacture of the frame has also taken us out of our way. As the use of a suspension causes intense constraints of use, we had to find the most suitable tubes, different from those we usually use. We even went to explore the catalogs of manufacturers outside the cycle industry to make sure we made the right choices. Other material tests will follow this first step.
Unlike the usual Victoire designs, the weld seams on this prototype have not been polished. The reason for this choice is twofold: first of all to save time in manufacturing, and the desire to test the general appearance of the bike before giving it a more neat finish. For the same reasons, no paint has been applied to this frame in order to leave the possibility of making more or less significant modifications to it, new welds, in particular, after the first turns of the wheel. This "raw" aspect creates an attractive aesthetic but is impossible to achieve as standard on non-stainless steel, otherwise the frame will deteriorate quickly.
The position of the brake caliper is essential on this type of bike because it can affect the suspension. Our main objective is that the suspension maintains the same behavior whether the brake is activated or not.
This bike was designed in collaboration with the Formula brand, which supplied the fork, shock absorber and advice. We have configured the two suspensions to obtain the linear and progressive behavior desired by Mathieu. The rear travel is 150mm.
Our first full-suspension prototype is a real committed Enduro bike, with its 160mm Formula fork and big tires with sharp studs.
The choice of the AXS seat post allows us to do without cables. We found this practical solution for a full suspension first, because it allows us to simplify the manufacture and the assembly. In the future, all configurations can be considered.
This mountain bike was assembled with a mixture of motley parts taken from the workshop's reserves. Mathieu's bike has since received a set of Hope parts, and has undergone some modifications. A next painting will be the opportunity to present the bike again.
The realization of this bike gives us the opportunity to test unusual equipment at Victoire such as this DTSwiss wheelset designed for enduro practice.
Enduro practice is the pleasure of riding beautiful trails and beautiful descents. This also includes beautiful climbs : each descent requires a mechanical lift ! These lifts are called "connections", and are not timed. The descents are called "specials" and are played against the clock. At the end of the day, the chrono of all the specials is added up : this is what gives the classification of an enduro race.
“We therefore expect an enduro bike to be safe and comfortable to focus on downhill technique, but also for its wheels to be as flat as possible to the ground in order to have grip and grip. That's why I designed this Victoire equipped with two suspensions ! The bike must also be rolling, unlike, for example, a Downhill bike which does not go up after the stages."
This prototype taught me a lot and allowed me to answer a lot of questions. With it, I took part in the 2021 French Enduro Championships as well as the Chamrousse Derby (a derby works a little differently from a classic race: instead of going down against the clock, all the participants descend at the same time in competition). These two races made it possible to test the prototype in real conditions and to complete the project a little more. Soon, I would like to participate in the Coupe de France as well as the enduro event of the Sea Otters with it !
This first full-suspension experience is both enriching and very inspiring. The second version of this prototype is already in production and we are going to carry out numerous tests : frame with several pivots, different damping attachments, air or spring shocks, etc.
The possibilities are limitless !
