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Taking a look at Sinister Bikes
31st July 2004 - Dud
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Sinister Bikes have been around since late 2000, and have been available in the UK for quite a while now but have never really taken off. Quite surprising as their frames really do look very sweet and have obviously had bucket loads of rider input into the design. Sinister's philosophy is to provide frames that are the result of endless hours of testing. They pride themselves on using the highest quality materials all the tubes are aircraft quality and they design and produce each and every frame in the US. This really is a rider company, everyone working for Sinister is a rider and this has got to be a good thing.
The new freeride-lite frame, looking very slick..
The company is currently working on another full susser to add to the existing 'R9' and two hardtails, 'DNA' and 'Ridge' they have in their line up.
The Ridge - Do Anything Hardtail..
The most well known of Sinister's range is the 'Ridge' tagged as the ultimate do-anything hardtail. The latest incarnation has a ONEPOINTFIVE headtube an ISCG shell and bolt on rear dropouts to prevent expensive frame replacements when the rear takes a hit. The Ridge is built to take a five inch fork but does allow for a dual crown fork of up to eight inches. A nice touch is its ability to cope with 24 or 26inch wheels and still maintain a good tyre clearance of 2.7 with 26'ers. The frame is disc specific so that is something to consider when thinking of buying, but the type of riding this is built for should be done with disc's anyway. The frame does retail at quite a high $750 or $850 if you want the optional adjustable horizontal dropouts.
9 inches of downhill/freeride goodness!
The R9 is Sinister's flagship frame and has not surprisingly nine inches of travel provided by the shock of your choice (Avalanche DHS, Progressive 5th Element, Romic D, or Fox Vanilla RC). It is Sinister's first move into the world of full bounce and uses an FTW linkage which incorporates a welded one piece rocker offering 3 leverage adjustments. The R9 uses a 12mm thru axle to prevent any flex at the rear of the bike and aims to keep maintenance down. Sinister have intended this to be ridden with a 7inch fork but it is able to cope with a considerably larger 12inches. Again it can be setup with 24's for the rider who likes things a little more agile or with 26's when speeds more important.
Sinister is a great choice for anybody looking for a new ride that doesn't follow all the conventions and wants to support companies that don't fall under the corporate machine heading. If your currently looking for a new ride make sure you check out www.sinisterbikes.com, or if your certain you already want one click www.freeflo.biz or ring 07779 021061.
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