Ellsworth is holding a naming contest for its new 180mm-travel frame - pick one that sticks and it'll be yours to keep. Claimed weight is 9lb as equipped here.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth revamped its Evolution 29er last year with a swoopy new tubeset and a tapered head tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
This Ellsworth prototype was also fitted with Cane Creek's new tapered AngleSet.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth is still finalizing details such as cable routing. Expect production versions to be substantially cleaner-looking than this.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth showed two different complete builds for its new 180mm-travel platform and the company claims it can be built to around 35lb complete with a careful mix of components.(Image credit: James Huang)
This version of Ellsworth's new 180mm-travel bike included blue-anodized rockers, a single chainring, and a Cane Creek tapered AngleSet.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth sticks to standard open dropouts and IS disc tabs on its new prototype 180mm-travel bike.(Image credit: James Huang)
Burly machined aluminum rockers and a bonded-in carbon fiber bridge are used on the Ellsworth Momentum. Check out the deep-wrap quick-release seatpost collar, too.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth's latest tubeset features a heavily shaped seat tube that directly integrates the upper rocker pivot.(Image credit: James Huang)
Internal cups on Ellsworth's tapered head tube allow for wider spacing between the top tube and down tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Momentum is Ellsworth's dedicated slopestyle bike with just 100mm of travel but more appropriate geometry that includes a slack 67° head tube angle and low bottom bracket.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth has moved to a beefier, welded-on hollow chain stay bridge in place of the old machined setup.(Image credit: James Huang)
Beautiful CNC-machined aluminum rocker arms are fitted on Ellsworth's latest prototype 180mm-travel frame.(Image credit: James Huang)
Ellsworth's new 180mm-travel platform made its official debut at this year's Sea Otter Classic, still dressed in raw aluminum with a somewhat haphazard amalgam of cable routing while final details are being sorted out and even still lacking an official name. If you come up with something that sticks, though, Ellsworth will give you one to keep.
The new prototype is intended for aggressive all-mountain and light gravity duty with 180mm of travel using the company's highly refined Instant Center Tracking four-bar rear suspension design (and Sea Otter attendees can feel free to ignore the new "Anti Squat" note on the hang tags – nothing's changed). Head tube angle is set at a slack 66 degrees but if that doesn't suit you, the addition of Cane Creek's new tapered AngleSet will allow around 1.5 degrees of adjustment on either side of that, too.
Versatility is a key draw of Ellsworth's new bike with a reasonable claimed frame weight of 4.1kg (9.0lb) and what we expect to be good pedaling performance considering the generous travel. Ellsworth has made its latest model front derailleur-friendly but ISCG tabs are also included for single-ring drivetrain setups. Ellsworth's first interrupted seat tube is also sized for a bigger 30.9mm seatpost, too, to more readily accommodate the growing crop of dropper seatposts.
Ellsworth Momentum. Photo: James Huang
Among other things, Ellsworth was also showing off its Momentum slopestyle/4X machine. Sporting just 120mm of rear wheel travel (and designed for use with a 100mm-travel fork), the Momentum is nonetheless equipped with more suitable geometry that includes a low bottom bracket and slack 67-degree head tube angle. Other features include a tapered head tube, Ellsworth's latest SST.2 hydroformed tubeset with integrated upper link pivot, and ISCG tabs. Should your jump line also require some pedaling to get there, Ellsworth has also made the Momentum front derailleur-friendly.
