Bike ideal for all terrain

Photo courtesy of Dave Norona

Dave Norona puts the Bionicon Edison through its paces on a recent ride on the North Shore Trails.

I remember the first mountain bike I purchased to go play on the trails. It was the first of its kind with front suspension, which consisted of two-inch elastomer bumpers that sucked up all the rocks, logs and rough terrain I tackled. Over the last 18 years I have raced and watched the technology forge ahead with better shifting, lighter frames and disc brakes to become the awesome machines we ride today.

This year I have been riding a new German-made bike called Bionicon. Bionicon is a young company, which recently broke into the North American market with some amazing technological advancements, which have been hugely successful in Europe.

The bikes overall are not that different, but their suspension system will revolutionize how we ride. The biggest hurdle today is having a bike that will ascend like a lightweight cross-country bicycle and descend like a downhill bike. You either have one that is lightweight and climbs like a mountain goat due to its steep angled geometry or a huge heavy downhill machine that is too laid back to climb efficiently on.

Bionicon has created a bike that does both equally well. It has developed an open air chamber system that links the front and rear suspension together. When you want to ride uphill you push a simple orange button on the handle bar and lean forward over the front suspension. This opens up the system and allows the air from the front fork to be transferred to the rear shock, changing the geometry of the whole bike to make it ideal for riding uphill. At the top all you have to do is push the orange button again on the fly while sitting back in the saddle and the air moves from the rear shock into the front fork giving you a laid back free-ride position with more than six inches of travel for their mid-range Edison model.

Once you try this unique system you will be hooked and you will learn to adjust the system incrementally at any angle, anytime to make the bike ideal for your riding style or the type of trail you’re tackling. The Edison feels like a 24-pound (10.8 kilograms) bike when riding cross-country or ascending due to its perfect geometry, lightweight frame and components. The real weight of the bike is actually 33 pounds (15 kilograms), which is super lightweight for a bike that can tackle any mountain, carve and ride the narrow bridges on any downhill descent. It is one bike that is ideal for any terrain! For more information check out www.bionicon.com.

DAVE NORONA for Metro Vancouver