Airborne HobGoblin?

[BigDaddyFlyer]

Still suffering here from supplier issues.

I won't go into details as to whom the culprits are because I don't want to be "that guy". All I can say is that I'm watching production dates slip by as we are waiting. We are suffering from the same issues on the Toxin Freeride/Park bike as well.

At this time I don't want to give any product details, even angles. As soon as we can give more info we will, thanks!

Jeremy

[DBackRider08]

Looks like a great bike. Love the design. Would love to see the spec sheet and pricing for it when it's available. However, the Hobgoblin looks very similar to the Fezzari Hidden Peak 29er... Is Airborne affiliated with them? Either way I would love to demo one. I think the New Goblin is in the works for me soon.
Fresh: Fezzari Hidden Peak 29er Trail Bike

[LyNx]

Um, wow, looking at the drive side looks like the same frame, different paint/decals

Looks like a great bike. Love the design. Would love to see the spec sheet and pricing for it when it's available. However, the Hobgoblin looks very similar to the Fezzari Hidden Peak 29er... Is Airborne affiliated with them? Either way I would love to demo one. I think the New Goblin is in the works for me soon.
Fresh: Fezzari Hidden Peak 29er Trail Bike

[BigDaddyFlyer]

Both frames are made by Kinesis, with changes to specifcations and angles for each. Airborne is NOT related to Fezzari in any way.

[LyNx]

So, it's just a cookie cutter frame designed by them for whom ever wants to brand market it as theirs, interesting

Both frames are made by Kinesis, with changes to specifcations and angles for each. Airborne is NOT related to Fezzari in any way.

[DBackRider08]

Hmmm that is interesting... Not that I have a neg view of Airborne since most bikes are made in China or Taiwan now anyway but I'm assuming the Goblin frame is sourced the same way too then? Looks like Kinesis makes lots of frames. I'm still interested in the Hobgoblin and the Goblin. Wish you guys could come out to the east coast(PA,NJ,NY,CT area) so I can demo your bikes. Look forward to seeing the final version of the Hobgoblin.

Welcome to Kinesis Website

[BigDaddyFlyer]

No, the Goblin is not made that same way. Frames like the Goblin, Guardian, Skyhawk, Delta, Wingman, etc are all 100% inhouse designs.

That HobGoblin frame is the first one we have done by tweaking an open-source frame from Kinesis. The reason for this is that being small, we don't order great enough quantities to make minimums for respected companies like Kinesis to make wholesale brand new dual suspension designs for us. The tooling expense is in the many parts like pivot arms, etc. Until we can order thousands at a time on something like this we have to work with open-source dual frames and make a deal with Kinesis to modify them to our specifications.

What this means in relation to the frame that Fezzari is using is that we have tweaked several parts including angles, lengths, and the seat-tube is different in regards to how it is made and pivot arm attachment. In a way it is still our design, at least our bike is. We also have put extensive test-riding hours into ours which has aided our development.

I hope that makes sense, thanks.

[BigDaddyFlyer]

So, it's just a cookie cutter frame designed by them for whom ever wants to brand market it as theirs, interesting

Nope, see my explanation above, thanks.

[DBackRider08]

Thank you for the very detailed explanation. I think it's great that a rep is actually on the mtbr forums answering questions. Sometimes smaller companies like Airborne is much like a breathe of fresh air. So any updates for the Hobgoblin? Any chance of a demo fleet making it out to the east coast?

[BigDaddyFlyer]

Thank you for the very detailed explanation. I think it's great that a rep is actually on the mtbr forums answering questions. Sometimes smaller companies like Airborne is much like a breathe of fresh air. So any updates for the Hobgoblin? Any chance of a demo fleet making it out to the east coast?

Thanks! I know it sounds like a broken record, but I don't have any update on the HobGoblin. We keep getting dates that then come and go. Right now we are at the mercy a supplier that keeps missing deadlines for parts and are past the point of being able to change to a different supplier due to current long industry lead times. I won't throw any company under the bus because that's not my style, but it is very frustrating.

On a brighter note, we are looking at doing some more consumer-type events next year and one of them is the entire Gravity East DH series. If we do go, in addition to some DH rigs we will bring a few XC rigs for folks to check out.

Jeremy

[DBackRider08]

Bummer. Hopefully everything comes into place and we will see the Hobgoblin released. Look forward to next season and hope to see ya guys out east.

[LyNx]

That's a "Makes sense" type answer and totally understand, just thought you guys were big enough to do this sort of stuff on your own, didn't think you were a smaller company than say Banshee, Niner etc.

Sounds like if you've got the right riders who know there thing to help with the design tweaking, you could have something good there, will be interesting to see what pricing is like and if there'll be a frame only option at some point. Wish you guys the world of luck sourcing/getting those parts, seems to be a major headache for anyone who isn't one of the "Big" boys right now.

Oh and have to agree, good and smart to have a presence on an active MTB forum.

No, the Goblin is not made that same way. Frames like the Goblin, Guardian, Skyhawk, Delta, Wingman, etc are all 100% inhouse designs.

That HobGoblin frame is the first one we have done by tweaking an open-source frame from Kinesis. The reason for this is that being small, we don't order great enough quantities to make minimums for respected companies like Kinesis to make wholesale brand new dual suspension designs for us. The tooling expense is in the many parts like pivot arms, etc. Until we can order thousands at a time on something like this we have to work with open-source dual frames and make a deal with Kinesis to modify them to our specifications.

What this means in relation to the frame that Fezzari is using is that we have tweaked several parts including angles, lengths, and the seat-tube is different in regards to how it is made and pivot arm attachment. In a way it is still our design, at least our bike is. We also have put extensive test-riding hours into ours which has aided our development.

I hope that makes sense, thanks.

[toddre]

That's a "Makes sense" type answer and totally understand, just thought you guys were big enough to do this sort of stuff on your own, didn't think you were a smaller company than say Banshee, Niner etc.

Sounds like if you've got the right riders who know there thing to help with the design tweaking, you could have something good there, will be interesting to see what pricing is like and if there'll be a frame only option at some point. Wish you guys the world of luck sourcing/getting those parts, seems to be a major headache for anyone who isn't one of the "Big" boys right now.

Oh and have to agree, good and smart to have a presence on an active MTB forum.

Big Daddy knows what he's doing... He won't put something out there "just to get it out". If he doesn't feel it's up to his standards, he wait until it's right the first time. Kudos to him for doing that!

[CaTiRo]

My wife was going to get me the zeppelin elite for an anniversary gift, but my size wasnt available (19). So now i'll have to tell her about the hobgoblin. I just hope its budget friendly like your other bikes. If the hobgoblin is going to be around the price thats floating around on the internet I hope there is going to be a cheaper, slightly detuned version available... kinda like the guardian vs goblin.

[CaTiRo]

Okay, I getting a bike in November (anniversary present), so hopefully before then we will get some more info on the HobGoblin. I have ridden 15 different trails so far this year (going on a bike trip this weekend so adding some more trails to that number) and I haven't seen one Airborne bike. So I will be basing my decision of possibly getting an Airborne on the numerous good reviews I have read. My lbs is trying to push a cannondale on me, but we will see which is better for me once the specs/pricing are release.

[betorac]

I'm debating between the New Goblin and the HobGoblin. This is for DigDaddyFlyer, do you recommend waiting for the HobGoblin? Without knowing the specs, its hard to make a decision right now.

[BigDaddyFlyer]

I'm debating between the New Goblin and the HobGoblin. This is for DigDaddyFlyer, do you recommend waiting for the HobGoblin? Without knowing the specs, its hard to make a decision right now.

The HobGoblin will be available as a frameset and two complete builds: regular and XO.

More or less, consider the regular build to be like the parts spec on the Goblin and the HobGoblin XO to be the same parts spec as the Goblin XO. Was that vague enough for ya?

We finally have a build date of the second week in November for the HobGoblins.



So that means they will be in stock and ready to ship the first or second week in December. We should be able to release a little more info in a few weeks time.

Whether you should wait or not is a hard call. They are two similar bikes. We've mimmicked the angles of the current black Goblin for the HobGoblin so if you owned both switching back and forth is pretty seamless. I've been riding both for the past 6-7 months and love both bikes. The HobGoblin is my go-to bike when we are doing a longer ride or if I know its going to be rocky (like Brown County). If I'm doing a shorter ride or a smoother trail, I tend to bring the Goblin.

Hope that helps a bit! And like I said, more info to come in the next few weeks!

Jeremy

[DBackRider08]

Few more weeks for more info! This is torture!

[betorac]

That's awesome news and I look forward to seeing the Hobgoblin, definitely interested in it since body takes less of a beating with full sus. December? Just in time for my Xmas gift....

Airborne has been receiving very positive reviews and great to see the manufacturer rep on the forum!

[swildnm]

I'm very excited about the HobGoblin! Can you give us any further details about the components? Will the production models have the same color scheme as the prototype pictured?

[aikane]

So, it's just a cookie cutter frame designed by them for whom ever wants to brand market it as theirs, interesting

Don't kid yourself, even huge companies like Specialized outsources their frames. You want in house, handmade you will have to pay for it. Otherwise expect the made in China sticker.

[LyNx]

Read more carefully and you'll realise I said they didn't DESIGN their frames from the ground up, nothing to do with where it's being produced and FYI, only really low end steel/alu frames are made in China, higher end ones are made in Taiwan, China does do high end carbon though.

Don't kid yourself, even huge companies like Specialized outsources their frames. You want in house, handmade you will have to pay for it. Otherwise expect the made in China sticker.

[BigDaddyFlyer]

and FYI, only really low end steel/alu frames are made in China, higher end ones are made in Taiwan, China does do high end carbon though.

It did use to be that way, but times are different now.

There are higher end alu frames made in mainland China. There are several companies that are making them there.

[Lovespicyfood]

Excited to get pricing on this new HobGoblin! I've been seriously considering the Giant Trance 29er but it's a little pricey and would be a harder sell to the wife. Hoping the "entry level" HobGoblin presents a better value proposition...perhaps ~$2K instead of the ~$2.7K Giant I've been looking at...

Moving to a new house in a few weeks doesn't help with all those associated costs but perhaps I can convince her it would make a good Xmas present!

[betorac]

Counting down the days...

Jeremy,
Can you comment on the pedaling efficiency of the Hobgoblin compared to the Goblin? Do you notice a big difference with losing energy as a result of pedal bob? Will the Hobgolin have a lockout?

I currently have a high single pivot bike like your Zeppelin, and the pedaling performance is unsatisfactory. Hopefully switching to new Fox CTD shock will help. Especially concerned with long fire road climbs and out of saddle pedaling.

thanks.