Anyone else salivating over one of these, been idle waiting and wanting one for a bit. Just not a lot of information on them. Seen a few pics from interbike.
Anyone got more details on the suspension system, etc? Or just post up some pics.
Going to available come July, and they are establishing a dealership network. Found one near me.
First Marque prototypes are finished and in paint. I saw raw frame pics last week. They will be at Taipei, then they will be in the US for testing.
I can't wait to try one because the Maelstrom proto is SOOO plush and a great pedaler, I want to see what a lighter, shorter travel version feels like.
I too have been anxiously awaiting more information on these frames. I can't wait to see how they ride. Corsair seems to be a very interesting up and coming company, I love their downhill offerings as well.
It is a linkage-actuated single pivot. The lower linkage assembly pivots around the BB shell to compress the shock. It's hard to imagine how it works until you see it.
yes, it is a rather weird linkage system. I think it is basically one linkage connected to the rear triangle, which is connected to another linkage which rotates about a pivot connected to the frame. at the other end of said linkage is the shock. as the rear triangle is moved up by the suspension compressing, the first linkage pulls the non-shock end of the second linkage, which in the process of pivoting also compresses the shock. there should be something on Corsair's website, at least for the Maelstrom that gives an animation of the suspension in action.
the real question is this: did anyone understand my babble?
EDIT: I am also pretty interested in the Koing. it might be advertised as a slopestyle rig, but from the geometry specs, apart from the seat tube length and angle it isn't that far off of the geometry of the Marque, and there is only a 5mm travel difference and I want to say a 21mm shock eye-to-eye difference (longer shock on the Marque). it also looks like mounting a front dee on it wouldn't be that hard as long as the tubing used to connect the BB area to the little shock tunnel (if you can call it that) is the standard clamp diameter for a derailleur. if I'm right, the Marque and the Maelstrom both skip the clamp and just straight up bolt the dee to the frame. anywho, the Marque in black looks very very sweet. if they can get a US dealer in my area I might just go to them and ask to demo one of the Marques on the local trails. then come back the next day and do the same with the Koing and the next day with the Maelstrom just so I can see how the three bikes differ. the Crown is a bit too much bike for this area, and the Ducat is a dirt jump bike, not anything close to a trail bike.
oh yeah, I wonder how the headsets that Corsair uses are, and if they are not up to snuff with the rest of the industry's headsets if they could be swapped out for say a Cane Creek 110 or a Chris King unit?
Last edited by Slyp Dawg; 03-07-2008 at 06:35 PM.
Originally Posted by teamdicky
My butthole would pucker and invert until I was inside-out before I got to the bottom.
The headsets utilize the same mehanical design as Sunline and sport some very large bearings. I have heard discussion of an adapter for a standard headset, but I don't think this is currently a priority with so many other things to get done. It would not be a difficult item to make, just some sort of cylinder machined to the correct inside/outside dimensions. You would lose the ability to change head angle by switching to the One Degree headset, though. The +/- 1 degree Corsair headset has the offset built into the cups. The Corsair headset that comes with the frame is the straight (zero degree) version.
Perttime-
Not yet, as stated above the Marque is only a prototype at this point. Maybe there will be one at Sea Otter? Big question mark. Perhaps freshWood will have new information shortly.
I don't recall hearing or saying it was a secret... but your version of things certainly is more exciting!
The photos I saw were of raw main frames with no swingarms attached, snapped with a lame camera in a linoleum-floored Taiwan factory. Not exactly the kind of Bike Porn that goes straight to the internet. Nor were they informative enough to allow armchair designers to get to work on improvements. Suffice it to say, I imagine it's going to be a while. Once the "secret prototypes" are in the United States and have been assembled and ridden, I am sure you will start to see pictures.
JMH
Originally Posted by perttime
A secret prototype?
I know of a manufacturer or two who showed early prototypes to the choir and got comments that made the final product better...
armchair designers to get to work on improvements.
Perhaps the Corsair designer has thought of everything. On the other hand, showing some early work or even asking for opinions on some details might raise suggestions, good and bad. Listening to the potential users/buyers might even make them "attached" to the product, perhaps enough to make them buyers.
I bet the Corsair bikes are great. The computer graphics and photos of a couple of other prototypes have been around a while. Why doesn't anybody really say anything about the bikes that exist? The best I've read so far boils down to something like: "yeah, it's a good bike". Bit frustrating, I think.
Perhaps the Corsair designer has thought of everything. On the other hand, showing some early work or even asking for opinions on some details might raise suggestions, good and bad. Listening to the potential users/buyers might even make them "attached" to the product, perhaps enough to make them buyers.
I bet the Corsair bikes are great. The computer graphics and photos of a couple of other prototypes have been around a while. Why doesn't anybody really say anything about the bikes that exist? The best I've read so far boils down to something like: "yeah, it's a good bike". Bit frustrating, I think.
I'm pretty sure someone, possibly JMH, rode the maelstrom and konig and gave a pretty detailed review of how they rode. The marque should be similar to the maelstrom, albeit scaled down.
Perhaps the Corsair designer has thought of everything. On the other hand, showing some early work or even asking for opinions on some details might raise suggestions, good and bad. Listening to the potential users/buyers might even make them "attached" to the product, perhaps enough to make them buyers.
I am not trying to dodge you, I totally agree with you. What part of "there are no photos of the Marque" am I failing to get across? I mean, there really aren't. Like I said, there are some blurry shots of swingarms and mainframes hanging on hooks in a factory. If Corsair doesn't want them on the web, I can hardly fail to empathize. It's not a scam, it's not hype, it's just fact. The prototypes are literally being assembled now. Until they are put together, there's nothing to post, is there? Not trying to be coy, I am trying to pass on information that I have access to.
Originally Posted by perttime
Why doesn't anybody really say anything about the bikes that exist? The best I've read so far boils down to something like: "yeah, it's a good bike". Bit frustrating, I think.
Unfortunately, there are only 3 prototype bikes (one each of the Ducat, König and Maelstrom) assembled and rideable, the designer has them all and is riding them every day. So unless you happen to run into him (he is living in Ventura, CA), there just isn't any kind of information out there beyond the hearsay you describe. I have ridden all of them and can try to answer any specific questions if you like? I hope very much to get my mitts on a prototype Marque sometime this summer and if you are going to be in Salt Lake City I will gladly try to get it under you for a test ride. Then again, I might never get to ride one until they hit stores.
The most recent photos of prototypes (Maelstrom V2 and Crown V1) are posted here: http://www.transcendmagazine.com/gallery/taipei08 The Crown is largely unfinished in these pics and has tack welds in a few places, but they give the main idea.
I find this frame's geometry very interesting. The adjustable HA idea is very cool. If I'm not mistaken, Commencal uses the same thing on some of their frames. I would love to try one out when they become available.
In the meantime, I emailed Doug, President of Corsair, to ask him some questions. He was very prompt in replying to my emails. I was really impressed that his email signature contained all his contact info (cell phone, office phone, email, etc.) short of his home address. It seems like he is really putting himself out there and is confident in his product. There doesn't seem any reason to doubt that these will be quality frames once they hit the market.
"I didn't even use crutches when I broke my leg!" - Aquaholic
I did not manage to find those ride reports. Can anyone point me (us) in the right direction?
Here is a thread from a quick ride last fall, Err makes some comments on the bikes: Corsair Test Ride
I found the Maelstrom a tad cumbersome on the trail we rode, but I had come off of a few weeks of riding my DJ and XC bikes only, it was bound to feel a little weird. I like a bit steeper head angle on a freeride bike, but the adjustable headset will easily fix this for me. The rear shock at that time was a standard compression stack instead of one valved specifically for the 2-1 ratio of the Maelstrom. Pablo is currently riding a new Marzocchi with a 3.5" stroke on the back and loves it.
I found the Maelstrom a tad cumbersome on the trail we rode, ...
Err's report, especially, makes the bikes sound very good. The Maelstrom is definitely a "bigger" bike than I need. The trails I ride are pretty twisty with lots of short ups and downs, and I rarely get to high speeds. The only thing that really worries me about the Marque is the seat tube angle which looks pretty steep for my dimensions.
Looks pretty sweet, but after taking a look at the web site the geometry numbers -- specifically the head angle -- seem jacked up. Hopefully it's a typo or rough draft, b/c it makes it seem more like a slopestyle frame?
It's listing a HA of 67 deg., presumably the middle headset setting (with 66 & 68 as the other two settings). Fine as long as you run the 5" fork that they show in the tables, but I imagine many people will want to put a 6" fork on there (like the Marz 55 they have mounted up in the photos), making the HA numbers 65-66-67 degrees. Too slack for a frame of this type, in my opinion. Also a BB height of 13.0" seems way too low. Compared to the Konig, the Marque is lower & slacker. Doesn't make sense to me.
This thing looks tight! Can't wait to hear more about it.
Budgie: not trying to stir up a fuss but why would you want a 6" fork on there? I guess the 55 goes to that length
but with an adjustable HA one would not need a bigger fork to gain slacker HA?
Anyway, I do kinda agree though that a HA starting at 68 as the mid may be better.
Then a 67-68-69 could be had without messing with the length of the fork. If other
angles are needed then maybe an adjustable fork could be used.
Also, something like a 13.5" BB height would be nice too
But that is just spec on my part, I am not sure what the intended purpose of this frame is
at this point.
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Originally Posted by teamdicky
Originally Posted by JMH
