by Photo-John The Bionicon Golden Willow is a unique all mountain bike with 4.5-inches of Horst-link actuated rear travel and Bionicon's own 6-inch dual crown air fork in the front. It features a patented adjustable suspension system, which allows the rider to adjust both the head tube and seat tube angles with the push of one magic, orange button.
Fork needs to be lubed regularly to perform properly
Introduction I like big, slack bikes that go downhill well. Since I can't afford to have 5 bikes, I have two that allow me to do the kind of riding I enjoy most. I'm not afraid to pedal and I can get the big bike up the hill, even if I have to walk. And then I have all the suspension I want for the downhill. For the past two or three years I've been yearning for a smaller, more efficient bike that has the geometry of a freeride bike. So far, nothing I've seen or ridden has had the right combination of light weight and slack angles - until the Bionicon Golden Willow.
Bionicon Golden Willow - click for interactive demonstration!
I first saw Bionicon at the 2005 Interbike tradeshow. I noted the adjustable suspension and pretty much immediately forgot about them. In 2006 I took some pictures of a couple Bionicon riders at the Interbike Outdoor Demo and got to see the bikes in action. I visited their booth during the show and, Paul Ferguson, the CEO of Bionicon USA, explained the adjustable suspension system to me and I started to get really curious. He also teased me with lies about a 26-mile shuttle ride in the Southern Sierra, near the Bionicon USA headquarters. The seed was planted.
I've encountered a lot of skepticism about Bionicon. People think the suspension won't feel good, the system is too complicated, or it can't be reliable. I was a skeptic, too. But I was curious. I figured that even if the Bionicons don't feel quite as good as some other bikes - and I'm not saying that's the case - a bike with on-the-fly head angle adjustability from 68 to 73-degrees deserves a real hard look. I figured I'd give it 5 or 6 rides, do a quick write-up about the adjustability, and that would be that. I've had the bike about 6 months now and don't want to give it back. That's probably a good place to wrap up my introduction and move on to the bike itself.
Testing The Bionicon Golden Willow I didn't start out loving the Golden Willow. Although the climbing power and versatility of the adjustable suspension are undeniable, I wasn't psyched about the feel of the bike. I followed the directions in the manual and the bike was surprisingly easy to set up. The Bionicon Double-Agent fork and rear shock are linked by two air hoses and you pump up the system at the rear. A standard shock pump is all that's necessary. At first I didn't trust the system to hold the air pressure. I checked it a few times on my first ride and there were no problems. After a couple of rides I quit worrying about it. However, even though I ran the fork pressure well below what was recommended, the front still felt harsh and wanted to push on wet wood and rocks. It was less than confidence inspiring in slickery Santa Cruz winter conditions. But climbed like a mother! I was conflicted.
A few weeks after I got the bike, Paul and Mic, from Bionicon visited my area and I took them out for a ride. At that point I was forcing myself to ride the Golden Willow in order to do a review. I wasn't having fun because it felt so sketchy on the wet logs and muddy rocks that make up so much of the winter riding we have in the Bay Area. I told the guys what pressure I was running in the fork and they said the pressure tables in the manual were wrong and they were thinking of making their own tables for the US market.
Oh really !!?!!
I'd been running about 89 psi in the fork and they adjusted it to 70 psi. Of course, the right way to tune suspension is to run it way too hard and then so soft you bottom and work your way back and forth until you get it right. I don't know if anyone ever does that, though. And going from 90 psi to 70 psi is a bigger change than I would have come up with on my own. The good news is - 70 PSI made me love the Golden Willow. I'm not kidding. I don't just kinda like the Willow now. I want to make out with her. The way she climbs, all sexy and aggressive; and the way she descends, all stretched out and on the attack like a cheetah - the Golden Willow is hot. Well, maybe she's got a bit of a case of butter face - it's not the best-looking bike I've ever ridden. But she sure can work what she's got.
Two air lines on the Double-Agent fork connect to the rear shock.
The air hoses on the rear shock connect to the fork and control the adjustable suspension system.
Riding The Bionicon Golden Willow Once the fork pressure is right, the Golden Willow is the best all-purpose ripper I've had the pleasure to ride. The slack head angle and plush 6-inch dual crown fork mean you can really pin it on the downhills. The Double-Agent fork is all air - there's no oil bath for dampening. This goes against what I thought I knew about suspension. I believed oil dampening was mandatory for suspension to feel plush and lively. Not so. This fork is magic. Once you get the pressure right - and that takes a bit of work - you can take decent drops and direct hits, and dive into corners without fear of the front tire pushing. The only tradeoff is that since there's no oil, you have to periodically lube the fork by shooting it up in the seals with a hypodermic. Bionicon tells me they have new seals that won't need to be lubed as often. That will be nice since keeping them lubed is critical to the lively fork action. When the fork gets dry, the action slows noticeably, essentially increasing rebound dampening and decreasing performance.
The magic orange button activates the Bionicon adjustable suspension
The orange button is magic. Push the button and lean forward to change the angle and the Golden Willow becomes a climbing machine. The Horst-link suspension in the rear means the Golden Willow tracks well all the time. It is one of the most efficient climbing bikes I can remember riding. Keep in mind that's coming from a guy whose main bike for the last two years is a 7-inch, short-travel VP-Free. So what's efficient to me might not be efficient to an expert cross-country racer. But there's no noticeable bob when you're pedaling and the rear tire stays glued to the ground. I've ridden up and over all kinds of wet roots and loose gravely climbs and the rear tire almost never spins - even when I stand up. I love that! The Golden Willow has made me almost like climbing.
Because the Golden Willow begs to be ridden hard on the downhill, and it has thee chain rings, be prepared to drop the chain. If you ride hard on bumpy, rocky trails, it will happen - regardless of the bike. A dropped chain is annoying and takes some fun out of the downhill, as well as taking your attention away from the trail in front of you. I solved the problem by installing Jon Heim's excellent 3Guide chain guide, which weighs next to nothing and was designed to work with three chain rings. I think it should be standard equipment on the Golden Willow and any other three-ring trail that aspires to be the least bit DH-worthy.
Heim 3Guide - Three ring chainguide
More Details Another unique feature of the Golden Willow and other Bionicon bikes, is the integrated, adjustable stem. It sits right on top of the fork and has two adjusters so you can rotate the bar as well as moving it forward or backward, sort of like having a stem with adjustable length and rise. It's an innovative and solid system and an extra bonus that comes with the Bionicon Double-Agent fork.
The Bionicon adjustable handlebar mount system
I never got a chance to properly weigh the bike. But a careful bathroom scale check indicated 31 pounds with my Shimano M424 DH pedals. It's not built light, either. There are a few places where I would knock off some weight if it were my own bike. Bionicon sponsors a European endurance racer who supposedly raced a Golden Willow at 26 pounds. So there's definitely room to lighten it up. I'd be happy to get it under 30. Any lighter and I'd be afraid to ride it the way I want.
The Golden Willow Compared Bionicon's Golden Willow is squarely aimed at the rider that wants a super-efficient bike that can handle some real rough stuff. It's hard to compare to other bikes because no other bikes have the same set of features and geometry. There are two types of all mountain bikes - mini freeride bikes and 5 to 6-inch XC bikes. Obvious comparisons are the Santa Cruz Nomad, the Specialized Enduro, and the Intense 5.5. Bigger trail bikes aren't nearly as efficient when climbing. And lighter bikes, like the Intense 5.5 or Santa Cruz Blur LT, don't have the same slack downhill geometry or a fork with the performance level of Bionicon's Double-Agent. And none of those bikes have on-the-fly angle adjustment like the Golden Willow. The Golden Willow offers something truly different - real downhill angles on a bike that can climb like a race bike. The compromise is that the 4.5-inch travel rear suspension feels a bit harsh if you're used to a bigger bike. I'm not sure if it's just the short travel or if maybe a larger volume air shock would smooth it out a little. But to be fair, my main bike has about 7-inches of travel in the back. So my expectations might just be a little out-of-whack.
Conclusion I've been riding the Golden Willow for about 6 months now. I know the boys at Bionicon didn't intend me to have it this long or expect the kind of abuse I've been exposing it to. I'm not saying I'm the gnarliest trail rider ever. But I like it steep, fast and rocky and I'll ride regardless of weather conditions. This Golden Willow has been on lots of muddy winter rides, long pouring rain rides, bmx-style jump trails, and lots of solid 3+ hour weekend rides. It's the trail bike I've been waiting for. It makes it possible for me to climb for an hour and then pin it on the downhill, almost like I would on my big bike. For most trails, there's absolutely no compromise. Only when it gets really steep and the bumps and drops get big is there any need for more travel. For a long time I've wanted a lighter, more efficient bike for backcountry photo rides. The Golden Willow is that bike. I will happily trade a little travel for less weight and more efficient, comfortable climbing.
Your review was spot on... Spend the time and set the suspension pressure the way you like it, then dial in the air pressure on the tires.
I spent 3 days with Steve, Paul and Mic in the Southern Sierra's riding Just Outstanding and Dutch Flat (should really be called Dutch Plumb Line Crazy with how steep, vertical and technical it is) and had Paul set up the pressure in my suspension the way he would on a demo on my Edison. Interestingly, for me, at 230 pounds, I run 230 in the rear, and 110 in the front, which is what the manual recommends, and I prefer the slightly better performance of the stiffer suspension because I shuttle so little and pedal to climb so much, which works out better for me. Paul set it up with 210 psi rear and 95 psi in the forks.
Spend the time to adjust the pressure in 5 lb increments on the forks over 20 psi and 10 pound increments on the rear, over 40 psi.
Find what you like from there, then fine tune it. After the suspension is right, start dialing in the air pressure in your front and rear tires. You will find the magic combination for climbing and descent that truly brings the shine out of the way these bikes perform. Attention to detail will get the bike tuned to you.
Comment by RandyBoy on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 10:03 AM
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