The folks at Cascade Components never slow down, churning out links to improve or shift the suspension character of every new mountain bike frame they can get their mitts on. This week they have a series of links to release for the 140mm V2 Evil Offering, the 147mm Ibis Ripmo, the full-metal Ibis Ripmo AF, and the 162mm, 27.5″ wheeled Giant Reign. Have a look below at how their links will change those four bikes.
The Cascade Components link for the V2 Offering increases the frame’s suspension progressivity from 23% to 35% and bumps the travel up to 145mm with the stock shock. With that added end-stroke support, riders will be able to tune the first third of their travel for maximum comfort and grip without sacrificing the ramp of resistance they want near the bottom-out. As with all CC links, this change also makes the bike play better with the linear energy of a coil-sprung shock. The Offering V2 Link retails for €286/$249.
Links for the Ibis Ripmo keep the travel at 147mm, but make a massive difference in the bike’s progressivity, moving the number up to 29% from the stock 19%. For this link, CC says “While this is our first link for an Ibis frame, the added progression functions as it does with any other frame. This means you can expect the suspension to feel more supple off the top, more willing to move up and over obstacles, and then smoothly ramp up as the shock moves through its stroke.” in addition to shifting progressivity, the link drops the bike’s BB by 3mm and slackens things by roughly 0.25°. The V2 Ripmo Link retails for €381/$332.
With less bulk on the Ripmo AF tubes, the CC engineers were able to design a link that increases travel to 151mm and brings the suspension progressivity up to 31% from the stock 19%. Unlike the carbon frame, the alloy bike’s geometry remains almost the same as stock. This simpler link for the Ripmo AF retails for $206/€237.
Cascade Components engineers aren’t just interested in the latest and greatest gravity rides. They also have a new link for the ever-popular 27.5″ Giant Reign in model years 2018 to 2020. The frame didn’t leave space for them to increase travel from the original 162mm, but the bike’s progressivity gets a massive boost from 19% to 36%. Some of these frames already came with a coil shock, and riders will be able to mount a lighter spring for better traction thanks to this new chunk of 6061-T6 aluminum. The Reign Links retail for €421/$366.
