At first glance, the new Redalp Fully is reminiscent of a piece of Swiss mountain bike history: its cross frame is reminiscent of the "Sbike", which caused a sensation in the early days of the bike boom. But it remains a fleeting association, because the company Redalp, which was founded in Crans-Montana in August 2011, has given the frame, which specializes in downhill racing, its own innovations.

A chain roller mounted above the bottom bracket area, called Pro-Motion, has the task of decoupling the pedal forces and the suspension and eliminating pedal kickback during rear suspension compression. The independent frame design connects the headset to the rear wheel in a straight line and is only interrupted by a single pivot point, a so-called mono pivot, which connects the rear triangle to the main frame. According to the manufacturer, this design results in lower production costs and lower maintenance costs.

The main frame is made of 6061-T6 aluminum - carbon is the material of choice for the seat dome and this component also protects the rear shock from dirt bombardment. The manufacturer relies on low-friction and sealed needle bearings for the pivot points, while the rear triangle offers 200 millimetres of travel. Due to the long swing arm and the high pivot axis, the manufacturer promises excellent suspension properties. The bike's steering angle is 65 degrees and the seat angle is 68 degrees.

The top-of-the-range Replica DH model costs CHF 7,495 and, in addition to the independent frame, offers a Fox 40 RC2 Fit fork, a Fox DHX RC4 shock and rolls onto the trails in combination with a 10-speed Sram X0 shifting group and Avid's Elixir brakes. There are also numerous Truvativ parts and Mavic's Deemax wheels, which are fitted with Maxxis Minon tires.

"The DH team offers even better value for money. Equipped with Easton Havoc UST wheels, a 10-speed cassette and the Boxxer R2C2, some riders would prefer this bike regardless of the CHF 2,000 price advantage," reports Andreas Wüthrich from Redalp.

www.redalp.com