After the turn of the millennium, Simplon joined the premier league of single-arm full-suspension bikes with the Cirex, which was fast, light and a visual treat. Simplon now wants to revive these virtues for the 2013 season. The recipe for this has once again been christened the Cirex, but the ingredients have changed fundamentally as a result of a good decade of bike development.

Fast and agile
The Cirex 29 is a race-oriented cross-country fully that should also feel completely at home on marathon routes. The suspension, trimmed for drive neutrality, provides 100 millimetres of suspension travel and exploits the advantages of the 29er wheels, as it also impresses in difficult downhill passages. The Rock Shox Monarch RT3 shock is specially tuned for the kinematics of the rear triangle and should offer the best possible riding fun in all conditions in the open, closed and pedal positions.

Short chainstays
For the rear triangle, which is also made of carbon fiber like the main frame, the Voralberg-based company relies on the supported single-pivot design. The 440 millimetre long or short chainstays ensure high drivetrain stiffness and good manoeuvrability; the manufacturer speaks of a central riding position "in the bike".

Internally routed cables
The brake lines and shift cables on the Cirex 29 are routed inside the frame. And speaking of the frame: the designers rely on an angle of 71 degrees for the tapered head tube and 73.5 degrees for the seat tube. In size medium, the frame weighs 1860 grams, the bottom bracket comes in the standard 92 millimeter press fit and the rear hub measures 142x12 millimeters.

Second newcomer for 2013: Versatile hardtail Cure 29
With the Razorblade 29, Simplon already has a hot iron in the fire when it comes to winning the favor of hardtail and 29er-savvy customers. In order to appeal to the target group beyond a high-end carbon product, the Voralberg-based company is launching the Cure 29, an aluminum counterpart to the Razorblade 29, which is not only in a lower price range, but is also trimmed for everyday suitability.

The frame of the Cure 29 is designed with hydroformed tubes for forks with 100 millimetres of travel, while the weight in the medium size remains at around 1840 grams. The Austrian engineers rely on a head tube angle of 70.5 degrees and a seat tube angle of 73.

To make the frame versatile, there are mounts and eyelets for pannier racks, mudguards and kickstands on the rear triangle. With a tapered head tube, a 180 millimeter direct post mount brake mount on the rear triangle and a 92 millimeter Pressfit bottom bracket standard, the new frame is equipped with numerous modern features.

www.simplon.com