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It’s been quite a few years since I’ve had a Downhill bike – or at least a long travel bike with a dual crown fork. I have a few kids now and I can’t really afford to get carried away like I used to, so I’ve avoided tempting myself. With that in mind, we’ve had a lot of new trails as well as a legally embattled bike park (Panhandle Bike Ranch) open up recently where I live. Because of that, I wanted to build a bike up that would be ideal for jumping, could take a beating and accepted a dual crown. To keep myself out of trouble and to not feel bogged down on the jumps, I wanted to avoid a full blown Downhill race bike. One last caveat is that I wasn’t looking for a “freeride” bike because I personally don’t want a super short rear end. In short, I was after a pretty niche bike and there were no options on the table until Mondraker came out with the new Anark…
A handful of emails and a few weeks after making my mind up on the frame and here we are! My custom built Mondraker Anark.
Once SRAM came out with their electronic XXDH drivetrain I just knew I needed to get ahold of one. Dead quiet, very tough and super responsive. Not cheap, but worth it. I opted for 155mm cranks for this bike.
Ochain lending a hand on the “quiet” part…
Up front I opted for a RockShox Boxxer Ultimate and swapped out the 200mm spring with a 180mm. It sits just right and mates well with the Anark’s 170mm rear travel.
Out back I opted for a Super Deluxe Ultimate over the Vivid Air – mainly due to its poppy nature. If I want to ride on rougher tracks and need a bit more give I have a Push VT/X that I can throw on, but for the jump trails this shock is just perfect. I love that you can now adjust its progression without even removing the shock.
I’ve had really good luck with crankbrothers wheels in every category for many years now, so naturally I opted for their Synthesis 2.0 DH wheelset. The new finish and graphics look amazing and match the bike nicely.
The crankbrothers Synthesis 2.0 wheelset comes with multiple hub options and I picked the tried and true Industry Nine 1/1 hubs. They’re bulletproof, have moderately fast engagement and can be rebuilt with ease.
It’s nice seeing just one singular brake line going into the frame…
For brakes I opted for TRP EVO Pros with 203mm race rotors front and rear. I’ve found these rotors to be super tough, plus they avoid glazing and wear well.
One of my favorite aspects of the EVO Pro is the new lever blades. With a really pronounced hook at the end, their ergonomics are fantastic. Santa Cruz House grips are my go to on every bike.
I went out of my way to make this bike carbon free, but when it comes to handlebars I have a hard time with 35mm alloy bars due to their harshness. So I opted for 31.8mm Renthal Fatbars with a 40mm rise. For an alloy handlebar they are extremely comfortable and I love the angles. Its kept in place with a 45mm Integra II stem with 10mm of rise.
One thing that really drew me toward the Anark was Mondraker’s industrial design. I absolutely love the layout and the finish. One nice utilitarian bonus is that the Anark uses the same size bearings throughout the whole bike.
Given the composition of our local terra firma, I knew from the jump that I’d be choosing the new Maxxis DHX tire – which is said to excel in hardpack and loose over hard terrain. This tire has Northern Idaho written all over it.
A Thomson seatpost, the new Burgtec Cloud DH saddle and a Burgtec clamp round things out.
Last but certainly not least, I’ve been saving these crankbrothers Stamp pedals for the perfect occasion and I’m glad I did!
Thank you to everyone who helped me get this bike together!
The post [Dream Bike] Mondraker Anark appeared first on MTB-MAG.COM.
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[[{“value”:”It’s been quite a few years since I’ve had a Downhill bike – or at least a long travel bike with a dual crown fork. I have a few kids now and I can’t really afford to get carried away like I used to, so I’ve avoided tempting myself. With that in mind, we’ve had a lot of new trails as well as a legally embattled bike park (Panhandle Bike Ranch) open up recently where I live. Because of that, I wanted to build a bike up that would be ideal for jumping, could take a beating and accepted a
The post [Dream Bike] Mondraker Anark appeared first on MTB-MAG.COM.”}]] Read More MTB-MAG.COM
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