With very good bikes, it is difficult to completely throw out the tried and tested and develop something new from scratch. And so it will be Simplon with their Cirex 29. The marathon full-suspension bike performed well in our tests. BIKE tests in recent years always very good. Nevertheless, there will be a new Cirex 29 for 2017, as the carbon bike is now getting on in years. The most important innovation: Simplon has given the 29-inch full-suspension bike ten millimetres more travel at the rear and 20 millimetres more at the front. This means that in future, the supported single-pivot bike from the Vorarlberg-based company will come with a 120 mm fork and 110 mm travel at the rear, into which the new Metric shocks from Rock Shox and Fox will fit. Simplon is also following the trend of removing the pivot point between the seat stays and chainstays on full-suspension bikes with little travel. With the Cirex 29, this task is now taken over by the carbon stays, the layup of which was worked on by the small Austrian development team. Dispensing with the additional pivot saves weight, makes the rear triangle more torsion-resistant and easier to maintain. As a result, the new Cirex 29 frame weighs in at 1920 grams - without shock, but with small parts.
Simplon has also slightly straightened the seat tube so that you can now ride a second bottle cage on all frame sizes (S-XL). Naturally on board: Boost with wider hubs. The front derailleur mount can be removed if you opt for a single drivetrain in the Simplon configurator. Simplon relies on conical bearings for the new Cirex 29 for more freedom from maintenance and against cracking and creaking noises. A small highlight is located on the right and left of the Cirex's main bearing: a pivoting cable guide that elegantly routes the cables for the rear derailleur and rear brake into the rear triangle. Simplon has patented this clever solution, which prevents the cables from rubbing against the frame and kinking when the suspension is compressed. Naturally, the cables run in front of and behind the frame. The new Cirex carbon frame is also prepared for electronic Shimano Di2 gears.
Racers can still ride the Cirex 29 with a 100 mm fork, but then the head angle is steepened by one degree to 70.5 degrees. With 120/110 mm travel, the steering angle is 69.5 degrees and the head angle has been steepened to 74 degrees. Complete Simplon Cirex 29 bikes are available from 10.2 kilos. However, Simplon naturally allows you to customise every component using the configurator.
