The fan community of lightweight MTB hardtails can look forward to a new addition to the family. Simplon has taken on its classic Razorblade after three years and presented the evolution of its carbon hardtail at the Eurobike Media Days. The developers from Vorarlberg, led by Rainer Sebal, have primarily tweaked the weight. Thanks to an optimised layup of the carbon fibres and an even cleaner design without unnecessary frills, they have reduced the frame weight of the Razorblade 29 SL - the Superlight version - to 850 grams. The carbon chassis of the "normal" Razorblade 29 weighs around 1000 grams for 2019. This means that Simplon is once again playing in the Champions League of the lightest MTB hardtails currently available from the Stoll R1 with 829 grams is listed. Nevertheless, no compromises are to be made in terms of bottom bracket and headset stiffness, the values should be on a par with the previous bike - and they were very good. The lightest version of the Razorblade 29 SL on offer comes in at a total weight of 8.65 kg.
Simplon uses its own carbon seatpost with a diameter of 27.2 mm and the flex of the filigree seat stays to provide the necessary seating comfort. A clever detail is the cable routing on the head tube: as on Simplon's Pride aero road bike, the cables for the gears and rear brake disappear into the upper headset shell. This means that the cables are completely integrated into the frame right up to the exit from the chainstays. Simplon has designed a special headset with Acros for this solution. By entering the Razorblade via the headset, Simplon saves the side entries on the head tube, which in turn saves a few layers of carbon and therefore grams. Another advantage: nothing rubs when the steering is turned. In addition, a steering stop on the underside of the head tube protects the brake levers from hitting the top tube.
Stainless steel plates are laminated into the carbon on the inside of the chainstays to prevent the lightweight frame from getting scratched on muddy rides. The new Razorblade can still be ridden with 2x drivetrains, and those who ride single drivetrains can use the front derailleur mount for a chain guide. To get the most out of the Razorblade SL, the bike comes with a super-lightweight Tune thru-axle on the rear wheel as standard.
As usual with Simplon, you can customise the Razorblade 29 and the SL version according to your wishes in the configurator. Complete bikes are available from 3000 euros, the Superlight from 3900 euros.
Simplon Razorblade 29: the facts
- Frame sizes: XS (36 cm) / S(40 cm) / M(43 cm) / L(46 cm) / XL(53 cm)
- Colours: Black Matt / Black Glossy Cosmic Red Glossy / Black Matt
- Wheel size: 29 inch
- Price: Razorblade 29 from 2999,- Euro / Razorblade 29 SL from 3899,- Euro
- Weight: from 8.65 kg
