High-Pivot: The rear triangle has a high pivot point for an optimum wheel lift curve. A pulley decouples the chain hoist from the rear triangle function.
164 millimetres spring travel is provided by the rear triangle. The frame, which is manufactured in Germany, can be customised.
It seems that high-pivot bikes with pulleys are hip right now. At the very least, rear triangles in which the chain has to take a diversion due to the high pivot point are becoming more common again. Forbidden and Actofive are two exotic brands that utilise this special design. However, larger brands such as Commençal are also successfully using a rear triangle with an unusually high pivot point. The elaborate design is particularly popular on full-suspension bikes where the focus is on downhill riding. It is striking that all three brands mentioned are single-pivot with a fixed pivot point. With the Kavenz, developed and manufactured in Germany, Giacomo Großehagenbrock brings a breath of fresh air to the high-pivot topic and dares to use a four-bar rear triangle with a travelling pivot point for his enduro bike. "This is the only way we can achieve an optimum wheel lift curve without any disadvantages when braking," explains Giacomo, the brains behind the 77designz component brand (top photo).
This is how the Kavenz drives:
180 millimetres of travel at the front and a whopping 164 millimetres at the rear speak for themselves: the Kavenz is also ideally equipped for rough terrain. Because the rear triangle is decoupled from the chain hoist, the first few pedal turns feel a little strange. There is no reaction to the chain hoist as is usual with conventional rear triangles. The rear works freely, regardless of how hard you hammer the pedals. However, the unfamiliar feeling disappears very quickly...
You can find the entire practical test of the Kavenz VHP 16 from BIKE 4/2021 as a PDF in the download area below.
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