Antidote Lifeline DH Review

Antidote Lifeline DH Review

Antidote Lifeline DH Review - Looking for some exotica? Strive to be the only person about the mountain, or maybe inside your country, with your bike? Then you should take a check out what Antidote happen to be cooking up inside their factory in Krakow, Belgium, where each and every one of their frames are generally manufactured. Antidote mixes carbon fiberusing vectran , highly flexible material and leak resistance - and as well its relatively excessive cost - to generate the 205mm journey Lifeline DH frame which you see here. The finished product sports some incredibly unique diamond shaped tubing in the beginning, a matching as well as swing arm is made of carbon fiber that is connected to the suspension of aluminum in a lot of different colours, and it is all joined along with titanium pivot equipment. The 6. 6lb frame (without shock) retails for just two, 999 EUR, that converts to $3, 653. 69 UNITED STATES DOLLAR at today's alternate rate, and another four hundred EUR gets you the Cane Creek DBair which you ours came with. Exotic equals high-priced, right? Other surprise options include BOS and also DVO, with pricing for all those TBA.

Frame Details

The Lifeline DH's the front triangle is manufactured being a single piece as an alternative to different sections which can be cooked up after which bonded together, and Antidote provides combined the as well as material with vectran over the process. The result needs to be tubing that's additional resistant to good ole' strikes than when they had left this vectran out (and probable more expensive), it also makes for the lightweight finished product that comes in at just 6. 6lb without a shock, an impressive number considering that you have some mid-travel frames on the market with similar loads. Weight aside, Antidote is confident enough inside frame's ability for you to shrug off abuse which you won't even find the down tube protection that's pretty much par for this course on as well as downhill bikes currently, although I suppose that some managers might add their very own stick-on solutions. And talking about down tubes, that's where you will discover the Lifeline's cables for being externally routed, which isn't suitable for over-the-tailgate shuttling.

Could possibly 1. 5'' head tube in the beginning, and Antidote has stuck which has a threaded 73mm bottom part bracket shell rather than enjoying a pressed-in job, while a couple of ISCG 05 archipelago guide tabs are on the lower suspension hyperlink. The carbon swing action arm matches leading end in attractiveness, and there's both a good amount of tire clearance available and an overseas standard brake mount can be found. Given the (good) decision to stay with a threaded bottom part bracket, it's unsurprising to see that Antidote has additionally gone with the 12 x 150mm tail, complete with their very own lightweight aluminum axle, rather than jump up to a 157mm width. A plastic surprise guard that's held available with zip-ties, similar to the now common front fenders which you see everywhere, is included with the body, although it's not necessarily pictured here. Given how amazing this frame looks, I feel like there should be some sort involving bespoke carbon fender integrated.

The Lifeline DH's Suspension Discussed

The 205mm journey Lifeline DH employs Antidote's FDS linkage format, which is a acronym for 'Floating Damping System'. Since the name suggests, the bike's shock is mounted on both the higher and lower rocker links as an alternative to bolted to this frame, which isn't a new concept the slightest bit, but it is the one that is said to allow for for a lighter weight front triangle due to it not needing to face having one end on the shockfused who has the ability to tweak the shaft of the upper and reduced links, it also presents Antidote another changing to play with in relation to tuning the bike's kinematics to their liking. The two CNC machined 7075 T6 aluminium links are counter-rotating, compressing the surprise from both ends as opposed to the lower link moving away from the upper as entirely on some other identical looking designs. The end link actually rotates concentrically throughout the bike's threaded bottom part bracket, with an enormous set of enclosed bearings located away from shell, and a couple of ISCG 05 archipelago guide tabs are located on the drive side on the link that enable the chain guide to maneuver with the bike's journey.

Suspension

It took a bit to obtain the Lifeline's rear end near to where I needed it, with the Walking cane Creek shock needing lower air pressure than I'd have the shock's adjusters avoiding an over-damped really feel. While there are bikes that come off as getting very coil-like through an air shock, the Lifeline isn't one too. The level involving forgiveness on tiny, fast repeated impacts was simply a touch harsher than I'd have expected, even when running around 35% sag sufficient reason for relatively open surprise settings settings. It was likewise hard to use the many bike's travel, despite running a lot of sag, although the change side is which it swallowed up toned landings and massive impacts like this were just another bump and incapacitated. I suspect that it could be a different report had the bike been owning a coil-sprung shock that could provide a additional linear stroke and maybe a more lively ride. It was likewise very difficult to access the Cane Creek shock's changes, which is an issue that made the tuning process a tad bit more frustrating than it must be.

That supple, active feel may not be there, but a corner end did sit somewhat elevated in its travel, which allowed the bike not to ever feel bogged down in its suspension on quicker, smoother trails. This was true even when running the surprise too soft in an effort to see what it'd take to reach the final of the bike's journey, with the Lifeline being mostly of the downhill bikes that doesn't present slow and also sloppy handling on such times. While I never ever felt like I got the back on the Lifeline as active when i should have had the oppertunity to, I also believe that you have few, if any kind of, downhill bikes that can pedal as nicely. It just moves forward, plain and also simple, with none of these wishy-washy suspension action that always seems par with the course when travel numbers have this high. And what happens when you can get on the brakes? Basically nothing, as there was no noticeable difference in the fact that suspension behaved or even a change in this bike's attitude.

The Lifeline thought like it was going to be a lots of bike when My partner and i first threw the leg over the idea, but that initial impression developed into about as wrong when i could get. There are many of downhill bikes that will usually lose their shine when you are not wringing their particular neck or on ground that could make lots of riders nervous, yet Antidote has was able to inject their 205mm journey machine with enough life which it was a pleasure to ride in places which it simply shouldn't end up being. Numbers aside, it might be darted around tight switchbacks with general ease and without asking too much of the rider, and unlike lots of long-travel sleds which have had me feeling like I'm leg pressing a tiny hatchback when I seek to put the energy down, the Lifeline almost jumps from the corners. That combination -- the speed how the bike can bring tight corners of which double back, and the exceptional pedalling - makes it one of many quicker downhill motorcycles that I've expended time. 

That lively persona makes itself even more obvious when you quit to race this clock and instead concentrate on just having the hell of fun. This is the bike that loves to go inside and that you can take your foot or so off and allow it to go slide, and it had been pretty obvious from a few runs to be clipped in of which I'd be more effective off (otherwise called having more fun) with a couple of platform pedals installed as well as a disregard for the lifespan and keep the front of these downhill bike up inside air for any length of time will feel just like a superstar when about the Lifeline. Just in the event you haven't gotten this picture yet, the Lifeline poses that rare-for-a-DH-bike attitude that will help you have fun in places where cycling other downhill bikes can sense that a chore. In terms of chassis rigidity moves, I never got note of any kind of unwarranted flex on any point within my time on this bike, which is outstanding given the frame's light-weight.

Does that Lifeline's frisky ride are giving up anything when considering time to fit your balls about the handlebar and see how fast you really can go? Not inside my books, with it feeling just as confident inspiring being a true downhill race bike should. Traction was near endless in the beginning, thanks to this tacky Bontrager G5 rubber and supple Marzocchi branch, and while I possibly could feel the back again end moving when things got smooth, it never came around on me personally. There was also none on the nervousness at swiftness that sometimes emanates from a bike which is so agile, making me believe Antidote have definitely done well to balance the most beneficial of both a bruiser as well as a nimble package.

Prices 2999 EUR (w/o shock)

Lifeline DH Details

• Intended work with: downhill

• Vacation: 205mm

• Wheel size: 26''

• Product: carbon fiber, vectran

• Aluminum links, titanium equipment

• Hub spacing: 150mm

• Bottom bracket: 73mm, threaded

• Go tube: 1. 5'', semi-integrated

• ISCG 05 archipelago guide tabs

• Shape weight: 6. 6lb (w/o shock)

• Full weight: 34lb (custom build)

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