The arrival of the Zeb fork last time meant we had to jump ahead a little bit, missing out the original Prototype Teardown blog. But it's an important step that you can't miss out so here goes...
The Slacker was always meant as a platform to test and learn from. So when we got a chance to test the new Rockshox Zeb fork, we used it to build a bike unlike anything else out there right now.
Getting the Slacker's kinematics right is critical to the whole project; this is the stage where we make big calls about how the bike's going to feel to ride.
You sit down to design a downhill bike from scratch. Where do you start? How do you fit everything you want in the same package, and how do you know if that's even possible?
To take on a project as big as this, you have to really want it. Ultimately, it's our passion and determination that's going to drive The Slacker Project forward. So why is Downhill so important to us?
The Slacker is a Downhill bike. Or more accurately, the Slacker will be a Downhill bike, when we succeed. If we succeed. And that's what The Slacker Project is all about; we're taking on the challenge of developing a proper Downhill bike from scratch, and it's going to be hard.
Small bike brands don't normally do stuff like this. It's bold, risky and it might not work. But if it does, it might just be the best thing we ever do. And we'd like you to join us on the journey. The Slacker Project starts this Christmas.
We're always working on stuff behind the scenes, and we'd like to share some of those stories with you. Some things work out, some things don't - but it's always interesting.
