RMU Skis Just Dropped a Mountain Bike—And It’s Not What You Expect
Ask any skier that lives in a mountain town what they do for fun in the summer, and they’re bound to say “mountain biking.” The undeniable link between some of our favorite outdoor sports extends far beyond just participants–a growing number of brands are splitting their efforts between ski and bike manufacturing. We’ve seen it from reputable brands like Rossignol, Scott, Commencal, and more. Another, Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU), has long dabbled in the mountain biking game, selling high-end packs and accessories for the last few years, but they just announced a full-on enduro bike that they designed from the ground up with help from none other than suspension design guru Dave Weagle. It’s called the Nighttrain, and will be available this summer.
Weagle is the mastermind behind many of the most popular mountain bikes of the past 20 years, thanks to his DW Link and newer Orion suspension linkage designs. RMU’s new bike, called the Nighttrain (not to be confused with Moment’s iconic Night Train powder skis), features a wild-looking high pivot, dual-chain frame design, 170mm of travel, and geometry fit for riding the gnarliest singletrack you can muster.
Weagle himself announced the new RMU bike on his own Instagram, detailing the tech and his motivation for working with the ski brand. Check out his video here.
We don’t know much else about the bike yet, other than the frame looks to be made of aluminum, it features dual 29-inch wheels, 170mm of rear travel, and features the dual-chain high pivot Orion link suspension linkage (also found on the World Cup-winning Pivot Phoenix downhill bike). What’s the point of the Orion linkage? In short, it reduces pedal kickback, making the suspension feel much smoother through your feet as your plow through chunky terrain. For anyone who’s been living under a rock for the last few years (in mountain bike world), it’s a common design in race-focused enduro and downhill bikes.
According to RMU, they are “officially about two weeks out from the launch of our first MTB. The NIGHTTRAIN will drop in three distinct build kits, with limited color releases rolling out throughout the summer.”
To me, what’s perhaps the most interesting thing here is the fact that a small brand like RMU designed this bike from the ground up around a very novel suspension design. In the past, bike/ski crossover brands have typically been existing heavy hitters in one or the other (Rossignol=skis, Commencal=bikes) before venturing across the aisle. Even then, their bike/ski offerings have often felt like afterthoughts, falling short of the quality of their main product and not feeling competitive in the space. While I haven’t ridden it, at first glance, the Nighttrain looks to be much more than an off-the-shelf frame from some random Asian factory with an RMU logo—I’m sensing a dutifully thought through product that’s built for riders who care.
For now, here’s a look at RMU athlete Patrik Chomist squishing the bike for your enjoyment, plus a clip of him racing it at the recent Squamish Enduro.
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