Normally the link to the review goes at the bottom of the post, but if you want to read about the frame right now, here is your chance to check it out. If you want to read my thoughts on the bike, keep reading below and then click on the link. Or vice versa. It’s your choice.
Click HERE to read BikeRumor Article
This is a project that is very near and dear to my heart. I have wanted to create a Sage full suspension bike for quite a few years and I knew that if I did make one, that I needed to get it “right” in terms of the type of bike that it would be as well as the construction method used to bring it to life. I did not want to create a bike that used a Sage front triangle and then someone else’s rear end that we simply attached to the frame. I also knew that the marketplace is quite crowded with many brands and even more models, the majority of which are excellent at what they do. Thus, the conundrum in front of me.
I have been riding and racing MTB’s for over 35 years. My first MTB race was on a fully rigid bike (Mongoose IBOC if you want to look that up) and back then, suspension was just a speck on the proverbial horizon of technology that was coming our way. Mountain biking evolved over time as downhill and other disciplines grew in popularity. Bikes became more segmented for the specific task at hand and no longer could you use just one bike to do it all if you really wanted to push the limits of the riding at hand.
While I grew up riding East Coast tech trails, I had a passion to explore other parts of the country and other types of terrain where I could test my limits. Twenty plus years ago, I settled into the PNW and have called it home ever since. The riding here certainly pushed my boundaries and allowed me to grow my skillset. The tech trails here are similar to the East Coast but steeper, longer, and just plain harder. Exactly what I have always wanted to make me a better rider.
When I started Sage, the hardest bike for me design was the mountain bike. It was the one that gave me the most stops and starts from a design perspective. What type of trail should it be made for? Who is the rider? What was going to be the most fun? These were tough questions to ask. Eventually, the Flow Motion came out first, then the Optimator, and finally the Powerline. I needed to check off the boxes of the types of bikes that I wanted to ride but more importantly, the types of bikes that I felt the Sage audience wanted to ride.
Thus, when it came to the FS bike, it was the same questions all over again. Do I go with a long travel bike because I love riding “park” terrain? Do I go with a mid-travel bike because that is super popular on all of the trails? Do I go with a short travel XC/ DC bike because it would be super fun and versatile? In the end, I decided to go with the XC/DC platform due to the performance factor and how it fit into the Sage lineup of bikes.
The frame that you see pictured in the article is a proof of concept frame for us. We used the carbon tube/ 3D printed titanium parts bonding method to see how everything laid out in real world application. It was a good exercise to go through as we learned a fair amount about the bonding process as well as coming up with new design iterations for different parts that we felt could be improved (rear brake mount, chainstay yoke, etc). For our next version, the entire frame will be titanium (not the rocker and clevis as those are still alloy) as we are a titanium frame brand and we do know a thing or two about welding titanium.
This bike will be meant to be a XC race bike with DC capabilities. The riding in the PNW is pretty aggressive, so a bike that can go uphill fast but then also descent fast is critical in XC racing conditions. There are enough features on the trails here that a bike that is fun and playful to handle are also requirements for the design. The goal of this bike is to hit those marks and then exceed them.
The plan is to have the V2 frame up and running by the end of the year so we can put some winter miles of testing on it (not looking forward to the clean up….) so that we can make some decisions in early 2026 about when to open up pre-orders for the bike. Most updates will come via social media so make sure to follow us on Instagram (@sagetitanium) or on our Facebook page. If you have questions about the bike, don’t hesitate to reach out via email or give us a call. We are happy to answer your questions.
Happy Trails! Dave…