Antidote Launches New Darkmatter DH Bike
The New Darkmatter
DH races, being the mountain biking’s equivalent of Formula 1, always pose serious challenges both to the rider as well as the designer. Although it’s unclear whether course designs changed to accommodate 29”-wheeled bikes, or their relentlessly increasing difficulty naturally suits the larger wheels, one thing is for certain – the rider needs an entirely different steed to what was once enough.
The new Darkmatter is built for winning. It’s long and the centre of gravity is low, which assures stability at speed, without sacrificing the responsiveness in the corners. A fully reworked Noster Kinetics suspension platform ensures maximum suspension efficiency by employing all of the benefits of the high pivot layout. The bike performs at its best during acceleration as well as braking, and will glide through the largest obstacles with ease.
The challenges, however, don’t stop at the highest level of racing. Riding in the bike park will also allow you to explore the incredible capability of the new Darkmatter by opening up a whole new world of extreme lines you’d never think were possible.
We took apart the original 27.5” Darkmatter, kept what’s best and worked around it to make it even better, and now we’re proud to present the entirely new Darkmatter 29! Our new model is a work of the highest engineering craft, dressed up in unique design. Apart from the stunning looks, it has everything a racing platform of the future should have: high pivot suspension design with an idler pulley, super low centre of gravity, highest quality materials usually reserved for aerospace and motorsport applications, low weight and superb durability.
The new Darkmatter is aimed at the most demanding DH rider. Two included linkages allow the platform to be quickly transformed into mullet mode (accommodating a 27.5” rear wheel), which opens up an enormous number of possible setups, ensuring a perfect fit for every rider.
The 29” version features a classic balanced geometry, while the mullet has a shorter chainstay and of course a smaller rear wheel, which can be a big advantage on technical courses. Both of these configurations are based on Golden Ratio geometry, with a slightly shorter front center and longer rear end, which sets up the rider dead center between the wheels, working wonders for stability.
High Pivot uses the reverse path of the wheel, which thanks to the trajectory in the direction of the acting force, reduces hitting an obstacle, thanks to which the bike rolls faster. Unlike traditional low pivot suspensions, the movement of the wheel is in the opposite direction to the obstacle. This requires a chain guide roller to prevent the chain from jerking. In addition, this roll allows you to control parameters such as anti-squat. The first high pivot bike among the Antidote designs was the
Darkmatter 27.5. Its appearance took place long before the wave of popularity of high pivot suspensions and is evidence that the brand is ahead of global trends.
Convenient access to adjustments is the basis of racing bike ergonomics. Quickly change the damping value during training or between journeys allows you to immediately react to changing conditions on the route. Thanks to the specific arrangement damper, the new Darkmatter works better with the rider, ensuring the comfort of a quick change of settings. The ergonomics of the adjustment result from a broader view of the philosophy and design of the frame as it lowers the positioning point it also allowed to reduce the standover of the frame and lower the center of gravity, affecting the handling and ease of handling the bicycle.
