{"id":36867,"date":"2022-05-12T15:14:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T13:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=677610"},"modified":"2022-05-12T15:37:20","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T13:37:20","slug":"the-scorpi-el-camos-is-a-futuristic-lightweight-xc-bike-with-a-nostalgic-nod-to-the-90s","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/the-scorpi-el-camos-is-a-futuristic-lightweight-xc-bike-with-a-nostalgic-nod-to-the-90s\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scorpi El Cam\u00f6s is a futuristic lightweight XC bike with a nostalgic nod to the 90s"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Oscar Huckle\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 12 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Scorpi El Cam\u00f6s is a radical full-suspension cross-country mountain bike<\/a> without a seatstay or seat tube.<\/p>\n

Designed with the \u201csmallest number of pieces and components possible\u201d, the El Cam\u00f6s frame is claimed to weigh 1,750g without the rear shock or axle in a size medium.<\/p>\n

The bike features 120mm of suspension travel<\/a> both front and rear, and the new Italian brand says the entirety of the manufacturing process happens in its home country.<\/p>\n

Although the El Cam\u00f6s is currently a prototype, Scorpi says it is moving towards starting full-scale production of a final product. There are likely to be two models, as well as a team replica.<\/p>\n

The frame is expected to retail for \u20ac5,450, and Scorpi is hoping to sell it worldwide.<\/p>\n

A retro-inspired design<\/h2>\n
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The El Cam\u00f6s has been a long time in the making.<\/span><\/figcaption> Scorpi <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Scorpi was formed in July 2021 and the brand\u2019s debut frame was created in collaboration with Advanced Composites Solutions, a composites engineering firm based near Pescara, Italy.<\/p>\n

The project started with Edo Ferrari, who was the designer of the Sintesi Bazooka<\/a> that won the downhill World Cup in 1997. It also featured a Y-design frame and was one of the first to feature a double-link, which would later be patented as the DW-link design.<\/p>\n

Other notable Y-design frames of the 1990s include the Trek Y-33<\/a> and the Cannondale Raven<\/a>, although both featured conventional swingarms.<\/p>\n

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Kerry Bason\u2019s Sintesi Bazooka featured at the Malvern Classics show in 2018.<\/span><\/figcaption> Helen Cousins \/ Immediate Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Scorpi\u2019s silhouette clearly owes a debt to the Sintesi, with its single swingarm piece that lacks a seatstay element. As the purpose of the seatstays is to push back (therefore \u2018stay\u2019) the overflexing seat tube, and the swingarm doesn\u2019t feature this tube, the El Cam\u00f6s takes the design one step further by removing the seat tube.<\/p>\n

The brand says it has attempted to keep the entirety of the El Cam\u00f6s build lightweight, with the majority of the frame\u2019s weight concentrated in the centre of the bike for best performance. This is through the layup combination \u2013 with Scorpi elusively saying it \u201cuses a different kind of pre-preg carbon\u201d \u2013 and the fact that the design will inherently drop some weight, given there the seatstays and seat tube are absent.<\/p>\n

The brand says the carbon layup has been optimised for maximum stiffness when pedalling and compliance when descending. According to Scorpi, it takes 20 hours of manpower to make a single frame.<\/p>\n

The 1,750g claimed frame weight is pretty competitive against the current crop of cross-country bikes. The Specialized Epic Evo<\/a> weighs in at a claimed 1,869g, also in a size medium, and the Factor Lando XC<\/a> at 1,900g in an unspecified size. Both of those bikes also feature 120mm of travel \u2013 but crucially don\u2019t break the rulebook by eliminating tubes.<\/p>\n

Scorpi says it has submitted three patent requests for its frame and suspension design.<\/p>\n

Future-proof suspension<\/h2>\n
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A closer look at the motocross-inspired suspension design.<\/span><\/figcaption> Scorpi <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Although a large number of cross-country race bikes feature 100mm of suspension travel, Scorpi chose to spec 120mm because it believes this will be the industry standard for cross-country racing in the future. The frame is also compatible with a 130mm fork.<\/p>\n

It uses a single-pivot design with a linkage-activated shock. This design is inspired by the suspension systems used on motocross bikes, where the linkage is used to tune how progressive the suspension kinematic is.<\/p>\n

The swingarm is particularly interesting, given that it is mounted around two-thirds of the way along the down tube. The main pivot\u2019s location tunes suspension behaviour such as anti-squat, where Scorpi claims it has \u201ca more neutral and instinctive, natural ride\u201d.<\/p>\n

Progressive-ish geometry<\/h2>\n

The El Cam\u00f6s features a 66.5-68 degree head-tube angle, depending on the amount of fork travel, combined with a 75.2-75.8 degree seat-tube angle.<\/p>\n

These numbers are fairly progressive for a 120mm travel cross-country bike. For comparison, the Specialized Epic Evo \u2013 arguably a downcountry bike<\/a> rather than an outright XC racer \u2013 features a 66.5-degree head-tube angle and a slightly slacker 74.8 degree seat-tube angle in an equivalent size.<\/p>\n

The reach is 450mm on a size medium El Cam\u00f6s, which is reasonably long for a beefed-up cross-country bike. The Epic Evo comes in at 436mm, while the Trek Top Fuel<\/a> \u2013 which definitely has a more downcountry-focused agenda \u2013 matches the El Cam\u00f6s.<\/p>\n

Completely defying convention is the rear centre, measuring a minuscule 418mm across all frame sizes. For context, cross-country mountain bikes tend to measure in at around the 435-445mm mark. Scorpi says this is a world record for a 120mm travel bike, and wouldn\u2019t be inclined to argue.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the shorter the rear centre, the more responsive and nimble-feeling the ride. On paper, therefore El Cam\u00f6s should be very sprightly when cornering. Scorpi also claims the handling will be very light when ascending, particularly when you\u2019re winching your way up technical corners.<\/p>\n

Still, the El Cam\u00f6s has a 1,168mm wheelbase in a size medium, which while on the shorter end of the scale, is still reasonable for a cross-country bike.<\/p>\n

<\/colgroup>
\ufeffFrame<\/th>S<\/th>M<\/th>L<\/th>XL<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Head tube angle <\/b>(degrees)<\/td>66.5-67<\/td>67-67.5<\/td>67-67.5<\/td>67.5-68<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube angle <\/b> (degrees)<\/td>75.2-75.8<\/td>75.2-75.8<\/td>75.2-75.8<\/td>75.2-75.8<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube length <\/b> (mm)<\/td>90<\/td>95<\/td>100<\/td>105<\/td> <\/tr>
Rear Centre <\/b>(mm)<\/td>418<\/td>418<\/td>418<\/td>418<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase <\/b> (mm)<\/td>1,158<\/td>1,168<\/td>1,188<\/td>1,200<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach <\/b> (mm)<\/td>435<\/td>450<\/td>470<\/td>485<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack <\/b> (mm)<\/td>515<\/td>620<\/td>625<\/td>630<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>