First Look: Airdrop Release a 27.5" Slacker Downhill Bike

At the core of the reasoning behind the Slacker, much like the other bikes in Airdrop's range, is that they are small brand making the bikes that they want to ride. And being a small independent brand is quite important - truthfully I don't imagine they need to sell ten thousand of these things to make it worthwhile (in fact, their first run will be of only 100 frames). They look to be making this bike for a particular niche, and one that they consider themselves a part of - people who are looking for more than a mere plow. Where other brands may proudly boast of World Cup pedigree - Airdrop says this bike is for the New World Disorder generation. Speaking of which, I personally wouldn't be opposed to Mike Levy conducting an extensive test of the bike in the Utah desert wearing boot-cut jeans and a 661 pressure suit.

There are passionate people at any level of the bike industry, but whether it's Neko Mullaly's Frameworks project, any number of a slew of brands covered by TEBP, or a brand like Airdrop, it's always great to see smaller brands or individuals going their own way on things. It seems like only yesterday that Pole were ruffling feathers by their approach to greater reach values on their bikes and that ended up pretty much fundamentally changing bike design, even if it was considered a bit left field at the time.

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Frame Details

In the years that this bike was in the works, a lot of things have changed in downhill. Most notably many brands and racers have settled on a mixed-wheeled platform. However, Airdrop were steadfast in the pursuit of their preferred downhill bike setup. This isn't a 27.5" bike itching to be mulleted. This is a bike that is sold with the wheels and geometry that it's meant to be ridden with.


Like other Airdrop frames, this is an alloy bike. The BB and main pivot are a single CNC unit and the lower shock mount is a CNC cradle. It also features a one-piece machined raw rocker link.


Each frame comes with a reach-adjust headset included. It's not uncommon to see bikes, mostly carbon ones, come with some kind of oval headset that doesn't need to be removed and reinstalled like a traditional press-fit headset. Asking James Crossland, the designer at Airdrop to explain the reasoning for this style of easily rotated cups aren't in the Slacker he said that they wanted to build a bike that was not only fun to ride but easy to live with and live with for a long time. He explained that push-fit cups are great but they also require the headset to be preloaded correctly every time, which isn't something everyone knows how to do, and if this isn't done to the right torque it can end up with problems with the headtube or headset. He said that they want to make a bike that's easy to work on, but also expressed that they didn't want to make one that places convenience above long-term reliability. The bike will come with a neutral headset, as well as cups that can off +/- 5 mm of adjustment.

The linkage uses a full complement of oversized hardware to, again, put an emphasis on longevity. However, on these oversized bolts, you won't find large 10 mm Allen key interfaces, and that was deliberate, with Airdrop explaining that it's better to round a bolt and strip the threads from your frame, regardless of how unlikely either eventuality is when bikes are made with decent quality hardware. All bolts are CNC and run through stainless steel oversized bearings. There are no blind bearings or pullers required for this frame, either, and you should have a good line of site to simply punch the bearings out with the tap of a small hammer. The bolts are locktighted from the factory and the frames run a UDH.

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Geometry


As branding slogans go, ‘Sessions Not Seconds’ is one of the catchier ones - and it sums up the brand's approach to its bikes. The Slacker is available in three sizes, S 1, 2 and 3, and the reaches could be considered on the more conservative side compared to other bikes out there. However, it's worth remembering that due to the long travel and raked-out fork, it isn't uncommon for downhill bikes to have slightly shorter reach values compared to the modern enduro bikes, whose geometries most of us are familiar with. That said, with bikes at 430, 455 and 475 mm when in their neutral headset position, these bikes aren't huge in terms of reach either. Through these sizes, Airdrop's sizing chart suggests anyone between 160 and 193cm (5'3" and 6'4") should be able to find a size that works for them.

With a 63-degree head angle, a stack of 633 mm for a large and a rear center across sizes of 435 mm, the geometry chart suggests this will certainly be on the more neutral end of the spectrum when it comes to DH. For instance, a mixed-wheeled V10 in a large has chainstays as long as 456 mm in its extended setting. What shorter stays give up is how they weight the front wheel, which can reap plenty of rewards in terms of stability but at the cost of being able to lift the front as well as how maneuverable the bike can feel in certain situations.

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Suspension

The Slacker has a relatively smooth suspension curve, which is relatively linear in its fashion, albeit whilst offering a moderately high amount of progressivity (28.7%). You tend to find that getting above 30% is moving towards the upper limit of what some shock rebound tunes can cope with.


This high initial leverage rate at the start of the stroke means that the bike should break into its travel easily, and with a rate of 2.85:1 at the 30% mark, it should also be happy to get moving whilst in its travel, too. Airdrop combines this with a slightly rearward axle path that extends 4.5 mm rearward in the first third of the travel. This pairing of path and rate will hope to smooth out small repetitive hits such as small braking bumps.

The uncomplicated and predictive rate of progression means that the bike will be able to handle both coil or air shocks, and you should be able to land on a setup that strikes a balance between a small bump and ramp-up.


The bike also has a relatively consistent rate of anti-rise, which runs between 60 and 40%. Anti-rise is a value to express what the suspension does under braking. A lower value means the bike is more likely to stay active under braking. A higher value is a bike that is happier to go into the stroke and prevent weight transfer into the hands as you get on the anchors.

At around 50%, the Slacker should feel relatively neutral, and be happy to use its travel without packing down too much or the suspension jacking under heavy braking.

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Models & Pricing

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All orders will ship in March. For more information please visit their website.

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Reviews and Tech First Looks DH Bikes Airdrop Slacker