Jackalope Bikes' KangaRabbit 150 Uses 3VO Suspension

What do you get when you mix an architectural metal designer with a love for cycling and a dual-link suspension design with bold claims? Jackalope Bikes KangaRabbit 150 of course. Based in Revelstoke, BC, Jack Sutter has been building bikes of all types in his shop since 2020 but his latest creation is a 150mm travel trail bike that mixes new school 3D printed steel bits with CNC’d aluminum frame components.

Jack grew up in Nevada, where he also studied architectural metal design and fabrication. He went on to work at Moment Skis in Reno but then moved north of the border to Whistler in 2018 building the Joyride slopestyle course. Next, he ventured further east in the province where he worked in a local bike shop, gathering market knowledge and hashing out a plan.

In 2022, he incorporated Jackalope Bikes, starting with rigid bikes and then hardtails. Jack always aspired to build a full-suspension frame though. When he learned of [L=https://ministrycycles.com/]Ministry Cycle’s 3VO suspension[/L], he chatted with the creator, Chris Currie, who licensed the technology and went full steam ahead with his goals.


The KangaRabbit 150 looks to be a promising do-it-all 29er trail bike, capable of spending all summer in the bike park or pedaling long single track miles. The dual-link suspension produces 150mm of rear wheel travel and is mated to a 160mm fork.

In terms of construction, Jack has combined his steel fabrication skills with 3D-printed pieces to form the top tube wishbone and rocker mounts on the 4130 chromoly front triangle. The downtube is a 41.3mm straight gauge to facilitate bending, whereas the top tube is butted. Other pieces, like the 44mm head tube and double-bolted seat tube clamp, have been purchased from Paragon Machine Works.


The rear triangle is completely machined from 7075 series aluminum. Inside the stays, plenty of material has been removed to tune the stiffness and save weight. Only the dropper cable runs internally through the front triangle, although the rear brake line is clamped out of sight, along the inside of the chainstay. Jackalope is also developing its own machined 7005 aluminum swingarm that will provide mixed-wheeled compatibility to the KangaRabbit.


Suspension Design

The 3VO suspension looks well thought out on all fronts, with claims of small bump sensitivity and bottom-out resistance, but no pedal bob in any gear combination. That’s due to a high anti-squat which starts above 130% (based on a 32/50-tooth combination). Then there’s also 100% anti-rise for active suspension under braking that works to preserve the geometry. A low-leverage ratio starts at 3.1 with an axle path that moves rearward for the first 55mm of travel.

Now this suspension type and full rear triangle aren’t exclusive to Jackalope Bikes. Ministry Cycles plans to produce its own frame, however, it still offers the swingarm and linkage kit to other brands that see the 3VO suspension’s benefits.

Geometry

All of that adds to contemporary geometry, like a 64.5-degree head tube angle, 77.7-degree seat tube angle. Two sets of dropouts allow for a tuneable chainstay length of either 435mm or 445mm. As for the reach and stack, those measure in at 485mm and 615mm. That's around most other brands' size large in terms of length, but a touch lower on the vertical distance the bottom bracket and head tube.

Pricing and Specs

Pricing starts at $4,999.99 CAD for the frame with a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate. Complete packages are being ironed out but begin at $7,599.99 and move up to $8,599. Custom-build options could be littered with components from SRAM/RockShox and We Are One. Jackalope will be taking pre-orders on frame kits and complete builds with plans to ship in the spring of 2024.

All pricing on the Jackalope Bikes website is in Canadian dollars. For US customers, Ministry Cycles will be handling all distribution needs. For further information, you can reach out to Jack via his website, Jackalopebikes.com.

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