Pässilä's Runtu Titanium Enduro Hardtail & An eMTB Proto with Automatic Transmission
PRESS RELEASE: Pässilä
Even though many think hardtail mountain bikes are not meant for enduro racing, such a frame has been on our list for a long time.
In Finland we have own category for the hardtail racers in the Finnish national enduro series. We have a special place in our hearts for riding between the tapes on the weekends with a bunch of friends and fellow racers. Racing (not always so) seriously when the clock is running and goofing around when it's not. We've had so many unforgettable racing weekends on our hardtails over the years so we figured it's time to expand our frame line-up to finally include also an enduro racing frame. It has been the missing piece. Runtu is a frame that's been developed with just one purpose in mind: to be fast.
Runtu is designed for 160 mm to 170 mm travel suspension forks and provides a progressive Pässilä geometry to back it up. It has a 63.5 degree head tube angle for stability in high speeds and taller stack heights to optimize the rider's position while descending. Runtu's short seat tube provides lots of clearance for the rider when the seat is set low but also has enough of room for long dropper posts.
The 77 degree seat tube angle keeps the rider centered in the bike while seated. The 440 mm (size S1) to 450 mm chain stay length gives stability while descending and traction in the uphills. Runtu has also a higher than normal bottom bracket to provide quick handling in spite of the long wheelbase, which is crucial in tight corners during the race.
After we thought we have the numbers and details right, we let our friend and an enduro racer (way faster than any of us at Pässilä!) Tero Alapoikela ride the Runtu prototype frame in the hardtail category of the Finnish enduro series during season 2022. He ended up on the highest podium at the end of the season, winning not only races but the overall as well. We're still thrilled! So the frame has been race-approved and we are now ready to introduce it to other hardtail enduro fanatics around the globe.
Pässilä Runtu titanium frames are now available for 2023 preorder and we have also our other titanium frame models in stock. You can head over to passilabicycles.com for more information.
Pässilä x Revonte titanium prototype hardtail with automatic and stepless transmission
During 2021 and 2022 we have also been busy developing something else. We teamed up with an innovative Finnish e-biking company and together we created a prototype of a titanium eMTB hardtail with automatic and stepless gearing. Pässilä titanium frame combined with Revonte ONE Drive System creates a combination that the bicycle world hasn’t yet seen. A titanium eMTB with a single speed belt drive drivetrain and automatic transmission was something we could not resist when we heard about Revonte the first time. Maybe more about this later but here's a sneak peek.
For more details about the Revonte One drive system, head over to Revonte.com.
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I guess my point it... if you need 160 - 170mm travel, why would you buy HT?
Riding hardtails is fun, and they're a great N+1 because maintenance is minimal. However, your body definitely takes a beating.
Also, riding an aggressive hardtail can really change the feel of a trail a lot. It can just be a fun change of pace, especially if you care more about enjoying yourself than getting down something the fastest. Sometimes it also pulls you into the riding more. A bit more focus on the trail, but you still don't want a geo that is going to throw you @$$ over teakettle the moment things get steep.
But having 160mm can be the difference between "I'm dead" and "I cant beleive I just rode down that!"
You can buy a motorcycle, and take it to a track day, and ride it the same way you would if you were racing, but you are not actually racing.
The back wheel bouncing up repeatedly, taking away braking chances. Eventually, you can get this figured out, but until then, you'd want to make sure you're looking well down the trail for any sharp turns or obstacles.
The other issue is when there are gaps that need ample speed, but have a rough run-up. The rocks and roots still catch your back wheel and take away some speed, so line choice becomes more important.
I still ride a hardtail (actually a fully rigid bike) 5 months of the year ( it just has fat tiers on it with studs)
All that being said putting this much fork on a hardtail is silly af
(You can work out “on paper” why big forks work on hardtails - it’s to do with force vectors, centres of gravity, inertia and so on. But it’s easier to just ride them!)
So you question is valid, why would anyone do that? I never raced that category, but many of my friends did. I still don't know why.
By buying a motorcycle, and going to a track day, youre not going motogping, youre simply riding around a track, on a track day.
Enduro, in both motorcycles, and MTB is a form of racing. We use the term to describe a form of riding, that is essentially just mountain biking, where you pedal up, and ride down, or shuttle up and ride down, or take a chairlift up....and ride down.
Are you able to articulate the difference between going DHing, and enduro riding (assuming youre shutting) or the difference between enduro riding and XC riding?
I always refered to moto style enduro riding as woods riding, but when I race, im in an enduro race.
when I ride my mountain bike, I'm just going for a bike ride, im not sure why its different now compared to 20 years ago, when we just riding....
This is a pointless definition argument. Replace the word "Enduro" in the MTB context with "pedaling up to the top of a trail then riding down", and everything will make sense in relation to hardtails versus full suspension.
You don't tell people you are going Enduro-ing. You either say you are going to go do Enduro type riding, or Enduro racing. In the same way, when you say you are going DH riding, its assumed you are going to a park without racing.
Ride what ever you want. Here in the UK enduro races have a hardtail category. Don't think there are many courses out there that you couldn't complete on a modern hardtail. You're just not going to come first. But at least it means all the people out there who don't have full sus bikes can still take part and have fun (and compete for #1 in the hardtail category)
What the hell is Enduro type riding, no one says theyre going for an enduro type ride.
Your definition of enduro type riding is just mountain biking, what makes it different to an XC type ride?
On a more serious note. There's something about the simplicity of a hardtail bike, and they are fun to ride. When someone can really rip a trail on an HT and time a segment at a similar time as most do on a full suspension, it's pure joy to watch.
And as a plus, one appreciates full-suspension bikes even more after a good dose of hardtail riding.
It’s just that at the time when we took the photo of a complete bike, the availability of the parts was not the best. Sorry for that but I’m sure we can all live with this.
petrolicious.com/articles/this-is-what-it-s-like-to-rally-a-vw-beetle