The 2024 Berria Mako Uses An Internal Shock For XC & DC
You may not have heard of Berria, but their latest offering may look a little familiar. The Spanish brand's latest offering is an XC/marathon and downcountry platform with an internal shock. The shock is located vertically inside the seat tube and is driven by a partially-hidden rocker link which is located just behind, much like we've seen recently from Bold and Scott. Like most modern XC bikes, it uses a flexy seatstay instead of a rear pivot, generating a generous 113 mm of travel.
Berria Mako XC...
..and Scott Spark. Similar?
Why hide the shock inside the frame? Here's Berria's explanation: "This integration not only results in better protection of the shock absorber against mud or dust, for example, but also in improved mass distribution and a lower weight in the central part of the bike, which increases stability, especially at high speeds." As we covered in a previous article, a lower shock position won't really make the bike more stable. It looks nice, though. It also allows two bottles to fit inside the main triangle.
XC
DC
There are two versions of the Mako, for XC/XCO and downcountry, both using the same frame. XCO-equipped models feature a 110mm travel fork, 760mm handlebars, rims with a 25 or 28mm internal width, and 2.25” tires, plus Berria's Tibia seatpost on top-end models, which offers 14 mm of flex. Downcountry versions come with a 125mm dropper seatpost, 120 or 130mm travel forks, 4-piston brakes, 780mm bars, 30mm rims and 2.35” tires.
Most models use Berria's HM2X fibre, with a claimed frame weight of 2,175g (1,795g without hardware), but the top-end Mako BR (XCO models only) uses their more sophisticated UHM3X carbon fibre for a claimed weight of 1,875g (1,495g W/O hardware). The frame features a UDH hanger (SRAM T-type compatible), provision for FOX's Live Valve electronic suspension system and an integrated headset with full internal cable routing.
Spec highlights on top-end models include a one-piece bar and stem. XCO builds use one with 0mm rise and 60mm, 75mm or 95mm effective stem lengths depending on frame size, or the stem length can be customised on Berria's website - which is cool to see. Berria say the cockpit weighs as little as 175 g. DC versions get 50 or 75 mm stem lengths, 20 mm rise and 780 mm width, weighing a claimed 290-300 g. The aforementioned Tibia seatpost used on high-end XC models is 420 mm long, 31.6 mm in diameter and weighs 220 g.
Compared to the previous Berria Mako (this is the fourth iteration), the geometry has been modernised. The chainstay length has been reduced by 5mm to 430mm, while the head angle has been slackened by 1.7°. The reach has grown too, resulting in a wheelbase increase of 18mm despite the shorter rear-centre. The head angle varies by size, getting slacker in the smaller sizes. The longer forks used in the DC version result in slacker head angles, more stack, less reach and longer wheelbase across the board.
XC geo
DC geo
The Bierra Mako is available now. For more info head to berriabikes.com
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
But I cannot imagine placing a 235g shock down in the bottom bracket is going to do much re: weight distribution (at least noticeably). That all goes out the window once a water bottle is added. This is all just for looks
Think of it like this, a bit better is a bit better than a bit worse. There may be other tradeoffs that you are not willing to work with, such as internal cable routing, but all other things the same, this system is pretty clean looking and does allow for some benefits.
This comment section is so cynical so often.
Some tradeoffs for a bit better aren't worth it if the amount better (for whatever definition of better you choose) has no noticeable effect on the product but what you're trading away to get there does.
Or to put it another way, "a bit better" is only worth it if the alternative was hindering performance in some way.
Meanwhile, we've had DH and Enduro bikes on the market where the shock essentially had to be removed from the frame to add air or change suspension settings. We've had a decade of piss poor internal cable routing from dozens of companies. I've had to remove entire rear triangles and linkages from bikes to get the shock off for service. None of those companies were raked through the coals for their poor designs, but these companies doing something innovative and different are getting the drama even though they're rather easy to work on. I've worked on the modern Scotts and Bolds. The Scotts are a breeze to work on, the Bolds are not. The shock and cables being internal do not inherently make it hard to work on, designing the system poorly makes it hard to work on.
You've got caught up with a bandwagon on pinkbike and can't put your finger on what makes this bad, but you know it's bad, you know you dislike it, and you know it should go away. Why is that? Shrug, but it should.
It's okay to be cynical, but you should start with having a point. The shock being low doesn't help significantly is not a good reason to piss on a bike. It helps more than it hinders, which makes it a reasonably good thing.
You'd make a terrible engineer.
Getting a shock dirty isn't much of an issue if maintenance intervals are observed.
Do us both a favour and form opinions AFTER you have some experience. You're parroting dumb internet comments and it's genuinely embarrassing.
Aftermarket shocks fit, the stroke and eye to eye are standard. The seal packages needed are the same. The difference is the adjustment knobs are found on the end of the shock body, not the side. That's literally it.
This is also ignoring how many custom shocks are already on the market. Scott and Spesh have been using custom shocks on their XC bikes for almost two decades. Take a look at the Trek Supercaliber and tell me that's normal. Why is it not an issue until it's mounted on a bike with an internal shock? What about the shock being inside suddenly drastically changes everything logical about the conversation? Just f*ckin' stop already.
You don't need to work on one of these to know the trade off of a "cleaner" bike isn't worth it.
Everything I said is true. You obviously think the downsides are worth having a cleaner looking bike. I do not.
"Making a bike require a custom shock has never worked well, and inevitably leaves the owner looking for support after a couple years. In addition, it makes it even more difficult to fit an aftermarket shock."
Many companies have offered custom proprietary shocks for years, and they haven't gone bankrupt over them. You're incorrect there. Most of the top shelf XC bikes currently on market use some level of custom shock.
The seals are the same as the normal shocks, so you don't need support anymore so than with a regular shock.
The eye to eye and stroke are the same as a standard metric shock, so replacing the shock down the road is as easy on literally any bike.
I've already said all this, and if you had read my replies rather than just reply to them with ignorance, perhaps you would have learned something instead of repeating incorrect claims. Let me say this bluntly so you can fully understand; you are wrong. You do not know what you are talking about. This is your chance to learn something new, please take me up on the offer.
First "freeride" bikes from companies like Cove got slammed for looking......like almost every bike these days because the design was better.
Looks like they couldn't use Bolt's patent and went the "mud inside your frame" route.
XCO = Cross Country Olympic
DC = Down Country
WTF - Way Too Fast
Check out the Santa Cruz Blur at 0:28 to see this in action: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyAbIpOO0Zs
For me, one positive that came out of this back-and-forth-and-back-and is that it made me look up this old article on the bike with NO stays: m.pinkbike.com/news/this-aluminium-gearbox-hardtail-has-no-seat-stays.html
The bike delivers 170mm of travel. Factually correct.
Last uses a flex stay on the tarvo for a max of 170mm of travel. Grammatically correct.