Although high-point mountain bikes are common these days, there are not many designs like Greece start-up brand Aper. The high-turn point suspension layout adopted by the brand on the Kompace mountain bikes used a combination of rocker links and sliding shock rails to provide a special rear axle path. It's also CNC machined and bolted together, making it one of the more unique-looking mountain bikes.
Aper adopts its extremely backward axial path. If the front triangle remains stationary when the suspension is fully compressed, the rear axle will be moved back 45mm while moving up 160mm. The idea is to make it easier for the rear wheels to avoid big bumps as they push backwards and upwards on the wheels. The Aper's design is unusual in that the axle path is partially backward even at the end of the stroke, which helps it absorb large bumps when it is already deep into the stroke.
It achieves this through a main pivot that slides on linear rails (a bit like Yeti's Switch Infinity system), which moves up and down at about 45 degrees when the suspension compresses. The connecting rods, together with the rails, define the immediate center axis path, and the 60mm travel shock absorbers are mounted to allow them to slide parallel to the rails, minimizing the rotation of the shock absorber eyelets. The idler moves with the swingarm to minimize pedal counterattack and control the anti-squat level. When the shock absorbers are removed, the suspension can move freely, so there is minimal friction in the slider. It has a grease port to keep it that way.
The frame of the new car is CNC machined from 7075 T6 aluminum, divided into left and right parts, then glued together and then fixed with screws, the technology is similar to the original Pole Machine, and the CNC method is becoming increasingly popular among start-up bike brands because it is easy to make incremental changes to the machining process to adjust geometry, wall thickness or shape.
Although the turning point may seem complicated, the front triangle of the new car can still accommodate a large water bottle, and the rear is equipped with a SRAM UDH tail hook. The frame is anodized and available in a variety of colours, although anything other than black costs an additional €300.
The frame weighs 4.08 kg (without backliner), the maximum seatpost insertion depth: S1: 345 / S2: 356 / S3: 367 (mm), and the frame price is 4607 euros.
Editor: Hamma