It was cool to catch up with Joe Breeze as he showed us his new Repack All Mountain bike. This features a very innovative 160mm of full suspension travel with a mid-pivot chainstay. This design is called the M-Link Suspension and it comes from Sotto Design, a third party suspension design firm. The mid-pivot allows the rear end to be stiffer than a rear pivot design and there's not as much stress on the bearings as a short pivot. The rear is also reinforced by a seat tube brace to support it for lateral stiffness.



The head angle is 68 degrees, as Joe said the wheel size gives the bike stability with its inherently higher axles. He didn't want to go much slacker than that, as he wanted the bike to be capable but still quick and fun to carve and corner.



We expect to see the M-Link on other Breezer bikes in the future.



www.breezerbikes.com/bikes/mountain

Video: Breezer Repack Launch.

More info from Breezer Bikes:
Modern full-suspension kinematics have evolved over the years from placing the critical chainstay pivot located near the rear axle - producing a flexy and limited system - to a short link pivot in front of the rear wheel, a high-stress system with long chainstays. MLink™ places this critical pivot in the middle of the chainstay, balancing out these opposing forces for a smooth and efficient system. Breezer Repack is the only bike available with this new technology.

MLink's mid link pivot rotates only 3 degrees. Compared to short link systems' large rotations, rapid accelerations, direction changes, and therefore, increased bearing wear, MLink's fewer rotations translate into super smooth suspension travel and less stress on bearings and pivots. Compared to long link flexy systems, MLink allows for a rigid, triangulated rear end with riding forces diffused across widely spaced, low rotation bearings - supplying the stiffness essential for full suspension to function at its best.

MLink's balanced anti-squat and anti-rise design creates an extremely efficient system that balances out opposing pedaling and braking forces. Current rear pivot and short link systems focus on one or the other: reducing pedal kickback in unbalanced systems through shock lockouts or anti-squat only - suffering brakejack as a result - or focusing on minimizing brakejack and subsequently creating inefficient pedaling systems that bob or require rear suspension lockouts for climbing.

"Dave and Luke at SOTTO have managed to create a full suspension system that doesn't require a pedal platform or lockout to make it climb well. Bikes climb best when the suspension is active and engaged. Without good suspension, you're essentially riding a hardtail, and your bike's no longer responding to the trail. Being able to leave your rear shock open is a big advantage," explained Burke. "To make a bike go downhill really, really well, you usually have to give something up in ride quality for the climbs. But in our case, we feel we've created a bike that sacrifices nothing."

"Beyond increased rollover and stability, bigger wheels mean your axles are higher up and further out relative to the bottom bracket. This makes it harder to go over the bars on gnarly downhills or pitch backwards on steep climbs. I call this 'riding in a valley of confidence,'" explained Breeze.

But a longer wheelbase can make a big-wheeled bike handle sluggishly. Breeze believes chain stay length and front center must be shortened in order to achieve superior handling - a characteristic that has become synonymous with Breezer bikes through the years. With slack head tube angles, the rider must lean the bike harder into the turn, which increases the likelihood of lost traction or sliding out.As Breeze says, "Shorter is faster and more efficient."

The Repack will be available across the globe in January 2014. For more information on this revolutionary new suspension system, plus Joe's Breeze famed geometry, watch the Repack launch video HERE and visit repack.breezerbikes.com to learn more.