Originally Posted by
gsa103
What the heck is with that single pivot placement? Pedal kickback? Nah, we'll just launch the rider.
That was clearly designed without any thought about suspension kinematics. I'm sure it very low pedal bob under load though.
That is the sweet spot suspension design by John Castellano. The two major companies to use this were IBIS and Klein -although there were others as well. The idea was that it was plush when seated but completely rigid when standing (cranks were uncoupled). In theory (this is the 90's we are talking about!) it sounded good but think about how you ride downhill on a hard tail - with your butt slightly off the saddle and knees bent (again this is the 90s!). That would lock out the suspension and make it useless. You needed to keep you weight on the saddle and just go with it. With the Klein - you had something like 5 inches of rear travel (which was crazy high in those days) and the key was to use tons of sag to give a nice plush ride when seated but firmed up when you wanted to climb - which you had to do out of the saddle! I spent lots of time on a Klein Mantra and never got on with it but knew others that just loved it. He rode everything and was a climbing fool on that bike.
I think the IBIS bowtie commands a nice price today as well.