I was told they were running steeper than quoted head angles, and those were the figures measured on a 08 bike.  I checked with Michael on Tuesday and he said some of the protoypes may have had different setups for testing but not usually that far out, it can't have been measured properly. 09 bikes are quoted at 67degrees, 66 on the AM.

 Mojo confirmed that a 36 travel adjusted to 130mm will have a crown to axle measurement very close to a Float 140 so you needn't lose climbing ability if you choose to run one..

They are looking into building some lighter 5's as prototypes using thinner sheet metal, then destruction testing them. So there may be a 5 XC or light version by 2010. Current ones are overbuilt to exceed CE testing so it's possible they'll see production.

The Alpine is not replacing the Patriot, it's a refined version of the Alpine 5 that only saw  limited production. Running 66.5 h/a 74 s/a it's looking like a good all day big rig to me.

There's a new version of the Patriot on the way with EVO style dropouts, it keeps the sliding shock mount and may get an adjustable headtube.

And the R8 is being tweaked so they can get it through CE testing, adding a bit of weight, because they have to extend the butting in the downtube.

i thought the patriot was taking a year out.

do you know if they have dropped the subzero for 09 kevin?

They didn't have any subzeros there, and it doesn't appear in the 09 catalogue. So i think it's dropped.

If they're happy with the new Patriot, they'll introduce it earlier. But they've always done that. When they get a design that works, they put it out ASAP.

I forgot to mention there's a new FR upgrade with lots of *bling* Sunline V1 kit too. Currently bar, stem and pedals, but they're looking into a seatpost to complete the set.

Plus XT or X9 swapped at no extra cost to give you your choice of transmission.

Prices haven't been fixed on some of the bikes or upgrades yet because they haven't received the finishing kit, and don't know what the costs are.

Keep an eye on the website for prices and build info it'll be updated shortly.

Kevin Morgan wrote (see)

... and set your redound a little slower than you might think as it has a speed sensitive rebound assembly.

Thanks for that Kevin. I know the RP23 has 8 clicks of rebound damping so how many clicks would you recommend as a starting point? I have typically used 3 clicks (out of 8) in the past. So would that be too fast a setting for the frame design?

To continue the 160mm debate (!) it was actually talking to a couple of the Orange/Mojo riders at Cwmcarn that swayed my decision to spec a 160mm fork on my 5.  They both had 5's (a green frame with 140 floats & an orange frame with 160 36s I think) and the nutters were both clearing the huge tabletop at the bottom of the DH. At the time I was interested in the patriot but the said guys told me of their recent trip to Spain (no chairlifts) where the 5 specced with 160mm proved just as quick as the patriot on the downs, while allowing them to ride all day without getting so tired. They also pointed out they wouldnt be clearing that double on the patriot due to all the weight. My mind was made up when I then tested both the patriot and the 5 for myself at Cwmcarn. Basically I would recommend a 160mm 5 for competent-but-not-full-on-downhillers. I dont consider myself a downhiller but my style definitely leans that way and I reckon I benefit from the extra stability and confidence of the 160mm.

Although I will add that if I had only one bike (I have a SC chameleon hardtail) I would probably have 140mm on my Orange to make it more 'do it all'!

Thanks again for the advice Kevin.