Review: Zumbi F-11 All Mountain bike
Introduction
We got to talk to Marc Castellana of PrestigeMTB who handles Zumbi North America. On hand as well was and old friend and sponsored rider Sam Dueck and they insisted we try their custom All Mountain bikes from Poland. Zumbi is a new player in the US market and they offer a unique product in the US market with an aluminum bike with modern suspension but is customizable by the customer. Sure, there are many custom builders out there that will integrate a Ventana rear end with their front triangle. But that process seems unchanged in the last 12 years and is a little ‘long in the tooth’ for All Mountain rigs.
Zumbi has a new FPS rear suspension system that uses four pivot points to optimize leverage ratios. The F-11 is supple through the small bumps and it ramps up slightly to prevent bottoming out.
Stock geometry of the F-11 is a 67 degree HTA and a 73 degree STA, and 430mm chainstays, with a frame weight of 6.9 lbs with a Cane Creek DB Air shock in medium. The complete bike as shown comes in right at 29.5 lbs with pedals. But this is where the Zumbi magic comes in. For $100 more, they allow the customer to customize the bike! Head angle, seat angle, top tube length are all fair game. So the customer can really optimize towards their style and their home terrain. Slack head angles are all the rage right now but how slack are you really? Are you happy with the 67 degree head angle that comes with most All Mountain 27.5 bikes or do you want something more specific for you? Do you want internal or external cable routing? Do you want 135mm or 142 rear spacing, 68 or 73 BB shell, straight or tapered head tube? There are options present in the Zumbi offering so personal choice and personal style are taken into very high consideration.
The price
The Zumbi F11 test frame is $1800 MSRP without a shock and $2200 with the Cane Creek Double Barrel Air CS. Given all the custom options, that is a great value. The US dollar goes a long way in Poland and Zumbi really tries to offer great value and customization. And one can be be confident that an expert designer Pawel Matuszynski is at the helm ensuring that the custom bike is sound and is built well by an expert crew of frame builders. And finally, it helps that the US customer only has to communicate with a US based expert in Marc Castellana of PrestigeMTB.
The ride
We took a bike home from Sea Otter which was a prototype that was very long and slack for us. But we took it to the forest a few times anyway just to get a feel for Zumbi F-11. Initial impressions is that it was very well built with a very free-moving suspension. There was good tire clearance yet the chainstays were short and the bottom bracket was very low. The whole bike seemed to have a low center of gravity so this F-11 was a trail carver. The Double Barrel was so capable in this rig that we hardly gave it a workout. On the very rough stuff, this industrial looking frame was hardly bothered. On climbs, it seemed to be ok as well even with the Double Barrel in wide-open mode.
So if you’re in to customization, and you don’t mind the industrial, functional look of a purpose-built aluminum frame, check out Zumbi Cycles.
The Cane Creek Double Barrel fits so most other shocks should fit. And Zumbi will offer a range of shock options for the customer.
PrestigeMTB is also the North American distributor for Trickstuff Brakes of Germany. These brakes are precision instruments with excellent movement and no play whatsover. Power and modulation is all there too.
Specifications
- Material: 7020 alloy frame, 7075 alloy links, Ti6Al4V pivot axles (F-22 Ti version)
- Travel: 140 / 165mm
- Size: S, M, L,
- Weight: 3.15 kg with Bos Vipr size M
- Colors: Anodized Black, Natural, Red, Blue + lazer graved ZUMBI logo on downtube and head tube
- Destiny: Enduro / All Mountain
- Front deraileur: Yes
- Shock dimension: 190mm / 2″ stroke
- front suspension: 130-170mm
- ISCG OLD
- Head tube: 1 1/8″, onepointfive
- Head angle: 67-68
- Seat angle 73
- Wheelbase: 1103mm S 1118mm M 1133mm L
- Rear triangle: 430mm
- Seat tube: S 16″ M 17.5″ L 18.5″ + option CUSTOM
- Top tube: S 570mm, M 585mm, L 600mm, option CUSTOM
- BB drop: 6.5mm
From the manufacturer
We proudly present our new Enduro / All Mountain design, the F11. After 1.5 years of designing and testing it is ready for the public. 140 or 165mm two position travel adjustable by switching the upper shock mount position. Designed in house Zumbi FPS system. Powder coated, raw or anodized finish with laver or mechanicaly graved graphics as option. 135X12 or 142X12mm dropout options. Classic 1 1/8″ or tappered 1 1/8″ – 1.5″ head tube. 100% Handmade in our factory in Poland from 7020 tubing and 7075 cnc parts. Tipping the scale at 3.18kg with Bos VipR shock. Sealed ball bearings made in Poland. Stainless hardware made in our factory. Optional custom geometry. Brutally tested by our team riders and reviewed in magazines such as Velovert and BigBike.
For more information visit www.zumbicycles.com.
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