At the heart of all our bikes is the concept of Low Unsprung Mass and the G3 leverages this to its full extent.
Unsprung Mass
is the mass of every component unsupported by the bike's suspension
that needs to move/rotate when the wheel hits a bump; wheel, tyre, some
of the rear stays, brakes, and of course cluster and derailleurs. When
the rear wheel hits an obstacle we want it to react in a way that
minimises the disturbance to the chassis and rider.
Thus maximising grip, minimising rider fatigue and reducing resistance
to motion. The lower the unsprung mass the less disturbance is
transferred to the chassis and rider. This results in more grip, the
ability to hold higher speeds through rough sections, less fatigue and a
more stable ride.Removing the weight of the cluster and derailleur and
moving this to a low centralised position in the gearbox has a
significant impact on unsprung weight and suspension performance.
Some
may argue the weight of a modern cluster and derailleur is relatively
low, but as a ratio to the other unsprung components, a cluster and
derailleur can easily make up 15% of the overall unsprung mass of a
traditional bike.
In a world of incremental gains, a 15% improvement in unsprung mass and suspension performance is huge.
