Chromag Darco Frame & Shock Dark Grey Kelowna
Chromag Darco Frame & Shock Dark Olive Kelowna

Chromag Darco - Frame & Shock

Regular price$3,900.00
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  • Shipping to Canada and USA
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  • Recycled packaging

This is a special order product, unless noted that it is in-stock please allow additional 2-3 weeks for fulfillment time.

Contact info@smithcreekcycle.ca for confirmation on availability and colours.

SHOCK // Rockshox Super Deluxe Air Ultimate

Chromag has been making bikes for almost 20 years, and all of this knowledge and expertise has trickled down into creating The Darco. As you might have expected, this bike draws strongly on their steel hardtail roots.

The Darco rolls on 29” wheels and has 150mm of travel up front paired with a stout 120mm in the rear, a hardtailers full-suser if you will. Chromag's geometry philosophy has carried right over onto this bike, pairing slack head tube angles (64°) and steep seat tube angles (78°), with ample room up front (490mm reach on M/L). Perfect for the type of terrain in the Sea to Sky, steep climbs and steeper descents.

Given what they know is achievable on a hardtail, it seemed appropriate to spec this bike with a reservoir shock. A shock intended for more aggressive riding and much less likely to be overwhelmed when in the thick of it.

This bike has been a labour of love for them, and a project with such scope deserves a name near and dear to our hearts. Their dear friend and Chromag mechanic D’Arcy Burke passed away after a courageous battle with cancer in 2020. They affectionately referred to him as “The Dark One”. The Darco is a tip of the hat to their friend.

Materials

As you might expect from any Chromag, The Darco relies firmly on a 4130 chromoly steel foundation. We believe that the ride characteristics and aesthetics for which our hardtails are known, absolutely translates to a full suspension platform.However, a dual suspension rig provides different challenges, which is why we opted for 6066 aluminum chainstays. Primarily for weight saving and stiffness, but the chainstay also houses bearings which is more difficult to do in steel. Building the chainstay out of aluminum helps strike the right balance of compliance and rigidity.The rocker is made from forged aluminum due to its strength/weight ratio and ability to be machined.

At the same time, it keeps things simple and intuitive. With no hidden hardware, sliders, or concentric multi-link pivots, every pivot can be accessed, bolt-checked, and worked on without taking the whole bike apart.

Suspension Philosophy

We chose to use a 4-bar suspension layout for the Darco, with a main pivot located just above the bottom bracket, a seattube-mounted rocker link, and a vertically oriented, trunnion-mounted shock. We found this layout to strike a good balance of tuneability, ride quality, and elegant simplicity. A 4-bar layout offered enough tuning parameters for us to design the suspension characteristics the way we wanted them, simultaneously achieving our targets for leverage ratio, progression, anti-squat, and anti-rise.

At the same time, it keeps things simple and intuitive. With no hidden hardware, sliders, or concentric multi-link pivots, every pivot can be accessed, bolt-checked, and worked on without taking the whole bike apart.

Anti-Squat

Anti-squat is approximately 110% at sag height. This will give a supportive platform but still allow some suspension activity aiding traction.
The amount of anti-squat is fairly consistent over the full travel, as such it will pedal in a similar way throughout the stroke.

LEVERAGE RATIO

We designed the leverage curve to be both consistent, and progressive which equates to a predictable ride both in terms of travel used and suspension damping.

There is 29% progression over the full travel of the Darco which strikes a great balance of usable suspension travel, small bump compliance, mid support and bottom out resistance.

ANTI-RISE

The anti-rise is consistent throughout the travel, with only a 6% variation across the travel range. This means that the bike will behave as consistently as possible on the brakes regardless of the size and speed of the impact.The percentage value will mean the bike is on the more active side of supported.

Geometry

Chromag Darco Sizing Chart Kelowna

Frame Size S M M/L L XL
STACK 617 617 622 631 640
REACH 450 472 490 514 530
EFFECTIVE TOP TUBE 581 603 622 648 666
HEAD TUBE 100 100 105 115 125
WHEEL BASE 1214 1236 1256 1284 1305
BB DROP 39 39 39 39 39
BB HEIGHT 335 335 335 335 335
STAND OVER 677 707 736 765 795
CHAIN STAY 435 435 435 435 435
SEAT TUBE 350 380 410 440 470
MAX POST INSERTION* 193 224 254 284 315
HEAD ANGLE 64°
SEAT ANGLE 78°
WHEEL SIZE 29.0''

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Smith Creek Cycle

Welcome to Smith Creek Cycle, your premier destination for all things cycling in the beautiful Okanagan region. Established in 2020 and proudly owned by Brian McClelland, our small bike shop is passionate about serving the local cycling community and beyond.