As you might expect from any Chromag, The Lowdown 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 and seatstays. Primarily for weight saving and stiffness, but the chainstay also houses bearings which is more difficult to do in steel. Using a mix of aluminum and steel 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.

Your bike is special. The head tube badge is the finishing touch so we’ve always made a point of taking the time to do something interesting with it. Our head tube badges have changed over the years and are an indication of the time each bike was made. Whether it’s a cast bronze, or polished stainless steel, water cut aluminum or a 3D CNC carving, each one represents our commitment to detail.

We chose to use a 4-bar suspension layout for the Lowdown, 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.