Sunn, Kellys and Thok land in Australia
Australia has a few new bike brands on the way - here's a taste of what's to come.
In our latest issue we broke the new that Sunn Bikes, Kellys Bikes and Thok BIkes are coming to Australia. And guess what, they're all here! We've got a Shimano STEPS powered Thok MIG-R being reviewed for our next issue. It's one of three bikes from the Italian brand who specialise in eMTBs.
With 150mm up front and 140mm out back, this alloy-framed plus-sized wheeld all-mountain bike hits the right numbers for what most people want in an eMTB. Stable handling on steep stuff, great positiong for pedalling up the climbs, and good weight management by smart design. Stay tuned for the full review – Issue #170 is out 27th August.
Sunn shines in Australia
French bike brand Sunn are having a renaissance of sorts, with killer new designs coming out across their range. Being a European brand, they've got a long travel eMTB, the Sunn Charger.
The Sunn Charger Finest (their top model) runs on the Brose motor – something we don't see as many of in Australia. But given the compact size, and the fact that over 25km/h the motor disengages for zero resistance, we're pretty sure we will. Anyone keen Besides, Brose make the motor inside another major manufacturers eMTB already. You might have ridden one without knowing. It sports a whopping 90Nm torque, so that's a bit of punch for step ups and tech climbs, for riders who really want to use an eMTB to get out further.
With a 66.5 degree head angle and 140mm RockShox Lyric (Boost), this thing is priome for a 150mm air spring to shave .5 degree off the front. The compact Brose motor offers great BB clearance, with a steep seat angle keep you centred for those assisted pedal ups. 470mm stays should create good stability at speed and keep the rear wheel planted on climbs.
With a SRAM GX and NX 11-speed mix, and rolling on 27.5"x2.8/3.0" tyres the Charger is well equipped to meet the needs of the Australian trail bike market. Priced at $7799 it's up against bikes like the BMC Trailfox AMP Two and the Merida eOne-Sixty 900e.
If eMTBs aren't for you, then you should check out Sunn's Kern range!
The Sunn Kern LT Finest
With a shining alloy mainframe, carbon swing arm, Mavic wheels and a leopard print pattern -the Kern LT Finest screams “EuroAF”. The Kern platform is diverse, with the LT sporting 160mm travel, the AM running 140mm, and the ST coming to the party with 120mm.
The LT Finest here goes for $6599, and runs a SRAM X1 11-speed group set, short 435mm stays on the 142×12 spacing, has a Pike at 160mm up front and a Monarch RT out back.
The Kern suspensions system is a 4-bar linkage, and the pivot close to the rear axle helps keep things active and supple, while the main pivot’s location right behind the chainline maintains pedalling efficiency. The 66 degree head and 75 degree seat angle matches modern expecations, and we thinkg the alloy frame might add some piece of mind to riders who charge hard, while they still get a top spec from a high performance 6069 frame. That alloy was chosen for fatigue strength and its weight to comfort ratio.
The Kern LT is built tough, with common sense spec that should let it be ridden hard. Frame protection, and a bash guard come as standard. The mainframe can easily fit a bottle in the main triangle, despite the low standover height.
The Sunn Kern LT S1 will also be available, with a spec of Suntour Aion Forks and RockShox Deluxe R Debonair shock and Shimano 10-speed drivetrain, the focus here is on the frame and ride. It shares the same geometry as the Finest, but has a full alloy frame.
That all adds up, or subtracts down, as the Sunn Kern LT S1 hits our shores selling for $3599, offering a whole lot of all-mountain bang for your buck.
XC whoaaa with the Sunn Shamann
Cross-Country bikes have seen some awesome development recently. XC full-suspension bikes have got longer and slacker, while still getting lighter and stiffer too. And have you watched a World Cup recently? The racing is nuts!
The Sunn Shamann Finest (above) hits the mark for a modern XC bike with a 69 degree head angle, 74 degree seat angle, a long 480mm reach in Large and 435mm stays to the Boost spaced back end. It’s full carbon, and has a boxy design that also hides the rear shock and link.
The frame relies on flexstays and an oversized main pivot to keep the weight low and efficiency high. The claimed frame weight is 1950g in a small. The frame runs full internal routing for the mainframe and external on the swingarms, which should make maintenance of the back end a lot easier after muddy rides and races.
With XX1 Eagle, Mavic Crossmax and a SID WC fork… this one comes in at $8999. But for $6299 you can get the S1, which shares the same frame attributes with a regular grade carbon, and a Shimano SLX 11-speed group set.
We’ve got a Shamann Finest on the way to one of our testers, so stay tuned for their first impressions.
Hardtails always have a place, and the alloy Sunn Exact Finest has that Euro look and pedigree in a cross-country 27.5″ wheeled hardtail. The Mavic Crossmax and Reba have sweet colour-matched graphics, making this one smart looking hardtail at $2999.
A clean frame design is matched with a SRAM 11-speed group set and a RockShox Reba 120mm fork That means the head angle is 68.5 degrees, and the seat angle is 73 degrees. So this is a handy little trail hardtail. There’s a slightly lower spec model for $2499 too.
It’s unique, it’s different
The Sunn Special S1 is just that – something special. Sunn wanted an endurance road bike that rode like a mountain bike. Et voila, you have a full-carbon bike with a high head tube, huge downtube, and through axles.
The Special S1 ($3599) has a SRAM 1x drivetrain, and as you would expect, runs disc brakes.
The top tubes are long, to work with a short stem, and the seat angles are a little steeper than on a traditional road bike, to aid in riding the steeper gradients you’re likely to take this rig.
The bike comes stock with Mavic 650b wheels, with 47mm treads from WTB. This bike joins the ranks of bikes like the 3T Exploro of pushing boundaries with what might be possible on one bike. We’d love to see if a set of 700c road disc wheels would slide in with some 28mm tyres and still have the same ride characteristics. It’s a super interesting bike. Super niche, but cool.
But wait, there’s more… have you heard of Kellys Bikes?
Kellys Bikes – straight out of Cesky
All the way from the Czech Republic, Kellys hail from a country that is mad about cycling. Mountain biking, road, touring, cyclocross – yeah they love it. The old public address system that covers much of the Czech Republic is only dwarfed by the myriad of marked bike routes on roads, forest trails and singletrack.
Kellys have a bike for everything, from the Noid downhill bike (above, $5099) with 200mm of travel, through to their Eraser carbon. The Eraser 70 (below, $6599). With 160mm travel front and rear, the Eraser has a linkage driven single pivot design, anda RockShox Pike RC and Monarch Plus RC3 to keep your wheels on the ground, or helping bring them back to it.
An 11-speed group set is a nod to keeping price in check while maintaining top end performance from the frame.
Kellys also have a long travel bike called the SWAG. An alloy frame, Boost spacing, 170mm forks and 165mm back end on a frame that is long and slack sounds pretty spot on, especially when all three models are under $5000.
Kellys also have two eMTBs, the Theos AM with 27+ wheels and 140mm travel, and the Theos EN 70, with 27 Plus and a 160mm travel frame and 170mm travel fork. There is growing demand for an eMTB with this sort of travel, and we’re keen to get a leg over one of these later on!
The Kellys Slanger – not a clanger
The Kellys Slanger is a 140mm travel bike that can take 27 Plus wheels or 29″ wheels in the Boost spaced carbon frame. The Slanger 30 (below, $5299) has a versatile geometry with a 67 degree head angle and 74 degree seat angle, and with a 4 bar suspensions system and 2×11 Shimano drivetrain it really should be a trail killer, capable of big days in big hills – up and down.
There’s a higher spec model, but we think this one hits a great pricepoint for a performance bike that doesn’t mess around on spec.
There’s a whole lot more coming from the importers, Ride Sports, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on their demo days. All these bikes will be there to test, so if you’re curious – get into it!
