ARC8 (Switzerland) - Press Release: The Essential is the bike that started ARC8. A bike designed for best fun out on the trails, but as it turned out also light and efficient enough for success in XC racing. Now in its second generation, it has grown more character, expanding its versatility even further. Still at XC weight, it now sports a 64° head angle for a lot of control on steep, technical descents, while the low BB and short chainstays bring the party to the woods.

Staying true to its original spirit, it turns trails into your playground, no matter where you are. Big days in the mountains or just having fun in your local woods, the Essential is your best companion.

Geometry:

Business out front, party in the back - that is how you could describe the Essential's geometry. Long reach and a slack head angle give you stability and control in where you need it. The low BB and short chainstays ensure the party animal within this bike is very much alive though - it manuals or pops off small lips with ease.

Lightweight Optimization:

The Essential shares a lot of design with the Evolve FS, our extremely lightweight XC frame. The knowledge gained in that project as well as the efficient design allowed us to create a trail bike frame at XC weight.

Slider Suspension:

When designing a rear suspension, you are always faced with conflicting goals. You want your linkage to be small because it is lighter, stiffer, and saves space. But for the suspension performance, longer links would be better. Our patented slider is small, light and stiff, but it represents an infinitely long lever, creating an almost perfectly linear-progressiv ratio.

Acros Headset:

We developed a headset with Acros that cleanly integrates into the design, with the cables disappearing below the stem.

On Frame Storage:

The Essential fits a full size water bottle within the front triangle. Additionally, there is a second set of threads higher up on the down tube to attach storage solutions for tools, spare tubes and snacks easily accessible on your bike.

BSA BB:

Creak free, easy maintenance, not fit issues - all our frames come with threaded BBs.

Reversed Main Pivot:

The swingarm goes into the seat tube rather than around it, creating a very stiff connection. We are using Enduro Max bearings, specifically designed for MTB full suspension frames.

Designed for Carbon:

Our frames are designed with the manufacturing process in mind from the start. Only like that we can ensure a carbon structure that can be produced with consistent high quality. While the focus in the development of carbon frames very often just lies on stiffness and weight, we also put a lot of effort into minimizing the chance of manufacturing flaws like voids, wrinkles or low compaction areas. This is absolutely critical to make carbon products not only light and stiff, but also durable.

Flatmount Disc Brake Mount:

We are using the lighter and cleaner flatmount FM180 standard on the Essential. With FM180, you can use a 180 mm rotor without adaptor, or go even bigger.

UDH Rear Derailleur Hanger:

We are all for standardized parts, and Sram's UDH is just that.