At the beginning of the year Christian Gugliotta unveiled the first images of the new bike at the top of the Atomz range, the Quark 26". They were 3D images of the bike just before the design was finalised and showed it to be a very classy looking bike indeed, announced as, "technically and graphically, the best Atomz bike since the brand was founded!" At the beginning of March, we saw photos of the frame in its final design and sobriety and elegance were the two words that sprung to mind when we saw the beautiful anodised champagne colour. Sobriety is also one of the main features of the UN 2009 components with which the bike will be kitted out and which we found out about in the Atomz blog. Photos of the Quark production model have been available for a few days, but only in low resolution. Christian will show us some professional quality photos when the bike is available and Tribal Zine will put them online, followed by a test of the bike!
Photos of the production model:
Full bike in high resolution. Click to zoom.
Close-ups of the frame and its components, from the UN 2009 range, including the new UN single wall rim.
More photos in this gallery: Atomz Quark 26" !
A few details from Christian Gugliotta:
Christian has been answering your questions of the Espace Trial forum:
Why did you choose a tensioner over horizontal dropouts?
Because it works better. Response is a lot quicker, the adjusters are fixed, so there’s nothing to be done once it’s fitted, as opposed to all the problems that you see with horizontal dropouts.
What made you go for a hub with a thru-axle?
The frame has IS spacing, so all sorts of hubs can be fitted. And if you have a UN thru-axle hub and you want to switch frames and keep your wheels, you only have to change the axles (which only costs about €20).
Atomz adheres to international industry standards, but it’s impossible to make a bike that is compatible with every single component in existence. We make performance bikes, and make our decisions based on that.
Why the carbon plate?
It helps us to maintain our reputation for fluid lines, as seen on previous Atomz frames. The brake hoses can sit within the frame, without having to disconnect them, as with the AKT II. It also protects the crossover hose, and keeps that whole area nice and tidy. Plus, it only weighs 25g and we’ve saved plenty of weight elsewhere!
The Quark...
- Anti-Torsion System : The new Anti-Torsion System on the stays gives increased braking with an HS33 and reduces clutter around the rear brake, thus preserving the fluidity of the lines.
- The new system allows the integration of a tensioner onto the rear hub (it can also be adapted for all of our 2008 hubs), which is lighter and keeps it tucked away, reducing the likelihood of hitting the tensioner and breaking it.
- The new frame design features the same double seat tube design used by other manufacturers, but improves on the shape of the tubes and the joins with the BB and stays.
- A carbon plate brings a new aesthetic touch to the frame and protects HS33 brake hoses while making fitting and removing them much easier.
- The frame is anodised, meaning that it is more than 250g lighter than the 2008 AKT II, which allows a frame weight of 1.7kg, without compromising on reliability.
- The published weight of the complete bike, with front disc and rear HS33 (it will also be available with HS33 front and rear) is just 9.3kg!
- The new geometries have taken into account the demands of riders and the evolution of riding techniques. The most important change in the handling of the bike is the head angle, which is now 72°. This will make the bike a lot more responsive. The BB height changes depending on the length of the bike, meaning that handling won’t suffer for any of the geos.
- Short: 1075, 380, + 40, 72°
- Medium : 1085, 380, + 45, 72°
- Long : 1095, 380, + 50, 72°.
Marc Caisso on his production model Quark 26:
A few days ago, Marc put some photos up on his website of a recent training session in Junas, le Gard on his production model Quark 26. Here is a selection, to see the full gallery, visit www.marc-caisso.com.
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