Domahidy Designs has been teasing pictures and information of their latest model for over two months now, and although speculation about the final product has been relatively close, the full reveal didn’t come until today, when the start-up from industry veteran Steve Domahidy let loose the details of their newest creation for his eponymous brand. The new bike, the name of which is simply the description of the bike, is the Domahidy Designs Titanium All-Mountain Pinion Hardtail.
“We lovingly refer to this bike as the ‘play bike’,” says company founder Steve Domahidy, “It is the ultimate go anywhere hardtail.” The frame is made from triple butted 3/2.5 titanium and is designed around a 120-140mm front fork. The rear triangle is boost 148 spacing with room for meaty 27.5+ 3” tires. The real treat of this bike is where the bottom bracket would otherwise be. The Domahidy Designs is configured to receive a Pinion gearbox, and in the case of the All Mountain Pinion Hardtail, it comes with a P1.12, Pinion’s twelve-speed system. Driving the rear wheel are two Gates cogs and a Gates belt drive.
“With the Pinion gearbox and the Gates belt, this bike is virtually maintenance free,” says Domahidy “Our new motto is #riderinseandrepeat.” According to the Pinion web site, maintenance on the box only requires an oil change once every 10,000km (or 6,200 miles) using their special synthetic oil. With the belt, no lube is required so the drivetrain remains clean and quite for much longer than any typical derailleur system. The gearbox does come with a weight penalty, about a pound and three quarters more than a XX1 1×11 drivetrain, but the lack of maintenance, no derailleur or external gears, and the central and low location of the weight means the bike’s go anywhere, shift anytime ability takes this play bike into epic new territory.
“We’re not saying the derailleur is dead,” Domahidy says with a smirk on his face, “but this box is a game changer.”
The Domahidy Designs Titanium All-Mountain Pinion Hardtail will retail for $4995 which will include the frame, Pinion gearbox, and Gates belt drive system. For the launch of the new All-Mountain Hardtail, Domahidy Designs is offering a pre-order special. Between now and March 31, if you’re willing to let go of $5k until the mid-summer delivery date, Domahidy Designs will give you a free set of Industry 9 wheels, either their new Back Country 27.5+ wheels OR their new 29” Trail wheels, depending on how you want to set your bike up. The front can be ordered with either standard 100mm spacing or Boost 110 and spoke and hub color can be made to order.
“We considered going back to our Kickstarter community for this project, but Kickstarter takes 10% of everything you raise, so we decided instead to put that 10% back in the pre-order special and offer something better to the customer,” Domahidy explains, “This way, the customer gets an amazing set of wheels, worth roughly $1000, to match up to their new All-Mountain hardtail.” As with all Domahidy Designs MTB’s, the All-Mountain also comes with a one year IMBA membership and free IMBA socks, continuing on the Domahidy Designs giveback program and included in the Pre-Order special.
Parallel to the launch, Steve Domahidy sat down with Matt and Andrea of Mountain Bike Radio’s ‘Just Riding Along’ and gave them the exclusive first look. To hear the podcast, visit http://mountainbikeradio.com/domahidy-designs/