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2013 Zerode G2 Review Part 1 – Frame Details
We’ve been beating on a 2013 Zerode G2 for some time now. Inside we take a look at the 2013 Zerode G2 frameset and show you some of the details of the frameset in part 1 of our review of the Zerode G2.
Words / Photos: Jason Nixon
In today’s downhill market it’s rare to see a frame offered without a traditional derailleur. Zerode refined their initial G1 gearbox bike over time and released the G2 early this year. Both the G1 and the G2 features a gearbox style design by integrating a custom Shimano Alfine 8speed hub into the frame. The G2 saw a number of refinements including geometry tweaks, weight reductions (~300g), tubing updates, and more. We covered some the changes in an
earlier article if you are keen to learn more on the changes in detail.
MSRP:
- $3499.99 Frameset + gearbox // zerodeusa.com and zerodebikes.com
- Complete build options are also available. Contact Zerode for more details.
Frameset includes:
Frame, shock (FOX DHX RC4), Custom SRAM 8 spd shifter, Alfine 8speed gearbox, tensioner, rear sprocket (21t), sprocket spacer kit,seatpost collar, 150x12mm axle, and shock guard.
Frame Specs:
Shock size: 8.75 x 2.75″ (222mmx70mm)
Shock hardware : 8mm x 31.8mm
Frame Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Titanium bolts
Standard IS rear disc brake tab
Bottom Bracket – 83mm
Rear wheel – 150mm x 12mm
Colors: Black (pictured), Blue and Charcoal. (custom anodized colors are available)
Decal Options: Grey Orange / Blue Blue / Stealth /Grey Blue
To say we were excited to build up a 2013 Zerode G2 would be an understatement. I’ve always wanted to ride a Zerode but the geometry chart of the G1 seemed a bit small for my tall nature so I held off. The idea of a gearbox was intriguing to say the least and being able to shift without pedaling as well as not having to worry about a derailleur was quite appealing. The high-pivot design also suggested big bump eating performance as well which is certainly a good thing. With the Zerode G2 being offered in 3 sizes (S, M, L), I was quick to jump onto a large one to see what it was all about.
The Zerode G2 is a robust frame. Holding it in your hands it has clearly been designed to last. The tubing profile and linkages all are sturdy and solid. The frame assembled easily and all of the parts installed without any issue.
While the retail price ($3499) may seem high there are a lot of places where the rider saves money as there are fewer drivetrain parts to purchase (shifter, derailleur, chainguide / bash guard) that can easily offset the additional cost.
In addition to that, if you’re the type of person who breaks derailleurs a lot the Zerode can save you some money here as well since its design doesn’t have a derailleur hanging on the side of the frame. To keep the drive-chain tensioned throughout the suspension cycle, a stock Alfine tensioner is used on the inside of the chainstay. The chances of damaging this is quite small given its location. Even if you were to somehow damage it, it’s a cheap piece to replace. This sort of implementation is hard not to like.
The Zerode G2 (and the G1) rely on a custom Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub to handle the drivetrain’s shifting. The Alfine is a sealed system that houses internal gears. Shifting the Alfine doesn’t require the pedals (or gear) to be moving so you can shift without pedaling as well. The gear-spread is pretty big but we didn’t seem to have any major issues with finding an adequate gear to either put the power down or climb back up the hill.
Most of the current gearbox equipped bicycle options don’t let you use trigger shifters as they utilize a Grip-Shift style shifter in most cases. This is not the end of the world but I much prefer a trigger shifter especially on a downhill bike.
Adjusting the Alfine hub was a breeze and we haven’t had to really adjust the setup much since installation. The process of lining up the colored lines is pretty simple during inital setup. The shifter cable can be removed from the Alfine hub fairly easily once you know how things work.
The Zerode uses a two chain system to get the power down to the ground. In the manual, Zerode lists the exact length each chain needs to be for the 32t chainring / 21t cog setup. If you choose to run a different setup for some reason, it will require different length chains.
There is one chain that connects the rear wheel to the gearbox, and another chain from the chainring to the second ring on the gearbox.
The chain that attaches to the crankset is also able to be tensioned through the black adapters in the frame. This takes up the slack in the chain and the Alfine.
Some gearbox bikes require a fixed-hub to drive the gearbox but the Zerode uses a traditional wheel setup that uses a standard cassette freehub with a single cog (21t) that is also supplied along with spacers. We found that using a high-engaging hub is ideal here to ensure power is put down to the ground quickly as the rear hub engagement does play into the power delivery. The Mavic Deemax Ultimate engagement (48points) is quite good but the engagement with a Profile hub (204points) we found was even better.
The Alfine 8 speed hub sits just below the seat area. Given the size of the Alfine hub, this area has to be wide enough to accommodate it. Compared to most downhill bikes, this area has to be wider. The clearance here was more than enough for our Shimano Zee cranks but its worth noting that the e.13 cranks we were told for example wouldn’t work here as they’re a bit too narrow.
The drivetrain setup calls for a 32t chainring. Zerode requires cerain spacing and they include some spacers to make sure things line up properly with the gearbox. We’re not the biggest of fans of this implementation as the chainring sits on the spacers instead of the crankarm but we didn’t have any issues with it during our usage.
Like the G1, the G2 still utilizes a custom Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub but they now includes a custom
SRAM shifter to handle the shifting duties.
The custom SRAM shifer allows for multiple gear shifts at once whereas the Alfine shifter only allows for single shifts. In additon to that, it offers better ergonomics as well as improved integration with brakes and shifter placement.
Another key thing to note regarding the shifting is that it is reversed from what most would typically consider normal. To shift into a harder gear you push the big thumb lever and to shift into a smaller gear, you press the smaller lever. This is what most people may recall as ‘rapid rise’.
The Zerode comes with a shock bash-guard that is designed to protect the shock and the lower downtube area. The bash guard has slots on the sides of it as well that allow you to easily get a Cane Creek tool in there for adjustments. We were a bit apprehensive about the durability of this bash but it hasn’t been too much of an issue.
A more robust solution here would be a good idea in the future or if you typically see a lot of damage in this area on your bikes. The 32t chainring allows for a lot of ground clearance and we haven’t had any issue with it contacting any obstacles as the frame bash guard seems to be the only thing that has contacted an obstacle. The bottom bracket height clearance was ample at over 14″ for our setup and we can’t recall ever hitting the chainring.
The Zerode G2 has evolved and uses some lightweight titanium hardware. The ti shock bolts are quite nice on this frame. The lower shock bolt we would’ve like to have seen on the non drive-side to allow for more clearance to snug up the bolt after the crankset is installed.
Weights:
Additonal weights can be seen in our verified weights section
Part Year Real(g) Picture
Zerode G2 Large (frame only with alfine tensioner) 2013 4593.3
link
Zerode G2 downtube bashguard 2013 19.6
link
Shimano 8 speed Alfine Hub – Zerode 2013 1782.8
link
Zerode G2 Axle 150mm x 12mm 2013 60.4
link
Zerode G2 ti shock bolts 2013 30.6
link
Zerode G2 21t cog 2013 25.2
link
SRAM Alfine Shifter with cable 2013 158.2
link
Shimano Alfine Shifter with cable 2013 176.9
link
Zerode Chainring Spacers and chainring bolts 2013 17.8
link
SRAM Alfine Shifter with cable 2013 158.2
link
It’s hard to compare directly these weights with a traditional downhill frame as the gearbox’d Zerode requires slightly different parts. It saves weight (sprung and unspring) in some of the areas like bashguard, chainguide, smaller chainring size, derailleur, and the lack of a cassette. It gains some weight however through the gearbox and the second chain.
The overall weight of our Large G2 build bike rang in at 39.57lbs. This is with a relatively lightweight build as well although there are some areas where you could achieve some additional weight savings but in general the Zerode isn’t a super lightweight bike. We’ll outline our build in another update.
Shock wise we went with the Cane Creek Double Barrel coil shock. Other options include a Fox DHX RC4 as well. We were going to try out the Zerode with a Double Barrel Air shock but decided to hold off on that as clearance was pretty tight and would’ve required some small modifications to give it a little bit more clearance. There’s plenty of material in there but we didn’t want to modify the frameset.
Zerode G2 Review – Part 2 – History, Q&A with Rob Metz, prototype Steelie and G1
We’ve ran through the details of the current
Zerode G2 frame that we’re reviewing already but we wanted to also get a few questions answered about how Zerode’s evolution. Inside we take a look at the prototype Steelie that started it all off for the New Zealand company and get a few questions answered by owner / engineer Rob Metz.
When it comes to creating a bike there can be a significant amount of time when it comes to testing and manufacturing. Fabricating (or finding the right fabricators) can take just as much time if not mrs as sometimes the facility may not be able to hold tolerances or meet the requirements of the design.
We peppered Rob Metz with a few questions around how the Zerode came to be. The first Zerode unsurprisingly was a mule of sorts for the company. The steel Zerode ‘steelie’ allowed Rob to figure out how to dial in the Alfine hub into the chassis.
The Steel prototype was more a test bed for the Alfine hub than anything else. I looked at a bunch of internals hubs with a gearbox in mind and the Alfine stood out as the best option. All of the pedaling geometry, suspension design I was very confidant in from the calculations and other bikes I had made. My Friend and business partner rode the steel Mule to 2nd in the NZ DH series in 2008/2009. The bikes was clearly capable of winning races… – Rob Metz // Zerode
James Dodzy - Zerode Steelie prototype
After the Steelie design was proven Zerode had to find a factory to build the Zerode G1. The Steel Mule was made in 2008 and the first G1’s went out the door early 2011. With minimal industry contacts and small quantity requirements it was tough finding a good factory for Zerode to use. This understandably caused some delays from when the Mule was designed to when the first G1 was created. They ends up teaming up with SAPA (Oregon) before SAPA closed their bicycle division.
The G1 was offered in two sizes (S/M and a M/L) with a variety of colors offered throughout its years. Many riders bought and still love the G1. The G1 laid the groundwork for the Zerode G2 that saw numerous updates.
Q & A with owner Rob Metz
Could you elaborate on what made you want to design the Zerode?
I have been making my own bikes for over 15 years now. In the early days I butchered factory bikes to make long travel, slack trail bikes (pretty much where trail bikes are at 15 years later). I then went on a mission to learn about suspension designs, researching well known Moto theory and applying it to MTB, specifically pedalling/throttle response and bump absorption. So I started designing and building bikes for myself around this theory. I had some many people stop and ask me about my bikes and like the way they rode that i thought I should have a go at a production bike. So the Zerode is basically a bike that I made for myself…
After the success of the first Zerode, how did you determine what changes were chosen for the G2?
The G1 took a while to get into production, it’s not easy to get frames like this made on a small scale so I had a few false starts. By the time they hit the market the geometry was a little out of date. The bikes still ride well but the geo didn’t suit everyone or some of the evolving tracks. This was the first area to address with the G2.
Having a couple of seasons of real world testing allowed me to pull a little bit of weight out of the frame without compromising durability. A bunch of broken frames would be a nightmare for Zerode so I need to be cautious and refine the design over time. I also get feedback from a bunch of good local riders and distributors which I try to incorporate into the bike.
What are some of the Zerode success stories that you guys have had since you began?
The fact that a bunch of people have upgraded their G1’s for G2’s is a good sign I have happy customers, I get a lot of emails from people saying they can’t believe how the bike rides and inspires confidence. These are all success stories that make the project worth while for me.
I also have a handful of people around the world win national titles on Zerode which is critical in proving the design to the masses. I did get a lot of satisfaction watching Eddie Masters mix it up with the Pro riders at the world cups this year. I’m a one man band operating out of my garage in Rotorua NZ so funding a world cup team is a bit tricky. Having privateers like Eddie put on a good show is the next best thing to a full blown team.
Mathieu Gallean at the Leogang World Cup 2013 - photo: Daniel Klose
Are there any changes coming to future G2′s that you can talk about? Any sign of carbon in the Zerode downhill market? Any plans to offer a larger size G2 in the future?
The tooling cost of carbon is very hard to justify with my current sales numbers, the economics of carbon just don’t stack up yet. I plan on offering a larger size and will continue to try and pull a bit more weight out of the bike without a doubt. My understanding of physics, testing and experience clearly show that in a gravity powered sport like DH the weight of the bike isn’t the most important factor. I will keep refining the design to remove weight because this is what most people want, right or wrong I need to play ball.
How has the reception been so far with the revised Zerode G2? Any plans for 2014 with teams that you think will be good to look out for?
The reception has been great. People like the look of the bikes and more importantly the way they ride. They are still a bit radical/unknown in most peoples minds so I need to rely of word of mouth and race results to prove performance. I will have teams in NZ, France, USA and riders scattered around the world that will get results in 2014.
Zerode can’t afford to give bikes away so I try to offer as much support to these guys as I can. I do have proposals out there trying to get funding for a world cup team. If I can pull this off it would no doubt it would be a great adventure!
Are there any other details that you think would be good to share regarding the Zerode G2 or future bike developments?
Not really, other than I’m committed to Zerode and will continue to improve the frames within the constraints I have. I have other product I’d like to bring to market but I can’t give too much away at this stage…
Stay tuned as we will continue to post up the remainder of our Zerode G2 review.
If you missed
part 1, be sure to check that out to learn more about the Zerode G2 frame set.
2013 TrailBike Prototype?
Dass Neuseeland eine tolle Location für Downhill-Pros ist, beweisen Fahrer wie Sam Blenkinsop und Cameron Cole mit ihren Top-Weltcup-Ergebnissen. Doch die Insel am anderen Ende der Welt bringt auch technisch interessante Entwicklungen hervor - ein gutes Beispiel dafür ist der optisch und technisch hochmoderne Getriebe-Downhiller von der kleinen Schmiede Zerode Bikes. Zunächst wird das interessante Bike nur als Rahmenkit erhältlich sein.
