A flying chariot built with one thing in mind – slopestyle domination
WHO IS ANTHONY MESSERE?
In 2011, at the tender age of 15, Anthony Messere marked himself out as the next slopestyle superstar by taking third place in the Red Bull Joyride comp at Crankworx Whistler. By 2012 he’d joined the hallowed ranks of Red Bull’s sponsored athletes and continued to rack up the podiums, finally losing his reputation as the ‘nearly man’ in 2014 with a win at Crankworx Les Deux Alpes.
WHY IS THIS A SUPERBIKE?
- Super-compact geometry and the shortest chainstays in the business mark out a bike built especially for Morpheus’s slopestyle squad
- Custom gyro makes bar spins a cinch
- It’s taken its young rider to some impressive wins
Canada’s Anthony Messere is something of a prodigy. Supremely talented and already a Red Bull athlete at just 19, he appears to have the freeride world at his feet. And this is the bike helping him to pursue slopestyle domination.
With Messere’s mountain biking fantasies quickly becoming reality, it’s apt that his bike sponsors, Morpheus, are named after the Ancient Greek god of dreams and that his slopestyle rig, the Vimana Slope, shares its name with a mythological flying chariot.
The bike was introduced in time for the 2014 FMB World Tour, with geometry in line with Morpheus’s existing Vimana hardtail but a rear shock providing a progressive 86mm (3.4in) of travel added to take the sting out of hard landings. Messere went on to take the prototype to five international podiums that year.
The Vimana Slope’s compact geometry allows Anthony to manoeuvre it easily, whether in the air or on the ground. Adjustable dropouts let him tension the chain and shorten the chainstay length from 401mm to just 363mm for dirt jumping. According to Morpheus (the company, not the Greek god), this gives the shortest rear end of any slopestyle bike on the market, allowing easier rotation. The low standover height helps too, giving more clearance for tricks like tailwhips.
Emergency bounce
The rear suspension helps with grip as well as dodgy landings, ultimately offering more control. Because travel is limited to 86mm and the frame has a very low leverage ratio, the ride is firm, efficient and responsive rather than plush and wallowy. Typically a lower leverage ratio requires a low compression tune on the shock, but Messere runs a high tune so that the bike acts like a hardtail unless there’s a bit hit.
Up front, he runs a 100mm (3.9in) RockShox Pike DJ fork, with 35mm stanchions like a regular Pike but a custom-tuned Charger damper to help the fork stand up in its travel on the faces of jumps. The Pike DJ also has plenty of progression when approaching bottom-out to keep landings smooth. Anthony runs two Bottomless Token volume spacers in his fork to make it ramp up even more towards the end of the stroke.
Too trick
Bar spins can pose a mechanical challenge. Luckily a machinist friend from Vancouver has come up with a solution for Anthony in the form of a unique oversized gyro that allows him to spin the bar through 360 degrees without the rear brake cable getting tangled up. Messere uses a SRAM mechanical disc brake because he reckons hydraulic gyros add too much friction – not ideal when throwing down complicated tricks.
The concentric bottom bracket pivot allows the bike to be run as a singlespeed without a chain tensioner. This means Anthony can keep the chain tight so the cranks don’t spin during tricks and his pedals are in the right place – hopefully! – when he lands.
The Vimana Slope was built with a specific purpose – to go big and go hard. And it’s definitely paid off for Messere, with him achieving results on this flying chariot that others can only dream of.
HARD ROCKER
The chunky rocker link that activates the RockShox rear shock is constructed from carbon fibre wrapped around a foam core. This keeps weight down without losing any frame stiffness.
20-INCH TRICK
Anthony uses a half-link BMX chain because it’s stronger and allows more precise chain length adjustment.
FAST BUT TOUGH
Anthony runs Maxxis Ikon tyres front and rear, choosing the company’s grippy but fast rolling 3C compound to help him maintain momentum and EXO Protection sidewalls to avoid any run-ending flats.
WHERE YOU LEFT ’EM
A tight chain ensures there’s no unwanted crank/ pedal movement during tricks. For extra security, Anthony finds that a little electrical tape between the crank arm and BB works a treat!
SPIN CLASS
With no need for huge stopping power Messere runs just a rear brake, with a custom gyro allowing as many bar spins as imaginable!
HARDCORE HOOPS
Spank’s Subrosa 30AL EVO rims are tough enough to withstand heavy landings but light enough not to hinder performance.
