Damper linkage interface
At first sight, the frame of the Liteville 301 can hardly be
distinguished form a conventional mountain bike frame where the
damper is placed parallel underneath the top tube. The main
difference is that the damper is not mounted at the front of the
frame, but at the rear where the top tube and the seat tube
meet.
Designing the damping system this way is the result not of the idea to simply construct something different. It was our goal to design a four-bar linkage with a mature basis. Damping forces are to be lead into the frame as subtly as possible in order to protect both the damper and the frame.
The main advantage hereby is that the forces that come from the rear triangle of the frame are led into the main frame where it is most stable: exactly where the top tube and the seat tube meet. On top of this, the force is neutralized in parts by the forces led into the frame by the rider’s weight. Conventionally designed mountain bike frames that have the damper placed underneath the top tube face another problem. The forces by the rider and by the impacts of the rear frame work in the same direction and thereby unnecessarily stress the frame.
Designing the damping system this way is the result not of the idea to simply construct something different. It was our goal to design a four-bar linkage with a mature basis. Damping forces are to be lead into the frame as subtly as possible in order to protect both the damper and the frame.
The main advantage hereby is that the forces that come from the rear triangle of the frame are led into the main frame where it is most stable: exactly where the top tube and the seat tube meet. On top of this, the force is neutralized in parts by the forces led into the frame by the rider’s weight. Conventionally designed mountain bike frames that have the damper placed underneath the top tube face another problem. The forces by the rider and by the impacts of the rear frame work in the same direction and thereby unnecessarily stress the frame.