SNAKEDRIVER
With over 35 years of experience riding singletrack, the mountain bikes I build are born from the pure technical trail experience. The endless repetition of build, ride, refine, and repeat. Seeking a balance between form and function, the bikes I build are an extension of the rider and truly one with the trail. The Snakedriver is the epitome of this design ethos: Low slung, aggressive geometry, mindful progressive touches built to perform on the trail while using stock hardware throughout for ease of maintenance and upkeep. These details set the Snakedriver apart from the pack.
Everyone seems to have their own take on a full suspension trail bike. But this is mine. The Snakedriver… It’s a low slung aggressive 120mm trail bike built atop the simplicity of a flex pivot. Whether its demanding singletrack, rocks, roots, steep punchy climbs, brutal rock gardens, or hair raising descents, the Snakedriver is designed to ride it all. Taking its design cues from the terrain, a platform to match this demanding environment is embodied in the Snakedriver. If you like to carve turns, earn your climbs, blast down hill and bunny hope everything in sight: The Snakedriver is your machine.
BACKSTORY
What's in a name? In this case: EVERYTHING. You see, growing up in PA, I had the fortune of discovering the same haunts my father and his best friend Marshall explored. Being that my fathers family has been in the area since the 1700's; this is all hallowed ground to me. Marshall was an incredibly talented woodworker. As a kid when my father would be visiting Marshall, I'd tag along and explore his woodshop and Marshall was always enthusiastic to show me projects he was working on, both paid and projects that were just for him. It was these projects that seemed to stick out as he readily explored form dictated by the materials inherent qualities. Marshall had a profound impact on my formative years and he was a master at weaving a good story. One such story was about a business he and a friend once ran: Snakedrivers. In a nutshell: they cleaned up estates and got rid of owners "paraphernalia ". One particular story went like this: He and his business partner kept getting calls for pest removal. They'd kindly explain that is not what they performed but the calls kept coming in. An unexpected byproduct of the business name. As Marshall told it, one day they got a call from an elderly woman about a big snake in her woodpile and could you please come over straight away. The adventure that ensued and the shenanigans that unfolded were ridiculous. But it was this spirit of exploration and taking on the unknown that struck me. And so in honor of Marshall, and his enduring spirit of adventure for purities sake, I've named this bike THE SNAKEDRIVER.
DESIGN DETAILS
Made in USA: The Snakedriver is a small batch built steel full suspension platform made right here in the good ol’USA. Materials come from all across the globe to make this bike possible. Select15-5 3D printed parts from New Zealand. A mix of Reynolds 853 and 750 arrive drawn in England. Seamless 4130 comes from mills in Germany and the United States. Parts turned and machined from 7075 aluminum is sourced and machined in Michigan and Colorado. For a small boutique brand like 44 Bikes, this is quite the logistical endeavor. But its what it requires to deliver the quality and reliability riders expect.
140/120 Flex Pivot: When I first set out on this journey, I didn’t know exactly what type of bike I wanted to ride and maintain. However, slowly over time something began to take shape: I arrived at a simple, straight forward no-nonsense build packaged in a 140 / 120 trail bike. Not too much travel, nor too little. “Just So”. All built upon a flex pivot which reduces parts and removes complexity. If you like to earn your climbs, carve turns, bunny hop everything, blast down descents and jib on everything in between… then the Snakedriver is right up your sleeve.
Ease of Maintenance: I’ve worked diligently to design a bike that requires as little maintenance as possible. But when its time to do upkeep, the Snakedriver breaks down quickly and there’s a bare bones parts spec to go over. Stock off-the-shelf parts are maximized so if you need to replace a part, it’s easily found either locally or online. Bearings are Enduro Max throughout. Most of the work and tuning cane be done right from the drive side of the bicycle with minimal tools required. Robust support documentation is just a click away. All of this has been thoughtfully built so you can spend more time out on the trail and less time at the bench.
OPTIONS
The Snakedriver is strictly semi-custom built upon a flex pivot suspension platform of my own concoction. What this means is the bike is fitted to the rider with custom top tube/reach and size specific chain stay lengths. Geometry, travel, amenities and standards are pre-determined (See the Geo Chart here). This allows the customer to have a bike that fits with a refined set of reliable, trail tested specs that perform.
SPECS
A. Reach
B. Stack
C. Layback
D. HT Angle
E. *ST Angle
F. Front Center
G. Rear Center
H. Drop/Height
I. ST Length
J. Axle to Crown
K. HT Length
L. Wheelbase
M. *Saddle Height
N. *Cockpit
O. Standover
Shock
Travel
Offset
Insertion
UDH
SMALL
435
613
152
65°
74° / 76°
757
444
25 / 343
388
545
110
1195
711
457 / 467 / 477
696
185×50
130 / 120
44
266 / 120-175
YES
MEDIUM
460
626
155
65°
74° / 76°
789
444
25 / 343
419
555
115
1227
737
485 / 495 / 504
707
185×50
140 / 120
44
292 / 150-175
YES
LARGE
480
631
157
65°
74° / 76°
811
444
25 / 343
434
555
120
1249
762
508 / 518 / 527
713
185×50
140 / 120
44
312 / 150-200
YES
X-LARGE
505
640
157
65°
74° / 76°
841
444
25 / 343
483
555
130
1279
813
530 / 539 / 548
734
185×50
140 / 120
44
377 / 150-210
YES
