Press

Seven's Duo

Moutain Bike Rider, July 2002
Frame: 3AI-2.5V titanium
Suspension: Fox Float R fork, custom Fox rear shock
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR shifters, front and rear derailleur, crankset.
Brakes: Hope Mini disc
Wheels: Mavic CrossMax Disc UST; Hutchinson Scorpion tires. Weight 26.lbs.
Distribution: Sigma Sport 020 8943 2226

Seven is a US frame manufacturer and employs ex-Merlin welders and designers�the Duo is its most expensive full-suspension bike. The Duo's titanium front and rear triangles are constructed in-house but the suspension system (the magnesium mono-link and rear shock) is licensed from, and made by; Maverick American�more on that later:

Our test bike 1s an 'optimum,' meaning it uses 3/2.5 titanium tubes in its construction, but with Seven building frames to order buyers can tune the ride characteristics by mixing and matching tubes with different butting and wall thickness. On a full-suspension frame this is less of an issue than on a hardtail, but it's nice knowing you can have a longer top tube, extended head tube, women's geometry; disc fittings or a stronger frame at no extra charge.

The weld quality or our test bike is immaculate; in fact the whole construction is flawless. Even the head badge is riveted to the frame and the dropouts are so strong there's no need for a replaceable hanger: Frame weight is a substantial 6.5lb, which results in a 26.5lb test rig but, like most top-end bikes, it rides a lot lighter than that.

Suspension

RockShox founder Paul Turner is the man behind Maverick American and the designer of the original Maverick ML7that we tested back in August 2001. The rear suspension is the same on the Duo and consists mainly of a magnesium mono-link that joins both triangles and holds the bottom bracket. As the suspension compresses the link, the bottom bracket rotates, isolating pedaling forces from the suspension action. The rear axle moves up and back at an angle of 15 degrees and Turner says this URP (upwardly rearward path) makes the design more sensitive to bump forces and reduces bob when climbing. The Duo is noticeably stiffer and pedals well on the ascents, but we feel any bike with this much compression damping would climb well.

The shock contains a positive coil spring, a negative coil spring and an air assist. The latter means Maverick can use one spring rate and top it up with air for a range of rider weights. The shock has a six position rebound adjuster that we ran at position one for the whole test period. Weighting the bike on the floor we found the shock tended to top out but we didn't notice this when riding.

Groupset

Only the best for this test�a Shimano XTR groupset with a Hope Mini disc brake upgrade.

Components

It's worth mentioning the seat-post because it needs at least 15 degrees of rotational adjustment to accommodate the Seven's slack seat tube. We found moving the saddle up and down drastically changed the top tube length.

Performance

We tested the aluminum framed Maverick over a year ago and thought the bike an excellent climber but not the most supple on small bumps. The Seven Duo mimics the original (it weighs the same too) but we did notice more resilience in the titanium rear end. Even though the suspension isn't totally active, the Duo is super smooth across rutted terrain.

We were well impressed with the Duo on rolling hard-packed trails. It hugs the corners and depressions and despite the weight is easy to maneuver over logs and steps. It did feel a bit hit-and-miss on technical climbs but smooth fire roads would have us stomping out of the saddle.

The 100mm Fox fork up front felt well-mated to the rear and offered flex-free performance�even if we did blow one of the air valves and a seal on a drop-off!

Conclusion

If you consider titanium hardtail frames from Merlin, Litespeed and Seven are over �2,000, an extra �750 for full suspension makes the Seven Duo much better value than the $3,700 Maverick ML7. It�s not a killer deal�we had issues with the seat-pin and the shock topping out�but the build quality is exceptional and it comes with any frame features and geometry tweaks you care to mention. This customization is the main reason why we're upping the value for money rating two points and rating the Duo five overall. People say you only buy a titanium full-suspension bike once�this is definitely one worth saving up for.