RMU (Rocky Mountain Underground) is known primarily for making and selling skis. But RMU is more than just a ski brand. They have three bar/restaurant/retail locations in Whistler, BC, Breckenridge, CO, and Truckee, CA. RMU has also been producing and selling a range of fanny packs, backpacks, tailgate pads, and other MTB accessories for several years. Turns out, lots of skiers ride mountain bikes, and vice versa, including the folks at RMU.
It seems that RMU is now taking that crossover a step further with teasers on social media and the brand’s website of its first mountain bike, called the Nighttrain. They’ve teamed up with legendary suspension designer Dave Weagle, yes, dw-link Dave Weagle, to create a 170mm travel enduro bike with a pretty unique suspension and drivetrain design combination. Weagle refers to it as a prototype, but it looks close to production-ready, and RMU has been building anticipation for the past month or so with numerous posts saying that it’s “coming soon.”
Just a few days ago, Dave Weagle posted a video of the Nighttrain where he discusses the suspension design. In the post, he calls it “a new generation Orion suspension layout ‘flexing’ a mid-pivot, 6-bar flex stay layout.” That’s being combined with a dual-idler, dual-chain drivetrain, which he states is the most efficient way to get an elevated chainline for the mid-pivot design.
Check out Weagle’s Instagram post at this link (for some reason it refuses to embed in this article) to hear what he has to say about it.
We don’t have much information other than what’s provided in that social media post, but we can easily gather that it’s a 170mm travel enduro bike that rolls on 29” wheels front and rear. It appears to be a full aluminum frame with internal routing for the shifter cable and external routing for the rear brake line. One of the teaser posts mentions that it will “drop in three distinct build kits, with limited color releases rolling out throughout the summer.”
The mid-pivot, dual-chain, dual-idler drivetrain setup looks nearly identical to that of the current Pivot Phoenix DH bike, which happens to use a dw6, six-bar suspension layout. The RMU Nighttrain, however, uses a slightly different six-bar flex stay design, which Weagle refers to as a new-generation Orion suspension layout made for aggressive riding. Regardless, it looks impressively plush, and we’re definitely interested to see how it performs. And from the sound of Weagle’s post, we should know more very soon, as he said the full launch is coming within the week.
Interestingly, Weagle also mentions that this is the first in what will be a range of mountain bikes from RMU. So far, it looks like they’re off to a good start, and they’re obviously working with one of the best in the business.
To sign up for early access to the Nighttrain, head to the RMU website. Or check out their Instagram for updates @rmu.mtn.co