WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE LAL BIKES KATANA
Lal Bikes first frame to market is their 130mm travel high pivot Katana. Aimed at providing a fun and engaging ride that doesn’t give up much in the way of pedaling efficiency, it’s an interesting machine that offers a great platform on which to showcase the Supre Drive drivetrain.
SUPRE DRIVE | The most notable thing on the feature-packed Lal Bikes Katana is the Supre Drive drivetrain. At the core of the system, there is a chain tensioner that is hydraulically damped and sprung. At the rear, there’s essentially half of a derailleur that only has to move the chain laterally across the regular cassette on the back wheel.
By separating the gear changing and chain tensioning, an impressive 300g is removed from the rear axle when compared to the SRAM XO T-Type derailleur. The damper on the system is speed sensitive which means the harder you hit compression the more damping force is produced to take the sting out the chain. It’s claimed that this damper needs no servicing and provides consistent damping forces over time. Ground clearance is significantly improved at the rear end when compared to a traditional derailleur, and the frame forms a sort of protective cage around the Supre derailleur to keep it protected.
FRAME AND FEATURES | The Lal Bikes Katana front triangle is made from Reynolds 853 steel tubes, while the rear triangle is made from carbon fiber. This further reduces the overall unsprung mass of the rear end, with build weights totalling around 36lbs depending on the spec selected. The carbon rear triangle uses flex stays with 3º of engineered flex. This flex is progressive and builds up through the course of the bike’s travel.
The Katana is available with either a Mullet or Full 29er wheel setup. This is achieved by swapping the rocker link. There is Super Boost 157 hub spacing, exceptional dropper post insertion depth; and room for a large water bottle. The externally routed brake and shifter cables make for easier maintenance at the expense of slightly less clean looks. The dropper cable is almost fully external, but enters the frame down by the bottom bracket interface.
SUSPENSION | The frame uses a High Pivot layout with an oversized upper pulley wheel, delivering 130mm of travel from a 45mm stroke shock. This produces a high 3:1 average leverage ratio, with roughly 16.5% leverage ratio progression. The rearward axle movement maxes out at 15mm at bottom out, with no forward component.
Anti-rise is lowered from a typical high single pivot design thanks to the forward placement of the main pivot, sitting at 94% at sag and dropping towards 80% at bottom out. The Katana has a high amount of anti-squat, but with minimal pedal kickback thanks to the idler setup. Anti-squat increases as you shift into harder gears for more support when sprinting out of the saddle, from around 115% at sag in the climbing gears and up to 180% in the hardest gears.
GEOMETRY | The Katana is offered in 3 sizes, with our MX wheel test bike is a S3 with a 485mm Reach and 639mm stack height, with 1263mm resulting wheelbase. Consistent are the 435mm chainstays; 78º effective seat tube angle, 64º headtube angle, and 35mm bb drop below the front axle.
BUILD SPECS | Currently Lal Bikes only offers the Katana as a frame-only option at $4,850 CAD, which makes sense for a new and growing brand. To order the Katana, a CAD $500 deposit is required to snag your place in the production line, which can be refunded at any time. Lal Bikes states on their website that lead times for orders can be up to 12 months from the preorder date.
THE DIRT
I only had one short ride on the Katana with Cedric up in Whistler for the video, followed by a few laps at home to get more familiar with the bike. We’ll be keeping the Katana for a longer-term test to really get to the bottom of its performance and assess elements like the Supre Drive reliability.
SETUP | The Katana’s higher leverage rate required higher than usual air pressure for the rear shock. At 170lbs with gear, I landed at 285psi for 30% sag. This is something to consider if you are in a heavier weight range, as you may end up maxing out the shocks recommended air pressure. Outside of that, getting the bike setup was very typical, and I was ready to hit the trails in no time, eager to see how it performed.
CLIMBING | I was immediately greeted by the comfortable upright climbing position that the 78º seat angle of the Lal Bikes Katana provided. Because the actual angle is still an acceptable 76.5º, I didn’t suffer from the typical relaxed seating position that my tall saddle height is often provided by designs with a slacker actual angle.
Even with a well-used chain and the addition of the pulley wheel and chain tensioner, the Supre Drive drivetrain produced little noise while pedaling and felt smooth underfoot. There was no notable drag from the system either, much to my relief. It shifted gears like normal, demanding no adjustment period or change to my pedaling and shifting approach. The Shimano XT shifter felt familiar, and I appreciated the ability to shift to a harder gear with my index finger.
The Lal Bikes Katana’s rear suspension delivered a good balance of support when putting in the power and traction when tackling some punchy and more technical sections. Its weight is certainly on the higher side of bikes in this travel class, but the centered and efficient seating position helped to offset this and make it a pleasure to climb.
DESCENDING | On the descents, it was immediately notable how quiet the Katana was. So much so, that it was all I could think about the first few minutes of riding. I could hear my tires doing work trying to bite in with all their might, with none of the noise from a bouncing chain to distract. Even when hitting big compressions there was very little sound coming from the drivetrain, it was truly shocking and very impressive.
Lal’s trail bike had an active feel on the undulating portions of trail, not quite achieving the best small bump compliance out there, but providing great support on bigger compressions. It almost felt as if I was accelerating through bumps at times. I felt a great connection with the front wheel, and could almost immediately trust the bike in the corners.
The Katana felt lighter than it is on paper, which I attribute in part to the centered weight distribution. With most of the frame’s weight concentrated in between my legs, the bike dipped into corners very predictably. I will need to put some tires on that I am more familiar with to really get a feel for braking traction, but the bike did seem to do a solid job of sitting in while hard on the brakes.
FINISH AND VALUE | The finish of the raw carbon rear end is great, with some beautiful attention to detail. The steel front triangle has some rust around the bottom of the seat post, but it only adds to that metal allure. The welds on the tubing could be cleaner visually, but I have faith that they’re mechanically sufficient. It should also be noted this was one of the first frames produced for the project, and so production units are likely to be better. Neither of these small things would turn me away from the bike or give me worry when out riding.
The value is not the best on paper when it comes to frame only pricing, but when you consider this is a very boutique frame with some drivetrain components included, the cost is not so bad.
The Wolf’s Last Word
A wild and interesting frame that has some seriously cool features, first impressions of the Supre Drive system are for sure positive. I am excited to put this bike on some of my home trails and get it up to speed for its long term review. 
Price: $4,850 CAD (Frame Only)
Website: Lalbikes.com
SHARE THIS REVIEW
ABOUT THE WOLF
Cole’s den is in Spokane WA, where he relocated a few years back. Growing up in the lush, loamy playgrounds of the PNW, his soul is forever tied to steep, rooty descents and that unmistakable squish of perfect dirt. After 19 years of shredding, Cole’s been on every kind of rig out there. Once a die-hard fan of big travel bikes, he’s now on a quest for the mythical short-travel do-it-all machine. And yes, skids may be for kids, but this middle-aged manchild is here to prove they’re also for anyone who loves having a damn good time.
Rank: Professional Amateur
Size: 6’1” / 185cm | 170lbs / 77kg
Social: @adventuresbycole
SUPPORT AND JOIN THE LOAM WOLF PACK
Did you find this review helpful? Would you like the chance to review (and keep) products? Are you interested in saving big bucks by getting exclusive Members Only discounts from industry brands all while helping support a small, rider-owned media crew? We have big plans for our members beyond big discounts and product giveaways! To learn more and help support small, independent media, visit our Member’s Page.