by Ed Brazier February 16, 2017 6 min read
A year after we launched the original Edit, we're back with a new, updated version. Taking into account all your feedback, and a year of learning, we've tweaked the design in a few small but significant ways to make the Edit v2 better than ever.
With stock due in March, we've already got frames, bundles and bikes up on the site for preorder so it's high time we laid out all the changes in one place. Here you can find everything you might want to know about what's new.
The orange and raw Edits have been a big hit, so we're sticking with those colours. The grey one was a bit of a slow burner, and although it was my own favourite colour, a lot of people asked for a black one for the classic 'stealth' build. So this time we dropped grey in favour of an all-black Edit (we still have a few small and medium v1 Edit in grey, at reduced prices). Finishes are high gloss all round.
We've also updated the graphics package so the v2 Edit has a cleaner, sharper look. Less is more when it comes to bike graphics so we've stripped everything right back and gone for a super simple execution rather than over-complicating things. Taking into account feedback from customers, we've designed the new decals to be even more robust. And the good news for Airdrop riders is the new v2 decal kit is fully compatible with v1 Edits. If you have a v1 Edit and you want to give it a refresh, the Edit v2 Decal Kit will be available to buy separately.
With three frame colour options - raw, orange and black - and 12 different decal colour options, there are 36 colour combinations for you to choose from. And the best bit is if you decide you want to change the decal colours at a later stage, it's easy and inexpensive to do with our aftermarket decal kits. Plus we offer matching decal kits for your forks and rear shock, all produced in house.
The new batch of v2 Edit frames is nearing the end of production. In fact they're in the paint shop even as I write this. I know a lot of people are asking for a date, and I'd love to oblige, but international shipping can be a tricky business.
Right now an educated guess is 5 weeks from today (15th feb).
I think it's better to be honest about this. Some companies will give you a build date, and then let you down. If you preorder a v2 Edit you'll go into the build queue on a first-come-first-served basis and as soon as the frame arrive, we'll be working day and night to get them built and shipped.
Stealth - or internal - dropper routing is "the one that got away" on the v1 Edit. When developing the original frame, it was becoming clear that stealth was the way to go in future, but it was difficult to get right. And we just didn't want to introduce it until we could be confident that we had the right solution. Over the last year a lot of people have asked for it, so it has been the main focus of development for the v2 Edit. And honestly, it was a good thing that we waited because we now have the new generation of 150mm and 170mm stealth dropper posts to play with.
The v2 Edit routes the dropper hose externally along the top (non-drive side) of the down-tube, and in through a discreet port at the base of the seat-tube. There's a small grommet at the port to ensure the hose doesn't rub, and the whole thing is executed in a clean and sensible way.
So we've largely abandoned seat-tube length as a sizing metric, and we think this is something you'll see on more and more bikes in the future. You can now manage your saddle-height with a choice of 125mm, 150mm or 170mm dropper posts, which we're offering as an option on all full builds. As a result the range of minimum and maximum saddle heights has increased on the Edit v2 frames. It also means that for anyone who is "between sizes" you'll have a genuine choice - choose the frame sized based on reach and manage your saddle height with your choice of dropper.
Although most of the performance oriented aspects of the Edit's geometry remain unchanged, there are a couple of small but significant differences. The introduction of stealth (internal) dropper routing means you can now use the new generation of 125, 150 or 170mm dropper posts. That in turn means we were able to reduce the length of the seat-tube, which means very low stand-over clearance, especially on the Large. Much better for getting the bike leaned over and cornering hard.
You no longer have to buy a bike based on the seat-tube length, which is a hangover from road bike design. Buy the Edit with the right reach, and manage your saddle height by choosing the right dropper post. We also reduced the length of the head-tubes enabling you to get your weight onto the fork more effectively. Differences are highlighted in the chart:
Size | Small | Medium | Large | |
A | Seat Tube | 420 | 445 | 470 |
B | Effective Top Tube | 600 | 620 | 640 |
C | Reach | 434.7 | 453.1 | 468.2 |
D | Stack | 593.2 | 597.8 | 611.6 |
E | Chainstay | 435 | 435 | 435 |
F | Head Tube | 115 | 120 | 125 |
G | Head Tube Angle | 66° | 66° | 66° |
H | Seat Tube Angle | 70.5° | 70.5° | 70.5° |
Effective Seat Tube Angle | 76° | 76° | 76° | |
I | Bottom Bracket Drop | -10 | -10 | -10 |
J | Wheelbase | 1175.4 | 1195.8 | 1220 |
K | Fork Length | 542 | 542 | 542 |
L | Fork Offset | 42 | 42 | 42 |
All measurements in mm. Based on a 150mm fork.
The Edit v1 made use of a ZS44 upper headset and a ZS55 lower headset. Nothing wrong with that, but we've found that customers would prefer a ZS56 lower instead. It's slightly more popular, and increases the range of headset options you can choose from. You asked, and we delivered.
The added benefit of the ZS56 lower is that you can new use a Cane Creek 1.0° Angleset should you wish to manage the Edit v2's head-angle. Running a 150mm fork you can alter the head angle to 65° (static) or with a 160mm fork you can use the angleset to go as far as 64.7°.
We decreased the length of the head-tube on the Medium and Large sizes which has a couple of benefits. Firstly it closes down the angle between the head-tube and the top-tube, creating a stronger joint and making better use of the gusset. It also makes it easier to get your weight forward onto the fork and really drive the front wheel into corners.
OK so maybe this isn't a huge change, but sometimes the little details can make a big difference. We've moved the seat-clamp slot round to the front of the seat tube, so it's out of the way of flying mud. This used to be a bigger deal before we had dropper posts, and stopping to move your seatpost was a regular occurrence. But considering how much of the time our local trails are muddy, it'll be worth the extra effort to make the change.
With a lot of demand for the v2 Edits, we've opened up pre-orders. If you want to be one of the first to get hold of your new Edit, take a look at the options on the site and by all means, contact us if you have any questions.
Build up your own Edit with whatever parts you like, or use your old bike as a donor. Our frame options give you plenty of scope for different kinds of build.
Frame Bundles are great if you have a decent groupset or some wheels, but you want a new chassis to build on.
We have a range of full bikes on offer from £2199 up to £2399. The Edit Pro at £2799 is our most popular choice, with SRAM GX 1x11 groupset, Rockshox Monarch Plus shock, Pike Forks and Hopetech Pro 4 Enduro wheels.
All Airdrop bikes are built to order, which is a little bit unusual but it means we can build a bike to suit your needs or your budget. If there's something specific you'd like us to help with, take a look at our custom builds page. A lot of customers use one of our full bikes as a starting point for their own custom creation.
Ed is the owner of Airdrop Bikes. A former web and graphic designer, he sacked off his job one day and decided to start up a bike brand.
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