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Words by Cam Wynn photos : adam macleod
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MSC Blast
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ocated in Gava, just south of Barcelona, the MSC headquarters sit right at the base of the Garraf National Park, home to a massive network of technical mountain bike trails. While the company itself was born and developed on the World Cup DH circuit, their lineup has recently expanded to include a broad range of XC, trail and all mountain bikes that have all been developed amongst the demanding limestone bedrock landscape that surrounds the company’s headquarters. For a company that I’d never heard of prior to laying eyes on the shapely white creature you see here (they’ve only been available in Australia for two years), it turns out that MSC have quite the list of achievements over the 12 years they’ve been in the business. Some of those achievements include currently holding the crown for the lightest dually on the market (Koncept – 1470 grams) as well as receiving design and innovation awards over the past three years at both the Eurobike and Taipei bike shows. For the sideways-cap wearing folk out there, you may recall that MSC held the title for ‘UCI DH Team of the Year’ for four consecutive years and that they had significant design input from the likes of Fabian Barel, Sabrina Jonnier, Mickael Pascal and the Lacondeguy brothers. As the European distributor for Maxxis, MSC was also instrumental in developing both the original Minion and High Roller tyres that have gone on to dominate both the local riding scene and the international racing circuit. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why MSC is a household name in Europe. Their focus over the past few seasons has shifted
almost exclusively to the mid- and high-end market, and their recent developments have earned some impressive reviews from European publications. Having learnt a little more about the company, I was eagerly anticipating my time on MSC's XC/trail beast, the Blast.
The Bike Positioned as MSC’s premium XC/marathon/trail bike, the Blast features 120mm of travel front and rear packed into a modern carbon frame that tips the scales at a claimed 2kg (w/out shock). There are three models in the Blast range, with an XX-equipped ‘RR’ model, an X0-specced ‘R’ version and the X9 bike that we have on test. MSC only produce the Blast in a carbon frame, which is the same for each model. While not mind-blowing (or is that ‘mindblasting’?) in the looks department, the Blast is otherwise a well-proportioned frame due to its one-piece swingarm and low-slung top tube. I wasn’t immediately drawn to the graphics on the ivory paint but a closer look reveals some neat details that border on pedantic. A huge tapered headtube swallows all of the cables and housing at the handlebar end, and spits them out around the base of the huge downtube. While our test bike didn’t feature a dropper post, there are neat internal ports if you do want to fit one, and there’s even an exit point forward of the shock mount for a remote lockout too. Looking down towards the pedals while on the bike is a good spot to appreciate just how oversized the downtube is, as its width dwarfs that of the top tube. The inside of the downtube utilizes what MSC call ‘Double Chamber Technology’, which is essentially an
internal rib running through the length of the tube to increase torsional stiffness. This forms the backbone for the Blast’s chassis, and with the bulbous BB30 bottom bracket and tapered head tube, the front triangle is crazy stiff. In fact, the frame is rated for up to 140mm of travel up front, so you can always slacken it out for more dedicated altitude riding. Like the Felt Edict we also have on review, the swingarm is one-piece and uses what MSC calls ‘CarboFlex’. Eliminating a rear pivot and relying on the inherent flex in the carbon means that MSC can reduce complexity and overall weight of the Blast. The other three pivots utilise sealed cartridge bearings, with the frame having been drilled from both sides to ensure precise placement of the pivot shafts and bearings. A neatly-machined alloy driver link connects the swingarm to the rear shock, which controls the leverage ratio to determine the overall suspension characteristics. Printed on the frame above the shock is a suspension setup guide, helping with initial set up. The Blast gets a SRAM X7 direct mount front derailleur due to the seat tube flaring out into a box shape around the bottom bracket shell. Look even closer though, and you’ll spot the neat mounting plate for the front derailleur that’s actually integrated into the main pivot cap. Towards the back of the bike are chunky alloy bolt-on dropouts that are configured for a 135x12mm Maxle, though can also be swapped for quick release versions or a 142x12mm Syntace setup. There is heavy shaping going on with the elegant carbon frame, which is the result of a lengthy design process that MSC engaged in with AMADE (Analysis and Advanced Materials
for Structural Design). By utilising complex strain gauges across prototype frames, the AMADE engineers were able to determine the location of specific stresses on the frame under hard riding conditions, and could therefore minimise the use of material where it wasn’t needed, and reinforce the frame where it was. It may sound like the usual marketing gobbledygook, but just looking at the Blast frame reveals a level of detail that cannot be denied. Our test bike was decked out with mostly X9 shifting, with a Type 2 roller clutch derailleur out back and a non-series SRAM BB30 crankset. The MSC name features heavily on the rest of the bike, as the brand designs many of its own components in-house. Highlights include the sub-1500gm Transformer Light wheelset, tacky lock-on grips and the elegant wrap around Ultralight forged alloy stem. Flagging MSC’s weight-weenie intentions with this bike, some of the finer details on the Blast include a super light machined top cap for the stem that uses an alloy bolt instead of the usual steel spec. All those small percentages add up to a complete bike that tips the scales at a confirmed 11.5kg without pedals and with tubes. It’s important to note that while the frame and most of the components are of Taiwanese manufacture, MSC assemble their complete bikes in Spain and as such, are able to offer up a degree of customisation to the customer. This process can mean that lead-times can be a little longer, but in our case we would have happily waited in order to spec our Blast with the right stem length and handlebar width in order to dial in the fit without having to purchase those components aftermarket.
The Ride In terms of the market that MSC is competing with, we consider the Blast to be up against established models such as the Yeti ASR 5 Carbon, the Rocky Mountain Element MSL and the Santa Cruz Blur TRc. The Blast follows a similar recipe to those bikes with a stable 69-degree head angle and a 590mm effective top tube length on our medium test bike, though the relatively slack 71-degree seat angle is worth noting. Building upon that attitude, the sealed bearing headset is a ‘Zero Stack’ model that places the cups internally into the frame to ensure riders can get a low and aggressive handlebar height. Setting up the rear sag is the key to getting the most out of the bike, and MSC claim that riders should aim for around 20% due to the very high leverage ratio (4:1) that the suspension begins with. The following 25-60% of the travel then becomes firmer as the rate moves to a progressive curve, with the final 60-100% of the travel moving to a linear ratio that works with the inherent ramp-up of an air shock to provide gentle bottom-out control. Initially trialing the bike with 25-30% sag, we were unimpressed with the Blast’s soggyfeeling back end and overly bouncy characteristic. Taking the time to dial in the rear shock pays dividends quickly though, as with another 15psi in the Float RPL shock we were able to achieve around 20% sag, and this promptly brought the bike to life. The rear shock seemed to work best with the red rebound dial set to the faster end of its range, allowing the shock to recover quickly and remain at its sag point without wallowing in the middle of the travel. Because
the rebound adjustment only affects the lowspeed circuit (high speed rebound is preset internally at the factory), the bike remains remarkably composed on bigger hits despite the lively back end. The Blast features Fox suspension front and rear, though our pre-production model came with 2012 units as opposed to the CTD version that current models will feature. The stock model will also make full use of the CTD handlebar remote to control the damping on the fork and shock, which we think would be an ideal complement to the Blast’s handling. The RPL shock on our test bike features three different settings: open, ProPedal and lockout. Because of the high leverage ratio, you can get away with running the shock in the ProPedal mode for most of the time, as smaller impacts will overcome the low speed compression and allow for good absorption. The ProPedal setting aids the bikes pedaling efficiency and also keeps the suspension riding higher in its stroke, which is particularly useful in racing situations. Combined with the stiff frameset and relatively low weight, the Blast is an enthusiastic bike to ride. Its geometry gives the bike a personality that slots in somewhere between being a capable XC race machine and a super-fast trail bike, but either way it’s a heck of a lot of fun to ride. The Maxxis Ikon tyres were quick, but they really need to be run at lower pressures to get the most grip out of them and we felt like a toothier tyre up front would have allowed us to get closer to the Blast’s handling limits. Despite its racey looks and overall weight suggesting that it would have stiff and unyielding suspension qualities, MSC maintain
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Whyte 29-C
that even on an XC bike, “suspension should improve traction”, and that is definitely the case on the Blast. With the high volume air can and dynamic nature of the first part of the travel, the Blast can scratch its way up some very ugly climbs. We fitted on a pair of wider bars during the latter part of testing, which provided masses of control over front wheel placement and meant you could pick your way around bigger rocks like a nimble Spanish mountain goat. The bike’s climbing ability was also down to the very light MSC branded wheels, which worked well with the thru-axle hubs and the carbon frame to provide responsive handling. This was despite using a skinny internal rim profile, and we’d really like to see a broader rim for better support to the 2.2” wide tyres. Whilst the single pivot suspension is snappy, we did notice some stiffening of the rear shock under braking, despite the smaller 140mm rotor out back. The Avid Elixir 5s provide great power and decent modulation, but the wavy MSC disc rotors did appear to cause a pulsing sensation in the braking feel. There was also some pedal kickback when climbing in the smaller chainring, though this becomes less noticeable with the ProPedal engaged. Descending on the Blast was an absolute hoot, and the Spanish bike’s DH roots became apparent as the trail tipped downhill. The 120mm of travel is very usable throughout the range, but it was the rigid front-end and the lively geometry that allowed us to pick the best lines with split-second accuracy. The Blast ‘pops’ off obstacles on the trail that only a short-travel trail bike can, and unless the rocks were particularly ferocious where the lightweight back-end could squirm, we had more fun on the Blast that we’ve had on biggertravel bikes lately. Otherwise, everything on the Blast worked well throughout testing, though we did experience some knocking from the clutch mechanism in the X9 rear derailleur during suspension compression. The same knock was apparent on the Intense Carbine and other dual suspension bikes we’ve tested with the SRAM Type 2 rear derailleurs. Ultimately the unit kept the chain in place, but it is rather annoying.
you can appreciate the bike’s overall quality. The parts are all rock solid, and the ability to custom spec is a bonus. On our test bike we would have changed the wheels out to the wider MSC Transformer rims, fitted a wider riserbar, a dropper post and a fatter front tyre in order to make the most of the Blast’s capable handling. That said, in its stock configuration it makes for a quick trail bike that will appeal to XC riders looking for something a little more comfortable than a hardtail, which can handle rougher race tracks too. Having personally been converted to 29ers, I can testify that riding the Blast has reminded me of the ‘good old days’ when small hoops ruled the roost. Add 5 multi-tasking inches of travel to a lightweight frame along with lively handling, and all your favorite trails will feel brand new again. Although the MSC may occupy what is a market with shrinking demand, riding the Blast was for us the perfect antidote to some of the dull and trail-numbing 29ers we’ve been on lately.
Frame
Suspension
Fox Float CTD Remote Rear Shock. Fox 32 Float CTD Remote Fork w/120mm Travel & QR15 thru-axle.
Wheelset
MSC Transformer Light Wheels. Maxxis Ikon 3C EXO 2.2” Tyres
Drivetrain
SRAM X9 2x10 Shifters and Type 2 Rear Derailleur. SRAM X7 S3 Direct Mount Front Derailleur and S1000 39/26t Crankset. SRAM PG-1050 11-36t Cassette.
Brakes
Avid Elixir 5 w/160mm Front & 140mm Rear MSC Rotors
Cockpit
MSC Ultralight Stem, Ultralight 2 Seatpost, Ultralight Alu 660mm Flat Bar & Selle San Spid Saddle.
The Verdict Starting out as an unknown quantity for the test team, the MSC gradually won us over. Each time you look at it you find a new detail that you didn’t notice before, and it’s in these smaller details that
Modular Carbon Fibre Frame & Swingarm w/120mm Travel, CarbonFlex Suspension Design, Tapered Head Tube, PressFit BB30, 135x12mm Maxle, Internal Cable Routing
RRP Contact
$4899 (Frame-only $2900) www.mscbikes.com.au
Traditionally a race hardtail has meant a trade-off for lighter weight and quick handling, at the expense of some technical capability. With the advent of 29er wheels and recent advances in frame technology however, the burning question in 2013 is: Can you have it all?