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Colossus Development Concept

"A mountain bike for all sizes, even for women and smaller gentlemen. Comfortable, and also stand out from the crowd!"

The above statement is the fundamental basics for the concept behind the "Colossus" series.

In 1991, as far as I could see, there were no such things as a small wheeled mountain bike. Even today, most common bicycles with small wheels still utilize a frame which is not specifically meant for a small rider. With common frames, the length of the top tube is usually catered towards people whose height is 170cm (5'7") give or take a bit. Even if the bicycle frame may be built small, I still find that the length of the top tube can make the ride still uncomfortable for smaller riders. As there are limited sizes with smaller bicycles, I find that the options and choices of bicycles can also be very limiting. In that case, why not build my own bicycle geared towards women and smaller men, that also looks great and is comfortable to ride. Hence, the beginning and development of the "Colossus" bicycles.

So, what kind of a bike is the Colossus series?

The inception and fundamental elements of this series come from a mountain bike, hence the frame for the Colossus series is also full suspension. But, there is an interesting character trait with the Colossus suspension system. The front suspension is in the shape of a distorted wish bone, and an original shock system is part of the head tube. Not only that, despite having a small wheel base, the current construction of the front system allows for stable straight aways, and stable steering if you wish to cycle hands-free.

Currently, there are voices of how the Colossus model looks strikingly similar to the Alex Moulton "Double Pylon" and "New Series" bicycle, but the development of the Colossus series was conceptualized in 1992.

The rear suspension has been created after years of trial and error, and is currently built with polyurethane rubber.

The frame build is similar to certain Alex Moulton and Brompton frames amongst others, but the main difference is the adjustability with size, according to the rider. Adjustment of the rear shock and frame is currently being designed at the moment.

With Alex Moulton and Brompton frames, the rear frame and main frame is usually connected by the bottom bracket, and shock is absorbed when force is applied to the rear frame which is only supported by the suspension. While riding, a bicycle recieves external force from every direction. The bottom bracket recieves much of the force, and the riders weight and shock from the ground can also produce more tension along with some twisting.

With the Colossus bicycles, the rear frame is also supported by the bottom bracket. But the shock is absorbed with partitioned polyurethane rubber tubes placed between the seat tube and the middle of the main frame.

By doing so, the shocks and twists recieved by the bottom bracket while riding, is partitioned by the suspension from the center of the frame. Thus, even though the bicycle has suspension, the strength of the bicycle is of a hard tail model.

The suspension is not the only unique aspect of this bicycle. As you can see, the main frame of this bicycle varies slightly from the common diamond shape frame. And as previously mentioned, this frame structure was not formed nor conceptualized with Alex Moulton frames consciously in mind. The reason for this frame structure shape was due to the double wish bone shape of the front suspension; the optimum placement of the lower arm and frame made for this monocoque frame.

The concept of creating a bicycle frame with a diamond frame and double wishbone was on my mind, but due to structural issues, the current monocoque frame was chosen during the early phase of the developmental stage. This monocoque frame can apprehend outside forces, and after actual destruction inspection, this frame was proven to be stronger than diamond shaped frames.

There are 3 sizes available with all models. The smallest size being for 150cm (4'11") riders and largest size being for 180cm (5'10") riders.

The wheel base for this bicycle is quite small, compared to other small wheel bicycles. To see how small the wheel base is, here is a comparative image with a typical small wheel based bicycle from Alex Moulton. (image has been borrowed from Alex Moulton)

Both bicycles are 20" wheel models, and after tolerating a bit of margin of error, you can see how much smaller the wheel base for the Colossus presents.

With current Japanese mini-vehicle box vans, Colossus bicycles can be placed standing, horizantally in the back storage. Not only is this bicycle small, and with a very small wheel base, but also provides stable straight rides and plenty of comfort.

The rear frame and front system slightly differs from model to model, but the main frame are all the same. By simply swapping the rear frame and front system, one can enjoy the other Colossus models.