Price: $3,879

Weight: 28.9 lbs.

Components: Shimano XTR/XT, Marzocchi MXC fork, Grimeca System-8 disc brakes

Frame & Fork: 7075-T6 aluminum L2S design with Fox Float-R rear shock,
Marzocchi MXC fork.

Geometry: 71º head tube, 72º seat tube, 23.5″ top tube

Sizes: S, M, L (tested)

Comments: “Great bike, brain-rearranging optional.”

www.oryx.ca

Canadian Pride: Some Oryx bicycles are completely made in Canada and some
are designed and assembled in Canada. The Gemsbok is designed and assembled
in Canada.

Before testing the Oryx Gemsbok, I visited its website and read the
following quote: “The Gemsbok is a shocking treat for riders with seriously
rearranged brains.” Not sure what to expect, I decided to spend some time
in the saddle of the Gemsbok 500, the flagship of Oryx’s line of “shocking
treats,” to ascertain just how rearranged my brain is (or might become).

Simply put, this is an impressively spec’d bicycle: XTR and XT components,
RaceFace Prodigy crankset and stem, an air-sprung Marzocchi MXC, Grimeca
System-8 hydraulic disc brakes, and a unique suspension design that
incorporates an extra linkage plate near the bottom bracket. Dubbed Lock
Link Suspension, or L2S for short, the additional linkage is designed to
lock the rear suspension when the rider’s weight is forward on the bike, as
when sprinting or climbing. Everything sounded good to me, and I was
starting to get an idea of what a Gemsbok is, but I still wasn’t completely
sure.

My initial ride was a short, fast loop of hardpack where I was intent on
discovering the attributes of this L2S suspension system. Oryx’s promises
seemed to hold true-the suspension stiffened noticeably as my weight moved
forward on sprints or climbs, though this is usually true to some degree
regardless. Further, the shorter-travel design didn’t ever feel as if it
was optimal for anything other than all-around cross-country riding, so
noticing a reduction in travel of an already shorter-travel design was
difficult. I wondered if the technology might be better suited to a bike
with twice the amount of rear-wheel travel. Ultimately, I was very happy
with the way the suspension worked-it was capable without sacrificing
agility or sprinting ability, it didn’t seem notably affected by braking
forces, and it was well-matched with the air-sprung Marzocchi MXC fork.

Overall handling was extremely impressive, riding a carefully balanced line
between tree-dodging agility and freefall stability, and leaving me
inspired to ride fast and hard, due, in part, to the suspension working
overtime to keep the wheels tracking beneath me. I started to understand.
This is a fast bike-not quite a hardtail race bike, but not slow enough to
slip into the “recreational” category. The suspension worked particularly
well in corners. And while the 17-inch chainstays didn’t inspire great
climbing ability, the ECC lock-out on the front fork and the L2S suspension
system combined to make long climbs less of a chore than I could ever have
anticipated.

There were a couple spec choices that had me wondering: a meatier tire
seems a better backup to any good full-suspension bike with disc brakes.
The skinny, nearly treadless Kenda tubeless tires on the Gemsbok were
limiting. Thankfully, there was plenty of rear-tire clearance to fit my
favorite oversized go-anywhere tires, and the Gemsbok became a far more
capable steed as a result, though it lost the pinch-resistant advantages of
the stock tubeless tires. My other minor quibble was the narrow riser
bar-another 50 to 75mm of width would have felt far better.

So, just how “rearranged” do you need to be to buy a Gemsbok? That’s a
rather personal decision, but I don’t think it matters. The bottom line is
that this is an exceptional cross-country suspension design that can
attract the attention of people without needing to rearrange their brains.
I came away thinking that it’s a great suspension bike-one that could be
ridden enjoyably out of the box, raced with a few performance
modifications, or taken to more-extreme environments with just the addition
of some aggressive tires. Get out on one and decide for yourself.