You may remember a few months ago I reviewed the Zumbi F44, well for the last few weeks, I've had the opportunity to test the Voodoo, the hardtail of the range. Though Zumbi may be small they certainly know how to produce one hell of a hardtail.

First the frame, it comes in two distinct though aesthetically very similar flavours, one purely for street and dirt jumping and one for freeriding. I’m reviewing the freeride model. So firstly onto the frame it’s deceivingly simple with some neat subtle touches.



The frame uses series 7005 aluminium tubing, starting at the top it uses a standard 1:1/8th headtube with two external wrap around gussets. The top tube flows sloping down into a standard connection with the seat stays the down tube partially wraps around the bottom bracket for some added durability and stiffness.

The seatstays consist of subtle s curved monocoque tubing that contrasts nicely with the front, they are also connected to the seat tube with a small webbing joint.. The chain stays are uniquely formed in that they are double pressed before welding this is both an interesting aesthetic feature but also improves lateral stiffness of the stays further. The rear stays are complimented by a very neat CNC’d bottom bracket yoke that’s also pressed in a similar way to the chain stays before welding.

The dropouts are neatly machined and feature a removable derailleur hanger that is surprisingly thick so should stand up to some abuse on its own. The dropout is a standard 135mm quick release, though it might be overkill it might have been nice to see a 135x12mm bolt through as an option especially on this version of the frame. The frame is powdercoated so should stand up to some abuse without looking too tatty. Finally cable routing is also neat and tidy.

Overall then the frame is deceptively simple and it grew on me the more I looked at it. Though it's not perfect and despite the F44 I reviewed having perfect welds, on this model they are far from neat this is however a pre-production model, production models will be up to the usual high Zumbi standards. With this being said however the bottom headtube gusset appears very much welded on as an after thought, it looks as if little attempt has been made to get it to match the rest of the frame aesthetically. A minor qualm maybe but again it's a high-end frame. Other than that the frame should be solid and dependable.

The component list is well useable but that's it, most of it was OE "Pivit" which though serving its purpose isn't anything to talk about. Highlights included a remarkably compliant Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 3 at the front, Truvativ’s Ruktion cranks and box guide provided the power. Srams X5 gearing though clunky worked fine and to round off the spec Hayes Sole brakes provided the stopping power.

Riding it initially was an interesting experience, it picks up speed incredibly well no doubt helped by the stiffness of the chain stays. I've ridden numerous hardtails and this is up there with the quickest. The top tube also is really short it begs you to stay over the rear wheel. Acceleration however comes at a price and this is comfort, the rear is so torisonally stiff that it transfers literally everything from the wheel through into the seat and consequentially you if sitting down. Again it's the cost you pay. Interestingly because of the torsional stiffness I expected the rear to skip about on anything remotely bumpy, however it tracks superbly well, even with my weight forward the rear stayed planted mostly throughout everything.

Steering possibly is a little too quick, one issue was the frame is designed around a 100mm fork and the Dirt Jumper was an 80mm, compounded by the short stem this may have over exaggerated the problem. But despite this the bike tracked very well and never felt out of control at speeds, which some hardtails do, due to their shorter wheelbase in comparison to their full suspension brethren.

In terms of geometry it's a very aggressive as a frame, its far from comfortable to ride for any lengthy time period this is both a blessing and a curse in that it is very specific in terms of its purpose be it freeriding or 4X racing, it fulfils the roles perfectly, though its too aggressively poised to ride over any distance. Though its possible to compensate for these effects, longer stem, reclined seat post and so forth, it wont change the geometry completely, something to bear in mind when considering buying the bike/frame.

Ride then for the most part is very positive, however its not perfect I did find the top tube a little high this was the 15.5 model, they also do a 14.5 which would solve this issue. The top tube could be just little longer I always felt a little cramped at the front and the bikes always forcing you to be over the rear wheel to solve the problem. It only serves to exacerbate it further. Most of the problems could be sorted with component changes for the most part though at its core the geometry feels very aggressive which is great if your just doing freeride/4X and so forth, but becomes a pain very quickly for any general riding.

Overall then I truly like the frame, it has a unique charm which is missing out of most of the industry leaders these days added to the fact its from a small company and it easy to see the appeal. Despite the truly lurid colour, I like the bike, though it wouldn’t be my first choice for a hardtail. However, if you’re in the Market for an aggressive hardtail frame for 4X/freeride I would fully recommend the voodoo. Its light and very quick.

Pricing starts at £399 for frame only and build kits (as tested) start at £999 and go from there depending upon specification.

Finally I'd like to say thanks to Duncan the UK importer of Zumbi for getting the bike sorted out and also the fantastic level of help he has provided over the past few months. Also to Jason King of 4Mountains

wwww.zumbicycles.co.uk
www.4mountains.co.uk
© Johnathan Clark 2009