Mic Williams is one-third of Trinity MTB, a fairly new mountain motorcycle producer that has garnered a lot consideration over the past 12 months or so following the release of its debut body; the Trinity Gravity. Whilst Mic is an integral a part of the Australian outfit, bringing highly-innovative drivetrain answers to the desk, he’s additionally the founding father of Williams Racing Merchandise (WRP).
In 2019, the UCI abolished the rule of thumb that motorcycles should have the similar entrance and rear wheel dimension for Downhill Global Cup. Again then, Mic noticed a possibility to fabricate suspension hyperlinks to make the now ubiquitous mullet configuration conceivable. WRP made a reputation for itself by way of supplying mullet hyperlinks for DH frames, and later enduro frames, earlier than the trade began generating mullet-dedicated motorcycles that had been designed from the bottom up. That is WRP’s bread and butter, and cash made out of the sale of those hyperlinks is poured again into the corporate to increase new, and much more revolutionary parts for performance-oriented mountain motorcycles.
Certainly, Mic and WRP are considering excess of suspension hyperlinks. A born innovator, Mic is repeatedly tinkering with new concepts, a few of which might be mentioned on this interview. From an electronic-shifting cassette-based gearbox(es), to in reality drag-free hub internals, and pedal kickback answers, Mic has his palms in a really perfect many pies.
And, as it’s possible you’ll consider, Mic’s roles inside Trinity MTB and WRP very a lot move hand-in-hand, with Mic contributing concepts and engineering-based answers to the present (and long run) Trinity mountain motorcycles.
Bikerumor: What was once it that first of all attracted you to the Trinity DH motorcycle venture?
Mic Williams: The chance to paintings with the opposite two guys concerned. I all the time concept a functionality gravity body was once out of my league, and on my own it’s, but if the dialog began with Chase and Nigel I right away had religion in our little workforce that lets make one thing particular occur.
From a design viewpoint, the very first thing that stood out to me was once the VHP (Digital Top Pivot) platform and mixing that with an i-Monitor loafer design. That was once an excessively new concept that Chase had dropped at the desk, and it supplied a kinematic and sure coefficients that right away had me hooked at the venture.
Editor’s Notice: See above how the loafer pulley strikes on the subject of the ground bracket and rear axle because the linkage articulates. This facet of the Trinity Gravity motorcycle’s Digital Top Pivot linkage is patented by way of i-track. This gives impartial regulate of the anti-squat feature, permitting it to be tuned independently of axle trail and different kinematic houses.
Bikerumor: Will Trinity keep on with DH frames, or are there plans to make motorcycles for different forms of mountain cycling?
Mic Williams: The body now we have on be offering now may also be configured as both a DH motorcycle or a big shuttle Enduro motorcycle. The body has a turn chip wherein the client can trade between a 205mm x 65mm surprise (175mm shuttle) or a 225mm x 75mm surprise (200mm shuttle). Making an allowance for the kinematic we’re ready to succeed in with the mix VHP and i-Monitor, we’re ready to get a superbly descending motorcycle that still pedals very successfully.
Bikerumor: It’s cool that you just guys be offering each conventional drivetrain and gearbox choices for the body. Kinematically, are there any giant variations in how the 2 motorcycles trip?
Mic Williams: Kinematically, no, because the chainring sits in the similar relative location in both configuration. Assuming similar dimension chainrings, kinematics would be the similar. The gearbox choice gives a special trip feature, then again, because of the centralized mass (and lowered unsprung mass of the cassette and derailleur) and the truth the chainring can roll ahead because of the inherent nature of a gearbox’s grasp.
Bikerumor: We all know you’ve been running on a gearbox of your very personal design for a while now. Are you able to let us know slightly about the way it works, and the way it’s advisable over present gearbox choices in the marketplace like Pinion, as an example?
Mic Williams: Yea, positive factor. I’ve been running by myself WRP field for a short while, which is analogous in idea to the Honda gearbox within the RN-01 from ~twenty years in the past. So it makes use of a typical chainring, chain and cassette that’s simply reconfigured to mount within the BB house (identical to a Pinion or Effigear).
I’m a large fan of present gearbox manufacturers, however the goal of this design is to succeed in much less drag that’s inherent in present gearboxes because of their meshing gears, and a design that may be shifted beneath load – every other downside with present gearboxes. With the WRP field weight must even be so much much less taking into account it doesn’t should be immersed in a bathtub of oil and there’s no “derailleur” as such. It’s additionally absolutely digital.
Bikerumor: Will your gearbox design permit you to do one thing kinematically nice with the Trinity motorcycle that you just can’t do with off-the-shelf gearboxes?
Mic Williams: The twin-directional CentreHub will ultimately be within the WRP gearbox, so 0 pedal kickback will be capable to be completed (and the choice of moving whilst coasting, too). Opposite to well-liked trust, an loafer does no longer get rid of pedal kick-back, simplest is helping mitigate it.
Bikerumor: Your gearbox prototype for the DH Motorcycle is 6-speed. Will you additionally increase a identical gearbox for enduro motorcycles with a much broader vary cassette?
Mic Williams: Sure, one with ~500% vary is within the works.
Bikerumor: The gearbox isn’t the primary piece of drivetrain generation you’ve labored on. The CenterHub was once one in all WRP’s first actual merchandise to hit the marketplace. And now, it sort of feels you’re running on Gen 2 of that product. Are you able to let us know what the brand new CenterHub gives that the unique was once missing, and when are we able to purchase it?
Mic Williams: Sure, as discussed above we’re running on a CentreHub V2 that may rotate bi-directionally. The CentreHub V1 was once made whilst I used to be at uni and realistically the catalyst for me beginning WRP. It’s a really perfect product that I (and many of us all over the world) run on private motorcycles.
For its supposed function and unique design scope (to supply moving whilst coasting), the V1 is implausible and couldn’t in reality be optimized. So, it doesn’t lack anything else per-say; however in conventional style of design development I contemplated the speculation of whether or not it was once conceivable to make it move backwards as properly – to get rid of pedal kick-back. The prototyped V2 is a product that may move each tactics and have interaction with very restricted pedal hole (so anti-squat isn’t affected). We don’t have a difficult unencumber date at this level.
Bikerumor: Are you running on every other new drivetrain developments at the present time that you’ll be able to proportion with us?
Mic Williams: Folks can have noticed some particular DT internals we’re running on. Can’t give an excessive amount of else away.
Bikerumor: We see you’ve been trying out out a steerage damper from WP. Do you are feeling there’s actual justification for the use of this type of damper in DH?
Mic Williams: Yea I believe so, indubitably. They’re clearly used broadly in motocross and off-road motorcycling, and the reaction we’ve had from skilled racers and groups in need of to check it’s been overwhelming. From my very own private take a look at knowledge the variation (and possible in building) has been profound, particularly relying on course kind (prime velocity with rocks that attempt to take hold of your entrance wheel, as an example).
Bikerumor: We additionally see you teased some stiffness knowledge for an USD fork with a linkage. Is that this in regard to a brand new product you’re running on?
Mic Williams: No no longer in regard to a brand new product (but, a minimum of). My present intern, Mitch, got here to me with the speculation for his Bachelor of Engineering Thesis. I believed it had some actual legs (excuse the pun) taking into account every other concepts we’d thrown round about the best way to music and building up the torsional stiffness of a USD fork.
Bikerumor: What do you assume DH motorcycles of the long run will seem like, and the way will WRP be part of that?
Mic Williams: It’s arduous to crystal ball anything else, however having a look at fresh developments and cross-disciplinary I believe is essential. I believe that present motorcycle tech so far as geo is worried is superb. In the event you evaluate to motocross, whilst there has clearly been updates to generation, the fundamental geometry of the system has been pretty-well cast for the closing twenty years as all manufacturers in reality settled on what most nearly fits the biomechanics of a human – I believe we’re coming near the similar level with MTB geometry (perhaps even long gone slightly too a long way in recent years).
So, I don’t assume we’ll see large developments in geo, however more-so in tech and that’s in large part the place my focal point is at with the gearbox, and so on. So far as how WRP shall be a part of it; I like motorcycles and am no longer going anyplace.
Bikerumor: Are there any present UCI regulations you are feeling are restricting innovation within the MTB house that you just’d like to peer abolished?
Mic Williams: No longer that I’m acutely aware of at this level. I believe the relinquishing of the similar dimension entrance and rear wheel rule in 2019 was once a really perfect factor. I do admit I want to take a look at the latest rule-book despite the fact that; there may just all the time be a really perfect thought proper under-the-nose of the principles.