In the anorexic world of mountain bike manufacturing, the seemingly magic number is 20 pounds. In a sport where mere ounces can see to weigh tons at the end of a race, only the best bikes achieve this number. One of these bikes is the Funk La Ruta, and it is very special indeed. It's frame is made entirely from titanium, any coloring or designs are created through an anodizing process of the titanium frame. What this means is an electrical current is passed through certain points of the frame to change the color of the metal. The color depends on the amount of power being passed through the frame. This only changes the color of the metal and does not weaken it in any way.
Another cool thing about this bike is the way the rear suspension works. Instead of having a pivot point in the pedal tube, there is a carefully designed and milled section behind the tube where the metal flexes and allows for 80 mm of travel in the rear without ever having to add weight for a pivot in the frame.
This level of technology and level of weight reduction is due in part to many key design and material components. For starters, Funk offers a single side shock post in the front as compared to the typical 2 post fork design. The next part in the already mentioned rear suspension system, along with a severe reduction in the number of gears needed. A typical setup will have 3 gears in the front and 6 to 9 in thew back, however, the La Ruta only has one front gear, while keeping many of the rear gears. There is also utilization of hydraulic brake systems, and lots of carbon and carbon fiber being used in places to replace many previously heavier components of the bike. The final major weight reduction component is the employment of an entirely titanium frame. This ensures major durability combined with a super lightweight bike.
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