Elegant precision
Darco Ti
We’ve been making bikes for almost 20 years, and all of this knowledge and expertise has trickled down into creating The Darco. As you might have expected, this bike draws strongly on our steel hardtail roots.
The Darco rolls on 29” wheels and has 150mm of travel up front paired with a stout 120mm in the rear, a hardtailers full-suser if you will. Our geometry philosophy has carried right over onto this bike, pairing slack head tube angles (64°) and steep seat tube angles (78°), with ample room up front (490mm reach on M/L). Perfect for the type of terrain we have in the Sea to Sky, steep climbs and steeper descents.
Given what we know is achievable on a hardtail, it seemed appropriate to spec this bike with a reservoir shock. A shock intended for more aggressive riding and much less likely to be overwhelmed when in the thick of it.
This bike has been a labour of love for us, and a project with such scope deserves a name near and dear to our hearts. Our dear friend and Chromag mechanic D’Arcy Burke passed away after a courageous battle with cancer in 2020. We affectionately referred to him as “The Dark One”. The Darco is a tip of the hat to our friend.
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The Darco Ti
MATERIAL SELECTION
The Darco Ti takes all the lessons learned in creating the Darco and adds the boutique and class of titanium. The mechanical properties of titanium allow us to reduce the weight of the frame whilst maintaining the fantastic ride quality and compliance. Titanium is a beautiful material that is incredibly tactile and the raw finish highlights its natural beauty.
We opted for 6066 aluminum chainstays, primarily for weight saving and stiffness, but the chainstay also houses bearings which is more difficult to do in steel. Building the chainstay out of aluminum helps strike the right balance of compliance and rigidity. The largest weight gains/unit cost are made in the front triangle tubing, which is why we opted for steel and aluminum rear end.
The rocker is made from forged aluminum due to its strength/weight ratio and ability to be machined.
We’ve pored over the design of this bike.
key features
Your bike is special. The head tube badge is the finishing touch so we’ve always made a point of taking the time to do something interesting with it. Our head tube badges have changed over the years and are an indication of the time each bike was made.
Whether it’s a cast bronze, or polished stainless steel, water cut aluminum or a 3D CNC carving, each one represents our commitment to detail.
Like all our products, the Darco Ti was designed with durability and serviceability in mind. The main pivot uses an expanding collet axle system, designed to avoid over-preload and over-constraint of bearings. This results in a main pivot that spins smoother, for longer.
All pivots spin on Enduro MAX bearings that are well-sealed, long-lasting, and commonly available through most local bike shops or as kits on our website. The pivot hardware is machined from high-strength 7075 aluminum, and the custom-drawn tubing is made from the same 4130 chromoly steel you’ve come to know on our hardtails.
Simple and intuitive.
With no hidden hardware, sliders, or concentric multi-link pivots, every pivot can be accessed, bolt-checked, and worked on without taking the whole bike apart.
Frames are assembled with plenty of grease, and each one is checked over by one of our mechanics before leaving Chromag HQ.
The UDH is designed to optimize shift performance across all bikes as well as create a sensible solution for replacing damaged hangers. The UDH has been widely adopted throughout the cycling industry with hundreds of models already featuring it.
Suspension designed, tuned and honed in the Sea to Sky.
suspension kinematics
We chose to use a 4-bar suspension layout for the Darco, with a main pivot located just above the bottom bracket, a seattube-mounted rocker link, and a vertically oriented, trunnion-mounted shock. We found this layout to strike a good balance of tuneability, ride quality, and elegant simplicity. A 4-bar layout offered enough tuning parameters for us to design the suspension characteristics the way we wanted them, simultaneously achieving our targets for leverage ratio, progression, anti-squat, and anti-rise.
At the same time, it keeps things simple and intuitive. With no hidden hardware, sliders, or concentric multi-link pivots, every pivot can be accessed, bolt-checked, and worked on without taking the whole bike apart.
Anti-squat is approximately 110% at sag height. This will give a supportive platform but still allow some suspension activity aiding traction.
The amount of anti-squat is fairly consistent over the full travel, as such it will pedal in a similar way throughout the stroke.
We designed the leverage curve to be both consistent, and progressive which equates to a predictable ride both in terms of travel used and suspension damping.
There is 29% progression over the full travel of the Darco which strikes a great balance of usable suspension travel, small bump compliance, mid support and bottom out resistance.
The anti-rise is consistent throughout the travel, with only a 6% variation across the travel range. This means that the bike will behave as consistently as possible on the brakes regardless of the size and speed of the impact.
The percentage value will mean the bike is on the more active side of supported.
Aggressive and rewarding.
geometry
Our geometry philosophy has carried right over onto this bike, pairing slack head tube angles (64°) and steep seat tube angles (78°), with ample room up front (490mm reach on M/L). Perfect for the type of terrain we have in the Sea to Sky, steep climbs and steeper descents.
The Darco rewards accuracy and precision, yet delivers much more punch than the 120mm rear end would suggest.
| Frame Size | STypical Rider Height: 155cm - 165cm | MTypical Rider Height: 163cm - 174cm | M/LTypical Rider Height: 172cm - 183cm | LTypical Rider Height: 181cm - 192cm | XLTypical Rider Height: 190cm - 200cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 617 | 617 | 622 | 631 | 640 | |
| 450 | 472 | 490 | 514 | 530 | |
| 581 | 603 | 622 | 648 | 666 | |
| 100 | 100 | 105 | 115 | 125 | |
| 1214 | 1236 | 1256 | 1284 | 1305 | |
| 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | |
| 335 | 335 | 335 | 335 | 335 | |
| 677 | 707 | 736 | 765 | 795 | |
| 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 | |
| 350 | 380 | 410 | 440 | 470 | |
| 193 | 224 | 254 | 284 | 315 | |
| 64° | |||||
| 78° | |||||
| 29.0'' | |||||
* Max. post insertion based on Rockshox Reverb
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATE GUIDE, SOME PEOPLE HAVE LONGER LEGS THAN OTHERS!
Sizing
If you're between sizes, it's a good idea to try to ride them both, either by hopping on a demo or stealing from a close friend. If that isn't an option, examine reach, stack and ETT numbers on your current bike and compare. If in any doubt, please get in touch and we'd be happy to chat about it with you.
You could also check out the review section, to see how this bike fits other people.
Feast your eyes.
gallery
Builds & Specs
• Fork // Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate 150mm
• Shock // Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate Air
• Stem// Chromag HiFi 40mm
• Handlebar // Chromag Cutlass 25mm Rise, 800mm
• Headset // Cane Creek Forty ZS
• Crank // SRAM X0 170mm
• Brakes // SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth
• Rotors // SRAM HS2 200mm
• Shifter // SRAM AXS Pod Controller
• Cassette // SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission
• Derailleur // SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission
• Rims // Chromag 29" Phase30
• Hubs // Chromag R4
• Tires // Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR
• Seatpost // RockShox Reverb AXS
(150mm - S, M) (175mm - M/L, L, XL)
• Saddle // Chromag Trailmaster LTD
• Grips // Chromag Format
• Chain // SRAM X01 Eagle
Build options are subject to availability and liable to change without notice.
• Wheel Size // 29"
• Rear Travel // 120mm
• Recommended Fork
• Travel // 150mm (±10mm)
• Material // 3AL 2.5V Titanium / 4130 Chromoly Steel / 6066 Aluminum
• Weight (M/L) // Frame: 9.34lbs // Complete: 33.3lbs
• Hub Spacing // Boost 148mm
• Headset // 44-56 Semi Integrated
• Seat Clamp Size // 35mm
• Seat // 31.6mm
• BB // 73mm Threaded
• Hanger // SRAM UDH
• Shock Size // 165 X 45mm Trunnion
• Lower Shock Size // 20 x 8mm
• Brake Mount // 180mm Post
• Frame Origin // Taiwan
Questions?
Buying a bike is a big deal.
Don't hesitate to reach out with any and all questions!
Worldwide shipping
We ship bikes anywhere in the world with competitive rates from UPS and FedEx. Alternatively you can pickup right here at Chromag HQ.
Service Guide
Need more info on suspension setup, service and spare parts?
Warranty
All of our bikes are backed by a 1 year warranty.
After that we still have your back with our crash replacement program.
FAQ's
It would be possible (as it technically is with all 29” bikes) however it would drastically change the geometry and behaviour of the bike. The bottom
bracket would be low enough to be annoying for pedal strikes, and the head angle and seat tube angle would be slacker. This would make the
bike less nimble and more of a plow, which is quite far removed from how we designed it.
In general, expect that most coil shocks will not fit the Darco. The kinematic was designed around an air shock, and a coil shock does not suit this
bike’s attitude very well given the small amount of rear travel.
This means fitting a shock that has a longer eye to eye or stroke to get more travel out of a frame. This is not possible on the Darco – there would be
clearance issues in several areas at bottom-out. It would also adversely affect the kinematics and geo.
The Darco will fit most tires up to 2.5” wide. Note that most tires do not measure exactly as stated by the manufacturer, and tires from one
manufacturer vary greatly to the next.
There are no ISCG mounts on the Darco. The bike was designed without a chain guide option, to leave more room for the main pivot and thus more
bearing stability.
A collet axle means there is no pull up to remove any free space in the main pivot bolted joint. This eliminates binding as it goes through its travel, improving suspension performance.
All bearings are surrounded, where possible, by large flat surfaces making removal and refitting far easier. There is access to the outer race of all bearings so if a bearing inner race comes out leaving the outer behind it is still possible to remove the outer with simple tools. See exploded diagrams in the tech pack for more info.
If you’re not comfortable removing/installing your own bearings, we strongly recommend bringing your bike to a local bike shop. It’s possible to damage your bike beyond repair if you improperly remove/install your bearings. Such damage would not be covered under our warranty policy.
The Darco can accommodate a change in fork travel of up to +/- 10mm. Using a 160mm fork will slacken the headtube and seattube angles by
about 0.5° and raise the BB. A 140mm fork will do the opposite. Keeping it simple, a longer fork will make the bike more stable at speed, and a
shorter one will make it more responsive. That being said, we designed the bike around a 150mm fork as we think it is well-suited to the character of
the bike, striking a good balance of agility and stability.
The Darco uses a boost rear end (148mm). As such, the chain line should reflect this, typically 51-54mm or a 3mm offset on the chain ring if running
SRAM.
With a 52mm chainline (SRAM boost standard), the Darco can fit up to a 34-tooth chainring.
For context, most of us here are running a 30t, with a 10/52 cassette.
Download the tech pack here for all the juicy details.
Not much! You can read in depth about it here, but in short:
• Inflate tires to desired pressure. (Sealant is already installed)
• Install brake rotors, tightening bolts to 6.2Nm.
• Attach derailleur to frame, tightening to 9Nm making sure that the B-tension tab rests properly against the derailleur hanger stop.
• Grease headset bearings, install fork and handlebar, positioning the headset spacers above or below the stem according to rider fit.
• Align handlebar stem, preload headset and tighten stem pinch bolts to 8Nm.
• Install wheels, tighten axles.
• Install chain with quick link.
• Grease pedal threads and install pedals using pedal washers supplied.
• Adjust brakes, shifters, saddle position and height for personal preference.
• Set up suspension.
• Bed-in brakes. (Roll down a gentle gradient dragging one brake at a time. Avoid locking them up.)
• Go ride!
Note: If you had to Google "Nm", or you don't know which way to install your rotors, you should probably get a qualified mechanic to build your bike!
• Chain length adjusted.
• Gears adjusted.
• Brakes set up and bled.
• Handlebar tightened to 6Nm.
• Grips tight on handlebar.
• Crankset tight, bottom bracket tight/adjusted.
• Saddle and seatpost tight.
• Seatpost greased *make sure to re-grease every 6 months!
• Tire sealant installed.
• Cassette tight.
It’s a good question because this simply isn’t a common offering in the bike market. Most bikes in the 120mm travel class are aimed at light duty XC riding and assumes the rider wants a bike that resembles an XC race machine for buffed singletrack and skinny tires.
At Chromag, we’ve spent a lot of time discovering how to design hardtails to handle rough, steep terrain, and when we designed the Darco, it needed to be just as capable.
But why not more travel? The answer follows the philosophy of our love for hardtails. Feeling the trail is rewarding, and when a bike has pop, accelerates quickly, and comes off the ground quickly, there are moments of ninja magic to be had.
Trunion shocks could be susceptible to situations where frame alignment isn’t good, or there is undue lateral flex between the points where the shock is connected to the frame.
These situations don’t exist in our frames. We manufacture our frames to a high tolerance and ensure that alignment and precision exists at all assembly points including shock mounting.
Customer Reviews
Coming off a 170mm bike (Transition Spire) I was a little skeptical if I'm honest, but I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. After a few setup tweaks (to be expected) this bike is running MINT.
Here's my thoughts so far:
• It's definitely not limited by the rear amount of travel, if anything you could get away with a 160mm fork, but to be honest that new Lyrik is so buttery I think I'm going to stick with the 150mm.
• It's deathly quiet which is so rad. Gives me those giddy vibes you get when riding pow.
• It's not super light, mine's about 34lbs which isn't heavy either, but don't expect a featherweight bike.
• I wasn't expecting a whippet on the climbs, but it's a whippet on the descents. Agile/nimble whatever you want to call it, it responds quickly to your input!
• The front end is pretty low (at least from what I'm used to). Threw a FU40 on it and the bike came alive.
Overall, the bike is sick and I'm getting used to it quicker than I'd expect coming off 170mm. Only reason it's 4/5 (would be 4.5 if that was an option) is that Ti is quite expensive and to be honest not as light as a carbon bike at similar cost...but it's about a thousand times cooler.
I should have said something about sizing. I'm dead on 6ft and the M/L fits perfectly.
In a word AWESOME.!
I purchased a medium sized frame and proceeded to build. Collected together a bunch of top shelf parts .
The quality of the frame construction is top shelf, those welders know what's going on. I had zero issues with installing HOPE headset and bottom bracket. Hung an AXS derailleur alignment was perfect with derailleur setup. The external housing routing for the rear brake is appreciated .!
It's interesting how CHROMAG has brought together 3 metals titanium, steel and aluminum. It all comes together flawlessly.
I chose a Rockshox Pike Ultimate 150mm to match up to the 120mm rear travel, gives the bike a balanced feel, with enough squish to get ya out of trouble. The rear shock might seem like overkill at first look , not at all. It gives you all the adjustment you might want or need..
In conclusion the ride goes well beyond any hardtail CHROMAG has built, I also have a Surface ti.
Thnx CHROMAG for building such a FUN bike.
Easiest bike to bunny hop from slow roll or track stand I've ever been on! I'm little and I've struggled with a good hop without a kicker. I think your Darco is going to teach me to ride! And it felt nothing like a hardtail as one reviewer, maybe pink bike? Said. Love it! And it's pretty!
Melanie
I Really don’t have any feedback but how awesome it is. I just need to get use to the long wheel base otherwise it is a shredder. Note: first time on a fully in a long time. So also getting use to of the full squish. Oh one more thing, definitely is not a light bike but is not made to be lite so I totally understand also is so stable going downhill. Thanks again for making great bikes
