TESTED

CHROMAG
APERTURE
HARDTAIL

WORDS Mike Kazimer

The Chromag Aperture is the Whistler based company’s midweight hardtail designed for all-day adventures over challenging terrain. Available as a frame only, the Aperture can be built up as light or burly as the rider wants. Our test bike was outfitted with a durable mixture of all-mountain components and weighed in at 28 pounds. With modern geometry that is based around a five or a six inch travel fork, and stainless steel ISCG 05 tabs for running a chain guide or Hammerschmidt crankset, the Aperture is a big step forward from the classic steel hardtail of years gone by. Chromag’s lineup of steel hardtail frames consists of six models, with the Aperture, Stylus and Monk being hand made in Taiwan, while the Samurai, Sakura and Kamui are handmade in Chromag’s British Columbia factory. Chromag sells the Aperture as a frame only for $730 USD.


Chromag Aperture details:

• Intended use: all-mountain/trail/mixed terrain
• Custom steel tube set
• ''Midweight'' construction
• Stainless steel ISCG 05 tabs
• Chromag CNC'd machined dropouts
• Cable guides for Hammerschmidt routing
• Handbuilt in Taiwan
• Standard 1 1/8th head tube
• Available in four sizes
• Frame weight: 5.65lbs
• MSRP $730 USD



The Aperture has a standard 1 1/8'' head tube - no tapered steerers or angle adjusting headsets on this ride. The head tube angle sits at a relatively forgiving 68° with a 125mm fork, and changing the angle is only possible the old fashioned way, by changing the fork travel. I set up the Aperture with a 150mm travel 2012 RockShox Revelation that is adjustable down to 120mm to preserve the bike's stock handling. Seat post size on the Aperture is 27.2mm, a very common size when dealing with steel tubed frames. Although, with telescoping seatposts’ popularity skyrocketing, this size is becoming less common - nearly all dropper posts come in 30.9 or 31.6 sizes. However, there are a couple of companies who do make smaller diameter adjustable seatposts, so this shouldn’t be a deterring factor for those seeking on-the-fly seatpost height adjustment. The frame's finish is excellent, with the welds very clean looking and a paint job that is designed to last.


Climbing
With a short stem and a 150mm fork (albeit adjustable down to 120mm) there were concerns about the possibility of “chopper flop,” the symptom which occurs when the fork on a bike feels too raked out and wants to flop from side to side at slow speeds or when pointed up an incline. This turned out to never be an issue - the bike was designed around a longer travel fork, and the front end on the Aperture felt stable, even on steep, twisty climbs. The RockShox Revelation has a dual position feature which allows travel to be reduced to 120 mm, but we actually found that we preferred the more upright position offered in the 150mm setting. Running the fork at 120mm dropped the front end and caused our weight to shift too far forward. Surprisingly, we simply didn’t feel as balanced while climbing as when travel was set to the lower 120mm height.


The seated climbing position was comfortable - upright enough to avoid overloading the wrists and hands, while at the same time maintaining proper weight distribution. It did take a few rides to find the best body position for standing on steep pitches. When standing, the Aperture’s short chainstays make it necessary to focus on keeping weight over the rear wheel in order to avoid losing traction. At first, particularly on loose uphills, the rear wheel would occasionally spin out when we stood up to climb. We eventually found the sweet spot, and the number of uphill spinouts decreased. On rolling terrain the Aperture was grin inducing. It begs to be pumped into compressions, and then sprinted up hills. After spending so many hours pedalling full suspension bikes, it’s refreshing to stand up without feeling the bobbing and sagging inherent in many full suspension designs.


Descending
The Aperture comes to life when the terrain starts to point down. With its relatively slack head angle, short chainstays and 12.25'' bottom bracket height, the Aperture knows how to get down. Even on high speed, wide open sections, terrain where a hardtail would be expected to flounder, the bike held its own in a confidence inspiring manner. Credit is due, in part, to the chromoly tubing used for the frame. This tubing provided a noticeably more compliant ride while maintaining excellent lateral stiffness. It wasn’t that it felt like a full suspension bike - it doesn’t - but that we didn’t have to think about it at all. It did its job without complaint, allowing the focus to be on the riding and not on the bike.


Slower speed, tight, technical trails were the ideal terrain for the Aperture. It responded quickly to rider input, an important characteristic when slime covered roots lurk only a few inches on either side of the trail. It was also easy to maintain forward momentum - pumping the bike into compressions kept the bike rolling forward without losing speed. Some of our most memorable moments on the Aperture occurred on trails with steep downhills into short uphills. Pushing the bike into the g-out at the bottom of a hill and then sprinting up the other side was a reminder of how fun mountain biking can be. The feeling of effortlessly carrying speed uphill made us laugh out loud. The Aperture proved itself to be a capable jumper as well. The slack head angle and short chain stays made taking off easy, with none of the twitchiness encountered on more cross-country oriented hardtails. Once airborne, the bike remained easy to control - a little body language and it would line up perfectly to meet the landing. The lack of rear suspension made it easy to pop over root sections or double up natural rollers, but care needs to be taken because the bike will certainly punish mistakes more so than a full suspension rig would.


Pinkbike's take:
www.chromagbikes.com

All photos by Brad Walton

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