2025 MADE Show tech gallery part 3: Custom full-suspension bikes are having a moment

Want a high-performance full-suspension rig from a small builder? There are a lot more options than there used to be.

Certain types of bikes lend themselves more to custom than others. For example, while there are countless bespoke examples in the road, gravel, hardtail, commuter, and similar genres, it’s much rarer to find custom full-suspension mountain bikes.

Why is that, you might wonder?

Full-suspension introduces layers of complexity, not only in terms of adding various pivots, but also figuring out where those pivots should go and making all of those small parts. It’s not unheard of for a builder to tackle the problem on their own – as demonstrated here by Black Cat Bicycles and Significant Other, as well as the Sage prototype I showcased in the previous gallery – but it’s typically a big project, and with a big price tag to match.

Builders can instead use an off-the-shelf rear-end assembly with all of that stuff already ironed out, and then all they have to worry about is the front end, the interface between the two, and the finish work. Years ago that role was often filled by Ventana, whose faux-bar aluminum rear end found its way on to all sorts of custom builds. And even earlier than that, AMP Research offered a similarly convenient solution.

This year’s MADE show highlighted the rise of a newer option: the multi-link 3VO design from Chris Currie of Ministry Cycles. Ministry offers a complete CNC-machined version that’s basically ready to go, which is how Stinner Frameworks decided to use it for its prototype. But another option is to use Ministry’s aluminum links (and pre-defined pivot points) and then build around that, as showcased by Firefly and Josh Ogle.

“Ride quality seems to be main reason builders are adopting the 3VO suspension,” system inventor Chris Currie told me. "I've gathered a lot of feedback from riders who've tried a sample and can't believe how well it pedals while still soaking everything up. Production remains a challenge so I've started a simple licensing plan. A lot of thought has gone into optimizing the pivot locations for production, and both seem to be factors as well, but I think the decision really comes down to the ride.”

Either way, we’re in interesting and exciting times. If you were once in the market for a full-suspension mountain bike but were disappointed in the dearth of custom options, now might be a good time for a reboot.

Again, this gallery will look a lot better in a desktop browser than your email app as the images will be way bigger and in higher resolution. Just click here to head over, or here to pull up all of my ongoing coverage from the 2025 MADE show.

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I’m not even sure I can fully put into words how utterly bonkers Josh Ogle’s second-generation full-suspension titanium mountain bike is. “It’s partially an homage to the first frame that I built 30 years ago, but with modern tools and technology,” he told me. “That was a lugged Henry James [steel] front triangle with an AMP Research rear end, and it was absolute fucking trash. But you know, it worked, and it was amazing. The first ride on it is still one of my most cherished memories.”

Like the first iteration of this frame, Ogle made liberal use of 3D-printing, featuring the technology at the head tube, bottom bracket area, seat cluster, dropouts, and swingarm yokes. Conventional tubing is TIG-welded in between. “A big part of the bike is to sell my design skills,” Ogle said. “I wanted to show as many different things as I could on the frame. The printing design isn’t just for cosmetics. The seat collar has variable wall thicknesses and a printed flexure inside the frame that you can’t see, but makes the whole thing work.”

Ogle incorporated a bunch of graffiti graphics into the printed frame components. “I feel like everybody that prints stuff takes themselves very seriously, but I wanted something fun. What could be more ridiculous than an extremely high-end titanium frame with printed graffiti?”

“Ride faster,” eh? Easier said than done, sir.

The seatpost binder is elegantly hidden away inside the printed seat cluster.

Ogle used the 3VO suspension design and links, but with his own titanium rear end. “The front half of this bike was inspired by a piece of plumbing I saw from the 1800s, and the back end is a subtle homage to an Yeti looptail.”

While there was obviously a lot of work required at the front end, you could argue that it was easier to manufacture this section with 3D-printing than a more conventional method.

Ogle was already an incredibly talented machinist, so it’s no surprise to see he made all of the titanium hardware himself. Kudos for how he gave so much credit to Ministry for the suspension design, too.

Is this the prettiest UDH-compatible dropout you’ve ever seen? Maybe.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Rivnuts have always felt like a bit of a shortcut to me on a titanium frame, so I was happy to see welded bosses here.

This is some seriously oversized tubing for a rear triangle.

You weren’t expecting to see off-the-shelf bits here, were you?

The machined titanium stem is a work of art in and of itself. Ogle thankfully doesn’t make it in the length that I ride or else my wallet would very likely be much, much thinner.

Hose ports are integrated into the print, too.

Ogle relocated a few years ago from the Los Angeles, California area to Durango, Colorado, and he’s clearly pretty happy with where he’s landed.

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Ogle has long worked behind the scenes for Firefly, who regularly taps into his design and engineering expertise. There are a lot of similarities between Firefly’s prototype 150/160 mm full-suspension titanium mountain bike frame and Ogle’s, but also some key differences, too. Some of the changes help to bring the costs down to a somewhat more palatable level, but others help to incorporate more of Firefly’s existing design ethos.

For example, whereas Ogle uses a 3D-printed head tube with stubs for welding the top tube and seat tube, the Firefly setup is a bit more conventional.

The UDH-compatible dropout are the same as Ogle’s, but the Firefly frame uses off-the-shelf hardware instead of the custom titanium bits.

Watch your fingers!

The titanium pivot hardware is still custom, but without the extra embellishment.

There’s still a chunk of 3D-printing here, but here it’s used in place of a conventionally bent and mitered tube to create an assembly that’s probably not only stronger (given the more complex shaping), but also potentially easier to manufacture.

Given Ministry’s push for licensing agreements, I’d expect to see more bikes with this rear end design in the near future.

The print file can be easily updated with different logos.

Tire clearance looks a bit tight, but these are true 29x2.6” treads and it’d be relatively easy to modify the print file.

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One of the most stunning bikes at MADE (full-suspension or otherwise) was this mixed-material steel-and-titanium mountain bike made by Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes in Denver, Colorado.

The oversized titanium front end offers a neat visual contrast with the smaller-diameter steel rear. The TRP mechanical drivetrain is a refreshing alternative from the big brands, too.

I’m loving both the anodized graphics and the fully external cable routing here.

The steel stays play a functional role, too. They flex just enough to accommodate the changes in geometry required as the rear end moves through its travel.

The CNC-machined rear brake mount is secured only to the chainstay, leaving the seatstay to flex as needed.

3D-printing (in both steel and titanium) was used for a variety of frame components, such as this swingarm yoke.

There’s more printing to be found at the bottom bracket shell, but not exactly in the way you’d think. If you look closely, you’ll see that only the seat tube and down tube stubs are printed (along with the swingarm pivot housing and shock mounting plate anchors); the actual bottom bracket shell is a cylindrical bit that’s welded on.

King demonstrated a whole bunch of techniques on this bike, such as with these titanium plates that were laser-cut from flat stock and then welded together along the seams.

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Black Cat Bicycles builder Todd Ingermanson is best known for his steel drop-bar bikes and hardtails, not full-suspension rigs, which makes this one all the more special. Quite interestingly, this is actually one of two identical frames that he built.

Ingermanson made a shorter-travel full-suspension bike for himself several years ago, but that was more for XC use and featured a single-pivot design with a linkage-driven rear shock. This one’s more versatile with a 120/140 mm setup and more complex kinematics. “This guy reached out and he was like, ‘Hey, I want [a full-suspension frame] from you, but can you do a dw-link?’ We agreed upon a price and I built one for him, but there was so much labor involved that I decided it would be dumb for me to build just one.”

Ingermanson used a dual-link suspension design here with kinematics designed by Evan Turpan of Contra Bikes. The execution is very Black Cat-esque, though, with all the intricate steel trusswork. “You really need to have that dropped chainstay for the chain path with 140 mm of travel,” Ingermanson explained to me. “I thought the truss was an interesting and cool way to do it, and lighter and stiffer than huge plates.”

The reinforcement plate for the rear triangle upright looks elegant.

All of the pivots rotate on Igus composite bushings instead of the more typical cartridge bearings. “They’re so much lighter, and since there’s so little rotation, [cartridge] bearings are total overkill.”

Ingermanson said this truss-style link just about ended him. “That was so rough. It was the hardest part of the entire frame for sure.”

It wouldn’t be a Black Cat without one of Ingermanson’s signature stems, right?

If you’re thinking to yourself that this sort of construction looks time-consuming, you’d absolutely be right. Ingermanson doesn’t really want to build more, but he actually already has a few orders confirmed. The asking price? A hefty US$12,000 or so – and that’s just for the frame. If that seems insane, it’s a relative bargain compared to the US$17,000 you’d have to save up for one of Josh Ogle’s titanium frames. Yowza.

Fully external routing! I love you, Todd.

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Stinner Frameworks is also getting into the custom full-suspension game with the new Romero. This one’s just a prototype that company founder Aaron Stinner built for himself– and yes, he’s very tall. It’s also a pretty big bike travel-wise with 150 mm out back and 160 mm up front, though production bikes will probably land more around the 130/140 mm range.

Stinner built the Romero with a TIG-welded steel front triangle, and the down tube is so long that it had to be welded in sections since he couldn’t source a single tube that was long enough. Production bikes will likely use two sections instead of three, as well as a larger-radius bend.

Might Stinner build a version of this bike with a titanium front end? Stinner hasn’t made any final decisions here so I wouldn’t rule it out.

Ministry Cycles’ full CNC-machined aluminum rear end is featured on the prototype, but Stinner has some rather aggressive price points in mind so some sort of tubular construction is far more likely for production.

Stinner uses fully external routing on several of its bikes, but let’s see if this changes in production.

Stinner plans to trial a few different chainstay lengths to see what works best. Testing will be facilitated by the bolt-on design.

There was very clearly a lot of fabrication work involved with manufacturing this portion of the front triangle.

I’m very much looking forward to this one getting across the finish line.