Pushing hard highlighted the hench frame vibe
the 440mm chainstays (S and M get 435mm chainstays) deliver power very effectively to the rear wheel too.
Subsequent testing on my local singletrack and the brutal slap rocks and trials-like sections of Stainburn forest underlined the steering and stomp stiffness. In fact, I was able to load up the rear wheel so extremely that I actually snapped a carbon rim in half rearranging a corner for the camera. Pushing ‘enduro hard’ not only highlighted the hench frame vibe, but it also proved that the Truffle is as good at rooting control out of high speed tech and flowing trails as its geometry suggests. Its taut feel means it loves to pop and tap off any fun feature you spot too, and even testers used to 170mm travel Megatowers, synced with it and started grinning immediately. It’s still handy enough to pick its way through walking speed trails and climb cruxes too, although the length for a 120mm bike means it inevitably needs more wide line management than a shorter, steeper layout.
The Rockshox SID Ultimate fork was as impressive as always, but the Cane Creek DB Inline shock needs a bit more time spent on its external high and low-speed compression and rebound adjusters to find a sweet spot. That’s mainly because the flex-stay swingarm and pivot position are engineered to be tautly efficient rather than easy flowing. That can make the rear wheel more likely to catch and stall compared to a more neutral kinematic like that of the Scott Spark or a more flexible overall frame like Santa Cruz’s Blur. However, both those bikes rely on a remote for a taut kick, and I never felt the need to reach for the climb switch on the Carbon Wasp, even on smooth fire road sprints. So old school racers are going to love it. Switching to a bearing-mounted trunnion version of Cane Creek’s DB Inline shock will likely increase sensitivity on production bikes, which should be freshly baked by the time you read this.
Sure, the prototype I rode definitely had some rough edges to smooth out in terms of detail and frame finish, but because each frame is made to order, there are several advantages. Not least being able to have ‘any finish you want as long as you can point to a car in that colour’. Carbon Wasp’s ‘Swearbox’ internal cable routing is standard issue, and pain- free with no cussing, but you can also specify a wireless version with just rear brake routing. The internal storage trap door on the down tube is also optional. You can also specify an oversize upper headset bearing so you can use an Angleset or even an internal cable routing headset top cap. Possibly the biggest advantage of the personalised hands-on process, is that production moulds will be finished by the time you read this, so you should be able to get a frame within a couple of weeks. Definitely not the case with a lot of short travel race/trail bikes right now.
For me, being handmade in Yorkshire is definitely a big part of the appeal of the Carbon Wasp Truffle. What’s most important though, is that the Leeds lads have built a bike that’s so sorted it can go shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world. Particularly if you’re after a distinctively stiff, precise, hard driving, aggressive geometry bike for blasting up, down and along tech trails as fast as possible.