Tested: 2008 Tomac Snyper 140

Chris Lesser

Price: $4,700 (AS SHOWN)

Beyond the considerable attention I received while rolling around on one of the first new Tomacs to be released in three years, most of the buzz surrounding the new Snyper was focused on the conglomeration of bent, welded and machined aluminum at the main pivot. “Whoa...” and “what the...?” were two common refrains, with inquiring fingers invariably pointing toward the contorted pivot at the heart of the bike.

According to Joel Smith, co-owner of the now twice-resurrected Tomac brand, the complex-looking frame design boils down to the crucial placement of the main pivot. As an all-mountain bike, the Snyper needed to climb efficiently, suck up bumps, minimize brake jack and eliminate pedal-induced bob—a tall order for a single-pivot bike. Tomac engineers and chief test rider “Johnny T” worked on the design, tweaking the all-important main pivot location up and down and fore and aft through several iterations. Their goal: to optimize shock actuation while minimizing pedal feedback and brake jack.

Beyond pivot placement, design goals for the Snyper included the holy trinity of stiffness, durability and lightweight. The result is a bike with an “optimized” pivot placement, stout frame pieces to house bearings, discreet carbon seatstays and gussets up the wazoo.

There are some nice details tucked out of sight as well, including aluminum shafts instead of spindly steel shock bolts, six Japanese made sealed pivot bearings that cost seven times more than standard cartridge bearings, and near-hermetic covers to protect those fancy bearings.

So, that’s the backstory. How did it play out on the trail? For starters, that conglomeration at the main pivot, while a bit unsightly, gives the bike a low center of gravity that inspires confidence through technical descents. Steering comes quick courtesy of a 69-degree headtube angle (on an XL test bike), and a 45.3-inch wheelbase makes for a stable ride at speed.

As a $1,700 frame kit, it’s a solid value, and 6.8 pounds for frame and shock is respectable, if not record breaking. On the trail the Snyper strikes a great balance—it’s burly enough to drop off ledges and point through rock gardens without a worry, but at a little over 28 pounds soaking wet (albeit with a custom XTR/Mavic/Fox build kit), it didn’t slow me down on the climbs.

I found myself letting the compression setting on the Fox RP23 shock run open everywhere but on the road, and after slogging through sodden New England singletrack and spinning up sandy SoCal fire roads, I have no complaints about pedaling performance.

You’ve got a lot of valid choices when it comes to picking out a trail bike. Add the Snyper to the list.

HIGHS: Beefy, yet nimble for a 5.5-inch-travel bike; durable design; seatpost goes all the way down

LOWS: Full-length cable housing; finicky seatpost QR; John Tomac is still way faster than me

MORE INFO: 401-261-3988; TOMAC.COM

Reader Comments

Posted Fri Nov27, 2009, 10:55 PM — By Greg

Full length cable housing rocks my world, I can't understand why anyone would think it is a negative! You must not ride in mud.

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