UK-based Carbon Wasp revamped their 120mm Truffle mountain bike, reshaping the XC 29er into a more capable light trail bike from their Leeds, England workshop. Already a do-it-all short travel bike with progressive geometry, this updated Truffle gets a few key tweaks and modern tech updates, including a new option for the buyer to pick geo to suit their riding. Plus, Carbon Wasp now gives the Truffle a cool new wrap finish (no paint) that lets you pick your favorite color and highlights the full UK-carbon frame construction…
2024 Carbon Wasp Truffle UK-made carbon XC mountain bike
Carbon Wasp has overhauled their signature 120mm Truffle trail bike, designed to blend XC-like light weight and speed with the strength and stiffness for a more all-mountain style of riding. They describe it as a bike with “120mm of plush and progressive rear travel, combined with a strong and stiff carbon frame [to] get you efficiently to the top of the trails so you can get rowdy on the way back down… light and predictable for climbing, agile for singletrack and robust for technical descents… It’s not designed for bike park laps, but it could handle that if you ever needed it to.“
What’s new?
The 120mm Truffle was already quite modern for an XC to light trail bike when we caught up with it two years ago. With its 65.5° headtube, 76° seat angle, and long frame Reaches. Now it gets new shaping and a new carbon layup
For the most part, geometry on Truffle isn’t all that different, besides a bit lower frame Stack heights that suggest maybe a slightly shorter headtube. Or shorter forks overall, although they seem to still be using the same 120mm SID as the benchmark. So go longer and get slacker, up 140mm up front.
There are still 4 standard frame sizes (S-XL) but to give riders more control over how stable or snappy the bike feels, Carbon Wasp lets you pick from one of six chainstay lengths. It isn’t adjustable, but there are 6 different rear triangles to choose from, varying from 435-460mm in chainstay length in 5mm increments. Carbon Wasp suggests three typical options per size for ideal handling, but buyers can pick whichever they prefer if they want to go wild.
Out back there are two more big updates. First, a revised dropout design brings UDH compatibility for SRAM T-type derailleurs, but it seems mechanical shifting is still possible for those who want it.
Then, there’s now 29 x 2.6″ tire clearance in the reshaped rear triangle. Because sure 2.4″ of the previous generation was great for the latest XC tires, but when you go big and ride your light trail bike in deep UK muck, more tire clearance is always a good thing.
“The kinematics of the Truffle-120 are designed to provide 120mm of plush and progressive rear travel. Shock progression is 38% across the full travel (27% from sag to full compression). Anti-squat is fairly standard for this type of bike (115% at sag in 32-39), making it a stable climber. Again, Carbon Wasp aren’t reinventing the wheel, but doing what works to make a solid bike that achieves the performance characteristics they want.”
Tech details
- 120mm single-pivot, flex-stay suspension with full carbon linkage drive shock
- full carbon mainframe, rear triangle & link made in Leeds using pre-preg carbon sourced in the UK
- fully sealed cartridge bearings for Yorkshire-proof durability in the foulest weather conditions
- internal cable routing with full guide tubes, conventionally routed into the side of the downtube
- internal frame storage, with room for at least 6 pork pies
- Zero Stack tapered headset (56/44mm) can be customized to ZS 56/56 to fit an angle-adjust headset
- BSA threaded bottom bracket
- ISCG tabs
- max 38T chainring (max 36T with the ultra-short 435m rear end)
- Boost 148 spacing
- 30.9mm dropper seatpost, with minimum 250mm insertion
Carbon Wasp Truffle – Pricing, options & availability
Carbon Wasp is small company based in the UK, and finishes off each bike for the buyer, so they still focus on framesets only for the most part. But if you need, they can put together a custom complete bike build as well.
The new Truffle 120 frameset sells for £2950 for the carbon frame in the single color of your choice, a Cane Creek IL DB Air shock, and including and a “5-year repair or replace warranty”. If you already have a shock – or want to source something different – you can pick up a frame-only for £2600.
One of the most interesting new additions to this generation of the Carbon Wasp Truffle, is that the bikes are no longer painted. Instead, they give the new Truffle a single-color wrap that covers and protects wear areas and reveals the frame’s straight-out-of-the-mold carbon fiber weave in between. Wasp yellow is the standard color, but Carbon Wasp includes any other single-color wrap in the base price, too. They can also do almost any other color or patterned design scheme you can think up, for an additional fee.
Surprisingly, delivery time of the handmade-in-Yorkshire carbon mountain bike frame is typically just about 2 weeks. Order yours today.
