Review: Chromag Darco - A Very Big Little Bike

Chromag only has one stock build for the Darco, retailing for $5,857 USD. It comes kitted with a RockShox Lyrik Select+ fork and SuperDeluxe Ultimate shock, SRAM G2 RSC brakes, a 12-speed SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, and Chromag Phase30 aluminum wheels. The build I was sent differed slightly from the stock spec, as the G2 brakes had been swapped out for a set of SRAM Code RSCs, but otherwise the build remained the same.

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Frame Details

Chromag stuck to their tried and true construction method for the Darco, meaning the front and rear triangles are almost entirely made out of nicely-welded 4130 chromoly steel tubing. The only exception is at the chainstay, where they went with 7005 aluminum to enhance the stiffness and make it easier to get the bearing seats dialed. All that metal has a bit of a weight penalty, and the Darco is far from a light bike - despite a decently light build kit, the overall weight on my size large came out to 37.3 pounds (16.9 kg).

The cables are routed externally for almost the entire length of the bike, save for a very frustrating section where they run through the chainstays. Otherwise, the frame is simply arranged and should prove easy to work on, with flat faces surrounding bearings and no fiddly bolts that are hard to access.


Tire fitment is fairly tight out back, with scant clearance for a 2.4" DHR, meaning folks who like fatter rubber will probably have to look elsewhere. This tight clearance is partially driven by the bottom-out clearance on the bike, which is already close with a 2.4 tire - anything beefier would likely contact the seattube on big impacts.

In addition to the typical bottle mount, there's a second location underneath the skinny top tube, allowing for a little accessory purse or pump should you be so inclined. The frame has mastic tape downtube protection, as well as a shuttle guard, which should help keep the Darco rust-free a little while longer. There's a nicely molded rubber chainstay protector, which does a good job of keeping chainslap noise to a minimum.

Geometry & Sizing

Chromag has long been known for pushing the envelope with their hardtail designs, relying on very aggressive geometry to try to match the capabilities of similarly-intended suspended bikes. They applied the same methods to the Darco, resulting in a short-travel bike with some very serious numbers, particularly when it comes to fit.

Worth noting is the recommended sizing for the Darco. I'm 6'3", which puts me at the tallest recommended height for their size Large, and the team at Chromag was certain that it was the size I should be riding. I had some apprehension about that, primarily focused around the reach number; the reach on a large Darco is 514mm, which is beyond many brands' XL numbers. That reach is paired with a 631mm stack height, driven by a distinctly stubby 115mm headtube. The size small's reach is 450mm, and the XL goes all the way up to 530mm.

The angles are 64° for the headtube and 78° for the seattube, in keeping with many longer-travel enduro bikes on the market. Chainstays are a medium-short 435mm across the board, and although they don't state it, the BB drop is around 32mm.


Suspension Design

The Darco's adorable little shock is actuated by a rocker-driven Horst linkage, which is designed to perform in a variety of manners. Chromag went with a kinematic that suits the aggressive nature of the bike, erring on a more active and traction-oriented setup than you'd expect of a 120mm bike. The numbers are all below, but feel-wise it's a far cry from the sporty XCish ride that you might expect.

The starting leverage ratio of 3.25:1 means the bike is eager to break into travel, but the high overall progression (29%) and fairly low sag number (20-30%) are meant to keep you from hitting the bottom of the pool every time you jump in.

Climbing

Your seated position is usually the first impression you get on a bike, and the Darco quickly gets to the point letting you know just how long and low a bike it is. The cockpit feels quite stretched out, but thankfully the seat angle is steep enough to take up some of the slack and keep you in a fairly comfortable position. For how long the reach is, the stack height is fairly low, so folks like myself who like a fairly upright body position will have to raise the cockpit up as high as you can to make up some distance. Once done, the bike is comfortable for a long day of pedaling, especially if you're punching up steep grinding pitches.

On technical and less steep terrain, the balance of the Darco can feel a bit off, until you get used to the fact that you're essentially pivoting around the rear wheel to make turns and pop up ledgy bits of trail. With fairly short chainstays and a very long reach, bikes like this can sometimes feel like you're pushing a shopping cart, but once you're used to the nature of that front wheel distance things feel fairly normal.

The suspension on the Darco definitely biases towards grip over efficiency, but things ramp up quick enough as to keep you from wallowing too much on the climbs. I was impressed by the amount of rear wheel traction the bike has, even under hard efforts out of the saddle. You put down power and the tire transfers it to the dirt, without too many burnout moments. For longer paved climbs, the shock's lockout is quite firm, bringing the Darco back to Chromag's hardtail roots.

I know I'm always talking about how weight doesn't really matter, but I think this bike changed my mind a little. I think the common rule of thumb is that the shorter the travel, the lighter a bike should be, but the Darco weighs more than my SB160, and more than an all-metal Reeb Steezl I'm testing that feels similarly capable. 37 pounds is a lot for a short travel trail bike, and although you could build the bike up with lighter components, you wouldn't want to hamper the descending too much. A carbon wheelset would help things spin up a bit quicker, but that's not a night and day difference.

Descending

The reach-stack balance I mentioned before is equally important here, and the cockpit changes continue to set things in the right direction. Raising your bars doesn't fix everything though, so expect a riding position that is hard over the front, except perhaps on the smallest couple of sizes. That front-heavy weight bias has upsides and downsides, the former of which manifests in solid grip on that front wheel, so long as you're committed.

The downsides are a little more plentiful, as it can be hard to find the right balance point on the Darco. I think the relatively short chainstays (per the long reach) have a lot to do with this, as it can be hard to feel like your weight is in the right place between the front and rear wheel at times, making for a slightly sketchy feeling ride. At times I found myself getting too deep over the front in corners, or too far off the back in repeated deep compressions. The disparity between front and rear travel probably plays a role too, so riding the Darco more like a hardtail can alleviate some of that confusion. That said, a hardtail is eminently predictable in the fact that the rear wheel never moves, where the Darco's back end is obviously a bit more mobile than that.

Luckily the kinematic on the Darco is fairly predictable, even though it moves through travel fairly easily. The high leverage allows the bike to break into travel very easily, providing great grip and a comfortable feel over small chattery terrain. Deeper through the cycle there's enough support for pumping and preloading jumps, without any weird movement or sudden spikes in the platform it provides. The Darco takes the edge off the biggest hits, though I found myself running into the end of travel with some frequency. The shock definitely handles things better with 2 or 3 (the maximum) volume spacers installed, so remember to experiment with that element if you're keen on the Darco life. It's okay to give that bottom-out bumper a workout, but the clunk at full bottom can be a bit disconcerting when you're pushing the bike hard.


The characteristics of the Darco may not be my daily bread and butter, but they do handle certain terrain very well. In Bellingham, I found the most fun when riding the Darco on high speed flow trails, which are plentiful in our area. In those settings, the long reach and slack head angle add a ton of stability, and the short rear end matters a bit less as you're not fighting for traction or balance in the corners, instead just leaning the bike and looking ahead. The predictable nature of the back end feels great on jumps, and the quiet nature of the frame keeps rattle to a minimum.

I spend a lot of time in Squamish aboard the Darco as well, and despite its shortcomings it's definitely a bike you can push. Steep lines and rock rolls are aided by the solid rear-wheel grip, and although the front and rear don't feel terribly balanced together, you're not thinking about that when all you're doing is aiming for a catch pocket at the bottom of a slab.

Overall the ride is certainly unique, and I can appreciate that in a world where many bikes can feel the same. If I were to buy a Darco for myself, I'd certainly go with the next size down, as the M/L is far more in keeping with my typical fit preferences. The team at Chromag, as well as their fit chart, were quite certain the Large was the size for me, but I think the über-long reach isn't the ticket for the type of riding I like to do.

How does it compare?

This is a tricky line to draw, as the Darco is quite unusual in the market. There are plenty of 120mm bikes out there, but very few have the traits - good and bad - that the Chromag brings to the table. Certain aspects of the Rocky Mountain Element are similar, like the rear end grip and progressive geometry, but the Darco takes the latter to the extreme. The reach and seat tube angle of the Element are much more traditional, and better suited to XC-ish riding.

Banshee has a couple bikes in their lineup that match the burly short travel frame setup, but again the geometry is more balanced and neutral. Transition's Spur will probably get mentioned as another capable short travel bike, but that looks like a short track XC bike compared to the Darco's numbers and intentions.

In many ways, the most apt comparisons come in Chromag's own lineup, as their other bikes are some of the only ones in keeping with the radical approach embodied by the Darco. A while back, we spotted a prototype Chromag full-suspension, albeit with a different shock layout and build kit to both the Darco and their longer-travel Lowdown. My understanding now is that proto sat somewhere between the two travel-wise, and was passed over in favor of the suspension design they're now using on the current lineup. That said, I'd be curious how the Darco would do if they upped the travel just a bit, as a first step in giving the bike a bit better balance overall.

Which Model is the Best Value?

Compared to the last section, this is quite easy, as there's only one option for you to choose from. The G2 spec model is overall very well sorted, and I think it does provide good value for what you get. The frame is very high quality, and there's not a part I wouldn't run, save for the namesake brakes themselves. G2's simply lack the power you can get out of something like a Code, so I'd consider that an early upgrade item for most riders.

The frame-and-shock option is an interesting value proposition, as it gives you the latitude to build things up however you please. Unless you're swapping over a whole bike's worth of carryover kit, you're unlikely to match the price of the factory build, but for someone who wants to pick and choose every last part of their bike it might be the move.

Technical Report

I've had the Darco for some time now, and the bike has remained mechanically issue-free for the duration of the test. The trunnion mount shock bolts have crept out a few times, but with some Loctite and a tighten up that seems to have been alleviated. There are typical creaks and groans that accompany lots of dusty summer riding, but nothing extreme or out of the ordinary.

My one real gripe with ownership on the bike is the cable routing, mostly because they got so damn close to getting it right. Brake and derailleur cables are routed externally down the whole bike, until you get to the chainstays, where they inexplicably punch into the frame for a few inches. Sure it looks clean, but the downside is having to cut your brake hose, fish cables through the cavity, and make sure they stay quiet in there.

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Pinkbike's Take

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Trail Bikes Chromag Bikes Chromag Darco