Two frames - one bike!

I’ve been an e-biker for a while, happily spinning around on my Heckler SL, but this week a different idea got under my skin. I picked up an Unno Burn frame—hyperbike pedigree from Barcelona—and decided it was time for my first proper pedal bike in years. The plan wasn’t just to build a bike; it was to test a concept I’ve been obsessing over: the quick-release frame. One spec, two frames. Move the parts across quickly so I can switch between e-bike and enduro without owning two full builds.

On paper it sounded simple. Keep the handlebars, stem, fork, wheels, rotors, gears, seatpost if possible. Cranks are e-bike specific, so those would change. The Burn has its own shock, so that’s sorted. If I could pre-run the hoses and cables in the pedal frame—right lengths, bled and ready—then in theory I’d just drop the parts in when I fancied going analog. Half an hour before a ride, swap frames, and go. That was the dream.

Reality arrived the moment I tugged the seatpost without feeding the cable through. The inner disappeared into the frame and I stood there staring at my own impatience. That wasn’t the point. This whole thing was supposed to be quick. I told myself that was a problem for future me and kept going. There were other small detours—routing decisions, second-guessing, checking instructions I thought I didn’t need, then admitting I did. At one point I swore off internal routing forever and daydreamed an instant upgrade to a wireless dropper just to avoid cables altogether.

But the build took shape. Cables in. Caliper on. Cranks finally right. It wasn’t half an hour; if I’m honest it was closer to two days with help and a few re-dos, though the edit would have you believe it happened on fast-forward. When I stepped back, the Burn looked outrageous. Long, low, slack, 170 mm fork and 160 mm out back, carbon everywhere, featherweight compared to the e-bike, with neat frame storage for race days. I’ll admit it: the mix of Shimano cranks and SRAM gears offended my sense of order, and the bike practically begged for a Kashima wireless dropper to finish it properly. That’s a future tweak.

Time to ride. First runs and I was blown off line more than I’d like to admit. Compared with the e-bike, this thing carries speed but isn’t planted the same way. Less mass means less push into the dirt, so the tires dance, the bike moves around, and you have to place it with more precision. On the e-bike I can point and shoot and the weight does some of the cornering for me. On the Burn I needed to exaggerate the body language—lift more, push harder into turns, be deliberate. It’s not easier; it’s just different, and it punishes lazy inputs.

Set-up notes came quickly. The rear shock felt right away “bang on,” even at high sag—these bikes live around 35–40 percent and the linkage is properly progressive, so you get that poppy, playful feel with support at the end of travel. I might add a touch of low- and high-speed compression without changing sag, just to stand it up a bit more under load. The fork, though, was a project. I’d stolen a 160 mm fork from the Heckler SL when the Burn really wants 170. Geometry felt a little off and support wasn’t there, so I bumped pressure a full 10 psi and the front end woke up immediately. Amazing what a few psi can do. Still, I need to swap the air spring to 170 and re-check the front-rear balance.

I took it to the bike park to feel it in the air and through proper berms. Better. The rear got a bit bucky on jumps—something the loamy track hadn’t revealed—so I’ll slow rebound a click or two and see if it settles. That’s the game with thoroughbred race bikes: they take time and a bit of faff to really sing, and I am, by nature, a faffer.

As for the quick-release frame idea, I still like it. Now that the cables are routed and the right bottom brackets and cranks are in play, I can see the swap getting faster next time. If I commit to a wireless dropper, I remove the fiddliest part of the whole process. I don’t need to flip back to the e-bike immediately anyway; I’ve got a race in August and I need to be fit on a pedal bike. The plan is to stick with the Burn, keep iterating, and learn to be precise again. Note to self: unlock the suspension before dropping into anything spicy.

First impressions, then. The bike is stunning to look at and alive on trail. It demands accuracy, rewards good habits, and reminds me that light bikes don’t let you hide. After years with the safety blanket of e-bike weight, that’s exactly the reset I needed. The concept works, even if my “half hour” is really “two days and a lesson in patience.” Next round will be quicker. For now, I’m just happy to be a biker again. And if you want to see what this feels like yourself, the Burn is technically a demo bike—so yes, you can come and ride it.