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Carbon Wasp has updated its UK-made Truffle 120 mountain bike with recycled carbon in the frame layup and CNC-machined alloy suspension links and a lower shock mount. The builder says recycled content currently makes up 10% of the carbon and that frame weight, strength and stiffness remain unchanged; frames start at £2,700.
Yorkshire frame builder Carbon Wasp has updated its Truffle 120 mountain bike with recycled carbon in the frame layup and CNC-machined alloy suspension links. The changes are intended to reduce reliance on conventional carbon and simplify production while giving the Leeds-based company more scope to customize geometry for individual buyers. The updated frame is available from £2,700.
Carbon Wasp says recycled fibers now account for 10% of the frame’s carbon content. The material is used throughout the Truffle’s layup, including its outer layer, which replaces the previous 2×2 twill carbon finish. The company says the update leaves the frame’s weight, strength and stiffness unchanged.
According to the company, the recycled fibers are supplied by UK firm Lineat, which has developed a method for aligning short chopped fibers into unidirectional pre-preg tape. Carbon Wasp says this material retains 80% of the strength of continuous fibers. The recycled feedstock currently comes mostly from pre-consumer industrial scraps.
The suspension hardware has also changed. CNC-machined alloy rocker links replace the previous carbon parts, and a new alloy lower shock mount replaces the carbon mount. Carbon Wasp says the rocker links weigh the same as their predecessors, while the new components make bearing installation and production easier and allow custom links to be machined more quickly.
Recycled Materials, More Setup Options
The update combines a modest recycled-material share with a manufacturing change that may make a more individually configured frame easier to produce. Carbon Wasp says the new lower shock mount and rocker link create more flexibility to adjust geometry or suspension travel for a buyer. The company already offers six chainstay lengths, from 435mm to 460mm, in 5mm increments.
The recycled-carbon proportion is currently limited to 10%, so the update is an incremental change rather than a fully recycled frame. Still, it puts recycled material into a production mountain-bike frame and shows how a small maker is adapting its layup and manufacturing process while maintaining the existing design, according to the company.
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What Carries Over on the Truffle
The Truffle 120 remains a 29-inch, 120mm-travel single-pivot, flex-stay bike intended for cross-country riding and light trail use. Carbon Wasp says its progressive geometry and core frame design are unchanged. The frame accommodates tires up to 2.6 inches wide and includes fully guided internal cable routing, a threaded BSA bottom bracket, ISCG tabs and a UDH with Boost 148 spacing.
Buyers can choose from four stock sizes, S to XL, and the frame can be ordered with or without internal storage. Carbon Wasp builds the frames at its Leeds workshop and sells primarily frame-only; it can also arrange partial or complete builds. The company uses a single-color vinyl wrap rather than a conventional paint finish. Its default is Wasp Yellow, and the source report says another single-color option is included in the frame price.
The updated frame costs £2,700 on its own or £3,050 with a Cane Creek DB IL Air shock. Carbon Wasp also offers patterned wraps as an add-on. The source report says frames typically ship around three weeks after an order, though delivery timing can vary.
“The recycled content currently accounts for 10% of the carbon make-up.”
— Carbon Wasp, as quoted in Bikerumor’s report
Limits of the Recycled Carbon
The source report does not provide independent testing or detailed methods behind the company’s claims about strength, weight and stiffness. It also does not specify the exact recycled-carbon percentage by frame component or how that share is calculated. The recycled fibers are currently described as mostly pre-consumer industrial scraps, not material recovered from discarded consumer bikes.
Carbon Wasp says it hopes to use more recycled sources, including end-of-life carbon, as manufacturing develops and suitable material becomes consistently available. The timing and scale of that change are not stated. It is also not clear how often buyers will request custom geometry or travel configurations, or what options and costs would apply to each bespoke setup.
Orders and Future Material Changes
The updated Truffle 120 is available to order through Carbon Wasp, with frame-only and shock-included pricing. The company says its frames typically ship about three weeks after an order, but buyers should confirm current lead times and available configurations directly with the builder.
Carbon Wasp says it is exploring more ecological bio-based resins and hopes eventually to expand its use of recycled carbon to include end-of-life material. No schedule or target percentage has been announced. The next notable developments will be whether the company can secure consistent supplies of that material and whether it publishes further information or testing on the recycled layup.
Key Questions
How much recycled carbon is in the updated Truffle 120?
Carbon Wasp says recycled fibers currently make up 10% of the frame’s carbon content. The company has not published a component-by-component breakdown in the source report.
What is the price of the updated frame?
The frame-only price starts at £2,700. With a Cane Creek DB IL Air shock, the listed price is £3,050.
What changed in the suspension hardware?
Carbon Wasp replaced the carbon rocker links with CNC-machined alloy links and added a machined alloy lower shock mount. The company says the rocker links weigh the same as the previous parts and the new hardware makes customization easier.
Has the Truffle 120’s travel or geometry changed?
The standard bike remains a 120mm-travel model, and Carbon Wasp says its core design and geometry are unchanged. The new hardware allows the company to machine custom links that may alter geometry or travel for individual buyers; the specific configurations have not been detailed in the report.
Where is the Truffle 120 made?
Carbon Wasp says it builds the Truffle 120 at its workshop in Leeds, England.
Source: bikerumor.com
