Lal Bikes sheaths Katana, heads down new path

For a brand tucked away on the Sunshine Coast, Lal Bikes quickly made waves around the world with its Supre Drive. The concept won a Design Innovation of the Year award from Pinkbike back in 2021, was adopted by an established European brand, then showcased on Lal’s own bike, the Katana.

Now, Lal Bikes is looking to take the concept in a new direction.

What is Supre Drive?

Going against conventional design, the innovative drivetrain attempts to solve many of the problems that continue to linger with mainstream derailleurs. By splitting the rear derailleur apart based on its functions, i.e. chain tension and gear shifting, Lal is able to tuck the rear derailleur in close to the chainstays and out of harms way. While that small derailleur shifts gears, chain tension is taken care of near the bottom bracket by a hydraulically damped pulley wheel.

The result is, as we found on our test drive, a drivetrain that shifts on par with top mechanical options while running almost completely silently. It also removes unsprung weight from the rear axle, improving suspension performance.

What was the Katana?

The Katana was a bike Lal designed to showcase the Supre Drive. After an initial promising partnership with Nicolai Bikes didn’t work out, Lal decided to just make a bike itself. Thus the Katana was born. A proof of concept  that turned into a very real bike that you could ride. And a bike that ended up standing up in its own right, not just as a showcase for the Supre Drive.

Lal opened pre-orders for the Katana in early 2025. Now, founder Cedric Eveleigh says the brand is closing down pre-orders, and will be refunding anyone who put a deposit down, to take the Supre Drive in a different direction.

It’s no surprise that the mountain bike industry is in a tough spot right now, or “facing headwinds” as PR people love to say. That’s especially anyone looking to make and sell a bike frame. We’re sad to see the Katana shelved, joining the growing list of casualties in this industry downturn. But this isn’t the end of Lal Bikes…

What’s next for Supre Drive?

Eveleigh says that while bringing the Katana to production is no longer financially viable, Lal will continue developing the Supre Drive. That means looking for brands to partner with, or to license the patents for the design.

Lal’s also in the process of developing a way to make the Supre Drive a more modular design built around the UDH standard. This could…