Voodoo D-Jab

Hon Shin bought his first titanium mountain bike frame today:

The Haitian Creole word djab is derived from the French word, "diable," meaning, "devil," but the term in the context of Haitian Voodoo carries a different connotation. The congregation of a Houngan or Mambo [A Houngan or Mambo asogwe might be likened to a bishop in a Christian denomination.] who serves a djab is usually protected from possible acts of random aggression by the djab.

[ . . . ]

Certain particularly dishonorable djabs can be invoked to drain the life energy of a person and effect their demise. When a djab is held responsible for a person's death, the Creole phrase is not, "the djab killed the person," but instead, "the djab ate the person." This does not mean that the flesh of the person is eaten cannibalistically by the Houngan, Mambo, or Bokor who undergoes possession by the djab, and the djab has subsumed the person's life force.

An orthodox Houngan or Mambo is under oath never to do harm, therefore invocations of djabs are more frequently attempted by Bokors. [A Makaya priest is called a Bokor, and a priestess is sometimes referred to as Mambo, or sorceress. The Makaya practice is less uniform from parish to parish, and there is a stronger emphasis on magic rather than religion.] However, an orthodox Voodoo clergyperson may invoke a djab and even direct it to kill a person, if the person is a murderer, a repeat thief, a repeat rapist, and so forth.

Trivia: Voodoo Cycles was once banned from advertising and reviews on Mountain Bike Action magazine.

Voodoo Sally has some info on this company before it re-emerged in its present form.





A Voodoo D-Jab (pronounced "dee-hab") dressed in 3AL-2.5V titanium.





Voodoo D-Jab
Year:  2007
Seat tube length (center-to-top):  17"
(center-to-center):  14.5"
Effective top tube length:  22.48" (571 mm)
Chainstay:  16.54 - 16.93" (420 - 430 mm)
Head angle:  71 degrees w/ 100 mm travel
Seat angle:  73.5 degrees
Head tube diameter:  1-1/8"
Head tube length:  109 mm
Bottom bracket shell width:  68 mm
Bottom bracket drop:  17 mm
Bottom bracket height:  12.25" (311 mm)
Brake mount:  disc or rim
Dropout type:  vertical, sliding (20 mm range)
Seat tube internal diameter:  27.2 mm
Front derailleur clamp diameter:  28.6 mm
Standover clearance:  30.3" (770 mm)
Color:  Brushed Titanium
Weight:  1689 grams
Manufacturer's Part Number:  DJAB 17" BRUSHED

Sloping top tube, extended seat tube, offset machined headtube, head badge.
Adjustable dropouts have built-in tensioners to prevent slippage.
Brake: International Standard 51mm disc mount or linear brake (detachable brake post studs).
100mm travel fork with 470mm axle-to-crown.




Decals



Top and bottom tubes (left and right sides).





Seat tube, facing front.





Just below seat collar, facing rear.





Chainstay protector.





Interestingly, the downtube-headtube juncture is reinforced with a butterfly gusset.





Another view of the gusset.





Both chainstays are crimped on the inside to increase tire (and mud) clearance. The drive-side chainstay has an additional crimp on the outside.





V-brake / cantilever mounts on the seatstays are removable.





V-brake / cantilever hardware.
M10 x 1.0 steel brake bosses with 9 mm wrench flats.
M5 x 8 mm button head steel allen bolts (3 mm hex)
3.5 mm thick slotted aluminum mounting plates allow 1 mm of vertical movement.





Unusually long water bottle cage bolts.
M5 x 21 mm steel allen bolts (4 mm hex) with 0.4 mm thick washers





Cast aluminum seat clamp, marked "6J32" on the underside.
M5 x 22 mm steel allen bolt (4 mm hex) with 1 mm thick washer.
Bolt head is marked "H"





Sliding dropouts.





Another view. The chain hanger is a nice touch.





The slots are 2 mm deep and offer 20 mm of adjustability.





Sliding dropouts removed.
The rear tabs are 7 mm thick.
Rack mount holes are M5 x 7 mm deep.





Another one on the Voodoo Wanga. The dual-slot version does seem to look more robust than the single slot version.





For comparison, here's a single slot version manufactured by Paragon Machine Works, at Richmond, California. Moots uses this version in their slider dropout option.





Another version of the 2007 D-jab. Anecdotal accounts suggest that when the axle mount and disc brake tab do not move as a unit, but rather, separately, setting disc alignment and/or chain tension is guaranteed to provide endless hours of frustration. Get your blood pumping even before you hit the trail! Added value!  :-P





Sliding dropout hardware.
M6 x 18 mm dual-mounting steel allen bolts (5 mm hex) with 1 mm thick washers.
Bolts heads are marked "K"
2.8 mm thick aluminum face plates.
M5 x 40 mm tensioner steel allen bolts (4 mm hex)





Surprisingly, the sliding dropouts are not made of aluminum but titanium.
Sliding dropout thickness:  7 mm
Height of ridges (to engage slots on frame):  2 mm

MTBR review.

Current prices (as of May 25, 2008)

US$1,150 — Speedgoat Bicycles
US$1,258.60 — bikeparts.com
US$1,324 — Universal Cycles
US$1,329.99 — Texas Cyclesport
US$1,499 — JensonUSA


The bike looks like a nice trail bike to flick around in narrow and twisty switchbacks. In fact, I am tempted to acquire one for myself; the 20" model has a seat tube angle of 72.5 degrees — perfect for my long femurs.





A chance to be Robert Underdunk Terwilliger in the forest. Hmm...