PINKBIKE XC GROUP TEST
Unno Horn
The geometry and sizes offered are slightly different from the rest of this area, but this more traditional fit provides excellent trail handling. We’ll come back to this later, but first some information on the framework and design concept.
• 110mm rear travel, 120mm fork
• Flexible pivot suspension
• Head angle of 66°, seat angle of 73.5° (actual)
• Range from 420 to 480 mm, stack from 591 to 609 mm
• Base length of 435 mm
• 3 sizes
• Weight: 24.98 lb / 11.33 kg
• Frame: $3,495 USD without shock | Complete bikes: $9,495 – $14,495 USD
• unno.com
The Horn’s frame is very simple, with no adjustments, no internal storage, and no unusual cable routing. You’re left with a pleasantly spartan build, prioritizing execution over assortment of options.
Unno offers three building kits for the Horn, and none are cheap. In testing, here’s the Horn Pro version, which sits in the middle of the trio and costs $11,195 USD. With a very nice parts kit you’re not missing anything, but the slightly fancier Factory version includes a wireless dropper and a lighter transmission. The Pro version implements RockShox Flight Attendant suspension, only alongside a mechanical dropper, meaning you don’t natively have access to a lock/unlock button on the cockpit – thankfully the suspension brain takes care of most of that.
With only three sizes offered, the Horn’s fit range is a bit narrower than the rest of the bikes tested. But if you enter this window, you have a rather unique combination of numbers. Taking a look at the geometry table, one number might surprise you: the apparently very relaxed seat angle. This figure is the real seat angle, with the effective silhouette sitting much steeper. Beyond that, the 480mm reach, 603mm stack, and 66° head angle all seem like appropriate measurements for a typical size in this area. Another subtle and notable detail is the 50mm bottom bracket drop, which keeps your weight very low under the axles.
Like many bikes in this group, the Horn implements a single-pivot suspension design, but Unno decided to give this bike a slightly shorter travel, at 110mm. This 10mm difference won’t be drastic on the trails, but contributes to the tighter, more responsive nature of this bike’s handling. Beyond that, the leverage curve is unique on this bike, with a fairly high kick-off ratio that rises up to 3.2 past the sag point, before dropping back down to avoid any sharp dips. The anti-squat remains very consistent just above 100%, providing a predictable, supportive feel no matter where you sit while traveling.
With no adjustments to speak of, the Horn was a breeze to install. The 120mm SID is a familiar entity and I ended up with a fairly similar setup to most other RockShox bikes tested. The 110mm shock handled about 25% sag well, with no volume spacer changes necessary. As with all Flight Attendant bikes, I changed the basic settings to prevent the fork from locking out completely, choosing to let it switch between Open and Pedal. As the Horn comes with a mechanical dropper, there’s no manual switching of the suspension to perform, so you’ll want to play with the bias adjustment if you prefer the locks to be more open or closed.
Location: Bellingham, Washington, United States
Height: 6’3″ / 191 cm
Inseam: 34″ / 86cm
Weight: 190 lbs / 86 kg
Industry Affiliations/Sponsors: None
Instagram: @danger_dario
Escalation
The horn has a unique feel when seated, with the relatively short top tube and aggressively lowered front end locking you in a position that demands output. Less happy going up a hill than most other bikes, I found the Unno best suited to old-school XC trails, where quick direction changes and accelerations produce overall speed. The steep seat angle may seem counterintuitive here, but it allows you to steer with your hips as much as your hands, giving the ride a very direct feel.
As with any Flight Attendant bike, the horn is very effective and locks at any time when you cut the power. When I used the bike with FA turned off, I found it incredibly efficient and a bit more responsive than other efficiency-minded bikes like the Epic. There’s still plenty of platform to push against when you’re out of the saddle and pounding, but the Horn doesn’t give up too much grip in service of that support.
For longer days in the saddle, I found the Horn’s narrower cockpit surprisingly comfortable. It’s definitely not as neutral a feel as other bikes like the Blur and Truffle 120, but the whole complete geometry here works well in concert. While I’ve never had a problem with the low bottom bracket height, some people who exclusively ride flat, clunky janks might prefer a pedal with a higher feel. In my experience, this low position simply helped the bike stay stable, despite a rather short wheelbase.
Descending
Given the Horn’s direct and responsive feel on climbs, I expected the descent to follow suit and provide a slightly sketchy feel on the way down. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is more forgiving than expected, with a comfortable, predictable and well-controlled suspension quality. The low front end and tight wheelbase still favor quick direction changes and more demanding lines, but you can absolutely let this bike ride on faster trails – just keep your cool. I think the low height of the BB plays some role here, giving the Horn a little more stability than one might expect.
On rough terrain, the 110mm of rear wheel travel seems very well used, eliminating vibrations and compressions without disturbing the chassis too much. Bikes like the Blur still offer a much more composed ride quality, but compared to other firm rigs like the Epic, I found the Horn more comfortable and quieter.
Overall, the chassis stiffness that Unno has achieved seems ideal for this bike. In concert with a relatively comfortable wheelset and a reasonably compliant cockpit, the bike offers more grip and composure than one might expect, given its angular, compact looks. There wasn’t too much flex in sustained turns, but just enough to maintain grip when chatting on flatter sections of the trail. I’d be very curious to ride a slightly enlarged version of the bike that would align more with the geography of the rest of this group, but as it stands the Horn offers excellent ride quality.
Technical report
Cockpit and routing: Unno’s one-piece cockpit was surprisingly comfortable, both in terms of flex and the angles it allowed to be achieved. The hidden clamp hardware is a bit funky, but holds things in place well, with an added strike block headset to prevent any controls from hitting your top tube. I’d like to give Unno some props for implementing a completely sane cable routing method here, with provisions for a fully mechanical setup, if desired. No headset is required, it’s just a nice simple frame that should be easy to own in the long run.
Sealed bearings: This is a small but crucial detail, ensuring the longevity of one of the few people who ends up with one of these frames. Bearing life isn’t as often considered on XC bikes, where every gram counts, but these little whippers deserve it all the same. The Horn’s single-sided hardware is fairly easy to tighten along the trail and held up well throughout the testing period.
Zipp 1Zero HiTop wheelset: With a lower profile rim and a wider bead wall than most, this XC wheelset from Zipp offers a slightly more comfortable ride than many other XC wheels I’ve used. Despite this, they feel completely normal in corners and compressions, with less deflection than some carbon spoke wheels in this group.
What’s it like to live with it?
All of the details mentioned above add up to a very simple and sturdy frame that should stand the test of time well. A lack of fit may seem like an issue to some, but it allows for a design that focuses more on the basics, which Unno executed very well. Given the boutique nature of the brand, I think this frame fits that well, offering a high quality bike that should serve its owner for many seasons to come.
Gn tech
