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Carbon Wasp has updated its UK-made Truffle 120 mountain-bike frame with recycled carbon, CNC-machined alloy rocker links and a new lower shock mount. The company says recycled fibers make up 10% of the frame’s carbon content and that weight, strength and stiffness remain unchanged. The updated frame is available from £2,700.
Carbon Wasp has updated its UK-made Truffle 120 mountain-bike frame with recycled carbon and CNC-machined alloy suspension links, adding new materials and manufacturing options without changing the bike’s stated weight, strength or stiffness. The 2026 frame is available now, with frame-only prices starting at £2,700.
The Leeds-based builder says recycled fibers now make up 10% of the frame’s carbon content. The material is used across the Truffle’s layup, including its outer layer, which replaces the previous 2×2 twill-weave finish. Carbon Wasp says the frame’s overall weight, strength and stiffness are unchanged. These performance details are the company’s claims; the supplied report does not include independent test results.
Carbon Wasp developed the recycled-carbon approach with Lineat, a UK company that it says has developed a method to align short, chopped fibers into unidirectional prepreg tape. According to Carbon Wasp, this material retains 80% of the strength of continuous fibers. The recycled feedstock currently comes mostly from pre-consumer industrial scraps, rather than discarded end-of-life consumer products.
The update also replaces the former carbon rocker plates with CNC-machined alloy links and adds a machined alloy lower shock mount. Carbon Wasp says the new parts simplify manufacturing and bearing installation, while making custom link designs quicker to produce. The company says the alloy rocker link weighs the same as the carbon version. The updated frame retains 120mm of rear travel and its existing platform and adjustment options.
Recycled Content and Custom Link Options
The changes pair a measured increase in recycled material with a manufacturing change aimed at making frame customization easier. Carbon Wasp says the alloy shock mount and rocker link will allow it to machine tailored links more quickly, giving buyers more scope to adjust geometry or travel while retaining the frame’s stock molds. That could matter to riders seeking a frame fitted to their preferences, though the source does not specify the range of custom geometry or travel options available with the updated parts.
The sustainability claim is limited in scale at this stage: recycled fibers account for 10% of the carbon content, and the material is sourced mainly from industrial production scraps. Carbon Wasp says it hopes to use end-of-life carbon as supply and manufacturing capabilities develop. The update is a step in the company’s materials program, not a claim that the frame is made entirely from recycled carbon.
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What Carries Over on the Truffle
The Truffle 120 is a 29-inch, 120mm-travel single-pivot, flex-stay frame positioned by Carbon Wasp for cross-country riding and lighter trail use. The company says the new version retains the existing progressive geometry, internal cable routing, optional internal frame storage and straight-out-of-the-mold finish. It continues to be made in Carbon Wasp’s Leeds workshop.
Buyers can choose among four stock sizes, with six chainstay lengths from 435mm to 460mm in 5mm increments. The frame has Boost 148 spacing, a UDH-compatible rear end, a threaded BSA bottom bracket and clearance for 29-by-2.6-inch tires, according to the report. The frame-only price starts at £2,700; a frame supplied with a Cane Creek DB IL Air shock costs £3,050. A single-color wrap is included, while patterned wraps are offered as an add-on.
“The recycled-carbon move is still in its early days.”
— Carbon Wasp, as quoted in Bikerumor
Limits of the Recycled Material
The supplied report does not provide independent test data supporting Carbon Wasp’s statements about frame strength, stiffness, weight or the recycled tape’s retained strength. It also does not give a full lifecycle assessment or quantify the environmental impact of the new materials and machining process. The company says recycled content is currently 10% of the carbon make-up, but does not give a detailed breakdown by component or production batch.
It is also unclear when the builder might incorporate post-consumer, end-of-life carbon, or what exact geometry and travel changes buyers can order through custom alloy links. Carbon Wasp says it hopes to expand the recycled feedstock as higher-quality material becomes consistently available, but the source gives no schedule for that change.
Orders and Future Material Changes
The updated Truffle 120 is available to order now through Carbon Wasp. The company says frames ship on average about three weeks after an order, though the report does not state whether that estimate varies with customization or demand. Buyers can order the frame alone or with the listed Cane Creek shock, and can select a single-color wrap or pay extra for a patterned finish.
Carbon Wasp says it is exploring more ecological bio-resins and wants to increase its use of recycled carbon, including material recovered from end-of-life products. The source gives no launch date or confirmed specification for those future changes. For now, the updated frame’s stated recycled-carbon share remains 10%.
Key Questions
What changed on the Carbon Wasp Truffle 120?
The frame now uses recycled carbon in its layup and has CNC-machined alloy rocker links and a lower shock mount. Carbon Wasp says the updated frame’s weight, strength and stiffness remain unchanged.
How much recycled carbon is in the frame?
Carbon Wasp says recycled fibers account for 10% of the frame’s carbon content. The recycled material currently comes mostly from pre-consumer industrial scraps.
How much does the updated frame cost?
Frame-only pricing starts at £2,700. A version supplied with a Cane Creek DB IL Air shock starts at £3,050, according to the report.
Is the updated Truffle 120 available now?
Yes. Carbon Wasp says it is available to order, with frames shipping on average about three weeks after ordering. The source does not give a separate delivery estimate for customized builds.
Does the update change the bike’s travel or geometry?
The frame retains its stated 120mm travel platform. Carbon Wasp says the alloy links make custom geometry or travel changes easier to produce, but the report does not list specific custom configurations.
Source: bikerumor.com
