Lal Bikes

What parts can I run on my Katana? We’ve added a Katana Recommended Equipment section to the Katana product page. The Katana is engineered to be the most high performance, silent, and durable bike on the market. This means the Supre Drive high pivot, larger bearings in the bottom bracket and wide hub spacing. But we understand people have preferences and we want to make set up easy. This is why we will offer a section of XTR chain to make drivetrain setup easy and boost adapter to anyone who wants to carry overt their current wheelset. 🍻

Cassette
The Supre Drive on the Katana is designed around a Shimano 12-speed 10-51t cassette. Any level, from Deore to XTR, will work perfectly.
Other brands of cassette (Gabaruk, E13) may be used, but shift performance may vary.
Chain
We recommend Shimano HG+ 138 link chains to reduce the potential for needing two chains.
Shifter
The Supre drive is designed to work with any Shimano 12-speed trigger shifter.
Headset
The steel Katana front triangle uses a ZS44-EC44 headset.
An aluminum front triangle is in development, and it uses a ZS56-ZS56 headset, which allows for aftermarket angle and reach adjust headsets from Works Components.

The Katana features 157mm rear hub spacing and can use a 27.5 or 29er rear wheel depending on the linkage installed. 157mm “SuperBoost” hubs or legacy 157mm DH hubs are effectively interchangeable. We chose this hub standard because it offers a significant advantage in chainline and drivetrain durability.
But we understand that many people have chosen 148mm “Boost” as their preference. That’s why we offer all Katana buyers the option to include a boost hub adapter.
The boost adapter retains the advantageous chainline of 157 while giving the option to improve the spoke angles on the boost hub with a re-dish.
Most hubs will need the drive side loosened by ½ to 1 turn and the drive side tightened by roughly ¼ turn to re-center the rim. Please use a spoke calculator or talk to your local wheel builder before redishing your wheel.

We just posted a tech explainer video on Youtube about interesting aspects of the Supre Drive and the Katana frame. Watch till the end to see a nice suspension squish shot! And let us know if you have any questions!
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The Loam Wolf got their hands on the Lal Katana, and their first ride review is live. Head over to their website to read their initial thoughts on our creation, and stay tuned for their full long-term review down the line.
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If you're following the conversation around gearbox vs. derailleur drivetrains, you’ll like the recent Youtube video from . He does a deep dive on the Supre Drive, comparing it to other drivetrains and covering details that others often miss. Head to his page () for a link to his Youtube account.
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