Paratu CP and Iuhu CP: One Platform, Two Frames

The Paratu CP and Iuhu CP are two separate frames. They have two separate molds, two separate production runs, and two separate sets of components at the BB interface — Maxon motor mount tabs on the Paratu CP, T47 BSA 89.5 mm threaded BB shell on the Iuhu CP. What they share is everything else: the geometry, the kinematics, the flip chip system, the reach adjust system, the shock interface, the fork spec, and the axle standards.

That shared platform was not the original plan. The Paratu CP came first.

eMTB first

The Paratu CP was designed around the Maxon BikeDrive Air S motor system. The geometry — the flip chip range, the reach adjust positions, the shock travel, the fork travel options — was all developed for the eMTB. The anti-squat values, the kinematics behaviour under 90 Nm of motor torque at the crank, the pivot path — all of it was tuned for powered riding.

Once the frame was working well, the question became obvious: this geometry is good. The kinematics work. The 5-position flip chip gives a huge setup range. Why would we build a separate, unrelated pedal-only frame from scratch when the platform we already have is already correct?

The answer was: we would not. The Iuhu CP is the Paratu CP geometry and kinematics in a frame designed for pedal-only use. Same flip chip. Same reach adjust. Same shock spec. Same fork spec. Same axle standards. Different BB interface, different carbon layup requirements at the BB junction, different frame.

What “identical geometry” means in practice

Every number in the geometry table that does not depend on motor or drivetrain is the same across both frames. The base HTA at 150 mm fork, FORWARD +5 mm chip, 29+29 is 63.9° on both. The STA at that same position is 77.8° on both. The BB height is 340 mm on both. The reach at each size is the same. The stack is the same.

This means a rider who moves from an Iuhu CP to a Paratu CP — or vice versa — does not need to relearn the bike. The contact points are in the same place relative to the wheels. The flip chip position that works on one frame works on the other. The suspension setup is transferable. The bike feels the same because it is the same geometry.

That consistency is useful for a brand with two products in the same category. It is also useful for a rider who wants to own both — one for powered days, one for days where the motor weight and battery are not what they want to carry.

Two molds, not one

Building the Iuhu CP required a new mold. The BB area of the frame is structurally different — motor mount tabs on the Paratu CP, T47 threaded shell on the Iuhu CP — and the carbon layup in that section is different. There is no single mold that produces both frames.

What the shared platform does is amortise the development cost across both products. The geometry work, the flip chip engineering, the kinematics development, the suspension testing — all of that happened once and applies to both frames. Developing an entirely unrelated pedal frame from scratch would have required repeating most of that work for the second frame. Building the Iuhu CP on the same platform meant the geometry was already validated and the engineering focus could go to the pedal-specific structural requirements rather than starting over.

Going forward

The EC3 generation advances the Paratu CP with a 600 Wh in-tube battery and updated carbon structure. The Iuhu CP geometry platform carries forward unchanged. The flip chip system, the reach adjust, the suspension spec — the same on both frames, in the same positions, doing the same things.

Both frames are available now. Details on each are on the Paratu CP product page and the Iuhu CP product page.