Saracen downhill bike

BikeRadar decision

Highs: Genuine World Championship rate, specifically on larger hitting programs.

Lows: It’s a suitable punchy race bicycle, maybe not a smooth downhill dawdler.

Buy if: you desire an effective race-ready DH bike at an extremely great price.

Welsh downhill racer Manon Carpenter has already established a fantastic season, winning three rounds worldwide Cup to take the general series award after which blitzing the planet Championships at Hafjell, Norway to incorporate another two sets of rainbow stripes into set she won as a junior only 3 years ago.

Frame and gear: prepared to race

With regards to the World Cup paddock, Saracen is a tremendously little, grass roots player with a small budget so it’s no real surprise your Myst 's been around in the same fundamental structure for some years. That doesn’t mean designer Simon Wild and his team aren’t innovators though, following considerable testing 2014 saw Saracen commit to the 650b rims it had been among the first to introduce on its trail bicycles.

While most downhill companies appear to have struggled discover good geometry and driver place when changing towards somewhat bigger tires, Saracen gets the form spot-on. The reworked, hydroformed seat pipe is kinked maintain the carbon fiber back-end quick despite 203mm of backside wheel vacation.

The 3 lengths of top pipe would be best described as lengthy, really long and bloody kilometers away and that means you’ve don’t worry about it about tripping within the forward however hard you’re corkscrewing into a large part under braking.

While Manon cuts her Pro bars down to 750mm the production cycle gives you the entire 800mm influence to relax and play with or prune. The bathroom . roll diameter Fox 40 hand legs add another meaning to steering accuracy too. Include a complete group of Shimano’s bombproof, mega-braked Saint DH componentry and you’re taking a look at a member of family deal within the often mega dollars realm of gravity equipment.

You don’t get Manon Carpenter’s battle prepped RAD shock, but the standard DHX RC4 is the benchmark DH damper for decades

You can find things that cash can’t get however, in addition they include the Fox-sponsored racer-only RAD variations for the fork and back shock. The stock 40 fork and DHX RC4 tend to be visibly stiffer over small lumps than RAD equipment we’ve ridden, but there’s nevertheless countless compression damping and end stroke modification to try out with.

Ride and managing: rate over convenience

Within metres you’ll realize this is undoubtedly a bike built to provide raw battle rate, not to carry you comfortably along the mountain. The taut surprise tune and multi-piece linkage indicate suspension activity is completely efficient and affordable. There’s no wallow, over travel or mid stroke vagueness so you can stab pedal jabs into any space from the lineage without impacting suspension system composure.

The rock solid low speed compression feel and huge 37mm pivot bearings also link your palms and legs straight to the thick-walled, gum element Continental Kaiser tyres for pin razor-sharp comments too.

You’ll need all that comments and accuracy too, due to the fact super-slack sides only stop stumbling about and the suspension system only begins to absorb hits as opposed to abuse decreased commitment as soon as you hit real go-big-or-go-home speeds.

Comprehensive Saint system includes close proportion back cassette and brief cage mech, very powerful hollow arm cranks therefore the strongest brakes and advanced mind consuming pads and rotors in hill cycling

That means you’re left to pull within the small stuff yourself and it also’s unforgivingly actual if you’ve only ridden a soft tuned long vacation trail limo before maybe not a suitable battle gun.

Indeed it’s such an actual cycle that, like other pro DH riders, Manon really utilizes intentionally de-tensioned wheels to introduce some shock shrugging conformity on her competition bicycle.

Another sign that even though the geometry, travel, seat proportions and suspension complexity of path bikes is getting increasingly near to full-on downhill devices, stopping the time clock very first at a World Cup is still a great deal not the same as playing on your favourite local Strava section.

This informative article was initially published with what Mountain bicycle mag, on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.