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2010 Saracen Ariel (Custom build)The perfect all day play bike?
About 2 years ago the much troubled saracen brand name was bought out, lock stock and barrel, by the UK’s biggest cycle distribution company, Madison. No strangers to bike production, they own the Ridgeback & Genesis brands as well as distribute the Commencal brand in the UK, it was obvious that Saracen potentially were going to once again become a force to be reckoned with in the UK MTB market.
I say once again because whilst new comers to our wonderful sport might not know this, any MTBer around in the early 90’s will tell you: Back then Saracen was a brand to lust after. Sadly in the last decade the name has been licensed to the highest bidder too many times, and more often than not the highest bidder stuck the name on any old piece of crap with the sole aim of making a quick buck.
All that has changed though. Madison made it clear from the off they wanted to re-develop it as a proper UK specific MTB brand, including not just hardtails, but full sussers too.
Now this is no easy thing. Fact is that anyone with the money can produce a hardtail range, even a good hardtail range. Just buy in some nice frames, spec them accordingly, and bobs your aunties lives in lover. But full sussers are different. Sure you can buy in an off the shelf suspension platform, but you’ll soon be found out and ripped apart in the press. To do full suspension properly you actually need to design, test and develop a system that not only works but brings something new to the market. And that is not easy, or cheap. Madison have never ranged a full suspension model before so when they announced they were going to include several in the new Saracen range, many were sceptical.
The first offering of this new platform (it’s even got a funky name: Tuned Ride Link, or TLR for short) has been in the shops for a few months now, and has started making waves within the UK MTB press. So, were the sceptics right to be, er, sceptical? Or has the UK distribution company managed to succeed where many fail: Launch a successful full suspension model into a VERY populated market place? We decided to get one and find out. In the usual Real Cycles style we thought we could spec one better than Saracen themselves, so we got in a bog standard entry level Ariel 1 (RRP £1599), stripped it down to the frame, and rebuilt it with some of our favourite bits. Then ripped it around our local forest trail.
The Bike
The Ariel comes in three flavours. 1, 2 & 3. Ranging in price from £1599.99 to £2499.99. ALL models sport Fox forks up front (QR15 on the 2 & 3 model) and an RP23 Hi-Vol air can on them all. Yes, that’s right, the base model Ariel 3 has Fox front and rear. And not a cheap RP2 out back either, a full on RP23, for £1600. This alone sets this bike miles apart the competition.
With 140mm travel in the rear you’ll be forgiven for assuming this is just another 5.5” trail bike. But look a little closer and you’ll see a bolt thru rear axle (on the 2 & 3), a taper headtube, ISCG05 mounts and a massively overbuilt swingarm. Hmmm, not your typical trail bike then! Not your typical trail bike weight either you’d be forgiven for assuming after hearing that spec list, but that’s where the Ariel turns things on it’s head. Thanks to the triple butted tubing the frame weights around 7lbs, bang on the money for your typical 5.5incher! The frame sports a tight rear end and a shorter than average top tube, similar in dimensions to your average short travel DHer, and to confuse things even further the taper headtube means the frame is good for your typical 160mm fork. So what the hell is this bike meant for?
Our Build
It would have been easier, and cheaper, to just take a stock bike and test that out. But where’s the fun in that? The mags are getting turned onto this bike and all testing stock models (and loving it) so we thought we’d mix things up a little. I mean, if a frame can take 160mm forks, why the hell not test it with them? So we immediately plugged in a set of Fox 36’s. we wanted to try out the climbing and trail riding abilities of the frame as well as it’s DH credentials too so we opted for some TALAS 36’s, which give you the option of 100, 130 and 160mm of travel at the flick of a switch. And cus we’re a bike shop and get everything at trade prices we went for the RC2 version. Wouldn’t you?
The drivetrain & brakes were good old previous model XT with a Gamut dual guide. Some nice XTR hubs laced with triple butted DT Revolution spokes to 819 tubeless rims made up the wheels. Tyres were the shop favourites Panaracer Rampage Sticky Compounds and the finishing kit was what we had lying around. Yes, we have sexy Easton carbon bling lying around. We’re either untidy or taking the piss, not sure which ;-)
The obligatory cow hide SDG saddle completed the look.
Testing Ground
Tollymore Forest is our local ride spot. It’s typical of what Northern Ireland has to offer. 90% of our riding here is on natural trails. A bit of maintenance keeps them flowing but they’re all natural, nothing groomed, all as nature intended. Tollymore is steep, almost entirely off camber, rocky, rooty and technical. In the whole forest there is about 500 metres of what could pass for groomed trails, if that, the rest is gnarly, dude ;-) A typical days ride consists of long fire road climbs and fast steep descents. The more adventurous can ride up some of the trails, but being almost entirely rocky and rooty legs and lungs are a must if you fancy riding the short cuts to the top.
People ride this forest on all types of bikes, from SS hardtails to full on DHers. It’s one of those places that is fun on all types of machines, each presenting their own set of unique challenges. It is the perfect testing ground for the Ariel, which on the face of it is a pure play bike.
The Ride
Out of the car park there is about a mile of twisty singletrack and fire road to get to the start of the first climb. This bit is pretty flat but thanks to the roots and ruts requires almost constant pedalling to maintain a good speed. With the forks set at 130mm our Ariel pedal’d well. Even though the front end was lower than a stock bike (140mm) pedal strikes were noticeably absent. The tester would normally ride a Commencal Meta5 in Tollymore and is used to having to time pedal strokes to avoid clipping rocks, so the this was a welcome change! A lack of pedal strikes, even with the fork at 100mm was a re-occurring theme throughout the ride. The Ariel appears to have a highish BB, but it doesn’t ride as such. Investigation with a tape measure is required to check the actual height.
Into the first climb of the day, drop the forks to 100mm, flick the RP23 switch to Propedal on, and spin the Ariel to the top. The climb was steep but smooth and at no point was the granny ring needed, in fact the granny ring didn’t get tested all day. More a sign of the lightweight (32lbs) and firm pedal action of the bike than the riders legs. At the top of the first climb, stop, drop the saddle, forks to 160, Propedal off, time to find out what this bike can really do.
The first descent is locally called The Cottage Run. it’s one of the smoothest runs in Tollymore and the least steep. It’s as fast as you like, requiring little breaking but plenty of pedal input to maintain speed. As with all Tollymore runs your constantly dipping and carving around the trees, and hopping and sliding over their exposed roots. Most of the run is littered with deep water ruts so the key to keeping your speed is to ride light and change direction quickly. Something the Ariel excelled at. The low weight made it easy to pick the bike up and plant it exactly where you wanted it and thanks to the stiff frame the wheels always tracked where you pointed them, not where the roots wanted. Due to the sloping and curved top tube it has masses of standover and you can get the bike right over in the corners. The bike corners well, really well, it’s almost instinctive. Some bikes corner well, like the Commencal, but you need to push them into the corner to get the best out of them. With the Ariel you just lean it over and it does the rest. There was no sensation of wallow or packing down in the corners and it snapped out of them with a good turn of speed.
The next run of the day was the Watchtower. There are two way to the top: The short way which means part fire road ride, part push up in the trees. Or the long way. Still part fire road but the bit in the trees is ridable. It’s a steep technical ride, but it’s ridable, for most. The tester has never made it to the top in one go taking the latter route though. Until today. This success was again put down to a lack of pedal strikes with the fork at 100mm. Not having to think about your pedal strokes meant all your effort could go into keeping the Ariel moving.
The run down the main Watch Tower is steep, rocky, off camber and rooty. The Ariel loved it. It felt just like a short travel DHer. It got air of the slightest ramp, railed the rutted bermed corners and lofted the deep ruts with ease. The most noticeable thing about the Ariel was it’s eagerness to maintain speed. Very little slowed it down or knocked it off course. The back end got out of shape once or twice but always in a controlled fashion. On loose sections the rear drifted out with ease but always found it’s own way back. When pushed hard the Ariel never felt under sprung, it always felt like it had lots more in the rear than 140mm, even though the front had 20mm more it felt balanced, and stiff, no matter how rutted the trail got it always held it’s line with none of the unsure sensations many 140mm 7lb frames have.
The rest of the day was much the same. No matter what was thrown at the Ariel it took it and shrugged it off. Its rear wheel travel became obvious at times, but never really got it into trouble. It was a little more sketchy in the really rough stuff than a full on mini DHer, but then no mini DHer will ever build into a 32lb’er that can climb like the Ariel.
The Ariel won’t climb like a lightweight trail bike, but then a lightweight trail bike won’t descend like the Ariel.
So, what is this bike all about?
That’s a simple question to answer. Fun. The Ariel is not a mile munching trail bike. it’s an all out all day play bike.
Initially the taper headtube, CG mounts, bolt thru axle and short top tube seems totally at odds with the trail friendly rear wheel travel, but out on the trail it all makes sense. In the last year there has been a trend for hard nut full sussers with 100mm rear ends and the ability to run 140mm forks. A La 4x machines. The idea being a tight snappy rear end with big hitting forks. The Ariel takes this concept one stage further: A trail riding rear end with a mini DH front end.
Sure the purest, DHer, trail and enduro rider will hate it. But for the typical mountain biker, who wants a bike they can ride all day yet hit everything in sight they’re sense of mortality will allow them too, the Ariel makes a huge amount of sense.
When the Commencal Meta5 platform came along in 2005 it totally changed things. For years it became the bike by which all others were judged. The Ariel takes things to the next logical level. It’s got everything you need to ride hard and stay in the saddle on the climbs.
So, were the sceptics right? Hell no. By luck or design (the jury is out on which it is) Saracen owners Madison have got it 100% right with they’re first foray into the competitive money pit that is the full suspension sector.
It remains to be seen if the MTB masses can see past the recent history of Saracen and give the brand a fresh look. The rewards for those that can are great. For those that can’t, they’re is always the next big over priced “hand made in the US” brand to drop your hard earned on. Bottom line is the proof is in the riding, so get to a dealer and test an Ariel before you buy your next bike.
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