The brand new Saracen Ariel 142 just landed at Wideopenmag, thanks to Madison. The idea is that we’re going to give it a thrashing, see how much fun it is … and then report back with some honest feedback.
Who better for the job than photographer and pretty handy rider Jacob Gibbins.. ?!
“I’m the photo nerd here at Wideopenmag and after having my front door kicked in and my bike stolen (along with Sam Reynolds bike) I was given the chance to test this very posh looking Saracen Ariel 142.
I spent yesterday checking it over, getting some air in the shockers and riding round town on it shooting some photos. All seemed OK but I wanted to get it off road before I made any first observations.
My first proper ride went down tonight on the Tuesday night ride that the Bristol crew seem to do up round their local trails. Think short travel heaven with everything from groomed bike park style loops, to rocky single track and even a few jumps. It felt like a good test for the bike and the sort of riding that it would be aimed at.
First thing. I chose a large sized frame. Despite being 6 foot-ish the seat post was a bit too long, even when slammed right down it felt a bit high to really throw the bike about and do any sizable jumps. So that needs cutting down for my next ride. The stem is also a bit long for my personal style so I’ll be putting on a shorter one and taking it down one or two spacers.
Other than those 2 little things everything seemed good. It’s really playful, it’s fast, it carries great speed. The brakes, gears, suspension both front and rear all work amazingly right out of the box. I can’t see anything that I need to change with the spec. I suppose I might get a front chain device or a clutch rear mech for really rough stuff – but that’s not urgent.
First impressions then? It’s a really good bike. I pulled it out of the box yesterday and I took it down some pretty wild stuff tonight with no hassle.”
| FRAME | Ariel custom butted tubeset featuring signature Tuned Ride Link (TRL) suspension / CNC Taper 1 1/8″ to 1.5″ headtube / 140mm travel running on 30mm main pivot cartridge bearings and 15mm NorglideTM linkage bushings / 142x12mm dropout / Saracen QR Alloy Ax |
|---|---|
| FORK | Fox 32 Float EVO CTD / Taper steerer / QR15 / 140mm travel |
| REAR SHOCK | Fox Float-A Performance CTD |
| HEADSET | FSA Gravity XX |
| SHIFTERS | Shimano Deore M591 Rapid Fire 10×3 speed |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano SLX M670 Direct Shadow Dynasis |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano SLX M676 |
| CHAINSET | FSA Comet Mega EXO 24/38T with Bash 170-175 mm |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | FSA BB-7000 |
| CHAIN | Shimano HG-54 |
| CASSETTE | Shimano HG62 10-speed cassette 11-36T |
| RIMS | Sun Inferno 27 Black 32 hole |
| HUBS | Formula Sealed bearing Black 32 hole front for 15mm axle / Formula Sealed bearing Black 32 hole for 12mm axle rear |
| SPOKES | Stainless steel 14g |
| TYRES | Schwalbe Nobby Nic Performance Front / Rocket Ron Performance 26 x 2.25 inch rear |
| BRAKES | Shimano M596 180/160 mm rotors |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano M596 |
| HANDLEBARS | Saracen 318 Alloy OS 740 mm wide / 25 mm rise / 9 degree bend |
| GRIPS | Saracen Lock-on dual-density grip |
| STEM | Saracen 318 6061 60 mm A-Head / 7 degree rise / 31.8 mm clamp |
| SADDLE | Kore Durox IE |
| SEATPOST | Alloy Micro-adjust / 30.9 mm |
| PEDALS | Alloy MTB |
Saracen says: “Carved from a solid block of awesomeness. This is our third generation of our award-winning Ariel. All the classic features of our original design have been kept, but small tweaks allow us to not only make it lighter, but stiffen the back end to improve its ride. The Ariel also comes with new removable cable guides and internal and external cable mounts for a remote dropper seat-post. Evolution not revolution”
The Ariel will cost you £2649.99. For more info check out Saracen’s website here.
