Privateer Bikes teased their Gen 2 bikes at Bike Connection but they’re now out in the World with the bikes getting a full refresh.
Privateer have left no stone unturned in the process of updating their second generation bikes, with a full launch expected in the New Year.
We’re excited to announce our first official details of our Privateer Gen 2 platform, a range that has been in development for 3 years, and has just completed its first season of racing including taking the win at Ard Rock 2023 thanks to Privateer/HUNT rider Joe Connell.
The Gen 2 platform is our most versatile and durable to date, boasting all-new easy-to-use adjustments, and our completely revamped suspension platform combined with our tried and tested forward-thinking geometry, size-specific chainstays rugged alloy construction and huge oversized bearings.
Through the development of Gen 2 we’ve worked with Katy Curd, Fergus Ryan and Joe Connell, listened to our customers and spoken to media veterans, the result is a new platform that wants to ride hard and allows the rider to hit challenging terrain with confidence and consistency.
While this isn’t a complete release, we hope there is enough here to keep you excited and whet your appetite for early 2024.
Geometry Highlights:
- Size-specific chain stays
- Steep seat angles
- Flip-chip adjustable rear centre
- Flip-chip mullet adjustment
- Full insertion seatpost
To maximise confidence Privateer want to provide balanced and stable handling. Building on our size-specific chain stays we have now included a rear centre flip chip to allow the rider to adjust the weight distribution.
We also spent time testing rear wheel sizes, discovering that riders had distinct preferences based on the trails they rode or their personal tastes. For the Gen 2 bikes, we’ve introduced a versatile flip-chip feature. This enables riders to easily switch between 27.5” and 29” wheels.
Suspension Highlights:
- Sensitive off the top
- Plenty of support in the mid-stroke
- Ample bottom-out resistance
- Stable under braking
- Great balance of pedalling support and grip
“Confidence is everything; if you feel confident, you’ll ride well. For me, that means predictability, consistency and reliability so the bike always responds how you’d expect. We explored options, like high pivot designs, but found the best balance in a Horst layout. By designing the geometry, suspension and manufacturing holistically, I squeezed out every bit of confidence I could. The result of it all is bikes that absolutely rip and I’m excited to see quite how far they can be pushed!” Dan Hicks, Engineer MEng Mechanical Engineering
We have designed the suspension to be supple at the start of the stroke to minimise fatigue with plenty of linear progression for support in the middle of the stroke and enough bottom-out resistance so you can really push on.
We have balanced chassis stability and grip under braking so you can attack the trail with confidence braking as late as you want. A great balance of pedalling support and traction in all gears means the bike is ready to get on the gas when needed.
Durability and Serviceability Highlights:
- Oversized bearings
- Secondary seals on all bearings
- Forged one-piece rockers
- Single tool hardware
- External cable routing
- Room for a large bottle and tool on every size
- Replaceable ISCG mount
- Extensive frame protectors
Any time you spend working on your bike, you’re not riding – and we’d always rather be riding. We’ve sweated the details to make these bikes as durable and long-lasting as we can. Oversized bearings deal with high forces better and a secondary O-Ring seal on all bearings keeps the grime out. These are pressed into a forged one-piece rocker and a frame that is CNC’d after heat treatment for excellent alignment to give silky suspension and extended bearing life.
We’ve made working on the bike as easy as possible with external cable routing and have single-sided hardware meaning you can fettle anything on the frame with a single multi-tool. Even with a piggyback shock, all frame sizes will fit a large bottle and we’ve put a tool mount under the top tube for those essentials meaning you can ditch the pack.
We’re stoked to be launching the Privateer Gen 2 range very soon, with pre-orders starting in early February 2024. For more information and to watch Gen 2 videos featuring our development team and riders, head over to the Privateer Bikes website.
