Saracen Ariel 142 – First Look

We’ve got our grubby little paws on the Saracen Ariel 142, apparently “Carved from a solid block of awesomeness”.

The Ariel is Saracen’s answer to the trail bike – coming in two styles, the 16X series and the shorter travel 14X series. I recently rode the Ariel while shooting for the Sweet Gear review  and loved it – long, slack enough for natural gnar duty and yet good enough to get me back to the top again, I was hooked.

Answering to the same name as the sexy red head fish lady, I was very excited taking her out of the box. I’ve not had a brand new bike all in one go since I was about 12. A wonderful Diamond Back hardtail it was, V Brakes, 24 gears, the lot, but I digress. Out of the box all that needed doing was to attach the bars, pop a disc on the front wheel and put some wind in the shock, forks and tyres. There was the usual (legally required) box of reflectors and a bell. Maybe the bell will come in handy in the alps this summer for ringing at tourons?!

The magic numbers on the frame stack up pretty well – 68degrees on the head angle  is about right for a bike that is going to be ridden up at a pace, as well as downhill at even more pace, and the 72degree seat tube should give a good position at full mast. The standover height is kept nice and low with the dropped top-tube, and the wheelbase is pretty similar to most other trail beasts on the marker (1113mm on our 17″ bike). What is apparent on cocking a leg over her is that the cockpit is plenty roomy – that standover height combined with a spacious top tube gives plenty of space to swing a cat (or anything else!). The graphics and colours on the frame, combined with the colour matched parts make for a very attractive package.

Up front on the 142 you get a tapered Fox 32 Float fork with their new CTD lockout system, and this is paired with a Float A, also with CTD. (CTD stands for Climb, Trail, Descent – easy to pick your settings!) Both ends have 140mm of travel, and are kept stiff by 15mm and 142x12mm axles respectively. The suspension is a linkage driven single pivot, proven across the last couple of generations of Ariel. There is no room to run a coil shock, but on a 140mm bike with shock technology as it is, there is no need.

It’s refreshing to see companies paying attention, and the Ariel comes equipped about right straight out of the box. 740mm bars, and a decent saddle all make the bike much more good-to-go from the very first ride. The 70mm stem wasn’t to my taste, leaving the steering feeling a little sluggish, but this is easily changed. (With a shorter unit the bike still climbs well – more later!) I’ve got little experience with Schwalbe tyres, Nic and Ron are going to have their work cut out on the North Walean loam – we’ll see how they get on!

As for the gearing, I can understand why a 2×10 set-up has been fitted, but with the sizeable 36t on the cassette I can’t see the granny ring getting much use… A mix of Deore and SLX changes the ratios and sorts any stopping. Even with the lower specced Deore brakes you get the two-part rotors to help keep things cool.

And so to the proof of this rather tasty looking pudding – how does it ride? Well, over the last week she has taken me on laps of trail centres, out on to remote moorland, questionable descents of dubious footpaths and a few laps on some of the local downhill tracks. The Schwalbe tyres were a bit disappointing, though I suspect they didn’t have Welsh moss and freshly cut loam in mind when popping them on! For my more natural rides I popped some more aggressive Continental Baron/Mountain Kings on.

Fresh rubber fitted and we were back in the game. Climbing with the forks and shock locked down, the bike handles very well. Even with a shorter stem fitted the front end sits well on the trail and maintains positive steering when sat down, and the heavily dampened rear shock still delivers a bit of extra grip. Flip to the “trail” settings on the suspension and the bike does bob a little more, but also delivers super grip without feeling like you are wallowing. I’ve not tried climbing in “descent” mode. Why would I?! She comes with a nice long seat post, and generous angles let you pop that high, without ruining the seating position over the bike. The 143 edition comes with a dropper post from KS.

Point the old girl down the hill and she really comes into her own. The 740mm bars and plenty of standover give plenty of room to let the bike move under you, and with the linkage driven single pivot and plush forks taking care of keeping the rubber side down you can focus on not touching the brakes and hitting the lines. Speaking of the brakes, I was dubious about the Deore brakes – based on their more pricey brethren, they have proved to be great – despite the short levers they feel positive and deliver oodles of power. Even on 3 minute descents the two-part rotors have kept them fade free, no mean feat with a 160mm rotor out back and a big old unit at the helm!

I’ve been riding this bike for everything, including some pretty wild downhilling and it hasn’t baulked at the task. Light and responsive it is a treat to ride and every little nubbin has become a launch pad for a red and black rocket ship. The stiffness of the chassis combined with a taught ride feel encourage you to hunt the bike along, giving the confidence to hold off braking just that fraction longer, or cut that turn a shade tighter. Lets not forget this a 140mm cross country bike that will happily gobble up the miles.

It’s early days yet, but my goodness can this little mermaid fly…

http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/all-mountain/ariel-142

www.madison.co.uk