2018 Saracen Ariel E Size Medium

I’ve had an awful lot of fun on this bike and I’m selling with a heavy heart. I do a lot of mountain biking and with the arrival of my first child I’ve realised that having an ebike is a luxury. I should really be using my diminished free time to ride a standard mountain bike.

That said, this bike has opened up all sorts of new possibilities for me in terms of the types of riding I can do. Wet weather rides are much more fun when you can just power through the slop, rides in hilly areas are all about the descents and it’s quicker than the uplift in bike park Wales. This bike has made me ride more too - with zero uphill slogs on the menu, the bar to the go/no-go decision on a ride is significantly lower. This bike has even got me to the top of snowdon in 55mins - never would have managed that on a standard mountain bike.


The Bike

Owned for just over two years, it has done 2561km, I’ve looked after it the best I can and I’ve made some significant upgrades.

DT Swiss HX 1501 wheel set (approx. £800 RRP).

Designed for emountain biking, this wheelset has unique ebike specific features, such as - a 24 tooth dt ratchet system hub (based on the famous 240 hub) that can withstand the extra torque an ebike exerts on a hub (up to 350nm of torque - same as a bmw m3). A steel freehub body, so the extra torque doesn’t cut in to the splines. Steel axles front and rear and a reinforced 1501 rim - based on the design tested in EWS races.

Flat tyre defender rim inserts (approx £125 RRP)

Developed in secret with Arron Gwinn on the World Cup circuit, this system was the original and best. It protects the rim and tyres against pinch flats, but also make the Suspension and Tyres work better, taking vibrations out of the system. Gwinn’s first comment when he got off the bike was - “the bike feels so much better!”. At £124.99 RRP, this is one of the most expensive solutions, but they work and changing a tyre is easier than most. If anything I would say the insert helps a tubeless tyre seat on the rim.

Shimano Zee brakes (approx £260 RRP)

The extra weight of an ebike need more stopping power. These 4 pot DH spec monsters will still lock the front wheel if needed. Very controllable tho.

Maxxis Minion DHR tyres 3c EXO (approx £140 RRP)

Two £70 tyres front and rear. This tread pattern favours Steeper terrain for normal mountain biking due to the centre tread. The downside with normal riding is that they roll slower on the flat. Of course this is not a problem with an ebike, but the better braking and cornering performance is a huge plus. The tyres are set up tubeless.

ODI Elite Pro grips.

Simply the best grips I’ve ever used. Slim tacky and comfortable - I get very little arm pump.


Condition

I’ve taken great care of this bike since I got it - it was a pretty large investment when I bought it at £5300. With upgrades I’d say it would be worth about £6500 brand new.

I’ve replaced the cassette and chain (£100 RRP) for sale and fitted two brand new Maxxis Minion DHR 3C EXO (£70 each). The only distance they have done is the 1km ride to and from the place I used to take the photos (you can see the release agent on the tyres in the photos).

The chain ring has never been replaced and has some wear, but I have changed the chain everytime it has worn over the years, so the wear you see in the photos shouldn’t effect the system as a whole too much.

Damage. There are quite a few areas of minor cosmetic damage around the bike, but none that will affect performance. No dents. Crucially the fork stanchions and the shock have no damage and have been lubed with silicone grease on every ride. You can see the scuffs and scratches on the frame, crank and rear mech in the photos.

Throughout its life this bike has worked flawlessly. I hope I can find a good home for it, please see below for the spec and a link to the Saracen website for the bike in its original form before upgrades. You should find sizing and geometry details here.

Please get in touch if you have any questions. Collection only for an easy life.

https://www.saracen.co.uk/bike/ariel-e


FRAME: SERIES 3 CUSTOM BUTTED AND HYDROFORMED 6013 ALLOY / TORAY UD CARBON


FORK: FOX 36 FLOAT PERFORMANCE / GRIP 3-POS DAMPER / 3 POSITION ADJUST


REAR SHOCK: FOX FLOAT DPX2


CHAINSET: SHIMANO STEPS


BOTTOM BRACKET: SHIMANO


SHIFTERS: SHIMANO SLX


CHAIN: ULTEGRA 6800 / XT M8000 CHAIN WITH QUICK LINK, 11-speed, 116L, SIL-TEC


BRAKES: SHIMANO ZEE 4 POT, 180MM ROTORS


TYRES: MAXXIS MINION 27.5 X 2.6 3C MAXX TERRA 120 TPI


HANDLEBAR: SARACEN OS 6061 DB ALLOY RISER BAR


STEM: SARACEN


HEADSET: PRESTINE TAPERED


SEAT POST: JD DROPPER POST


SADDLE: KORE FUZE II


GRIP TAPE: ODI ELITE PRO