Field Trip: Calibre's $1,400 Bossnut - The Boss of Low Cost
PINKBIKE FIELD TRIP
CALIBRE BOSSNUT
The Boss of Low Cost
Words by Mike Levy, Photography by Anthony Smith
CALIBRE BOSSNUT
The Boss of Low Cost
Words by Mike Levy, Photography by Anthony Smith
Calibre is a direct-to-consumer British brand focused on relatively inexpensive mountain bikes that, according to them, can still be ridden hard. How inexpensive? The Bossnut costs just 1,100 pounds, or around $1,400 USD, depending on the inevitable taxes and duties. Some perspective: You get an entire 130mm-travel trail bike for around $600 less than the last drivetrain I reviewed.
Like the majority of bikes in the price range, Calibre has used SRAM’s 12-speed SX drivetrain, along with a set of Level T brakes (with a 180mm front rotor) to slow you down. Can you spot what's missing? A dropper post, of course, so you’ll need to factor in another $200-ish dollars if you want to unlock the 'nut. The not-tubeless-friendly WTB tires also refused to seal up, so add another $100-ish, too.
Like the majority of bikes in the price range, Calibre has used SRAM’s 12-speed SX drivetrain, along with a set of Level T brakes (with a 180mm front rotor) to slow you down. Can you spot what's missing? A dropper post, of course, so you’ll need to factor in another $200-ish dollars if you want to unlock the 'nut. The not-tubeless-friendly WTB tires also refused to seal up, so add another $100-ish, too.
Bossnut Details
Travel: 130mm
Fork travel: 130mm
Wheel size: 27.5"
Frame construction: aluminum
Head angle: 66-degrees
Chainstay length: 436mm
Reach: 460mm (lrg)
Sizes: Sm, med, lrg (tested), xlrg
Weight: 33.4 lb / 15.1 kg
Price: $1,400 USD (depending on duties, taxes)
More info: www.calibrebicycles.com
Travel: 130mm
Fork travel: 130mm
Wheel size: 27.5"
Frame construction: aluminum
Head angle: 66-degrees
Chainstay length: 436mm
Reach: 460mm (lrg)
Sizes: Sm, med, lrg (tested), xlrg
Weight: 33.4 lb / 15.1 kg
Price: $1,400 USD (depending on duties, taxes)
More info: www.calibrebicycles.com
The suspension design is a single-pivot, linkage activated system that drives a RockShox Monarch R shock, paired with a 130mm-travel Recon RL on the front of the bike. That’s hung off a fairly basic aluminum frame; it uses steel pivot hardware and simple tube shapes, but you’ll also see things like ISCG tabs, a (non-Boost) thru-axle, and while it doesn’t come with a dropper post because you can't have everything at this price, goddamnit, it does have the frame holes to accept one. Speaking of holes, the only place to carry water is on the underside of the Bossnut's down tube.
Climbing
The Bossnut is the lone 27.5" wheeled bike in our Field Trip group test, along with also being the least expensive full-suspension bike by $400, so I mistakenly assumed that it'd be the worst climber of the bunch to boot. Okay, it wouldn't be my first choice (that's the Vitus) or my last (shoutout to the Giant Stance), but the Bossnut does a remarkable job of hiding its low-cost price tag on the climbs, trucking along just as well as bikes costing more than twice as much.
The 130mm-travel single-pivot rear-suspension doesn't feel like it wastes any watts, which is nice given that I don't have any to waste and the shock doesn't have a pedal-assist switch. It's efficient, but its real forte is on the tight, technical climbs where it makes short work of those low-speed tests of balance. Not even the fast-rolling, low-traction rear tire could stymie the 'nut, although it sure did its best on the dusty, loose Sedona singletrack. With plenty of pep, a compact feeling cockpit, and a head angle that I would have guessed to be a full degree steeper than it actually is, the Calibre has that darty personality that can make technical climbs fun.
Speaking of fun, heatstroke, and cactus, here's a spoiler alert: The 27.5" wheeled Calibre was the underdog of the Impossible Climb pseudo-science test (yes, there's a video coming) but ended up surprising everyone. Out of the eight value bikes, how do you think the Bossnut fared?
Descending
With my expectations set to a medium-low level, a few extra psi in each tire to keep me from pinching on the first rock, and the seat lowered via the trick quick-release lever, it took all of three or four rough corners for me to realize that the Bossnut is the real deal. Then again, geometry is what matters most and the Calibre's numbers suit its trail bike intentions well.
In fact, the Bossnut could take a new rider to their next level, and it's probably more than enough bike for a lot of shit talkers out there, and their trails.
It has a zippy personality to it through the tight, slow-speed stuff which, much like the climbing, is where it seems to excel the most. The small wheels and modern but short-ish reach help, no doubt, and unlike some longer machines, this is a bike that will dance if you know the moves.
Those slow and medium speed descents also ask less of the Bossnut's fork than faster trails where the Recon feels overwhelmed. This fork's damper proved to be consistent (it wasn't on the Hightower), but its very linear air spring needs to be over-pressurized by around 30 psi.
On smoother terrain, the Bossnut has no problems hanging with the likes of the Commencal Meta, YT's Jeffsy, and the other bikes that cost twice as much. But put it on a chunky, fast trail and it doesn't offer the same planted and predictable ride of pricier machines.
Those slow and medium speed descents also ask less of the Bossnut's fork than faster trails where the Recon feels overwhelmed. This fork's damper proved to be consistent (it wasn't on the Hightower), but its very linear air spring needs to be over-pressurized by around 30 psi.
On smoother terrain, the Bossnut has no problems hanging with the likes of the Commencal Meta, YT's Jeffsy, and the other bikes that cost twice as much. But put it on a chunky, fast trail and it doesn't offer the same planted and predictable ride of pricier machines.
Timed Testing
Our timed lap for the trail bikes was around 11 minutes long and split into three distinct sectors. First, a smooth, twisty singletrack climb topped out along a technical traverse that tested the bike's slow-speed handling and traction. After that, we dropped into a fast descent that began with rough, suspension-testing corners before some fast berms, flat corners, and a few fun-sized jumps. Nothing too rowdy, but representative of the terrain these trails bikes were intended to see.
Don't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and fast doesn't always mean it's the best for everyone.
Kazimer: "I had my second fastest climbing time, fifth fastest descending time, and my fifth fastest overall time"
Levy: "I had my fourth quickest climbing time, third quickest descent time, and was fifth over the entire loop.''
At the other end of the bike, the Bossnut's 130mm of travel and little Monarch R shock gave us nothing to moan about. The suspension sensitivity is just as good as its competition, and there's both support and ramp-up to run 30-percent sag and still hit all of the trail bike-appropriate lines without worry. Sure, push it hard and you'll find the difference between it and the back of the Vitus - it could feel noticeably choppier over repeated high-speed impacts - but what do you want from your $1,400 trail bike?
Onto the cage match, and this time it's the Bossnut going up against the $1,800 Giant Stance and the $2,000 Vitus Mythique 29 VRX. The Bossnut makes short work of the Stance - pushing the Giant on rough (but appropriate) terrain feels a bit like trying to push a rope; it's an over-cooked noodle of a frame that's still using a quick-release rear-end. If we're talking Stance versus Bossnut, choose the 'nut and spend the difference on a dropper post and tubeless-ready rubber.
The $2,000 Vitus is an entirely different beast, and it walks all over the Stance and Bossnut anytime it's fast and rough.
Pros
+ Impressive rear-suspension
+ Best at slow speeds, smoother terrain
+ Great climber
Cons
- Pivot hardware rattle loose multiple times
- Fork can't keep up
- Limited availability outside the UK
The 2020 Pinkbike Field Test was made possible by support from: Smith, 7mesh, and Thunder Mountain Bikes.
Photos: Anthony Smith
Additional footage: Lear Miller
Author Info:
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Interesting to hear everyone's take on boost here. It seems like the only thing I've read about it for the last 8 years or so is how it's part of an industry-wide conspiracy to constantly change standards unnecessarily.
Recently bought a non-boost Debonair Lyrik for a song. I literally could not feel any difference in stiffness from the boost version and it was *$500* cheaper.
Wheelbuild and tyre choice is a far greater variable. Poor wheel build on a boost frame vs good wheel build on non boost. I know which I'd choose
Once you start requesting those other changes there are extra design and manufacturing charges, if they can even be done. A slight increase in cost/unit for the frame and then the retail price needs to go up by £2-300. And when the number one criterion is price/value, all of a sudden those changes are off the table.
By the way, a great HKT podcast if you wanted to find out more:
thehktpodcast.libsyn.com/needs-doing
What the hell, I tried to neg rep you two and it added positives? We must bury your practical comments.
I've warrantied several SX derailleur that didn't work properly right out of the box on a brand new bike. SX eagle is cheap shit, I'll take 10sp deore any day of the week.
/s
When 11-spd was the latest and greatest GX was marketed as the budget/entry level drivetrain with X1 bridging the gap between GX & XO. Then when 12spd was introduced they dropped X1, added NX as the “new” budget drivetrain (before SX was introduced) which bumped up GX to a mid-level option even though, as far as I can tell Sram never made any improvements to other than making it 12-spd.
That being said I wish they kept X1 in the line up with a 12spd option. It’s been the most reliable, trouble free drivetrain I’ve ever had.It’s been on my bike for over 5 years, replaced the pulleys and cables a few times but haven’t adjusted the derailleur once, and still somehow shifts flawlessly to this day.
FTFY
When people rave about the customer service and warranty department now all I hear is "it breaks a lot"
I have friends that have been on 12-sp GX, that have replaced mechs and triggers (cassettes seem to fair alright), in far less time, than I've had the X1 setup.
Full disclosure though, I've replaced the cassette with a Garbaruk 10-50 11-sp at the beginning of 2018, but that's also still just trucking along.
X1 seems to have hit a sweetspot, which probably didn't make SRAM enough money, so they scrapped it. But at this point I'm afraid of buying SRAM again, as I'll have to go X01 to get the same durability, but at a significantly higher cost.
It's on par with the SRAM cassette that was on there before, as well as the XT M8000 cassette I've had in another bike.
It's also MASSIVELY lighter.
At this point, I'm only interested in 12-sp Shimano, due to the shifting under power thing. If that doesn't really work as advertised, I will have no qualms buying Garbaruk again.
The future is Sramano SLNX 12 speed.
If they could save $5 a bike, and still make it appealing to MOST, they probably would. As a guy who rides a bike many, many times more expensive than a $2000 bike, SX isn't appealing. But, I am not the customer, the newbie is.
Also this whole "Field Trip" budget needs some tweaking.
Put the direct to consumer brands (YT, Commencal etc) in their own category and instead of experienced riders on the staff, find people who are beginner/novices and see what they think of the inexpensive bikes.
[Napoleon Dynamite] Gahhh idiot
#28tforlife
( I get it might not be soon, unfortunately)
Yes, still building.
The point was that the alu. plane wing flexes like crazy,,,and to my knowledge, they don't really catastrophically fail as a result.
At any rate, I am not completely against them. I would just need to be convinced.
It's similar to pivots that hardly rotate and whether a bearing or a bushing is a better solution.
That is the real reason for sure.
I can't remember how many times I have tried to convince a customer what the best course of action was, but they reject the advice because it isn't the same tire model on the front and back, or because something that they heard from a buddy. I mean a lot of people do take the advice as well, but the product managers have to play the numbers game.
"International Delivery
Currently unavailable"
I'd have liked to see the Sentry in this competition to be honest.
Another example is the Vitus model, which actually sells for $1800 from its only vendor (CRC/Wiggle - same shop)
Some people prefer the confidence of a warranty.
Winner gets 50 timbits.
All done at appropriate social distancing of course.
- at an even lower price point, low enough to truly make it impossible to get a decent new bike;
- when you need something very specific like a DH/ bike or XC race bike and are on a budget.
When you need a "daily" trailbike and get to this price level where you can get something like the Vitus from this test brand new, that's a bike that isn't lacking anything and won't hold a lot of people back in reality (if it will, you're either that guy who needs a used DH/FR bike or you're probably not looking in this price range). I'm saying Vitus because getting good rubber and dropper for the Bossnut will bring it a bit closer to that 2k, as will buying a used bike for the Bossnut's price and making it usable (service, swap broken/worn parts and the frame's integrity is still a lottery). I'd be hard pressed to find any used trailbike appealing over that Vitus.
@bikeboy100 Nah, not really dude. You got a $925 bike for $925. $1700 was its MSRP (i.e. not the real purchase price) when it was new, with warranty, fresh tyres, drivetrain, pads and discs, straight wheels, smooth bearings without play and fork not needing service. To be clear I'm not slating your purchase. I'm sure it's a lot of bike for $925 and it fits my point above about price points where buying new/capable gets tricky. But let's not pretend the first owner didn't get value out of spending more on new.
That being said, since your ride is a hardtail, this costs £764 or $945 at today's exchange rate: www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-sentier-27-bike-deore-1x10-2020/rp-prod181499
Is that used bike going to blow it out of the water on the trail in the real world and how much did it need in service/spares? Put a dropper on this Sentier (the cheapest on CRC is £99/$122) and for $1067 it can easily hang with the $1499 Honzo, it even has better tyres. If below £1000 was my budget for a full sus, I'd 100% go used but for a hardtail I'm not sure.
If i didnt try new places often (or was more confident) or race i would ride 27.5 all the time, its just more fun.
My 29er is my 135mm light/fast trailbike, and my 27.5 170mm "enduro" bike is so much fun at the bikepark or pedaling up fire roads to ride more DH style trails.
I think the beauty is we have so many different types of bikes out there available to ride for different terrains or riding styles. Sucks for the wallet, but those who really notice the difference probably will make the sacrifices to afford multiple bikes.
Trailers are to be avoided.
Trailers can be a rowdy, redneck, good time.
The more expensive brands may be thanking Calibre as well as other makers of "bikes like this" 3 years down the road.
I remember spending $650 on my first hard tail myself in March, and by the end of August of the same year I was rolling out the shop on a $3600 dollar NS Soda Air.
Now I think these cheap bikes are REALLY about to be good tho (1 to 2yrs). The geometry is catching up fast and the only thing missing is a decent fork. The Vitus is a nice value...I think we could see 1500$ versions of that after some trickle down. Particularly of interest will be Giant once they put out their OEM fork. I'm guessing it'll be a heck of a lot nicer than that crappy Recon. If they do that and make a proper frame...those cheap bikes just might stick around and not need that 2nd purchase. YT just put out a kids bike that's nicer than all of these for 1899$. Sick McLeod custom shock and Manitou fork with same damper/spring as 800$+ as their forks...plus sweet wheels\bars\pedals\stem\geo\tires. It could be done for adults too once the OEMs ditch the garbage forks (hopefully wheels too).
If a bike brand can make more money by marketing their nice new shiny $8k bike - it has new geo which will make you more confident on the trails, faster, you'll be a superstar!
or we also offer these other bikes from $1-4k the geos not as good but you'll do ok....just not as good as if you spend that extra money on the new geo.
Basically its all about getting as much money out of the consumer as possible.
For a 1400 this is hellot of the bike
It's just "the price".
Like I don't normally "recommend" things to myself, I just do them.
In the case of this bike, "the price" is actually £935
Imagine if you throw a powermeter on and keep watts at like 200 or so on the climbs, then no pedals on descents it could take out a ton of subjective factors. We could basically say X platform puts more watts to forward momentum and Y platform keeps forward momentum better than Z platform.
Im not smart. Could be dumb idea.
Sincerely,
A tall guy
(we need a standard for this...)
as an entry point bike it is probably does not matter since users will not differentiate them.
For all comments that giant is epencivke and have worth set up, you are forgetting that giant have huge network of distributors which is super important when you are choosing 1 MTB;
Buying online requires you to know at. least some basics and have experience;
for only 400 more you get amuch better rockshox sektor fork with boost and debonair spring and more travel (140mm)
better rockshox shock
dropper post
4 piston sram guide re brakes
slightly better drivetrain with threaded bottom bracket
tubeless tires
is a “Boss Nut”!
Although it is 142mm spacing, one thing to keep in mind is the bike is 27.5. Yes, there would be gains in regards to stiffness/strength if it were boost, but it is less concerning than if the bike was 29.
With that being said, I’d hate to have a Bossnut on an epic ride only to be stopped by a weak spoke due to a bracing angle that wasn’t optimal...
geometrygeeks.bike/bike/calibre-bossnut-2020
I'm sure as a novice you can have a blast on this for some time, but I also can't help the feeling that you'll probably be stuck with buyers remorse once the honeymoon phase is over and you've progressed in the sport. You'll probably be left thinking about how much better you could have done if you would just have spent a couple hundred dollars more on a slightly more expensive, but way more up-to-date trail bike instead. After all its never been easier to buy a decent entry level trail bike, with loads of options in the sub-2000$ range these days. Commencal, Merida, Norco, Cube, Vitus, Polygon, Fezzari and Marin all offer better options than this.
This sounds like some of that shit talkin’ Levy mentions.
And the hubs are after all in no way the only shortcoming of the Bossnut.
On a 29er, especially with budget parts, yes for sure I notice non boost wheels. On a 27.5 budget wheels it is noticable if you are sensitive enough, but doesn't feel sketchy like a low cost 29" 135/142 wheel.
As a heavy and at least a bit aggressive of a rider I would never hesitate to ride a 27.5 bike with 142 rear hubs. There is the huge advantage that if you ever want to upgrade or replace the rear wheel, the 142 option will almost always be more heavily discounted.
I wouldn't be too worried about that. You can still get great 135 QR wheels, as well as plenty of budget options and that standard has been gone for a long time, in the high end MTB world. I think people worry about this more than it is worth.
Plus, road bikes have just finally adopted 142, so it will be around for a long time.
I can see why people might view them as cheap (in terms of price and quality). However, i think it is important to remember who these bikes are aimed at and what they are for.
I think, when getting your first 'proper' mountain bike, it would be difficult not to experience at least some degree of buyer's remorse, whatever bike you choose. Simply because it's nigh on impossible to know what bike you will need/want once you hit your stride.
When you're starting out, you wont know what type of riding you prefer (xc, trail, park, DH) until you give them a go. And you can't give them a go until you've got a bike that allows you to do so.
Additionally, you wont know what sort of bike (geometry & sizing-wise) will best suit your specific body size, until you start riding your bike and find out what you like and don't like about riding it. My first proper mountain bike was a Nukeproof Mega 290. Loved it on the local flowy blue trail. Took it to the bike park and found it was just too long for me (i got short arms and legs) and i struggled to tackle drops, jumps and such features with any confindence. Not a criticism of the bike. Just not quite right for me (would have quite liked to try the Mega 275 if i had the chance). I learned enough from it to have a better idea for a new bike and now i have something that suits me a lot better.
Anyway, i think a bike like this offers a solid start to mountain biking, at a price that makes it not too bitter a pill to swallow if you find yourself needing to change to something more suitable as your ability and riding preferences develope.
I read an interview with the guy who's in charge of the Calibre brand and he said his objective with the bossnut was to make a bike at a price that was affordable (and perhaps more importantly, justifiable) to newcomers to the sport, but also capable/well-designed enough that the people who bought it and rode it would fall in love with the sport, rather than be put off by immediately limiting flaws often present in the budget sector.
I think if someone buys this bike, gets to a decent standard of riding, then replaces the bike for something more expensive/better spec'd; then that's still mission accomplished for Calibre/Go Outdoors and means less of an overall loss to the buyer (as opposed to buying a more expensive first bike and still having to replace it for somethimg more suitable).