First Ride: ARC8 Extra - A New 160mm 29er From a Small Swiss Brand

Jun 25, 2019
by Dan Roberts  



ARC8 are a small Swiss company who are entering the market with a lineup that includes a cross-country hardtail, a short travel trail bike, and the Extra, their new 160mm 29er.

ARC8 is made up of two Swiss gentlemen – Serafin Pazdera and Jonas Müller. Serafin is a graphic designer and web developer based out of Basel, Switzerland, and Jonas is a bike engineer based out of Taichung, Taiwan. ARC8 approached us recently with a simple proposal – let's meet up and we'll show you our bikes. Always keen to see all things two wheeled, we organized a weekend in Champéry to take them up on their proposal.
ARC8 Extra Details

Wheel Size: 29
Rear Travel: 160mm
Front Travel: 160mm to 180mm
Sizes: S, M and L
Frame Weight: 2300g (Bare frame with mech hanger)
Price: 1999 CHF (About 1778 EUR or 2009 USD)
Availability: Available to order now, estimated delivery October 2019
More info: ARC8 Extra

What we discovered were two guys with a straightforward ideal – to make bikes built for riding. Sounds obvious, but more than you can imagine this is forgotten. We swung a leg over the Extra for two days of riding in to see if their different approach as a company does in the end pay out in the product.


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The headset top cap is the entry point for all cables which then go off internally to their destinations.

Frame Details

Like their XC hardtail, ARC8 came up with a different solution to getting the cables into the frame. They enter via the headset top cap and feed down through the top bearing before shooting off into the down tube. To do this the top bearing is the same size as the bottom bearing, hopefully boosting headset lifespan and also boosting the surface area that connects the down and top tubes to the head tube. It’s a vital junction on a bike, so a boost in structural stiffness is going to facilitate less carbon reinforcement layers to handle the forces.

Further structural boosts come from the lack of holes drilled in the frame. And with the fact that you're already needing a headset top cap, you’ve got less parts to faff around with when you build and maintain the bike. Integration, and internal cable routing, aren’t for everyone. But if it is your thing, then ARC8’s solution will be right up your street and one of the cleanest out there.

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Both link and chain stay connections are tucked neatly inside the mainframe tubes.

Just like their Essential trail bike, the link and chain stay nestle their connections with the mainframe on the inside of the tubes. The link is a bit bigger than the Essential’s, with its need to provide more travel, but it’s just as tucked right up there and out of the way. Trail deposits do find a place to stay on a rather large loam shelf. But luckily it’s only a pair of well-sealed bearings that live down there and are in harm’s way.

Both link connections and the chain stay main frame connection use long through axles to provide a solid pivot and then lock them in place with a small wedge to stop them coming lose. It also allows the owner to preload the bearings just enough to have no play but not over tighten them and inhibit their smooth movement.


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A seat stay bridge helps rigidly connect the left and right sides of the bike, while the pivot hardware makes solid connections between frame parts.

In the quest for balancing good geometry and suspension, lots of manufacturers are quick to ditch the seat stay bridge as a bit of a cheat. They often don’t try and add back its stiffness merits elsewhere in the frame. ARC8 managed to sneak in a robust bridge that goes a long way to tying the left and right seat stays together and reducing the amount of twisting and scissoring forces sent further into the bike.

Another little feature, almost invisible to the untrained eye, is the offset rear wheel. Not a new idea, it sees the Boost hub pushed 4mm to the drive side in an effort to have better balance of spoke tensions and in result a stronger wheel. It does mean that you’ll need to pay attention to your wheel setup for this bike; ARC8 do offer a wheel build specific to this bike, but it’s nice to see attention to all the details on a bike that is supposed to be ridden hard. It also allowed the use of a zero offset chain ring, freeing up precious space in the tight chain stay area that sees the tire and chain ring fighting for space.

Taking a step back from the techy little details shows how good looking this bike is. No doubt in part to ARC8’s use of Spanish design consultancy Cero. Once you know about Cero’s input into this bike, the forms and shapes do pop out as recognisable. This definitely isn’t a bad thing, though, as it looks purposeful and unique to ARC8. Form is subjective, but I enjoyed looking at this little black beauty while ARC8 were in town.


ARC8 Extra Geometry

Geometry

The Extra will be available in three sizes covering 440mm to 490mm reach. Smaller riders are a bit left out, but it’s often a necessity due to big wheel plus big travel and, unfortunately, low trouser clearance figures on smaller riders. Out front the Extra has a 64 degree head angle with a 160mm fork - switching to a 170 or 180mm fork would be an easy way to slacken things out even further, although that will raise the BB height, which is already a touch high at around 340mm.

One point is the short head tube. If you’re a fan of high bars then you’ll need a few spacers to get you bars where you’d like them. On the flip side, if you’re from a more XC background, you’ll have no problems getting a low bar setup on the Extra. In the middle there’s a short and nicely steep angle. Seated position is one of the most immediately perceivable areas of fit when getting on new bike. The Extra’s seat position feels in a comfortable location over the pedals, rather than falling far behind them.

The chain stay length is shorter than most sender bikes of this category. It puts good grip on the real wheel while seated, and is a little easier to maneuver in steep and tight tech, but it can sometimes feel a bit out of balance with the capability and stability of the front. Despite the top tube reliant suspension layout, there are no standover issues, and this low standover is carried on through all sizes.


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Suspension

Using a similar layout to their other full suspension bike, the Extra employs a Horst pivot and top tube mounted link suspension layout to generate its 160mm of travel from a 230mm long shock with 60mm stroke. Standard eyelets are at both ends, but there's ample room around the link for shocks with bearing mounts.

ARC8 Extra Leverage Ratio

The leverage ratio follows a mostly progressive curve but with regressive humps at start and end of travel. 26.7% sag took 250psi and gave good balance between ride height and bottom outs. The O-ring could be pushed to the end of travel with a good huck to flat, but with no hard metal on metal bottom outs that have you mentally preparing your ankle bones.

At just above 100% anti squat at sag in a 30T chain ring and 28T cog, the Extra does a good job of combating mass transfer, but the suspension does bob from the mass of legs spinning while climbing. Steeper seat angles put more of this cyclical mass into the suspension, and so higher than 100% anti-squat figures work well to combat it. Flipping the lockout switch remedied this and helped it climb more efficiently on smooth surfaces, but will no doubt make it a more rough ride when climbing off road.

ARC8 Extra Anti-Squat
ARC8 Extra Anti-Rise










Usually, the first rides of bikes are carried out against all the odds with foreign trails, climates and cultures all adding to the distraction of what’s going on at the wheels.

This case was different with ARC8 visiting Champéry and the Valais region of Switzerland. Home trails and familiarity allowed more of a focus on listening to the bike quickly getting accustomed to its handling.

Initially we planned to ride Champéry, but the skies turned black and we dove in the cars for Sierre where coats weren’t necessary and the vast majority of the trail was dry and dusty. Sag was set at 25% for the shock and the fork was easily set up due to familiarity of the 36.

Once at the trail, we had a bit of rain on the roots to contend with. And this is where Onza tyres got put on a Do Not Buy list. Thin sidewalls and hard compound make them sketchy and unpredictable and was the defining character of the first ride. But, you always adapt to your new environment and once more accustomed to the light switch like drops in traction it started to come through about the bike’s mix of stability and playfulness.
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Dan Roberts // Technical Contributor
Age: 32
Location: Champéry, Switzerland
Height: 188cm (6'2”)
Weight: 75kg (165 lbs)
Industry affiliations / sponsors: Garage Bike Project, former engineer at Scott Sports
Instagram: @le_crusher

Even on an M size (L sizes aren’t available until later in the year) there’s a bunch of stability up front from the generous reach, slack head angle and short offset fork. If I were to ride an M size, which could be done, there would be a swinging towards a 50mm stem to have a bit more stability in the steering and tune the fit. Moving to an L size would open up the option of running either a 50mm or coming down to a 35mm stem, depending on preferences.

Most bikes of this travel category have longer chain stays and some even grow them with size. This balances out the characters of the front and back of the bike. ARC8 went for short on all and it shows in the ability to whip it round trees and pull up at ease on the bars. This shortness does in some situations find a mismatch with the stability and single-minded purpose of the front. But if you enjoy a bit of jibbing mixed in with your sending then it works quite well.

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This is where it stated to become a little clearer about the Extra's intentions. There is no single focus on absolute all-out bike speed and stability. It has an ability to do that, albeit to less of degree than, for example, the RAAW Madonna. But this nature, combined with the bike’s low weight, open up an adjustment window for what the bike is capable off. Configure it with burlier tires, and a more sending focused build and it will do that just nicely. Shave some weight off with more weight focused components and you have a bike that you could take for long days out or trips covering long distances with relative ease. It’s a versatile bike.

Day two enabled us to do a grand old loop around Champéry, taking in some lesser known trails hiding away in the woods and some of the better know, completely fresh, bike park tracks. The previous day’s rain had led to some more British conditions and so with a change of tyres to a trusty Dirty Dan and Magic Mary we set off.

We tackled the morning's climb with ease, albeit with the aid of a climb switch, and now the butt puckering of the Onza tyres was gone and the flavor of reach combined with stem came through a bit stronger. An L size would be a better fit for the terrain of Valais and the riding we do, but still, the M danced down the trail nicely to a different tune, encouraging a little less of straight flat out line and a bit more of a wiggle down the trails finding interesting features that usually flash by un-noticed.

The seated climbing position is excellent, and I’m sure it would remain just as comfortable four hours into a big old loop around the mountains. It also feels like you get every bit of juice out of your legs and needs less conscious effort to retain a good posture to avoid a tired back.

Up in the glorious vert berms it was a blast, high lines into turns and head movements akin to Stevie Wonder in full flow at his keyboard were real fun, and the back of the bike wagged around like a dog’s tail in the slightly more soft patches of trail. Through the roots and rocks it was predictable and fun all rolled into one. You can either keep your wheels on the ground or pick them up with minimal effort and skip over the nastiest roots eager to swipe your wheels out from underneath you.


First Impressions
bigquotesTwo days usually provide only a small tasting of what a bike can and can’t do. But doing those two days on home trails enabled the ballad of the Extra to be heard a little more clearly. It’s a versatile, big travel mountain bike that has options to be built for good sending or ground covering. It has some small suspension and geometry quirks, but overall it’s a nice package that’s wrapped in a bow of solid engineering and repeatable manufacturing quality.

ARC8 is a welcome addition to the industry, and their Extra is a bike we’d love to spend more time on and get even more acquainted with.









Author Info:
dan-roberts avatar

Member since Apr 6, 2019
137 articles

155 Comments
  • 126 1
 I was not aware that half-lid and goggles looks like that.
  • 186 2
 Neither do the people who wear them.
  • 35 17
 It does look stupid but who cares if it means you can keep your eyes open AND safe at the same time in any condition ?

I did the mistake once of riding behind friends on an extremely dry portion of fireroad. After a 40kmh crash and a double puncture, I decided I would get goggles instead of closing my eyes.
  • 16 14
 Did it once. Find it more dangerous since it makes you feel like you are riding full face being not
  • 54 15
 @zede:

A long time ago someone invented something called glasses.
  • 38 14
 @sadem: and then someone tried goggles, and went these work better.

I have seen a numbers of injuries from broken glasses causing alot of damage in crashes. Some of these have had to have a plastic surgeon involved to fix up the damage. And one of the guys is lucky to still have 2 working eyes.

Plus they just don’t work as well in mud and dust
  • 11 10
 @sadem: yeah well good luck with your glasses when dust/mud gets under it, or when you hit full speed a blackberry branch full of thorns.
  • 29 6
 Am I the only one who is wondering WHY would anyone go full 11 into a blackberry bush? Surely you'd dab a little brake first ???
  • 9 6
 @NinetySixBikes: i rarely find glasses that stay perfect on the Nose when the trail gets rowdy. When they start sliding down it's annoying me and that's dangerous. Googles may look stupid, but as everywhere it's "form follows function" not vice versa.
  • 6 6
 @Waldon83: yes you are the only one not knowing the difference between a branch and a bush.
  • 13 2
 @Lasse2000: I wear Oakley Radar EV path glasses with prism trail lenses. I have never had an issue with the glasses bouncing around and falling down from my nose. I only wear these glasses while riding, even with a full face. I cannot stand wearing goggles and I find them uncomfortable and I feel they limit my field of view. Oakley also have glasses that have more coverage on your face. I just hate goggles.
  • 33 3
 I never understood the hate for half-shells and goggles, except for the usual MTB fashionistas caring more about how they look than how they ride.
  • 9 6
 So , the company is located in Taiwan. It's a Taiwanese company not a Swiss company.
  • 2 0
 Both systems have their pros and cons, but when the riding doesn't justify a full face helmet I don't really see how goggles can be superior to a good pair of glasses. Take a pair that has full coverage of the glass and you won't get hurt when crashing, their run significantly cooler than googles... and good luck finding photochromatic lenses for your goggles...
  • 2 0
 @Waldon83: uhmmm like if you want the juicy ones at the back.....duh! also sorry!
  • 5 1
 @polarproton: you don't chose a FF helmet when you ride for 1-4h up. It's heavy, too warm and most likely you won't wear it on the uphill so it's less safe than a half lid that you would wear all the time. Goggles on the other side are light, protective, and you can just wrap them on the handlebar. Glasses are lighter and non protective.

Unless you ride above the tree line, or in the snow on a sunny day, I don't see the point of tainted lenses. Sunglasses anyways get full of sweat and fog after 10min of uphill so I can't wear anything on the way up. And on the way down they don't protect against dust, mud branches etc like said above.
The decision is easy.
  • 14 1
 Author clearly rips and knows bikes (from being an engineer at Scott). He wrote this article in his second language. Give him some props.
  • 4 0
 @moutnbiker: I remember the original Oakley sunglasses being made for just this very situation. the size of a goggle but feel/convienence of sunglasses
  • 2 2
 @endurocat: like pretty much any carbon bike company you mean ?
  • 4 1
 @nojzilla: I had a set of Factory Pilots with drilled lenses bought off Tim Gould of all people. I'd still rather rock those than goggles and XC lid Smile
  • 2 0
 I've ridden with glasses for years (except when riding with a full face). But it was really hard to find glasses I was happy with. It was always some compromise because I wanted them to clamp my head so that they would stay in place. But if they'd clamp too hard they'd give me a headache. Not even that they clamp that hard, but at least my head doesn't like constant moderate pressure above the ears. So a few years ago I started riding with goggles over my half shell too and never looked back. They provide full protection and stay in place without clamping my head. I never went back.
  • 2 0
 @wallheater: Gotta be an Etto lid for full retro
  • 2 0
 #fullendurolook!!
  • 7 0
 What's worse, goggles on a half lid, or glasses in a full face?
  • 1 0
 Plastic bottle rocket from the Swiss ehhh!
  • 3 0
 @NinetySixBikes: Blake from GMBN: "Break that rule!" hahaha
  • 4 2
 @arden0: i really don't get what's so bad about goggles on a half shell lid? Then again, i'm not that much into fashion...
  • 4 0
 @Herb1234: Ohhh, so getting your eye poked out with a stick or rock is safer, well damn, I'll ditch those "safety glasses" as soon as I can.

Perhaps I can wear eye patches like Madonna, those are soooo hip Wink

Seriously dude, it's like you're saying we're safer not wearing seat belts cause in a crash they can bruise your hips.
  • 5 0
 Are we still having this conversation? So what, just ride!
  • 1 0
 @elliott-20: The "return to earth" ad from the front page is so I'm not sure but I suppose my time to ride for today is over. You're from the UK so you might still have some left. If so, what are you doing here? Please allow us to discuss eyewear here. I tell you, 2020 will be the year of the protective contactlenses. Not sure how effective these are but they sure do look pretty with your helmet Smile !
  • 2 1
 @zede: Funny that, I'm actually a horticulturalist. I also don't send it into blackberry bushes, mostly because the trails I ride, trail builders don't build trails that lead, you know..... straight toward them.
  • 1 2
 @Waldon83: cool story bro.
Not everyone rides solely on manicured bike park highways
  • 3 0
 @polarproton: I also ride moto and DH and have 10+ pairs of goggles at home and don't want to spend another $150+ on some 'good glasses' for the fast/dusty days when normal glasses wont cut it.
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: Oakley Factory Pilots!!! Gawd we looked dorky in those... wish I still had the though. (collage roommate who never gave them back after a loan, you SUCK...)
  • 36 2
 I miss Aston telling us it's too short,too steep,needs 500mm chainstays and a vertical seat tube.Whatever happened to him? He seemed nice.
  • 33 6
 He was sentenced to shut the f... up for having killed an overhyped carbon rim brand...
  • 15 0
 Aston is kinda renting/demoing some Nicolai monsters in Finale, puting is money where his mouth was really. And enjoying good food and weather.
  • 14 0
 @gnralized: I keep seeing people say that, but if his Enve review was really so toxic to the powers that be at PB, wouldn't they have just not published it?
  • 4 1
 @BrambleLee: doesn't work that way. PB editorial has a pretty honest commitment to keeping technical apart from advertising so the tech editors can say what they want.
  • 22 0
 340mm BB height unsagged on a 160mm travel bike is now considered "a bit high"? Yeah, sure.
  • 3 0
 Thought the same...
  • 2 0
 Sorry, should have quantified. 333mm to 335 seems to be a really nice BB height from testing other bikes. It depends on the kinematic and some other factors, but it seems to be low enough to be down and in the bike without skidding pedals all day long. 5mm to 7mm higher might not sound like much on paper, but it also doesn't take much here and there to add up to a big ride feel difference.
  • 2 0
 Also, “26.7% sag at 250psi”...is the tester a hippopotamus?!
  • 2 0
 @DRomy: Been described as the fattest skinny person ever, on account of how much I eat, but never a hippopotamus.

250psi is quite a bit of pressure in the shock though. There might be the startings of an issue if you’re carrying quite a bit of timber.
  • 1 0
 @dan-roberts: All joking aside, how does a whopping 250psi with those leverage ratios give 26.7% sag?
  • 1 0
 @dan-roberts: you think!
  • 15 0
 good luck with dirt inside the „neatly tucked“ chainstay link.
  • 13 3
 The previously criticized Stumpjumper Evo has more progression than this bike (admittedly with lower AS) yet somehow this bike is a trail slayer?

And just look at that brake hose eating the frame on the main frame exit port.
  • 4 13
flag kleinblake (Jun 25, 2019 at 1:24) (Below Threshold)
 Shock tune is everything
  • 10 2
 @kleinblake: Except when it isn't.
  • 9 0
 More travel and an air shock probably help this frame a lot.
  • 7 4
 The high AS/PK - linear ratio strikes again...
So bored to see always the same dysfonctionnal kinematic layup...
  • 1 0
 @gnralized Except the anti-squat here is not actually high. If anything, it's a bit low given the 30t chainring. Truth about the LR, though.
  • 4 2
 @JohnnyVV: 100% at sag in 30/28 mean at least 140-150% in 30/50 and since it is a 29er it is designed around an average 30t ring.
So yes AS is high, and PK should be too.
Just look at the main pivot height above BB.
High AS/PK - linear ratio mafia.
  • 1 1
 @gnralized: that’s definitely not true. The antisquat probably gets lower in the 50t, as is the case for most bikes. However, their stated CG seems really high so the bike probably rides like it has much higher antisquat than stated, so yeah I completely agree with your last point
  • 1 0
 This bike has more progression, at around 11.5%. Compared to about 9.5% on the Stumpjumper EVO.

It's also not soley down to progression percentage as to why one bike rides better than another. There's many more factors and also how they all work together.

Main frame cable exit is actually quite close to the pivot, so would have less effect on the cable movement than a lot of other cable routing designs.
  • 1 1
 @gnralized: You have it backwards. But, yes, it's probably around 120% at 30x10 (which is not particularly high, imo.)
  • 1 0
 I misremembered the Evo LR. Very close though isn’t it.

The issue with the brake routing isn’t the proximity to the pivot, it’s the lack of securing clamps where the hose/cable enters and exits the frame. If the cable is under tension like in the photo above it will eventually eat the frame, even if they only move a couple of mm relatively.
  • 1 0
 @jclnv: @jclnv: That would be a valid concern if it weren't for the fact that cable contact with the BB would require over extension of the shock.
  • 9 0
 If the stated frame weight is correct, this will be one of the lightest enduro frames on the market.
  • 2 0
 That's light even for XC standards.
  • 2 2
 Lots of plastic can do that to a bike
  • 8 5
 "And this is where Onza tyres got put on a Do Not Buy list. Thin sidewalls and hard compound make them sketchy and unpredictable [...]"
Thats where I stopped reading and wondered, what tire where you riding exactly? I ride a variety of Onza tires on all my bikes and I never had any problem like that with them.
  • 7 0
 I have. The FRC 55a is unridable in all but the tackiest conditions. However, I think the EDC 45a is excellent, and the DHC 40 GRP even more so.
  • 1 0
 @kleinblake: that most likely explains it, I´ve mostly used EDC and DHC tires. The Ibex and Citius FRC weren´t that bad though. The Aquila FRC I tested a couple weeks ago wasn´t great, haven´t ridden it all that much yet due to injury, so that´s probably the one.
  • 10 1
 Interesting how the brand was called out and not the model/compound of the tire...
  • 2 0
 @mtnrush666: probably because you mostly find those FRC55a tires which are utter crap. Still didn't understand why they released the Aquila in this combo instead of a FRC/EDC45a. The thread itself only does so much for grip, in dry/not muddy conditions i'd say no more than 20% of the overall grip.
  • 1 0
 @mtnrush666: well remember gwin with his epic run down in the mud and everyone was WTF how can you go this way aaaand not slipping ?
Well Onza tires and Gwin....
I dunno I heard all the complaints from various sources but all of them always did used the cheapest tire there is from Onza.
I was happy with Onza , the GRP 40 compound will crush anything I see so far but the DH casing isn't right for my Enduro and also the weight. Still found nothing who is squishy and also tacky below -5°C.
  • 5 0
 @mtnrush666: Because that is what everyone who doesn't know anything about tires constantly does (especially here in the pinkbike comments):
"Maxxis are best"
"Conti are crap"
"had a Kenda tire 10 years ago, Kenda are unrideable"
  • 1 0
 They show the IBEX 29x2.4 on their website photos
  • 1 0
 @kleinblake: They should specify the exact tyre on the bike in the article.
  • 5 0
 What is it with the uppercase letters in the title?

Also, that bottom link looks tight af, not something you want get any pebbles caught in.
  • 5 1
 First Ride: ARC8 Extra - A New 160mm 29er From a Small Swiss Brand

All uppercase letters are grammatically correct, except for the F in from. @Upduro

(sorry, it's a boring morning at work today) !!!!!
  • 2 0
 @Cordall: is it because it's a title? Not trying to be a grammar nazi, I'm genuinely curious as I thought that you would usually write most of them lowercase unless Small Swiss Brand is an actual brand name.
  • 2 0
 @Upduro: so, are we having English lessons now? Wink
Capital first letters are very common in English headlines. Just need to have a look at this website's front page.
  • 1 1
 @FloImSchnee: have a look at what a proper noun is, so it should be small swiss brand.
  • 1 0
 @Upduro: isn‘t this article about a bike?
  • 3 0
 @Upduro: Like everything in the English laguage, there are variations! Generally speaking all words in a title will have a capital letter, except for.
Articles a, an, the, for, etc....
Prepositions at, by, over, etc....

The very fact i'm having this discussion with a German means that your English must be brilliant already. :-)
Thinking about it, small is a preposition, so that should have a lowercase s.
  • 2 0
 @Cordall: Small is not a preposition, it's an adjective; it is properly capitalized according to any of the common English grammar conventions for titles.

Someone called into question whether "From" should have been capitalized, and that's a gray area. From is a preposition, but some style manuals call for the capitalization in a title of prepositions longer than 3 or 4 letters long (it varies according to which style manual); so, "from," "with," "through" and so on would all be capitalized in these styles. AP's style manual is a go to for many journalistic institutions, and they would call for "From" to be capitalized in a title, so that's probably the style that PB follows.
  • 4 0
 Doesn't this cause rubbing of the hoses (and the steerer tube)? There was a problem with previous bikes routing cables and houses past the fork steerer.
  • 1 0
 Just imagine the hassle of taking apart the headset to clean/grease it.
  • 2 0
 @le_crusher I dont get it how why this frame is not got for short people. Look how short the ST is.
Size M is actually Size S for most European brands. Size L is actually size M, so how the heck is this for small folks ?
Reach looks okay to me but thats a thing you only get if you try those long reach machines....
  • 1 0
 More to do with a big wheel moving through big travel. Some shorter riders can find it a problem to handle all that and get bitten in the back side. From time to time I even get bitten and my legs are pretty long.
  • 1 0
 Looks superb, I love the al black raw material look, most of the bikes designed by Cero have very nice lines and are incredible just to look at.
Intense Tracer and Unno Dash and now this one. The only drawback for me it's not offered in a complete package and as well no XL size (I'm 1,93m).
  • 1 0
 I wouldn't call Onza tires a definite do not buy! I have the Citius and Ibex on my bike but I will say initially just because of their tanwall options but I've grown to love them immensely. Also what kind of stem is that?! I assume it's carbon judging by its raw carbon look.
  • 5 0
 Cannondale habit long travel
  • 1 0
 You will soon be satisfied then ....
  • 2 0
 I like the clean look.
Might not be for those who prefer a rattling spider web at the front Big Grin

The price especially with the pre-order discount seems okay.
Interesting to see where this goes...
  • 2 0
 Long, low, slack? Check. LT 29er? Check. Affordable? Check. Light weight? Check. Mild anti-squat? Check. Progressive LR? Not so much. Still... someone did their marketing research.
  • 2 0
 Mild anti-squat with a 30t, but 50+ teeth cassettes allow larger chainrings, bringing it into below 100% anti-squat territory. Heck, even with a 9-46 I'm running a 32t...
  • 1 0
 + a threaded BB...
  • 1 0
 @DavidGuerra: Yeah, I don't disagree. I run a 34T on my Ibis HD3 and still have more anti-squat than this bike. (And, I'm quite happy to have that much anti-squat.) Now it seems like a lot of brands are designing anti-squat around a 30T chainring. I suppose a 30x10/9 can still be spun productively at a pretty good bike speed, but I'm more likely to find regular use for 34X10 than 30x50. I tend to think they should design around 32T. I do think there's been a bit of backlash against high anti-squat designs from consumers who want "active suspension" and imagine sub-100% anti-squat designs will perform better. Manufacturers, of course, respond to this whether it's true or not.
  • 1 0
 "if you’re from a more XC background, you’ll have no problems getting a low bar setup on the Extra". I'm surprised to hear that, and I'm also sceptical of that. Don't those cables sticking out of the headset cap prevent that? Also how do you switch headsets? Seems like a failed idea to me, even if it's possible to lower the stem all the way one is stuck with that high headset cap. A higher head tube with a couple of holes on the side would offer a better weight/strength ratio.
  • 1 0
 Headset cap is the limiting factor, but this comment was made in relation to the head tube length, which is short. But, it all depends on your bar height preference as to how you’ll set up the bike.
  • 1 0
 @dan-roberts: If the headtube is 5mm below a Capra for instance but one is stuck with a headset cap that is 5mm higher, it's even. But if it's really possible to lower the stem all the way, even with a very short and/or bulky one, I would be contented.
  • 1 0
 My mate just got one of the which is now available with 2 linkages to allow for 135mm rear or 160mm rear ( same shock). The frame is very light. 135 is therefore a pedal rocket with a firm low leverage rear end. The 160 is a super light trail eater. Feels super plush and supportive but still nippy and quick under pedals. Compared with a DW link Pivot it felt easily as quick if not quicker under power. Can rip gnarly stuff easily. He swaps the forks as well. In 160 mode with lyric it’s still lighter than my xc/trail bike!
  • 2 0
 "a versatile, big travel mountain bike that has options to be built for good sending or ground covering" and is also super sexy.
Going straight in to the "WANT ONE" category.
  • 2 0
 How are the cables held away from the steerer? Have a Commencal Meta that runs the cables in the headtube that rubs a groove in the steerer.
  • 4 0
 1900g for a frame (160mm 29") ??? what about flex/rigidity ??
  • 1 0
 Good geo, nice cable routing, clean suspension for minimal mud accumulation, and the frame is oh so svelte.

But seriously, the tester was 6'2" and they tested a medium frame?
  • 1 0
 No L was available. As mentioned, they're coming later in the year.
  • 1 1
 "Another little feature, almost invisible to the untrained eye, is the offset rear wheel." Do you mean offset hub? Like Cannondale's and Hope's asymmetrical setups? Because an entire wheel offset from the center of the bike would be weird.
  • 4 0
 Horst-Link Hightower
  • 4 0
 But 1300€ cheaper
  • 1 1
 @colincolin: No point in paying for that lifetime warranty here though.
  • 1 0
 Aside from paint scheme, or lack of, all these bikes look the same now. Are patents so rampant now that nobody can mke an original suspension design?
  • 2 0
 Tyre clearance looks pish
  • 1 0
 $2000 for a carbon frame? Sounds like a smoking deal, great geometry numbers too.
  • 3 2
 Regressive curve at beginning and end of travel... worst place for regressive curves? Beginning and end of travel.
  • 2 0
 Ripmo reviews
  • 2 10
flag Dlakusta (Jun 25, 2019 at 5:18) (Below Threshold)
 seriously, what percentage of people outside a bike part use a coil shock.
  • 1 0
 Am i the only that thinks the stem looks kinda nice? I need some informations about it :O
  • 3 0
 Scissoring forces ...
  • 2 0
 Looks like an open mould frame. I know its not but it looks like one.
  • 1 0
 Agreed! Pretty sure it is.
  • 1 0
 @blast-off: Can confirm that it isn't open mould. Unique to ARC8.
  • 3 5
 Another Asian-made Horst-link bike....woohoo.

Seriously, if you're going to start a new bike brand, bring SOMETHING new to the table. This bike will likely have all the ride tradeoffs of a Specialized with crap customer support (sorry-we can't cover you warranty claim because we don't have enough frames).
  • 2 0
 160mm 29er and no XL size .....
  • 1 0
 1900g frame weight on a bike with numbers that beg for being ridden in the gnarliest terrain? No thanks.
  • 1 0
 Lol!!! The first half of the comments are about whether to wear glasses or goggles.
  • 1 0
 More competition the better the prices for the end consumer. Always great to have another flavor
  • 1 0
 How would you say the extra holds up today? I'm currently on a nukeproof mega v4 (2021)
  • 1 0
 What stem is this? Looks like carbon?
  • 2 0
 On the website it appears that this is an ARC8 brand stem but it doesn't say if it is carbon or not.
  • 2 1
 looks like a Revel bike...
  • 1 0
 Man..... That bike has some nice lines.
  • 1 0
 Though it was a yeti....no a jeffsy
  • 1 0
 Can't wait for all the welding comments, oh, hang on a minute.
  • 1 0
 Any word about that carbon stem?
  • 4 2
 yeah, stay away from it on an enduro bike...
  • 2 0
 @Lagr1980: U probably never had a Enve stem. Holding strong even with a couple of crashes.
  • 1 0
 @Freerider-09: The Enve is compression molded tho, this one looks like injected fiber. Quite curious about it...
  • 1 0
 @qreative-bicycle: +1 but the reply was meant for lagr. I mean in my eyes is carbon better than Alu, atleast when it has a good quality.
  • 3 1
 @Freerider-09: and I'll never have one. It does not give me anything. Have fun shaving 60gr there. Cheers
  • 1 0
 Looks like a Canyon Spectral too.
  • 1 0
 Doesn’t look like anything special
  • 3 2
 looks like a ________ (insert any other bike here)
  • 1 1
 ARC? I would imagine YETI would like to talk to you about your poor name choice. Come on.
  • 1 0
 Glasses with a fullface ... Now that does look stupid ????
  • 1 0
 Goggles and no full face?
"Never go half enduro, bro!"
  • 1 0
 Looks great and is a comparable bargain. Nicely done!
  • 1 0
 Queue the "It looks like ______ mated with a ______."
  • 1 0
 Where does the headset bearing go?
  • 1 0
 Is “Looks like a Mojo/Unno” possible for a new PB meme?
  • 1 0
 great looking bike
  • 1 2
 I stopped reading at “Horst link.”
  • 3 3
 This is nukeproof mega?
  • 7 0
 This is ARC8 Extra
  • 4 0
 Looks like more a Cannondale Habit on steroids
  • 2 2
 Looks like a.......Capra
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