Privateer Launch $3,075 161 Enduro Race Bike
After unveiling their prototype enduro bike at Eurobike last year, Privateer has been working hard to bring their first production bike to customers and have unveiled full details about the production-ready bike today.
Privateer bikes are part of 'TheRiderFirm' that includes brands such as Hunt Wheels and was founded with the aim to provide a bike that combines "progressive race-ready geometry" and "rider-focused features" that allow it to handle season worth of abuse or, as the name suggests, a bike to meet the needs of a privateer racer.
The first platform from the UK based company has been developed in tandem with Matt Stuttard, a British enduro rider who placed 19th in last years EWS. Over the course of 18 months Privateer has worked with Matt and Alastair Beckett, who has already designed bikes such as the Nukeproof Mega, to combine their ideas together into this enduro focussed bike.
Eurobike
We first spotted the Privateer 161 during our coverage of Eurobike in 2019.
At the time we said; "As the name suggests Privateer Bikes was founded on the idea of creating a bike that fits the needs and demands of privateer racers. Alloy frame, race-ready geo and burly bearings that can handle season’s worth of abuse."
For the most part, the bike remains similar to the prototype we saw in Germany, but Privateer has refined some areas of the raw prototype to make it slightly more refined and practical for the everyday rider as well as those who want to put the bike against the clock.
From prototype to production:
After Eurobike Privateer continued their work on the development of the 161 and the biggest change to the bike since we last saw it has been reworking the seat tube to improve insertion length for dropper posts.
 | The biggest change of all is right at the heart of the frame. After putting the miles (+1000's metres of elevation) onto our prototypes and keeping track of the ever-extending dropper post lengths, we knew the seat post insertion just wasn't enough. The right thing to do was to take the frame back to the drawing board. |
To achieve this Privateer had to redesign and replace the entire bottom bracket and shock mount junction to a 2-piece CNC section. This meant that the seat post insertion increased by 50mm on the P1 size and around 80mm on the P2, P3 and P4 sizes.
As well as this, during their development with Matt Stuttard they were able to slightly tweak the geometry to ensure the bike was competitive when racing at the highest level. The final pieces of the puzzle were some minor changes such as adjusting the cable routing to clear race plates.
The Eurobike prototype (Left) and the final production build (Right)
The headtube features handle little guides to eliminate cable rub and to reduce the sound of any cable rattle.
When designing the bike Privateer has had a focus on serviceability so they believed that a threaded bottom bracket was the logical choice.
Sizing and Geometry:
For the 161, Privateer have decided to offer the bike in four size options, P1, P2, P3 and P4. The smallest size, P1 will come with 27.5" wheels whereas the rest of the sizes will use 29" wheels.
As well as differing wheel sizes, the chainstay lengths will also vary across the size chart with a length of 434mm on the smallest size and 452mm on the biggest P4 bike. Privateer says the changes across sizes is to ensure that each bike maintains the desired handling characteristics while still fitting a large range of riders.
Build Options:
Currently, the Privateer 161 is available in two options, frame-only or complete build. Both options let you choose between the Raw or Matt Black finish.
The frame-only option, which comes in at £1,489 / €1,699 / $1,535 USD, comes with a RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate shock and a sealed cartridge bearing headset.
The one available build option comes specced with a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 and the same RockShox shock at the rear, the full spec is below:
Frame Only:
- Shock: RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Headset: Sealed Catridge Bearings
- Price: £1,489 / €1,699 / $1,535 USD
- Shock: RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Headset: Sealed Catridge Bearings
- Price: £1,489 / €1,699 / $1,535 USD
Complete Build:
- Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 170mm / 42mm offset
- Shock: RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Brakes: Magura MT5 203/180 Storm HC Rotors
- Drive: Shimano 12 speed SLX with XT shifter
- Dropper: OneUp V2 180mm
- Cockpit: Raceface Altas 20mm/Aeffect R Stem 40mm
- Contact: Fabric Scoop Elite / FunGuy Grips
- Tyres: Michelin Wild Enduro Magi X Front, Gum X Rear
- Wheels: Hunt EnduroWide
- Price: £2,989 / €3,399 / $3,075 USD
- Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 170mm / 42mm offset
- Shock: RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Brakes: Magura MT5 203/180 Storm HC Rotors
- Drive: Shimano 12 speed SLX with XT shifter
- Dropper: OneUp V2 180mm
- Cockpit: Raceface Altas 20mm/Aeffect R Stem 40mm
- Contact: Fabric Scoop Elite / FunGuy Grips
- Tyres: Michelin Wild Enduro Magi X Front, Gum X Rear
- Wheels: Hunt EnduroWide
- Price: £2,989 / €3,399 / $3,075 USD
You can find out more on their website.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
"You can do it correctly for this much and you should." —Privateer
(Not actual quotes)
"We want to give away a free privateer 161 to dexterfawkes, the greatest rider to ever swing a leg over a bicycle."
- Privateer bikes (loosely quoted)
Pinkbike comments: Riders don't get paid enough! They are the ones taking all the risks!
also Pinkbike Comments: Bikes are too expensive. Companies are making far too much profit!
Wow, good job Privateer- you just murdered a bunch of other brands.
Now make something smaller and you'll have me as a customer instantly.
@solem22 All I'll say is keep an eye out on our social channel over the summer for more
Cheers man.
The MT7s are considerably more adjustable tool-free (and I believe they have some adjustment points that don't exist on the MT5 at all) but otherwise they're the same brakes. My only complaint whatsoever is that they're a bear to bleed, especially if you manage (as I did, because I'm an idiot) to get air into the caliper body.
The MT5s also have the bonus of not being eyeball-searingly yellow.
I love on-off brakes because I can actually feel when the pads are touching the rotors, making riding technical trails easier for me.
I have a bike with MT7s and my main enduro bike with XTs, the power of the MT7 is amazing, but the lever is a bit flexy because of the "carbotexture" body, and it also very weak, which is no good when I'm racing.
So that's why I went with Shimano brakes for my new bike : very strong, stiff, powerful enough and also they look amazing !
In all fairness, 99% of factory (machine) build wheels are built pretty poorly, so that's not limited to just your set.
As well, both of my MT7 levers have broken easily from minor crashes. It was a design flaw in the integrated cam that had the stop for the lever. It was a tiny cast piece that broke if you looked at it wrong. Now my levers can pretty much move unlimited away from the bar. As well, the tool-less adjust screw was too loose. It would back out and I'd have to adjust it back after a couple chundery runs.
So I bought the MT5's for the trail bike and all my problems were solved. Replaced the levers that came on them with the HC1's. I love that brake (I run MT7 pads in them). If I didn't already have the MT7's on the DH bike I'd get the MT5's for it. I plan on replacing the MT7 levers with the same HC1 levers I put on the 5's. The feel is great.
I'm also in the same boat that I think the Magura's are the easiest brakes I've bled to date. My method is a bit different than yours but I've bled both my pairs successfully. I push from the caliper to the lever, into and open bath, but use the same push-pull method. By changing the angle of the lever on the bar while you're doing the bleed will eliminate any trapped air in the system. I think that's where people get hung up.
Going off of rough street/MSRP pricing, the components alone on the complete build would cost you somewhere in the range of ~$2500-2800.
Which means you're nearly getting the frame for "free" (okay, thats hyperbole, but $200-500 feels almost free for a FS frame like this). Thats amazing.
I had planned on getting the frame only... but this value is hard to ignore.
Downside is doesn't look like things will be in stock until September at least.
Guess that gives me some time to decide to preorder
I'm in the PNW as well. Haven't ridden Tiger yet, but its on my list. I hit Galbraith for the first time right before everything got Corona'd, and this seems like the ideal bike for big days like these places (and Raging River, and trips to stevens).
Seriously considering going with one over my current Kona. I just wish there was a way to demo/test ride one. Especially as the P4 size is sooooo much bigger (100mm longer than my size L Process 153!).
But it sounds like your issues, spokes coming lose and having to true the wheel often, is less due to the wheel being 28h, and more due to the wheel build and/or rim selection itself. Spokes come lose for a couple of reasons - poor build, and rider changing the shape of the rim.
If we built you a wheel, 28 hole or 32, we would build using your weight, location, style, and level of aggression to inform our spoke choice. We would also build them with proper spoke preperation - lube where lube needs to be, and locking compounds (or nips with mechanical locking features) where they need to be, so spokes don't come lose. We would also build to very even tension, so each spoke is sharing equal load. And, we would properly destress your wheels so tensions don't change after a few weeks of riding them. Factory built wheel are rarely if ever properly prepped, and tensions are generally all over the map, and they are never properly destressed - these issues lead to spokes backing off, loss of tension, spoke fatigue leading to broken spokes, and wheels not staying true in general. That's likely the culpret, ahead of the 28h factor, which likely doesn't help matters much, but 32h may not be your savior - a better built wheel might actually be, however - perhaps in tandem with an increased spoke count.
Properly built wheels shouldn't lose spoke tension in any material way unless you have damaged something, or changed the shape of the rim - and obviously smart rim selection helps there, also informed by all those wonderful "about you" bits of info noted above.
I'm not disagreeing with you that 32 or 36 holes may be a better choice for a large aggressive guy - spreading big loads and big impacts over more spokes is certainly easier on a wheel - but more so, noting that 28 hole likely isn't your sole issue, from the symptoms you have described and sight unseen. My opinion of course, not knowing where your wheels came from, or who built them - perhaps they were expertly built and you are just that guy who'll put any wheel to it's limits.
Seriously, who would buy a Yeti over the 161?
Thanks Privateer...good on ya!
Loved it when I saw the xt shifter with slx everything elese. Very few people understand that the shifter has a higher impact in shifting performance than the derailleur. For instance, xt shifter with slx derailleur will always change gear better than slx shifter with xt derailleur.
So, congraz to the privateer team and their PM; that is a very smart specced bike!
I think I have to cancel my reservation for the other bike ...which is the double w/ a little bit higher spec components
Good job Privateer
I am coming from a Large 2019 High Tower. After they helped me to understand the differences in the geo (difference in their reach and stack against the High Tower), they recommended that I go with the P2 size , as that is closer to the size of my High Tower. Also, I can exchange it for free (minus shipping in sure) for a different size should I require that.
Heard some talks about fragile master cylinders but over 3 years and many crashes I still haven't replaced them with shimanos as originally intended.
Can't wait to see it all built up!
Nuts is the fact, that for basically every shop brand you'll pay pretty much exactly double the price for the same build and a carbon frame...
But this complete build is amazing. Pretty much the same components I would have done (SLX 12 speed drivetrain, Lyrik ultimate, oneup dropper), with a few parts slightly different (different brakes/wheelset).
I’ll have to do a closer price comparison for which parts I’d actually have to buy for the frame up build to see which is actually cheaper in the end... but this seems like such a good value it’s crazy.
My Kona has an msrp the same as this, and came with a yari, non piggyback shock, 11 speed NX drivetrain and level T brakes. No comparison.
Let’s keep this trend going. Short travel bike? Hardtail?
Sign me up
What would you want to see if we did either/both?
Appreciate the feedback
I'm far from an expert, but I guess I'm a consumer in the target market, so maybe that counts for enough in terms of qualifications :p.
It kind of depends on how many more models you'd like to produce. Something in the 140-150 range would be a good all rounder. But I see someone who owns a 161, as someone who would also potentially own a short travel bike (or hardtail), more likely than owning a mid travel bike anyway. And if they had as strong of value of the 161, I'd imagine they would sell well.
Having the short travel bike be something a bit like a SC Tallboy, or Norco Optic seems super ideal. Something in the 120-130mm rear travel range is sufficiently different from the 161. Something for the rides that are more pedally/flatter than the trails they'd take the 161 on, but still lets them/us get rowdy on the downs.
A hardtail in either Aluminum/Steel would be just fine. I'd approach it like the cheaper alternative to the short travel FS bike mentioned above.The main competitors here are both the "value" bikes like the Nukeproof scout, as well as the higher end stuff like the Norco Torrent/Chromag/Whyte 905/909. I don't think it needs a long travel fork though (the geo changes get dramatic on hardtails under compression), but still something fairly aggressive. I'd just make sure it fits at least a 29x2.6
Also, while I REALLY like the value you guys are putting out, I also wonder a bit about how low of price point you could get using a cheaper component spec (especially the hardtail, as its likely appealing to a lower budget buyer). Not saying bad, but maybe instead of a Pike, a Revelation, etc.
Also, since I have your ear...
I'm 6'1" (~185cm). And as it is with many other brands, I'm between size P3 and P4 for the 161. Which size would you go with if you were me?
Also, does the 60 day ride/return policy extend to the US? Its not 100% clear on the website.
Thanks!
For me that would be 130 rear and 140-150 front. 76 seat, 65-65.5 head. Maybe around 475 reach, 625 ish effective TT and lowish bb for size Large.
Anodized raw. Ready for delivery about February 2021. Please!!
Gives us a lot to think about for our next projects, a lot of the ideas seem to match up too which is always nice!
Sizing can be a tricky one with so many variables. Personal preference can also sway the decision too i.e do you prioritise agility or stability? etc. Feel free to DM us and we can work this all out for you.
Matt Stuttard is about 6 foot and rides a P3 if that's any help.
60 Day ride and return applies worldwide. Thanks!
With 2m I can imagine riding a longer/taller bike than mine with 500/130, but it would come at the cost of getting around corners and switchbacks even worse.
Stellar writing here
Personally, being 1,70m I have no idea how to approach a possible buy. If I choose the P2 29er, I ll have a 47mm reach and 1250 wheelbase, wich is huge if compared to my current 27.5’s 43mm and 1180!! On the other hand, p1 with 27.5 ( am I too short for a 29er?) with a very short top tube. I m getting old, I d rather have a playful bike than a rocket plough bike, but I have to compromise either way!
Have a look at the Rallon 29er (SM size, 435mm reach and 1187 wheelbase). I'm also 1,70m, and feel perfect on the bike.
I used to ride other brands before, and lost my mind more than once while choosing the size (Small vs Medium).. and in the end, i've never felt at home on both (Small Commencal meta (27,5) wasn't enough stable on long run when fatigue started to show up, and Medium Spartan (27,5) wasn't playful enough (hard to bunny hop / manual for example)
Last year, I decided to go back to the Orbea family (rode the rallon R4 for 3years before the meta), best decision, perfect sizing ! From what i see, Orbea seems to design their frame around 1,70, 1,80 and 1,90m people whereas most of the other manufacturers around 1,65, 1,75 and 1,85.
Tried a Nomad and didn’t like it very much, not that playful. Tried an Insurgent lb, loved everything about the bike, hated the seated position for climbs, too slack/ long top tube! And I really wanted to like it...
Maybe I should have tried the Calling!
I m checking all possible substitutes, that Rallon seems great on paper, and I have a Orbea dealer near by....never thought about it, but I ll try to demo the bike in the future! Merci pour me aider
I am 1.73cm and demoed a Large Rallon with a 40mm stem. Perfect combo. Not to mention the added reach and wheelbase you get from the bigger size frame.
Then again, my main bike is a large custom GT Sanction with 180mm fork and recently with no dropper, as I need the clearence for the steep and rough terrain so, maybe I am a little biased towards larger bikes.
The Rallon felt trail-ish to me, something like an all mountain bike and not the full blown enduro race bike.
As for the privateer 161, until Autumn, I have enough time to decide upon a P2 or a P3. I would never consider a P1. If you want to smash at mach speed, you need, in this order: wb, reach and good suspension.
Cheers.
It does make me wonder why there's no equivalent US direct sales brands though?
Set it up with a lyrik ultimate, gx eagle, enduro wide wheelset, shimano 8120 brakes
Riding it on my local trails (Austrian alps) since 10 days and I'm absolutely loving it!!
Great bike!
Stable at speed, still playful, very composed and quiet, couldn't be asking for more
Seat angle needs a little getting used to. Everything else falls right into place for my liking, although it differs quite a bit from the (also great) beefed up whyte RS150 it replaces.
Would recommend it to every experienced rider that likes to go fast!
Sure.
I beefed up the 150 with a 160mm Lyrik ultimate, Codes, DD tires, etc
Without theses changes, it was a great trailbike. Super flickable and fun. With these changes it went a little more into the enduro category, what I prefer - based on the terrain that I’m riding most of the time (natural, challenging trails an DH tracks) and based on my riding capabilities compared to my 15 year younger riding mates.
The 161 in contrast is more focused on speed. It gives much more feedback and it is much stiffer.
So, the faster you go, the better it gets.
Stuff were I was hesitating on going full trottle on the whyte got much easier done fast on the 161
I did suppose that it would be harder to get around tight switchbacks and narrow techy singletrail bits, at lower speed, do to the length and slackness of the 161, but, up to now, that’s not the case. It is confidence inspiring at all speeds - at least to me.
Yes, quite obviously, it needs a little more “body English” to be thrown around - so, if you never hit the gym for upper body and core strength, starting that would be a good investment for such a bike - but it is great fun and reacts very predictable to bigger body movements. Something that I grew accustomed to in some rides and really like now!
Uphills - talking about 600 to 1000 hm climbs here - was and still needs a little bit of adjustment.
It is significantly heavier than the whyte what is not completely Outdone by the steeper seattube angle. At least in my experience.
But, it gets better and better with every ride. So, I got the feeling, that a big part of that is muscle memory related?
Nevertheless. Even after 10 days -
Getting up the hill was easier and a little faster on the whyte.
But “getting up the hill as easy and fast as possible” is not what I bought the 161 for ????
Basically: getting around on easy and possibly flat trails. Playing around at moderate speed and stuff -
I’d go for the whyte
Challenging terrain. Higher speeds. Confidence on bigger
Stuff and even on steep techy slow stuff - the 161 is, for me, the way to go.
It’s a little bit like the if the propain spindrift would have 29ers, and a proper seatangle. Super stable and still playful - so, not a DH bike - but rather
a Fun enduro bike with DH capabilities
If you're like me and slam your saddle forward on the rails on most bikes, you could slam it rearward on the 161 and you may end up in a comparable location.
I would probably do the inverse of this in terms of saddle adjustment and be happy.
I also slide saddles all the way forward on more traditional STA, and it works fine. However, if you slide your saddle back you're going to bend your rails after half a season.
Anyway, I live in the middle of the alps and my home trails start at 1500 m a.s.l. and I am pretty sure stuff around here is not steep enough for this geo. I would have loved to buy this frame but I'm worried that the STA (and the resulting very short ETT) will bite me in the ass...
Personally, I dislike sitting on the nose of my saddle more than I dislike a bit more weight on my hands. Looks like we agree on this, given your hardtail geometry. Exactly how far we take is a matter of personal preference.
Not all saddles will bend when set rearward. Greater risk of it, though, that's true.
Yes, this geometry is extreme. Too extreme for many, which is fine, as there are hundreds of less extreme bikes for them. There are only a few bikes like this and I'm glad to see another option.
A popular local trail network involves laps of a 300 m climb on a wellsite road that's never less than maybe 10% and has pitches well over that. As soon as you get to a trail, you won't touch the saddle again until the bottom - not so different from enduro racing. The 161 would be perfect if I rode these trails more often, as many around here do, including my friend who bought a 161. My seat-tube angle is nowhere near as steep as I want it to be on these trails.
These are my own preferences, of course, and other riders will have different preferences. At least there's now one more option for those who want a "winch and plummet" bike.
It's not like the other companies are stupid, they just think we are.
Thanks for delivering such a great value bike with a geometry that is modern and does not cut corners (size-dependent CS)!
I'll receive my Knolly Delirium/Warden soon and pretty sure I'll love it but if there's something, the Priveteer will be my next bike for sure!!! Good job guys!!
This is great news. I'll try to patiently wait.
Thank you in advance for riding all these sweet bikes we can't demo here in the states, and letting us know which one we should spend our money on
I'll have to try extra hard to keep up with you now when you roll past me up towers to see if you're riding this.
Not that it's exactly expensive of course...
Hope that helps clear things up.
Unfortunately, the mountain bike world uses "leverage ratio" instead of "motion ratio", which are just the inverse of each other. Motion ratio is more common in motorsports and is more intuitive, with an upward trend indicating a rising level of support. Until the glorious day when we switch to motion ratio, we have to remember that down equals up!
This one asks for a really demanding terrain and the Spectral was a more all-rounder which did not like too much really rough terrains.
It all depends fo what kind of use you expect from them.
JP
That just mind blowing bike. I pulled trigger on March and got it week ago. I didnt like 29" wheelers before this...
Guess nothings perfect (but dang this is close)
Did anyone pony $ up now knowing it wont come til sept sometime???
Hope that helps clear things up.
€3399 = $3720
This Privateer is a seductive bike... and 1700€ for a frameset is ultra honest.
The numbers are perfect, it seems solid, reliable, raw aluminium is sober and sexy, and it has a threaded bottom bracket, not a press-shit as Commençal`s bikes....
Serious pretender to probably replace my good old Slayer 2009 that I didn`t succeed to break yet