Review: 2021 Saracen Ariel 80 - A Sturdy, Pedalable Park Bike

You get a Shimano Deore/SLX 12-speed drivetrain, Deore brakes, RockShox Zeb fork, DT Swiss rims and Maxxis DHR2 tires all for £2,399.99 / €2,799. On paper, that stacks up very well when compared to other big-travel, small-wheel bikes like the Canyon Torque Al, which starts at £2,749.

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Construction and Features

There's not a lot to write home about when it comes to the Saracen's frame. I'll start with the bad news - there are no bottle cage bosses to be found.

While no deal-breaker, I'm not a fan of the cable routing at the front either. There's only one cable port on the right hand side of the frame, which means if you run the rear brake on the left (UK style), you can't have the brake hose and dropper cable crossing over the head tube from left to right. Instead, all the cables stay on the same side of the frame, and this makes them more kinked than cables which cross over in front of the head tube. Saracen thinks this style of routing looks neater, and given most of their bikes are sold in the UK, they only need one drive side cable port to achieve this. Let us know in the comments if you prefer cables crossing over the head tube or not.


Aside from that, the cable routing is neat enough; it's rattle free and the cables pass close to the main pivot, which minimizes cable movement when the suspension compresses. It's worth noting the SuperBoost 12x157mm rear axle spacing and correspondingly wider Q-factor crank (181mm, not 172mm or 178mm). A threaded 73mm bottom bracket and ISCG tabs are present and correct, and the frame protection does a good job of keeping the chain quiet, even if the glue that sticks it to the frame is already starting to unstick. There's plenty of room for 2.6" tires, plus plenty of mud too.

All the frame bearings and pivot hardware are shared among the three Ariel models (30, 60 and 80), which should make it easier to find spares, while the front triangle and swingarm are unique to each bike.

Geometry & Sizing

I ran a tape measure and an angle finder around my XL test bike to check all the geometry figures Saracen provided above. They were all bang-on (which isn't always the case). The effective seat angle is one measurement to look out for as different brands measure it differently. Some quote the angle from the BB to the point on the seat post that is level with the top of the head tube; sometimes (more sensibly) they measure to the top of the seat post at a typical pedaling height for the frame size. I measured the angle from the BB to the top of the seatpost at my pedaling height (83cm from the BB to the saddle top) at 76.8-degrees.

Climbing

Once I'd slammed the seat fully forward on the rails, the Ariel climbs pretty well for a bike of this category. The 76.8-degree effective seat angle is steep enough to maintain an ergonomic position, with no need to strain to keep the front wheel from lifting on most climbs. But when tackling steep pitches, the suspension collapses slightly, making the position too far off the back for me. The 12-speed drivetrain provides all the gears you need to winch to the top in relative comfort, while the supple suspension makes it easy to chunder over roughed up trails. That supple suspension doesn't reward out of the saddle sprints, but sit and spin smoothly and it's not bad at all.

There is a noticeable amount of pedal bob, even when pedaling smoothly on tarmac. The suspension has a moderate amount of anti-squat on paper (around 98%), but the soft spring rates which go hand-in-hand with more travel and the light compression damping mean the shock moves noticeably. To be fair, taller riders (I'm 190cm / 6'3") will get more pedal bob because a higher center of mass means there's more leverage over the suspension causing it to squat more while pedaling. In other words, shorter riders will have more anti-squat and therefore less bob than I experienced. I tested this by dropping the saddle and pedaling at the same pace, which cut bobbing dramatically. A more practical solution is to wind on all the low-speed compression at the foot of a long climb, which virtually eliminates bob when pedaling seated. The Pro model features a climb switch, which this bike would really benefit from.

While the 16.3 kg weight figure doesn't help, it's not the main issue. I've ridden bikes which weigh as much but climb better thanks to firmer suspension and steeper seat angles. And while this may sound rather princess and the pea, the Ariel's wider Q-factor (that 's the horizontal distance between the pedals) thanks to the SuperBoost axle spacing feels slightly more uncomfortable to me when pedaling long distances.

Despite all this, it's no lift-fed sled. It climbs well enough for a life of mostly pedal-powered riding and would be capable of racing the odd enduro.

Descending

Anyone who says travel doesn't matter should try a bike like this. That 180mm of coil-sprung suspension sticks the tire to the ground and takes the kick out of all the imperfections that bit more than a 160mm bike, allowing you to look further down the trail and leave the brakes alone more of the time. I don't like to describe a bike as "fun" because that word means different things to everyone, but the extra traction and confidence this suppleness offers is very enjoyable in my book. And while bigger wheels do help with smoothing-out and carrying speed over rough terrain, the suppleness of the Ariel's suspension more than makes up for its smaller wheels when compared to most 160mm-travel 29ers.

Don't think it's a soft sofa when pushed either. The coil spring combined with the leverage curve offers plenty to push against in the middle of the travel. This made me wonder if the 500lb/in spring was a little too firm at first, as it feels pretty stiff just after sag, but once up to speed the support was appreciated, and while I never had any harsh bottom-outs, I used all the travel on bigger landings. Meanwhile the shock's linear rebound tune is very active and tracks the ground well over high-frequency chatter when wide open, yet returns in a reassuringly controlled manner when landing hard from deep in the travel. I do like my rebound a little faster than most, but I found it worked best within a click or two of fully open despite running a stiff spring. More than a handful of clicks slower and it started to bog down and become harsh on high-frequency braking bumps. Like most bikes, the Ariel gets the same damper tune for all sizes, so very light riders may struggle to get it fast enough to extract as much suppleness as I did.

The air-sprung RockShox Zeb fork can't match the back-end's composure - it uses up the middle third of its travel a little too eagerly before ramping up rather abruptly before the end. It's no bad fork, but you have to over-inflate it slightly and put up with not accessing the end part of the travel to match the mid-travel support from the rear end. The basic Zeb R fork lacks compression adjustment, so you can't add compression damping to try and prop it up. The Fox 38 (fitted to the Pro model) would be a better match as it offers more mid-travel support. Nevertheless, the Zeb is super comfortable and sucks up big holes and rocks brilliantly, so the overall suspension package is still very supple and traction-rich.

If you haven't had the pleasure of riding a downhill bike made in the last few years, there's a good chance this will descend better than whatever dual-crown bike you rode last. The 510mm reach and 63.5-degree head angle make for a roomy front-center (865mm), while the short offset fork - compared to a DH bike - makes for slightly calmer steering in pinball situations. That means you can really lean on the bars and rip into turns with no fear of the bike tripping up or twitching. The biggest difference compared to those older downhill bikes is there's just more room in the cockpit thanks to the longer reach, so you have more choice of where to put your weight.

The short rear-center (438mm) and 27.5" front wheel occasionally makes the steering light and nervous compared to 29ers with longer chainstays. This took some getting used to, and had me sliding or steering off course a couple of times in flat, fast turns. The flip side is that it's very easy to loft the front wheel at a moment's notice, but personally I'd rather have a longer rear-center for more front-end grip.

One often-overlooked aspect of 27.5" front wheels is that it often results in a lower bar height. Despite a lofty 40mm of spacers under the stem and a 35mm-rise bar, the bar height on my XL was 109cm, whereas with a 29er/mullet with this much reach and travel I'd usually run about 111cm (with longer reach or a higher BB, you need a higher bar height). That difference is enough that I had to work a little harder to properly push the front end into holes or chutes, bending more at the hips so I could maintain enough bend in my elbows to extend and push when needed. Bigger wheels usually result in a higher front end and this goes a long way to explaining the feeling of being "inside the bike", which is often associated with a 29er. The bar height on the Ariel will be high enough for the vast majority of riders, but for me it's a touch lower than ideal and this does affect the ride in steep terrain. And while the supple suspension makes up for the 27.5" wheels in comfort and traction terms, a smaller front wheel is more prone to stall when you stray off-line into a big hole.


Another tall person problem I had is the 150mm-travel dropper post, which delivers just 144mm of travel according to my tape measure. For me, this just isn't enough for a bike of this category, as it limits the range of motion when pumping through whoops or pushing the bike into steep chutes. I soon started dropping the post manually another 50mm or so before dropping in. Again, for many riders this won't be an issue, but a 170mm post at least would be a big improvement.

Technical Report


Shimano M6100 Deore two-pot brakes: I'm no apologist for Shimano's inconsistent lever feel at higher price-points, but for whatever reason their Deore brakes are still the best in terms of consistent, sharp bite point. While I've not dragged them down an Alp, they offer ample power with the lower leverage of little wheels.

RockShox Zeb R fork: The Zeb R is a hugely comfortable and active fork, but it lacks mid-travel support and this is at odds with the rear suspension.

DT Swiss E532 rims: These don't come with tubeless tape installed so you'll need to tape them yourself. I managed to dent the rear and puncture the EXO casing tire on my second ride. The tire was set to 27psi and I wasn't riding anything particularly rocky, so this surprised me. It's possible some air might have leaked as a result of imperfect rim taping, making dents more likely, but factory-taped rims rarely leak in my experience. It goes without saying that this bike could do with sturdier tire casings too.

Pinkbike's Take