Press Release

Privateer's New $3,075 Complete Bike 31

An alloy frame, top-shelf suspension, smart build, and trend-leading geometry make one of the most compelling bikes to come along this year. Get all the details in the press release, below.

BHowell
4/30/2020 10:09am
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Privateer bikes was founded on the idea of creating a bike that fits the needs and demands of its namesake. Progressive, race-ready geometry combined with rider-focused features ensures the 161 can handle seasons worth of abuse.

 

Developed with Top 20 EWS rider Matt Stuttard and the Enduro World Series in mind, the 161 features 161mm of rear travel and progressive geometry to descend as fast as possible, whilst reducing fatigue with a low effort climbing position. By reducing upper body stress on steep transitions, readiness and speed will increase during the timed stages.

Over the course of 18 months the 161 was developed with Alastair Beckett who has already designed EWS race-winning bikes. Mixing our passion and ideas with Ali’s experience, the recipe for a rider focused bike was created.

Whilst working closely with Matt to ensure its everything he needs to race at the highest level, he provided us with incredibly useful feedback; ranging from geometry to small (but important) details such as cable routing to clear race plates.

Tech Overview

The biggest change of all, is right at the heart of the frame. After putting the miles (+1000's meters 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.

Threaded BB and ISCG 05 Mounts : With a focus on serviceability, threads make the most sense. And when every second counts, the security of a chain guide lets you focus on the stage ahead.
One-Piece Rocker Link : A one-piece rocker keeps alignment high for longer bearing life whilst increasing stiffness and strength
Headtube Guides : Keeping annoying cable rub and rattle to a minimum
Three Bearings in Main Pivot : Bearings are always offset due to the chainring, so having two bearings on the drive side helps spread the load

Not wanting to move the linkage position, but needing to change the tube, took some head-scratching but eventually a solution was found. The entire bottom bracket and shock mount junction has been redesigned and replaced with a two-piece CNC section. This change increases post insertion by 50mm on P1 and around 80mm P2-P4. More insertion depth means riders can now fit the longest dropper post possible for them.

The smallest "P1" size uses 27.5-inch wheels while everything bigger rolls on 29.

Kinematics and Geometry


Build and Pricing

Frameset

  • Shock - RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
  • Headset - Sealed Catridge Bearings
  • Price - £1,489 / €1,699 / $1,535 USD
  • Raw or Black


Complete Build

  • Fork - RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 170mm 42 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
  • Raw or Black
  • Price - £2,989 / €3,399 / $3,075 USD


Head to PrivateerBikes.com for full details and availability.


Related:
HUNT
Privateer
27.5
29er
Enduro
31 comments

View replies to: Privateer's New $3,075 Complete Bike

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EugenM
4 years ago
@mtb.geartech, please, don't go into the extremes. And also, it does not really matter; this type of bike are designed for going fast; what you think you feel and don't feel does not matter. What matters is the time on the clock. Nobody forces you to buy this bike. But, any rider, at any lvl will be faster on one of these, to the detriment of 650b bikes.

P.S. I bet, 5 years ago, you were one of those who said 26 'foeva' you were wrong then, you are wrong now. Any bike can be made to be race oriented or fun oriented, regardless of wheel size.
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MTBGear.tech
4 years ago
Nope, 5 years ago I jumped on the 29er train full force and drank the kool-aid until this year when I demoed a 27.5 and fell in love with riding all over again.

I am faster on the clock on my 2020 Bronson than I was on my 2020 Hightower. But I don't get paid to race so that DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL TO ME. I have more fun on the Bronson than I did on any 29er I've owen over the past 5 years. 7 of them actually.

Time on the clock actually doesn't matter at all unless you're getting paid to have the fastest time rather than the funnest time. I suppose if you base your self worth solely on your Strava leaderboard results then the clock matters to you.
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EugenM
4 years ago
Ok. My bad. But, if you have said megatower, I would agreed as that is the racing bike from SC.
Bronson is a tremendous bike and I love it. I have it on my desk wallpaper for 1.5 years. I would never buy one!, I am not a racer, and although I do occasionally take part in local enduro events, this is just a hobby that I keep throwing money at it. What I am interested is getting faster and faster down the hill everytime. I don't really care about fun, I ride always focused on having more speed and clearing a dh track faster than my previous attempts(break a little later, carry more speed into that corner, lean the bike even harder on that "other" corner, etc-etc) and always live from the adrenaline rush and from the satisfaction of clearing the trail faster. This is a hobby I might die from so, I don't understand really the fun part; and any bike or piece of tech that can help me go down a trail faster, is worthy of my money. Faster is the name of the game; I wanted to change my bike this spring with a mega 290, add a lowered 180mm boxxer, lenghten the stroke to get 166-167 mm of travel in the back and call it a day. A mega290 because I will not pay Specialized that huge amount of money for that damn new enduro. But, for smash bikes, this 161 really looks like the tool I need; so, I will probably take it a little lighter for the next months and in autumn, I will buy one of these trail destroyers. As you are an experienced rider, you know that for mach speed on the trail, you need stability(wb and reach) and confidence(good kinematics); this bike looks that it has all sort it out. The biggest plus is the price. The whole damn bike is cheaper then the s-works enduro frame I was ready to get in february.
Maybe you and others like you feel faster on 27.5 bikes. I don't. I get faster only as a combo of upgraded skills and new bike tech(be it geometry, suspension or both); and 29" wheels contribute to that.

Edit. All my friends/ride buddies who changed from 27.5 to 29ers are faster down the hill, while feeling more confident on the nasty pieces(read, dh types) of trail.

Edit 2. I really do love the Bronson. It is the bike would buy if I could only have one bike or when I would be less interested in the speed aproach of mtb-ing. Who knows, maybe in the future, I will be too tired on all this "faster&faster" thing and maybe I'll get one to enjoy mtb-ing more. That is not the case, for the moment.
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MTBGear.tech
4 years ago
Faster and faster is what I was into as well my friend. The fastest bike I've owned (non-dh) was a Mondraker Foxy 29. It was insanely fast downhill but sort of a bore anywhere else. It was also very harsh in the back end due to a very efficient suspension design and a forward axle path. I rode the Megatower and Bronson back to back for a week to decide which to buy. On a true DH track the Megatower would be faster most likely but I felt considerably more comfortable on the Bronson when turning. Especially and quick back and forth turns. If you want to go DH fast this Privateer looks like the ticket aside from a DH bike. The Canfield One.2 is especially interesting as well.
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EugenM
4 years ago
See, now we are getting somewhere. It really depends on what you want from a bike and what you want from mtb-ing. I want pseudo-dh rigs that can be pedaled.
For some reason, no bike from mondraker clicks with me, no even the superfoxy; also no bike from SC, beside the bronson, although, I should try the new tallboy as it has the potential and geometry for epic all days and mellower(-ish) trails.
Getting back to the 161..it has potential. Around 21% leverage ratio progresivity so I could use a coil on it and, maybe, until autumn, the befier 37-38-whatever mm stanchion fork from RS will launch and I could build it that way. Up-sizing as usual(I ran upsized even now on my enduro-park bike), man-handling/wrestling it into corners and mach speed-ing "the straights". With 490mm reach and over 1270mm wb, it should be a damn rocket. I wouldn't take it on an alpine tour even for a day, no to mention those that need 2 or 3 days in a row. If you want to have fun, this probably isn't the bike. If you want to go crazy on the downs and start asking yourself, at the end of the trail, how the f^*% you're in the parking lot and not decorating a tree somewhere up the trail, then maybe this is, or could be, the bike.
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jnroyal
4 years ago
Those seat angles are even beyond triathlon bike territory. I normally ride a medium or large but would have to get the biggest size (P4) to have a decent top tube length for seated pedaling.

Reminds me of the grim donut on a certain other website...
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jnroyal
4 years ago
Sure, but the large saddle clamps on most droppers only give you about 1 cm forward/back.
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Tim_O'Rourke
4 years ago
What dropper/saddle are you using? I have a one up with a ergon saddle and can get 40mm in front or behind the clamps. Similar with a reverb and a giant contact dropper. some saddle combos might reduce that fractionally but that is still a lot of adjustment? I have a p3 size privateer, with the saddle back 25mm on the rails I have the same saddle to bars as on my large strive which had the saddle pushed forward 25mm. The position does feel a bit different as you are more central over the BB.
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EugenM
4 years ago
Do you think you could have been better on a P4?, by the numbers, I should be on a P2 but, the fact of the matter is, I am already on a size Large bike right now, as I have up-sized for more reach and longer WB. Still, my L size bike has almost the same reach(but 38mm longer ett) and, actually, a little shorter WB than the P2 I am supposed to be on. P3 is in Pole/Geometron reach and WB but, with a M size type ett. I just try to figure out if I will be able to steer 1280mm of bike. :D
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EugenM
4 years ago
@Jackhill, you realize that, on a long wb, low standover, big reach, high stack height bike, there is absolutely no reason to get your buttocks behind(and below) the saddle. Get low 'in' the bike, not in the old school style, behind the saddle.
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bizutch
4 years ago
So their press release doesn't even bother to tell you that it's a 29er. And then when you read the very last line, you see there is a single version of it that's 27.5....? Usually when you come out with a bike that has 2 different wheel sizes, it's a big thing to mention.
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MTBGear.tech
4 years ago
Right? Bummed that the 27.5 is only available in the small size. Otherwise it looks like a real ripper and this is exactly the kind of value disruption this industry needs!
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EugenM
4 years ago
About that..yeah, it is just you. I'm 5'8" and feel perfct on any bike which is in my size, even bigger than my size(that's up-sizing for you), regardless of the wheel size.
P.S. faster on the big wheels.
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jackhill
4 years ago
I'm also 5'10 and don't like 29ers. I could do a mullet set up for sure, but some of us like to get low and squash stuff without buzzing our ass.
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MTBGear.tech
4 years ago
I was faster on 29 until I went back to being a pilot rather than a passenger. At 5'8" I can be way faster downhill on an XL 29er until I have to turn. Those things are like toboggans! Hold on and ride it down. Now I like to be in total control and smaller wheels gives me that control. I find i have way more traction on flat corners with the smaller wheels. I think people mistake the passenger feeling that the ton of BB drop on 29ers gives for traction. Yeah yeah, everyone races 29ers. I think that's going to start to change one of these days.
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vweb
4 years ago
I'm 6'2" and was like "meh" on 29ers... Liked it for bombing, liked it even more in mullet form (for bombing and adding a whole touch of fun, don't really know how, maybe by lowering the BB, shortening the reach and slackening the HT angle, so MAYBE nothing to do with size of wheel).

But 29ers (or event mullet) in a mix of speed and fun (but essentially fun !)... Meh.

If I had the money available now I'd buy a Privateer 161 (+ a pair of bombshell wheels, 29" front, 27,5" rear maybe) and get rid of my 27,5" downhill rig for sure.
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hbelly13
4 years ago
If you are ardent about getting an alloy long travel 27.5 rig then get a Capra.Then toss a Works headset in it to get the geo where you want.
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bulletbass man
4 years ago
Plenty of demand. I'd say less popular than 29 for sure but the field at my local enduros is split close to 50/50.

If this bike is succesful you'll see a 27.5 version. I just hope they don't pull a YT and creep their prices up after the first couple years.
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vweb
4 years ago
They'll have a 140-ish travel before a soon-burried 27,5".

(PS : I'm a big fan of 27,5", just became pessimistic about their future. At the front of bikes at least. Nostradamus said that in the 2022/3 horizon there will be only mullets, and only Greg Minnaar will remain on 29". Dual crowns everywhere. 38mm stanchions for everybody. Gravels will have flat bars, front suspensions and what will be named 650B wheels)
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tunasub
4 years ago
While I agree it would be good to mention the wheelsize, it makes sense that it is 29. This is meant to be a pure Enduro race bike, why would they make it 27.5.
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boom
4 years ago
Regardless, they aren't in business to lose money. Make what the current market demands and you'll stay in business. Make what the loud minority wants and you'll be out of business.
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bturman
4 years ago
The PR has been updated to reflect the wheel size more clearly.

I think it's a wise decision on Privateer's part from a number of perspectives. It's a race bike, first and foremost. They are also giving the majority of riders the wheel size that's most popular in their size. The company can then run things a bit leaner and offer prices like $3,075 (!!) for a complete bike with a super solid build kit and potentially scary fast geometry.

We've seen the smallest size of 29ers offered in 27.5" from other brands in the past, often becuase design/space limitations add up very quickly as you shrink bikes. Sometimes it's not physically possible and they have to drop to 27.5" to even make the size.

Give them time to grow their business and maybe you'll get that 27.5" bike you're looking for. I'm willing to bet Privateer is already looking to what's next...
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