ATHERTON A150 BUILD 1

When UK mountain bike royalty produce a bike the result is classy but complicated

- Mick Kirkman

£7,000 /29 in / athertonbikes.com

NEED TO KNOW

• 29er enduro bike from the fastest family in mountain biking

• Unique construction uses carbon tubing that is bonded into cradles, bearing housings, headtube and bottom bracket all made by an additive-printed titanium process

• DW6 suspension design combines Specialized FSR- style Horst link with short twin-links to deliver 150mm travel

• Two builds available direct from Atherton including a cheaper RockShox model at £5,500. Both with 160mm travel forks

• 10 different sizing combinations designed around two seat tube ranges Low and High. Reach up to 510mm on XL

One way or another, this first ride on the one-of-a-kind Atherton A150 bike has been a long time coming. I first rode an earlier prototype back in 2019 and a Robot bike that pre-dated that by a couple of years.

What’s the connection with Robot bikes? Atherton bikes absorbed Robot’s engineers and technical know-how, and 21 prototypes later, it’s finally ready to unleash its finished creations.

The A150 is a 29er enduro bike and it’s part of a small range covering trail/ enduro and downhill racing. There are two builds of A150 and a frame only option for £3,400. The cutting-edge manufacturing, where bespoke carbon tubes are bonded in 3D-printed titanium lugs, pushes the cost up to seven grand for a Fox Factory build. AKA Build 1.

That’s not wildly different from many other boutique brands though, and £350 extra adds fully personalised geometry if you’re not happy with the comprehensive range of stock sizes.