High-spec builds and fresh colourways | Saracen 2023 range overview

By Nick Clark

Published: Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at 12:00 am

Saracen has announced a complete refresh of its mountain bike line-up, with new builds and colourways throughout the range.

The Ariel continues to inhabit the 130mm trail bike and 160mm enduro bike categories, all the way up to the brand’s 180mm park bike. Then there’s the Myst for downhill and the Amplitude for dirt jumping.

Saracen uses a direct-sales model via its website. The Ariel 60 starts at £2,599.99 and tops out at £4,399.99 for the Ariel 60 Elite, which features Fox Factory suspension.

Bikes are available to pre-order now and are expected to be delivered early in 2023.

Saracen Ariel

The 2023 130mm Ariel 30 and 160mm Ariel 60 models can run mixed-wheel sizes, with the small and medium-size bikes coming with a mullet setup (27.5in rear/29in front). The large and extra-large bikes ship with 29in wheels.

Saracen says an alternative linkage will be supplied that enables you to change from mullet to full 29in and vice-versa. The Ariel 80 remains 27.5in.

All Ariel frames are effectively the same, with shock length altering the geometry of the frame, giving some unique features to the Ariel 30, such as super-boost rear spacing.

They all feature Saracen’s TRL suspension system, which uses a linkage-driven single-pivot design. The main pivot is situated just behind the chainring, with the rear triangle driving a pivot linkage attached to the top tube. This gives room for a bottle cage on the lower down tube.