Saracen Ariel 30 Elite - Singletrack Editors' Choice 2024

One of Hannah's picks for Singletrack Editors' Choice 2024. . Sometimes you get on a bike and find a million things to fiddle with and swap out before you can feel ‘right’. This is not one of them. Off the peg and from the get-go, I enjoyed riding the Ariel 30 Elite. There’s nothing on it that needs a swap, or getting used to, or a firmware update. Set up the suspension (also a no-drama experience) and ride. Clean bike, lube chain, ride, repeat. It’s not just all the components that have been well chosen. The frame design is sorted too. The alloy frame delivers a quiet, comfortable ride with no distracting rattles or flex, while a simple suspension layout nevertheless delivers a decent climbing platform, and a pile of fun on wriggling descents. . The colour might be the showiest thing about this bike, but it’s a lesson in less is more. Or perhaps more is more - this Elite model offers an extra 10mm of travel front and rear, making it a 130/140mm mullet bike in the medium size I’ve tested. Fox suspension with Fox 36 fok, useful tyres, DT Swiss wheels, Shimano XT groupset - it’s all good stuff without having bling on the top. Tons of function, tons of fun, this is a bike that makes you want to get out and ride, find playful lines, and puts a grin on your face. I don’t care if they’re calling it ‘double downcountry’ in the marketing department, it’s a proper trail bike for proper fun. . More moreness: https://singletrackworld.com/2024/09/...