Hailing from Sheffield, new brand Airdrop has just released their first model, the Trail/Enduro/All-Mountain oriented Edit. Building on the established Horst Link arrangement, the 150mm frame is said to have been designed and tested in the UK and built by “carefully selected factories” elsewhere.
Or ange. Sorry.
Surveying the market, Airdrop saw too many bikes built to sell- rather than be ridden. From that observation came the intent to stick with tested designs, sitting out the acronym arms race. Not only does this approach keep sticker costs in check, it allows them to focus on adding value and fun to their offerings. Airdrop bikes will ship direct to customers, not only–as they’ll admit–to cut costs, but also to ensure factory-to-customer quality control.
As for the Edit, we’ll hand the mic over to Airdrop themselves:
The idea behind the Edit is to get back to what mountain biking is all about, to keep things pure and simple, with a bike that just works. We’re not here to tell you what to do with it. Build a fast & light trail-centre ripper, a hard-hitting alpine slayer or an Enduro racer. We designed the Edit to be a versatile platform.
The Edit’s geometry targets the steepest and roughest sections of trail, giving you extra confidence to go faster. Handling is sure-footed and predictable, so you can forget about the bike and focus on the ride. The frame is stiff, so you can chuck it into corners, load up the tyres and find the grip. There’s plenty of stand-over height so you can move around and stay centred, and the rear end is short enough to manual or pop over obstacles. The suspension delivers 150mm of travel via a Horst Link design, which has been around since 1985. It’s a tried & tested solution which we’ve tuned to balance small-bump sensitivity against big-hit performance. It remains active under braking, and active enough when you’re on the power to maintain traction.
A lot of people talk about the ‘do anything’ bike. That would be a big claim. But the Edit is perfect for the rides we do most often, and a bike you can enjoy for the whole ride. It may be simple, but it’s effective.
Pricing (frame & shock) begins at £950, with various shock upgrades and partial-build bundles available. Complete bikes begin at £2500 for a GX/Yari build and top out at £4,000 when kitted out with X1, a Pike RCT3, carbon cranks, and a Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock. Part substitutions are also welcome.
So what say you all? Is there room for another UK-designed, Asian-sourced, consumer-direct brand in the British market? They’ve certainly got looks in their favour…
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I got all the way through that thinking “Where’s the video? Where is it? … oh” 🙂
Good to see another UK company giving it a go, good luck to them.
Now I don’t want to knock someone that’s clearly put in a lot of their own time effort, and presumably, money into producing something. However, for 300 notes more, you can get a very similar British designed Taiwan made, Horst link Whyte G160, but with Pike and X1 from your real actual LBS, with the backup that entails. And I’m sure the figure could be closer with a little haggling. Not sure why you’d chose this bike, or if you want to go direct, get a YT or Canyon?
I find the trick with saying
“I don’t want to knock someone that’s clearly put in a lot of their own time effort”
is not to do exactly that in the next sentence.
I’m not sure what your point is? The equivalent Whyte (http://whyte.bike/gb/g-160-w/) is £500 more than the top of the range Airdrop. Just because Whyte are an established brand and it’s from an LBS doesn’t mean you’ll get any better support should something go awry.
Looks a decent alternative to the now defunct Switchback Bikes, who were operating a similar direct-to-consumer model, albeit out of the US. Good luck guys, but don’t try and sell it as anything different than what’s already out there. It’s got value and looks on its side for sure, but modern trail bikes have evolved (brilliantly) into one big (lovely) pot of sameness.
I like it.
” We’re not here to tell you what to do with it. ”
But it’s 1x drivetrain only; not trying to debate 1x vs 2x vs 3x but I’d like to make the choice.
I like it, nicer than a Whyte
AirDrop? Can I send photos to it from my iPhone?
Sorry couldn’t resist