Owned and operated by GO Outdoors, the Calibre brand may not be that well known in a market filled with bigger and older bike brands, but it is one that has been stirring up some attention lately with its well-priced mountain bike options. We’ve not had a lot of experience with the Calibre brand ourselves, but that’s set to change with the all-new Bossnut V2 full suspension bike that we have in for testing and review.
With a sticker price of £1300, the Bossnut is rather tasty value for a full suspension trail bike – and especially one that’s wearing air-sprung RockShox front and rear, a Shimano Deore 2×10 drivetrain and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes.
As we all know though, nice parts don’t necessarily make a bike ride well. So lets take a closer look at some of the features on the Calibre Bossnut V2 to see what’s unique about this alloy trail bike.
“The frame of the Calibre Bossnut V2 has increased its lateral stiffness with the introduction of a one piece rocker link, which in turn has given greater clearance for a larger rear tyre – great for those UK winters. It now has wider WTB tubeless ready rims that give an overall stronger wheel, and more importantly a better tyre profile to allow more control and grip. The effective top tube of the bike has been stretched a little; this gives more room to maneuverer and allows a shorter stem which gives better steering control and confidence in steeper terrain” – From Calibre.
Calibre Bossnut V2 Features
- 6061 Hydroformed alloy frame
- 27.5in wheels with frame clearance for up to 2.35in width
- 130mm rear travel
- Single pivot suspension design
- Tapered head tube
- 130mm travel fork
- 66.8° head angle
- 73.5° seat angle
- External threaded bottom bracket
- 436mm chain stay length
- 135mm quick release rear dropouts
- High direct mount front derailleur
- Shimano direct mount rear derailleur hanger
- Dropper post ready
- Fully external cable routing
- Complete Bike RRP: £1300
The Bossnut is one of two full suspension bikes from Calibre. It uses a hydroformed alloy frame, and cuts a rather pleasing shape that uses chunky and mostly straight tube profiles. The Bossnut features 130mm of front and rear travel, and rolls on 27.5in wheels. Geometry is geared towards trail riding, with a slack 66.8° head angle and a modern cockpit that features 760mm wide handlebars and a stubby 45mm long stem (60mm on the X-Large framesize).
While the frame is ready for a dropper post, Calibre does make another full suspension model that comes with one as stock, called the Beastnut. The Beastnut uses the same frame, the same 130mm of rear travel, but ups the fork travel to 140mm. Along with a 1×11 SRAM drivetrain, the Beastnut jumps up to £1499.
In terms of spec, the Calibre Bossnut V2 is brimming with value. But it’s the kicked-back frame geometry and modern cockpit setup that is most impressive for an entry-level full suspension bike. Factor in the air-adjustable fork and shock, and there’s plenty of reason to get excited by this budget boinger.
We’ll have a full review coming soon on the Calibre Bossnut V2, though for further information just head through to the GO Outdoors website.
Calibre Bossnut V2 Specifications
- Frame // 6061 Hydroformed Alloy Tubing, 130mm Travel
- Fork // Rockshox Sektor Silver, 130mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Monarch R
- Hubs // Formula Alloy, 100x15mm Front & 135mm Rear
- Rims // WTB ST i25, 32h, Tubeless Compatible
- Tyres // WTB Vigilante 2.3in Front & Bee Line 2.2in Rear
- Chainset // Shimano Deore 36/22t
- Front Mech // N/A
- Rear Mech // Shimano Deore 10-Speed
- Shifters // Shimano Deore 10-Speed
- Cassette // SunRace 11-36t, 10-Speed
- Brakes // Shimano M506, 180mm Front & 160mm Rear
- Stem // Calibre Trail, 45mm Long (Medium & Large), 60mm (X-Large)
- Bars // Ritchey MTN Trail, 760mm Wide, 20mm Rise
- Grips // Lock-On
- Seatpost // Calibre Trail, 30.9mm
- Saddle // WTB Volt Sport
- Size Tested // Medium
- Sizes available // Medium, Large, X-Large
- Claimed weight // 14.5 kg (31.9 lbs)
Vote In The 2017 Singletrack Readers Awards Here.
Comments (8)
Comments Closed
I think it’s worth mentioning that with the £5 go outdoors card the bossnut v2 is £999 and the beastnut is £1299.
Great, it’s laterally stiff. No mention of vertical compliancy mind.
Might be worth mentioning that, like the previous Bossnut, the price is really £999, with the £5 ‘discount’ card knocking the price down to a grand, especially since price and vfm are going to be the purchase drivers for this.
oops, looks like our streams crossed.
@richmorr & @vinney – absolutely! Makes the overall value pretty incredible hey!
As an FYI, our policy is always to publish the brand’s RRP rather than ‘sale’ prices, which in the case of the Calibre Beastnut is £1300. However, it’s quite odd that in Calibre’s own description of the bike, they frequently refer to it as being sub-$£1k bike. Clearly they don’t expect many people will be buying it at the full retail amount…
I bought the Calibre Dark Peak adventure bike a couple of months ago (managed to get ti for £500 as it had a chip in the paint). I can’t believe the value.
rides incredibly well and has a really decent spec, not too heavy (not light though) good wheels and drivetrain. definitly worth a look
I’ve got a V1 and haven’t had any issues with tyre clearance.
Its a shame as i got it on C2W and i have to wait til Sept at least to even CONSIDER going for the V2… 🙁
Hi,
“Geometry is geared towards trail riding, with a slack 66.8° head angle”
SLACK! 66.8!
You’re right, though, it seems an incredible bargain, (and Paul Aston atPinknike agrees). I hope it proves so in your tests as it’s a great starter or returner rider option.
Oops. Phone typing and sausage fingers! Pinkbike of course