If you were among the early orders, then you might be taking delivery of your Privateer 161 about now. Demand has been strong, and pre-orders of bikes are now being taken for delivery as late as September this year. We had a bit of a run through of the frame with Fahzure in Fresh Goods Friday and the podcast, but here now we have the full launch info from Privateer – from prototypes to first customers.
Our first peek came shortly before the Ard Rock Enduro that never happened, where sponsored rider Matt Stuttard planned to ride the Privateer 161, having been involved with the bike’s development from the start. With its focus on performance and durability, even with the demands of UK weather, we were interested:
Privateer bikes was founded on the idea of creating a bike that fits the needs and demands of it’s namesake. Progressive race-ready geometry combined with rider-focused features ensures the 161 can handle seasons worth of abuse. Developed with Top 20 EWS rider Matt Stuttard and the Enduro World Series in mind – The 161 features progressive geometry to descend as fast as possible, whilst reducing fatigue with a low effort climbing position. By reducing upper body stress on steep transitions, readiness and speed will increase during the timed stages.
Over the course of 18 months the 161 was developed with Alastair Beckett who has already designed EWS race-winning bikes. Mixing our passion and ideas with Ali’s experience, the recipe for a rider focused bike was created. Whilst working closely with Matt to ensure it’s everything he needs to race at the highest level, he provided us with incredibly useful feedback; ranging from geometry to small (but important) details such as cable routing to clear race plates.
- Anti rise is pretty consistent beyond the sag point meaning that the bike suspension action will not vary much with braking.
- Anti squat is about 140% at sag and doesn’t drop below 100% until three-quarters of the travel has been used, so it should be an efficient pedaller, even in the rough stuff.
- The leverage rate is fairly flat to the sag point and quite consistent thereafter meaning it should feel predictable.
- The axle path should offer good small bump compliance while maintaining good pedalling traits.
Since the first prototypes – and the last time we saw the Privateer 161, which was at Eurobike, there’s been some final changes to get the bike to be just how they want it:
The biggest change of all, is right at the heart of the frame. After putting the miles (+1000’s metres of elevation) onto our prototypes and keeping track of the ever extending dropper post lengths, we knew the seat post insertion just wasn’t enough. The right thing to do was to take the frame back to the drawing board.
Not wanting to move the linkage position, but needing to change the tube, took some head-scratching but eventually a solution was found. The entire bottom bracket & shock mount junction has been redesigned and replaced with a 2 piece CNC section. This change increases post insertion by 50mm on P1 and around 80mm P2-P4. More insertion depth means riders can now fit the longest dropper post possible for them.
The bike is available as a frameset or complete build, in Raw or Matt Black finish, and four sizes – the smallest ‘P1’ comes with 27.5in wheels, the rest are 29in wheels, with chainstay lengths varying across the range to retain handling characteristics.
Privateer 161 Frameset
- Shock – RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Headset – Sealed Catridge Bearings
- Price – £1,489 / €1,699 / $1,535 USD
Privateer 161 Complete Build
- Fork – RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 170mm 42 offset
- Shock – RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate M/L
- Brakes – Magura MT5 203/180 Storm HC Rotors
- Drive – Shimano 12 speed SLX with XT shifter
- Dropper – OneUp V2 180mm
- Cockpit -Raceface Altas 20mm/Aeffect R Stem 40mm
- Contact – Fabric Scoop Elite / FunGuy Grips
- Tyres – Michelin Wild Enduro Magi X Front, Gum X Rear
- Wheels – HUNT EnduroWide
- Price – £2,989 / €3,399 / $3,075 USD
Are you in the first batch of customers? Maybe you’d had a chance to ride one? We’d love to hear what you think. Fingers crossed we get out to ride the kind of terrain and speed that this is designed for soon.
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May week 2 P3 Wooohooo!
What gear ratio is the antisquat for and what’s it like in the rest of the cassette? That graph alone doesn’t say very much, other than there being loads of antisquat.