I know there have been a few threads on here about these before.

I recently (at the weekend) picked up a Arial 2 2010 model on sale and rode it for the first time at the weekend in the forest of dean on the DH courses.

Overall really impressed with it, all the angles seem spot on and it looks good too. I was only really was on the DH course so not ridden it up hill yet. It’s really stable in the air enough to go and jump straight over the fire road gap jump after the table top near the bottom without a second thought. The kit all seems really good and is a good spec for the type of riding the bike is intended for.

It might have a bit of a poor name now (I remember when they were good before), but they really seem to have built an excellent bike and given the deal I got it’s brilliant.

Andy

i take it that you didnt notice the sideways flex from the middle of the frame in hard corners? had a go on one and it was fine apart from that

i take it that you didnt notice the sideways flex from the middle of the frame in hard corners?

way to piss on a proud man’s chips there! 😉

Not noticed that yet, maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough 🙂

I’m sure (hoping) a little bit of flex is not the end of the world. A bit like people are convinced that you need a maxle instead of a QR when I don’t think that most people can tell the difference or if they can it actually holds us mere mortals back.

To add to this I picked up an ex-demo 2011 Ariel 2 last week. So far I’ve been around Cannock and done the ‘Hope Tour’ out of the VG peaks book.

I’m delighted with it – climbing is pretty good, coming from a hardtail I appreciate the extra traction. And then anything approaching downhill / singletrack you can just let go! Mainly, it is just fun 😀

Haven’t noticed flexiness to be honest, and I suspect I give out before the bike does…

hmmm…don’t all frames flex?

Had mine for a few weeks now, including a week out in Les Arcs, so it got hammered as I was trying to keep up with two nutters on Patriots. Loving the bike.

(Yet to notice any flex, wondering if the person who made the comment has actually ridden an Ariel, or just read the magazine review where the pivot bolt had come undone, strangely the bike flexed a bit with one of the pivot bolts undone, doh)

IMO mountain biking is just starting to get to the point motorbikes reached a few years back- after years of being obsessed with making things stiffer because everything was flexy, you finally hit the point where suddenly it’s too stiff (RC51) and then it’s back to the drawing board.

But stiffness is a nice easy thing for journos to fill pages with and marketeers to sell things with 😉 At least, if you’re selling an aluminium frame. But as soon as you’re selling steel or ti, well, stiffness is obviously rubbish 😉

Have had a little flex on the back end of mine, plates on the lower part of the swingarm probably to blame, not an issua at all, bit of lateral flex is quite nice, only happens when riding pretty hard ( hard mincing that is 😉 )

Edit, think Ducati is currently making their Moto GP more flexy as the overly rigid chassis/stressed memeber engine is too stiff and not giving the rider enough feedback from the front end.

gearfreak….thanks, but shut up please.

I will only speak from experience…..you dont know me and if you did…you’d know why i can get frames to flex 😉

Blimey – you’re 3 times the man I am transporter13!
I hope it’s all muscle!

unfortunatly not alex…working on that though as we speak…just happen to be strong…always lifting heavy weights and fighting as i grew up(i.e inverted squat machine I used to be able to push 700kg at 17-8 years old)…if you can imagine David tua without the goatee?? thats me 😀

Even at a low % of body fat, im around 16-17 stone

wow – I guess if you say a frame is stiff, then it’s stiff. Although I’m not sure it’s surprising that people aren’t agreeing with you about the Ariel.

Sometimes I find it annoying that nobody builds bikes/components for my weight though. I’m sure I don’t need a 6″ all mountain bike to weigh more than about 24lb.
I weigh 60kg after a big meal 🙂

Well I have just got an ariel 2 been out 3 times so far and im loving mine, the suspension is spot on. Just makes you want to rip seems to love air, just loves lauching of anything really cant praise it enough. Put a double and bash set up on mine just waiting for a stinger, Toying with upgrading the brakes to the new SLX but the m575’s are doing a great job so thats on hold for now. Might not be the best for climbing or marathon rides but for having fun its hard to beat.

Northwind….spot on.

Sports motorbikes went down the stiffer is better route for years and then became rock hard, too vibey and would let go with little warning….now motorcycle manufacturers spend millions trying to build in flex so the rider has more comfort and more of a clue as to what the tyres are actually doing….i believe fans of steel hardtails enjoy the flex and spring their frames give them, you dont ever read posts from them complaining about lack of stiffness.

The trick is to match the frame flex to the supsension components to the tyres for handling nirvana.

I picked up my bargain Ariel yesterday, just swapping all my old bits over and then will be heading over to Cwmcarn tomorrow for a razz. Can’t wait, as above, the angles look spot on and it’s good looking to boot!
Piccies later on me thinks…