Review - 04 January 2025
A cheat code for bike riding
Last month MBUK pitched 4 of the market’s best trail/ all-mountain bikes representing the four leading suspension platforms against each other in a back-to-back test under ex-racer and experienced and painstaking tester Alex Evans to try and capture where each one excels, it was no surprise to us that even in a stellar line up with three out of four competitors rating above 4 stars the A.150 took the win with its “ out of this world “suspension performance" and “perfectly-balanced” geometry.
The Bikes Tested...
- - Starling Murmur: a ‘pure’ single-pivot design.
- - Scott’s Genius: uses the common four-bar Horst-link system.
- - The all-new Santa Cruz Bronson win-link, virtual-pivot design
- - Atherton Bikes’ A.150: one of few mountain bikes to use a true six-bar linkage.
The A.150 features Dave Weagle’s unusual DW6 six-bar suspension, it has three smaller and three longer links connected via pivots.
The Ride: Descending
“The DW6 suspension performance is out of this world. On descents, the A.150’s rear wheel stays stuck to the ground, regardless of how rough the trail. This flat-tyre-like feel is the epitome of suspension performance and gives a grip-rich ride that boosts control into the next dimension.
On the gnarliest tracks, it feels calm and muted – inert, but not lethargic. It feels like it has 170 mm-plus of travel, not 150mm plus it has loads of pop. Even heavy-handed inputs are predictably and uniformly translated into controlled speed. The rear end stays supple and smooth under braking … You can simply go faster and harder than on other bikes.
The Ride: Climbing
Heading uphill, the rear end remains active, supple and smooth, no matter how hard you’re pedalling. This sensitivity provides so much grip, even on steep, loose terrain, that technical climbs are considerably easier than with other suspension systems without any perceptible pedal kickback.
Results - Winner!!!
Alex’s conclusions
“The Atherton A.150.1 has blown us away.It’s the breadth of performance that struck us – on every trail, over all types of bumps and obstacles, whether you’re braking, freewheeling or pedalling, it feels amazing.
Simply put, the A.150.1 is like a cheat code for bike riding – it opens up speed, line and performance potential that other designs can’t, making it great for all types of rider, from beginner to expert.”
