LONG TERMERS

Countless hours on the trails make this the ultimate test of performance as well as reliability

BEN'S PRIVATEER 141 OHLINS

£4,499 29in privateerbikes.com 

MONTH 10: Air or Coil? RockShox or Öhlins? Heavy or light? Ben rides two different 141 builds back-to-back to try and answer these questions

There’s something about this stealthy black bomber that attracts a lot of positive attention, more attention than I’ve experienced with other bikes I’ve had. Obviously the flashy yellow spring on the shock and matching Ohlins graphics on the fork have something to do with all of the comments, where Nice bike, mate” is usually followed by... Is it any good?”

To which respond: It’s a great bike, really capable and lots of fun.” Before pausing and adding a hesitant but”... that hesitation is driven by doubt. Because one question that lingers in the back of my mind is: do the component swaps made to the Ohlins edition 141 actually make the bike less suitable for the kind of riding do?

Changes that include the burlier, higher-spec Ohlins suspension, the tougher-casing rear tyre and heavier-duty Hunt Enduro-Wide V2 wheels. All of which are designed to allow the bike to take more of a beating than the regular 141, which is already a very progressive trail bike. These upgrades also add cost, weight, drag and, as I’ve found out over the last 10 months, complication.

As for my riding style, I’m less point-and-shoot, preferring technical trails that reward skill over bravery I’ve never been very brave). So I’ve often wondered if I’d be better suited to the standard-spec 141. To put this nagging question to bed, borrowed a 141 GX Pike RRP 3,689) for a couple of weeks and did some back-to-back testing.