Atherton Bikes expands their affordable alloy enduro bike line-up with a new S.150, shifting to shorter rear wheel travel and even lower pricing to make this your perfect bike for all-mountain riding. The new Atherton S.150 looks almost exactly like their alloy debut S.170, just dialed back to build a lighter and more versatile all-rounder. The brand still calls this an enduro bike, and Rachel Atherton says that it shreds.
But with 150mm at the mullet rear end, paired to a 29″ front wheel and 160mm of fork travel, this is said to be a bikepark-ready bike that you’ll be happy to pedal back up to the top of the hill under your own steam.
That sounds rather more like a good old all-mountain bike to me…
Atherton S.150 affordable alloy mullet all-enduro bike
Based on their “halo” A-range of bikes, these alloy S-range bikes bring Atherton Bikes’ suspension, geometry & fit expertise into reach for a lot more mountain bikers. And this shorter-travel Atherton S.150 alloy enduro bike also seems more well-suited for the type of all-mountain riding that a lot of actual mountain bikers do.
Not all of us ride like Athertons. But an S.150 sounds like a solid way for more of us to get on a bike designed & built by the winningest family in mountain biking.
If you’re looking for a bike that will take all the punishment you can throw at it, that’s rugged, but easy to maintain and still offers high performance at more accessible price point – the S.150 is for you.”
– Rachel Atherton, 5x elite UCI DH World Champion
What’s new?
Just this past spring, Atherton Bikes introduced us to their more affordable UK-made alloy bikes – with a 170mm travel S.170 mullet enduro bike that reimagined their custom carbon & 3D-printed titanium bikes. The S-range carries over the same lug & tube concept from their super-premium high-end mountain bikes to something much more reasonably priced.
Now, the S.150 adapts the same “unrivaled fit, strength & performance” into a more versatile all-rounder mountain bike. It’s still “bikepark-ready”, but with slightly less slack geometry designed to go both up and down the mountain. And keeps the mullet wheel setup to maximize maneuverability and a playful ride character.
That means a 64.5° headtube angle, a 78.5° seat angle, size-specific 430-440mm chainstays, and a huge 12-size range to make sure you get on a bike that fits perfectly. Atherton then sizes the S.150 based on frame Reach, giving riders the ability to pick the exact size that they want, with anywhere from 415-525mm Reach (in 10mm increments).
Tech details
The core concept of the new Atherton S.150 is the same aluminum construction – CNC-machined aluminum lugs and drawn aluminium tubes, bonded together with an “insanely strong” double-lap shear joint. And they use Dan Atherton’s “favorite 7075 alloy” since the bikes don’t have to deal with the heat stress of welding. That allows Atherton to build the bikes from a material with 60-70% higher fatigue, hardness & ultimate tensile strength, vs. conventional weldable alloys like 6061. Also, the unique construction moves the lug-to-tube junction away from the area where the highest stresses occur in a frame, further improving strength & durability.
- 150mm of Dave Weagle’s simple DW4 short-link 4-bar suspension, matched to 160mm forks
- mullet-only: 29” front, 27.5” rear wheels
- all aluminium/aluminum
- 100% UK-made in Machynlleth, Wales
- made from 7075 T6 alloy with CNC-machined lugs bonded to drawn aluminum tubes
- EFBE Tri-Test-ed for Category 4 & 5 (enduro and DH!)
- wide 12 stock size range to fit every rider in 10mm Reach steps, with Atherton online bike fit calculator
- lifetime warranty to the original buyer
- conventional albeit internal cable routing entering the lug above the downtube
- replaceable threads with standard hardware
- 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket
- 12x148mm Boost thru-axle, 180mm post mount brake, 31.6mm seatpost, ZS44/56 tapered headset
- removable ISCG05 tabs
- integrated downtube and chainstay protectors
- UDH for maximum derailleur compatibility
- max 2.5″ tire clearance
Atherton S.150 – Pricing, options & availability
Atherton offers three complete builds of the new raw-anodized S.150, plus a £2800 / $2950 / 2790€ frameset option that includes a RockShox Super Deluxe shock.
Of the complete bikes, all builds get Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, Stan’s wheels, FSA Gradient cockpits, and the Continental Kryptotal wheels that are the first choice of the Atherton Racing team. Complete Atherton S.150.3 bike pricing starts from £4500 / $4750 / 44480€ with a “rugged & reliable” build with Marzocchi Bomber suspension and a functional budget SRAM NX/GX Eagle mechanical mix, with GX where it matters most.
Then, the S.150.2 gets a solid RockShox Lyrik & Super Deluxe Ultimate suspension setup upgrade, plus a full SRAM GX drivetrain build for £5500 / $5800 / 5480€.
Lastly, the top £6000 / $6325 / 5975€ Build One with a Fox 36/Float X2 Factory suspension build, plus a no-nonsense a SRAM X01/GX mechanical drivetrain mix.
All Atherton bikes are available directly from their website, where you can straightaway enter your measurements into their calculator to pick the best bike size. Lead times vary a bit, especially as they ramp up in-house production of the new S.150. But current estimates suggest Atherton could get a new S.150 frameset or complete build out the door in about 3 weeks.
