Berria has entered the soft tail market (yep – it’s a thing now), and its refigured Bravo looks to have enough compliance to take the edge off for most cross-country racing. The 2024 edition has been completely revamped with updated geometry, 110mm of front travel, and models ranging from race ready to affordable.
What’s a soft tail?
For those unfamiliar with the word, a soft tail is a hardtail mountain bike with a micro amount of suspension without a shock. Think 10-30mm of active suspension, with a high demand on the frame’s natural flexion.
What makes the Berria Bravo different?
Softex Carbon Flex Control; Berrias’ new rear suspension system, which takes advantage of the controlled flex of Berrias TIBIA seatpost (14mm of travel) and an active rear end (another 14mm of travel), giving compliance in varying parts of the ride experience.
The rear suspension employs flexing chainstays that absorb trail feedback and offers suspension, giving the rider the benefits of a dual suspension without the weight. Berria tuned the rear suspension of the Bravo to be very active, supporting both full-on race needs and marathon ambitions.
The combined seatpost and frame suspension offers 28mm of total “travel,” which hits a sweet spot for most XC riders to get them back on a hardtail. Plus, when you see the weight — you might change your mind too!
Berria Bravo Soft Tail — Frame Construction
Berria set out to make a frame with enough suspension to make a difference but not enough to tip the scale. Both offerings of the Bravo frame feature high-modulus carbon. The flagship Bravo BR weighs in at 999g and is constructed from Toray T700, T800, and T1000 fibers, also known as HM3X carbon.
This particular combination of fibers pushed the stiffness to weight in critical areas of the frame. The fibers run unidirectionally and increase the lateral stiffness and performance of the bike.
The standard Bravo (non-BR) frame is constructed with HM2X carbon, which combines Toray T700 and T800 fibers. The HM2X still provides a great ride but with a frame of 1,270g at a slight weight penalty.
Berria Bravo Soft Tail Geometery
The new Bravo offers updated progressive XCO race geometery that should suit most cross-country riders. The new Bravo has short 430mm chainstays — 7mm shorter than the previous version giving updated maneuverability in the twisty trail sectors and a bit more snap off the line.
The designers also slacked the headtube angle to 67.5° ( about 1.6° greater than the previous) and added a 110mm travel fork to the longer wheelbase. The fork and headtube fit a single-diameter steerer tube at both ends, 1-1/2″ – 1-1/2″, for greater stiffness in the front of the frame. The new Bravo also uses internal cable routing through the headset.
The new Bravo is designed for all cross-country disciplines and XCO riders of different riding styles. As a result, it can accommodate tires up to 2.40″ thanks to a generous tire clearance in the chainstays and seat stays.
Pricing and Availability
The Berria Bravo is avidly in four different models, from entry-level Bravo 5 to an entire race spec Bravo 7 with SRAM Eagle 12-spd.
Four specifications of the Bravo are available at launch, with prices starting from €2,399 to €5,599. (US Pricing coming soon)
For more information about the Berria Bravo, visit: berriabikes.com/es/bravo-2024
