Saracen’s unveiled their new 2010 Ariel trail bike. Featuring 140mm of travel from Fox fork and shock, it’s got some very pretty CNC’d sections on the rear triangle and linkages, and the bottom bracket has ISCG mounts, which indicates Truvativ Hammerschmidt compatibility as well as the ability to run bash guards of your choosing…a good idea for a long-travel trail bike.
Saracen came under new ownership in 2008 and for 2010 has promised a range of hot new bikes, and the Ariel looks to be one of the first big unveilings. The top of the line Ariel 3 (shown here) comes spec’d with Shimano XT shifters and derailleurs, Race Face Evolve crankset, Deore M595 disc brakes, Syncros DS28 rims, Maxxis Larsen TT/High Roller tires and a Fizik Gobi XM saddle. MSRP is £2,599.99.
Come April, you should be able to find this in a retailer (in the UK, at least) alongside the Ariel 2 (£2,099.99) and Ariel 1 (£1,599.99).