AIRDROP BITMAP WORKS
£2,799 Shefield born and bred aluminium party starter
If you don’t want the hassle of maintaining a full-suspension bike or just want to get back to basics and really feel the trail you’re riding, a hardcore hardtail is a good bet. The She eld-designed Bitmap ticks a lot of the right boxes.
The frame
The guys at Airdrop have been developing the Bitmap for a couple of years, taking ‘long, low and slack’ as their mantra. We tested the large size, which has a reach of 460mm, 45mm of bottom bracket drop, a 65-degree head angle and 420mm chainstays. All of this adds up to a bike that’s just plain rowdy!
Everything about the Bitmap has been designed to keep you going through the winter months. It’s got a threaded BB, external cable routing (the dropper post hose starts o external but enters the seat tube just above the BB) and loads of mud clearance, even with 2.6in rubber. (Airdrop say they’ve even managed to squeeze in a 2.8in Maxxis tyre.)
Bucking the UK hardtail trend slightly, the Bitmap is aluminium, rather than steel, but that keeps cost and weight down. With its chunky, square seat and chainstays, shaped down tube and reinforcing gusset between the top tube and seat tube, this is a frame that’s been built for strength and sti ness, not long-ride comfort. The wide Boost 148mm rear end, ISCG-05 chain guide tabs and brake mount spaced for a 180mm rotor emphasise its aggressive nature.
The kit
This is the top-of-the-range Bitmap, so it’s dripping with highend kit. The 12-speed SRAM X01 Eagle transmission and carbon Descendant cranks worked flawlessly, while the Guide RSC brakes were plenty powerful enough and it was easy to get the reach and bite point exactly where we wanted them. Since we took delivery of our test bike, Airdrop have announced they’ll be speccing Burgtec components on the Works model, for the same price. The super-sti Truvativ Descendant 35mm bar and stem on our bike will still be used on their cheaper complete bikes.
The Hope wheels and WTB tyres are solid performers, though we picked up a slow puncture on the front that we couldn’t find and fix. Our only (minor) gripe with the spec is the RockShox Pike RC fork – it works well, but lacks the adjustability of the RCT3 model we’d expect to find on a top-end bike.
The ride
With its low standover height and steep seat angle, the Bitmap lets you get your saddle out of the way on the descents but put it right where it needs to be for climbing, which is something it does surprisingly well, given its gravity-inspired geometry. The back end is short enough to be playful but long enough to keep things stable at speed and over rough, chattery rocks and roots, while the roomy reach puts you right in the middle of the bike on descents, rather than leaving you hanging o the back for dear life.
It’s a sti and at times unforgiving ride, especially with the 35mmdiameter bar provided. But we liked the direct feel and found it confidence-inspiring. Point the Bitmap downhill and the ride is rowdy, fast and way too good for a bike with only 140mm of travel at the front. JONNY ASHELFORD www.airdropbikes.com
We bloody love a good hardtail, and this one has a stable, capable feel that breeds con idence