We take BMC’s Agonist 02 One ‘gnarly XC’ rig and the French-made Moustache Samedi e-bike out for some initial testing
£4,899 One of the new wave of do-it-all XC race bikes
BMC claim their new Agonist is part endurance race bike, part go-anywhere trail rig. They’ve struck this balance by relaxing the geometry – toning down the aggressive body position needed on cross-country race rigs – and speccing trail-friendly parts such as a dropper post and bigger fork. The ‘gnarly XC bike’ category isn’t new, with Scott’s Spark leading the charge and now followed by a host of offerings from other brands. So how does the Agonist stack up?
The frame
Built around a carbon front end and alloy swingarm, the Agonist 02 has 110mm of rear wheel travel, courtesy of BMC’s APS dual-link suspension system. This is used across their entire range of full-suspension bikes and creates a virtual pivot point that can be tweaked to give di erent characteristics – in this case, the brand have prioritised compliance under braking, small-bump sensitivity and e cient pedalling.
With internally routed cables front to back, a single bottle cage mount on the down tube, an integrated down tube protector plus a nifty in-built mudguard over the lower link, it’s a slick-looking frame. There’s a front mech mount, but a single chainring comes as standard, along with an internallyrouted dropper post
The large size we tested has a 634mm e ective top tube, 445mm chainstays and a reasonably compact 455mm reach and 1,169mm wheelbase. At 73.8 degrees, the seat tube angle is fairly slack, while the head angle is on the steeper side at 69.5 degrees. BMC’s website recommended the medium size for our 178cm-tall (5ft 10in) tester, but we think this would have been a bit too small.
The kit
Decked out in parts regularly seen on burlier bikes, the Agonist’s spec lives up to BMC’s claims. There’s a Fox 34 Float Step-Cast fork with GRIP damper and 120mm of travel up front, while out back it has a Fox Float DPS Performance Elite shock with EVOL air can. Both fork and shock share a remote lockout. SRAM’s GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain is paired with Shimano SLX brakes, and you get an X-Fusion Manic dropper topped with a fi’zi:k Antares R7 saddle. The DT Swiss X 1700 wheels are wrapped in Vittoria Barzo 2.25in tubeless rubber, front and rear.
The ride
Initially it felt like we couldn’t get our weight far enough forward
when climbing seated, because of the slack seat angle, so we set the saddle’s nose down and slid it forward. While this helped, getting a truly comfortable ascending position was tricky and, considering how much time you spend in the saddle on an XC bike, disappointing. The lockout function works well, though. Fully locked-out, the suspension is particularly firm – perfect for smooth ascents or long road drags. We didn’t notice a big di erence in bob between the ‘trail’ and ‘open’ modes, but the former did provide less grip on flat, rough sections. This meant we left the bike in ‘open’ most of the time.
The Vittoria tyres were disappointing, providing patchy, unpredictable grip at best. On a particularly wet, but not boggy, trail centre loop with roots and rocks, we felt like we’d never ridden a bike before, unable to hold lines we’d normally clean without much thought. Although they’d be fine on fireroad slogs or dry summer days, we think the Barzos are a compromise too far, with too much of a weight-saving and fast-rolling bias for a bike that’s touted as a do-it-all ride.
Ignoring the tyres, the chassis has plenty to give when heading downhill, feeling sti and accurate. We rode the bike before checking out the geometry figures and were convinced the head angle was slacker than claimed. The Agonist responds well to a heels-down style of descending, the suspension o ering plenty of support in turns and through holes. This makes it much easier to commit and push the bike faster and harder. The suspension hits a great balance between support and smoothness, making it easy to carry and even generate speed over rough sections without the back wheel getting hung up over bigger bumps. At pace, the wandering bite point of the Shimano brakes is a little disconcerting – a problem that’s well-documented and not exclusive to the SLX model.
Although it’s important to remember that the Agonist is an XC bike first and foremost, its descending performance is definitely better than expected. Granted, it’s not quite on the same level as a Scott Spark, but it’s still mighty impressive.