WILL P’S SARACEN ARIEL 80 PRO £3,499.99

If you’d asked me at the beginning of the year whether I’d buy a 180mm-travel, long, slack sled on 650b wheels, I’d have given you a funny look and said: “No!”. However, faced with returning the Ariel 80 Pro, I know I’m going to miss it, with its hilarious ‘safety-net’ levels of travel and a wheelbase that would make an oil tanker sit up and take note.

While it’s labelled a ‘park bike’ by Saracen, that’s not how I see it, in part because of my below-par jumping abilities. It’s been a great tool for looning around and getting comfortable on the steep terrain in my local area, with its length and 63.5-degree head angle offering a level of relative comfort in situations I’d have thought twice about getting myself into on other bikes.

The Shimano SLX four-pot brakes have helped that confidence – with a great feel and as much power as needed, even in trouser-browning situations – as has the SLX drivetrain, which has proven faultless. That’s been helped by studious weekly cleaning, but also the Branchy rear mech protector I fitted. It’s unheard of that I go a whole year without ripping off a mech or at least reshaping the hanger, but I haven’t even needed to straighten this one. Whether that’s blind luck or not, nobody’s more surprised than me.

The one downside this year was the rear hub eating itself from the inside out. I’m still at a loss as to what caused that, but it was the weak point in an otherwise fantastic build. I don’t think I’d buy one of these as my only bike, but given the option of owning more than one, it’d certainly be on the shortlist. Thanks for a great year, Saracen.