Silverback Slade Expert

R14 299

Silverback’s trail-driven Slade has seen a number of different design iterations over the years, but it seems the South African company, now based in Germany, has found the perfect groove with its latest offering.

Butted aluminium frame, dressed up in subtle grey with black and orange graphics, mated to a set of Sun Ringle 27.5+ wheels and an in-house dropper post – it all points towards the Slade’s trail preference. Other than the dropper post, full-length external cabling is easily accessible, keeping maintenance fuss-free.

The slack head angle (68.5°) and 2.8-inch Maxxis Rekons make for a sled that can be confidently cranked in turns and downs. Throw in a 740mm bar and that dropper post, and this bike is a confidence-boosting berm railer. At the same time, a hardtail frame mated to 2x10 gearing makes climbing a cinch.

The gearing is Deore with an XT Shadow rear derailleur, and a Race Face crankset – decentspec, branded components. Dependable Shimano M315 brakes keep the stopping power consistent and controlled, though bigger or ‘faster’ riders may prefer to swop out the rear 160mm rotor for a 180mm, to match the front end.

SPEC HIGHLIGHTS: 120mm fork, thru-axle dropouts, dropper post, Sun Ringle wide rims, Shimano XT Shadow rear derailleur.

BOTTOM LINE: Boatloads of traction and good dirty fun, thanks to plus-size tyres and a dropper post. And there’s less maintenance on a hardtail, while bigger tyres help with comfort and control over rougher trail terrain. silverbacklab.com