BEN’S PRIVATEER 141 OHLINS
MONTH 1: From bling to black ops, Ben’s new longtermer is a special edition with seriously upgraded Öhlins suspension and Hunt wheels
£4,499 • 29in • privateerbikes.com
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No sooner had I returned one special-edition longtermer (the super-bling Kona Process 134 Supreme) than another special-edition longtermer lands on my doorstep. This time around it’s a Privateer 141 trail bike with the dial turned up to 11. Gone are the Rockshox Pike Ultimate fork and Fox Float X shock of the standard bike, in their place are an air-sprung Öhlins RXF36 M.2 fork and lairy yellow coil-sprung Öhlins TTX2M shock. Coupled with burlier Hunt Enduro Wide V2 wheels and thicker casing Schwalbe tyres, the 141 Öhlins is now a trail bike with serious enduro credentials and an £800 premium over the regular GX equipped 141.
That’s not to imply that the standard 141 was conservative in its remit, with progressive sizing (485mm reach on this size P3 bike and size-specific chainstay lengths) and geometry numbers that have more in common with DH bikes than some other short-travel trail bikes. In fact, Privateer has always been about proper hard-charging race-ready bikes at more affordable prices (hence its name) so a 64.4° head angle and 1,266mm wheelbase come as no surprise.
It’s also no surprise to see Hunt wheels specced on the 141 as they are effectively an in-house brand. With the Enduro Wide and Trail Wide wheels getting great reviews across the board, I’m excited to see if these new Enduro Wide V2 wheels live up to that reputation. With different rim profiles front and rear (33mm internal width up front, 31mm with extra reinforcement out back) they’re wheels designed to take a pounding on rocky EWS stages. I do wonder if that could be a bit overkill for a trail bike ridden around the Forest of Dean though?
Elsewhere the spec is very workmanlike with a Shimano SLX/XT mix in the drivetrain. SLX is durable, functional and relatively inexpensive to replace if damaged. The upgraded XT shifter has been chosen for its ability to downshift two gears at a time, a thoughtful upgrade that mirrors the attention to detail that is evident across the bike.
For example, the Twenty21 12-50t cassette was specced as the shifting was found to be marginally better than using a stock 10-51t Shimano cassette.
Moving on to the cockpit, the bar and stem both come from US brand Protaper.
The 40mm stem is a solid looking lump and the super-wide 810mm bar is ripe for trimming – my arms are nowhere near long enough to need that width. Oneup’s 180mm dropper is another highly-regarded choice and is topped by a cro-mo railed Privateer saddle.
The idea for this special edition build came from upgrades that Privateer’s American staff had made to their own bikes to make them more suited for thrashing around the Rocky Mountains. And while it should make the bike more capable in fast, rough terrain, does the extra weight (at 35lb it’s a pound heavier than the already tubby standard 141) adversely affect it’s core abilities as a trail bike on tighter UK trails? I can’t answer that question right now, but it‘s going to be a lot of fun finding out.
WHY IT’S HERE