A few years ago, a small UK brand called Privateer cropped up with their 161. Sporting some fairly extreme geometry numbers, a solid build kit and a very reasonable price tag, they caused quite the stir and were well received amongst many. Their 161, and shorter travel 141 have been on the market for a while now, but thanks to their once ultra-progressive geometry and kinematics, they still look very relevant in their respective fields. Eager to see if the stats on paper matched up to performance on the trail, Robert set about putting their 161 GX build to the test in the Tweed Valley, Scotland, for a couple of months. Read on (and watch the video) to see if the 161 still holds its own.

THE DIRT
With one of the steeper seat tube angles on the market, it’ll come as no surprise that the seating position on the Privateer 161 is very upright, making the mid-sized cockpit feel considerably smaller when seated. This will not be to everyone’s tastes, working different muscles in the legs when pedaling and certainly feeling different to most, but there’s no denying that climbing in steeper terrain is pleasant. I ended up pushing the saddle back a touch on the rails for the first time in quite a while, since this extra-upright position produced a slightly less comfortable and efficient body position for the typical climbs around me in the Tweed Valley, which aren’t overly steep in general. When combined with the relatively high levels of Anti Squat Privateer have tuned into their Horst Link suspension platform, there’s little to no rear shock movement when pedaling regardless of the gear. The increase in Anti Squat through the cassette range is smart from an efficiency standpoint, with the increased rider body weight input in the harder gears being matched by a higher counterforce. This helps to offset the slightly portly 35lbs overall weight (which is by no means ridiculous) to produce a reasonable enduro machine for long days in the saddle or those last ditch sprints to the finish line, with absolutely no need to think about the shock’s lockout lever.

The slack, but not fully raked-out head angle combines with the mid-length, size-specific rear and the steep seat tube to give a very well centered weight distribution for climbing, reducing front end lightness when pedaling to a comfortable minimum and making tech climbing a pleasure in its category. The pedal clearance is not the best going, but thanks to the supportive platform it’s manageable with the stock 170mm cranks. Though the rear end is not incredibly progressive, the 161 is absolutely a candidate for a dh-style coil shock without climbing platform, to eke out the most comfort and traction from its rear end. I didn’t have the chance to test this theory, but knowing a couple of riders who have enjoyed their 161’s setup with a coil rear end, I can safely say it’s a viable option. Not that it’s a necessity though, as with the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate air rear shock the Privateer was still a fairly traction rich machine.

Descending on the Privateer is very good all around. It’s not an ultra-lively, super stiff or lightweight bike, so when you find yourself on more “trail” and less “enduro” terrain it can be a tad uninspiring, but the suspension platform is still supportive enough under pumping and pedaling efforts to keep the average speed up and prevent it from being a complete nightmare. Give it some challenging terrain though and it’ll come to life, whether you’re hitting things hard at race pace or cruising at a more leisurely level. Predictable, balanced and well rounded, the 161 delivers an easy-to-ride machine that inspires confidence across the spectrum of trail scenarios. Front end traction is achieved easily thanks to the fairly long rear end, making flatter and less supported turns pleasant, yet its neutral suspension platform makes tighter berm ripping predictable and enjoyable too. The chassis is not the stiffest by any means, but doesn’t produce the vague feeling that the flexiest can give when pushed hard, simply taking a slight amount of the sting off the trail and helping the tires conform to find the traction through the rough. As stock, 30% sag will let you hit the bottom out bumper from time to time in the harder hits, but adding another volume spacer reduces the frequency if you’re a rider who finds themselves hitting hard compressions often.

[this is just a short excerpt from the full written review.]

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Price: $4,380 /£3,689
Weight: 15.9kg (as tested)
Website: Privateerbikes.com

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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:27 - Tech Talk
08:36 - Riding Impressions
19:40 - Final thoughts

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