Atherton Bikes have launched a new AM.170 long-travel enduro bike, slotting in between the brand's flagship AM.200 downhill bike and existing AM.150 enduro bike.
Designed to tackle to toughest descents, the new 170mm travel platform will be the Welsh-based manufacturer's best enduro mountain bike. For the development of the AM.170, Atherton’s design and engineering team worked closely with Dan Atherton who tested the bike on the broad range of terrain available at Dan Atherton's Dyfi Bike Park, home of Red Bull Hardline and some of the best gravity riding in the UK.
Dan Atherton says, “I’m so stoked on this one. This bike is genuinely our best yet! It’s most at home charging downhill but its pedaling ability surprised me from the first ride, the AM.170 is equally happy doing all-day big mountain days as it is taking the Oakley line. If I had to choose just one bike from our range to ride every weekend, this would be the one!”
The new bike uses a mullet wheel configuration which Atherton Bikes has already seen success with after Andi Kolb podiumed four times last season aboard the mixed wheel AM.200 downhill bike. Switching to a mullet setup not only has the potential agility benefits but also gives the AM.170 a straight-through seat tube to allow maximum dropper post lengths to be used.
The bike is constructed using Atherton Bike's unique Additive Manufactured (AM) process, which involves bonding custom carbon tubes into 3D-printed titanium lugs. This is the same construction method they have used on all their bikes from the AM.200 downhill bike to the AM.130 trail bike.
By using this method of construction, Atherton Bikes are able to offer an unmatched range of sizes. The AM.170 is offered in 22 different sizes, from 410mm to 530mm reach and differing stack heights. If the 10mm increments in size aren't exact enough, there is also the option for custom geometry too. The head angle is 64 degrees and the seat tube angle varies between sizes for a better fit (between 77 degrees and 78.5 degrees), as does the 430mm to 440mm chainstay lengths.
Delivering the 170mm of travel is the Dave Weagle DW6 suspension design, with a lot of work put in to find the right kinematic to balance between small bump sensitivity for traction and progressive ramping to absorb bigger impacts. Both factory builds and the frame-only option comes with the choice of an air or coil shock, either a Fox DHX2 Coil or Fox Float X2. All the bikes also come with the option of speccing a 170mm or 180mm fork.
All AM.170 builds are compatible with SRAM’s new direct mount drivetrains, available as an upgrade. All bikes in the Additive range are designed, hand-crafted, and tested in Machynlleth, Mid-Wales, and include a lifetime first-owner warranty, including bike park use. For more information and to place your order, head over to Athertonbikes.com.
