Saracen Ariel 30 review: downhillers will love this short-travel trail bike but the fork lets it down

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Saracen’s Ariel 30 is a heavy-hitting trail bike with plenty of attitude, befitting of longer-travel rigs.

The suspension performance, geometry and its components combine to create its hardcore ride.

Slacked-out and low, the Ariel has aggressive angles and a competitive price of only £2,499.99. That price is currently discounted to £1,699.99, making it a real bargain. However, the Marzocchi fork is the weak link.

The shiny red chassis looks a bit more complicated than the Canyon Neuron 6 or Boardman MTR 9.0 I tested it alongside. However, it has the simplest suspension design of the three, using a single pivot and linkage to drive the shock and control the 130mm of rear-wheel travel.

Saracen’s frame sizes are so long, I opted for a size-medium Ariel.

It's worth pointing out that being a size-medium, this Ariel runs a mullet wheel setup (so there’s a smaller 27.5in rear wheel), rather than the 29in wheels found both front and rear on the two bikes I tested it with.

• Read more: Best trail mountain bikes 2025
  

Saracen Ariel 30 frame, suspension and geometry

A key feature of the Ariel is that it's one of a handful of bikes on the market to use SuperBoost – a wider rear-hub spacing.

The argument for this wider hub is a stiffer frame and stronger rear wheel, but it can be difficult trying to swap out or fix a wheel in an emergency or on holiday, because SuperBoost parts are harder to find.

For even more rigidity, the frame uses huge 37mm oute- diameter main pivot bearings and oversized 28mm sealed bearings on the linkage pieces driving the shock.

If all this has you thinking it should make Saracen’s frame stiff and strong, you’d be dead right; the Ariel has a very burly and solid feel, more akin to an enduro bike than a 130mm-travel trail bike.

The 480mm reach on my size-medium bike is pretty huge, but the Ariel feel smaller than its numbers would suggest while riding.

The big sizing makes this bike a good option for tall riders on a budget because the longest frame has a whopping 530mm reach (although it has the same 440mm chainstays as this medium).

Saracen includes additional CNC push links in the box, enabling you to swap wheel sizes should you wish.

Another geometry aspect that nods to the fact it has been developed with a World Cup DH racer is the bike has the slackest head angle on test.

The fork is raked out at 65° – again, more like an enduro bike.

Saracen Ariel 30 kit and specifications

A workhorse Shimano Deore drivetrain and braking kit is exactly what’s needed to keep rolling in UK conditions, and the Ariel 30 even has a lighter, pricier, SLX-level rear derailleur that’s usually found on more expensive bikes.

However, Saracen has cut one corner here by speccing a KMC X12 chain over a Shimano one.

This makes pedalling more of a grind in the wet and I found certain gears didn’t play nicely higher up the cassette, despite correct setup.

I’d recommend buying a Shimano SLX chain from new and sticking it on.

There’s little to complain about the wheels, which use tough DT Swiss rims, with KT hubs (other than the 157mm spacing and loud freehub whirr if you prefer a quieter ride). The Maxxis tyres at each end are decent enough (even in the cheapest Dual Compound rubber blend that isn’t fantastic in the wet).

The Race Face Chester bar and stem are tough and solid to suit the vibe here, and you can’t argue with the sticky and comfy ODI Elite grips at this price.

Saracen Ariel 30 ride impressions

The Ariel 30 is the most downhill-focussed bike of the trio I tested, with supremely tuned rear suspension.

Whether it’s the 27.5in rear wheel or not, it's very agile and delivers way more of that clichéd ‘playfulness’ than the other two bikes on test.

Fox’s Float rear shock tracks extremely well, and has impressive traction, control and support that’s so dialled, it’s a match for more expensive machines.

The Ariel frame is stiff, solid and feels snappy and precise when you're slinging it from side to side.

You can really drive your weight down through your feet and lean it hard into turns without too much flex or deflection. This leads to moments where you’re totally engaged and in control when the action comes thick and fast on steeper or more feature-packed trails.

The Ariel really rips corners and jumps; with rider weight down low and the slack angles, there’s a solid base to flick about and play.

The 130mm rear suspension doesn’t feel mushy or overly deep, so if you punch into the back end with your feet, there's always enough support to pop and bounce, and drive the bike forward.

While the bike feels dialled most of the time, the Marzocchi Z2 fork can’t match the back end’s bump tracking and response.

There’s a lag when changing direction and tracking hits, so things get hectic on repeated impacts because the chassis stiffness and rear suspension are raring to go, but the fork can’t keep up.

Rider weight, therefore, gets pitched about more here than on the other two bikes on test when really pushing it because they simply offer a little more in terms of balance.

I had to leave the sweeping Rail fork damper dial almost fully open to feel as active as the rear, but it then smashes through its travel (at an appropriate air-spring pressure).

Adding damping makes it too firm, which just doesn't match the rear end at all.

As such, I found I ended up going into flat corners with the back of the bike squatting and wallowing, and was unable to load the front tyre properly.

It also might help if the fork had 10mm more travel to run more sag, suck up bigger hits and lift the low Saracen bar higher.

The rebound damping feels cruder than other forks on test, too, with a less rapid response and a vague dial that’s harder to feel incremental changes on.

The Ariel isn’t only about aggressive downhilling, though. With a steep enough seat angle, it pedals and climbs very well too, even when fully open.

Under power, there are very smooth cranking circles, and less micro dipping and surging even than on the speedy Canyon Neuron.

Saracen Ariel 30 bottom line

The Ariel 30 has attitude in spades, and a back end that laps up heavy landings and big holes all day long.

The ride quality makes you forget about any potential niggles with the SuperBoost rear end. While the cheaper Z2 fork holds this bike back, Saracen sells an Ariel 30 Pro model with a superb GRIP2-damped Fox 36 fork for £3,299.99 (at the time of writing, this bike is on offer for £1,999.99).

That model looks like a steal for an improving rider wanting to hit up serious terrain and would be where I'd put my money because it’s impossible to see how this ’Pro’ version wouldn’t be a ripper.

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