Pinnacle Iroko 2 review

Pinnacle has taken the bike that won What Mountain Bike’s hardtails test last summer and subtly reshaped it to stay totally on-trend and near the top of the ratings.

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Where Pinnacle really impress is with the level of detail, and that starts right from the fact you get a spare rear mech hanger already included, so you’re not automatically walking home then waiting days for the postman if you clobber a trail-side rock.

While it’s fitted with a 27.2mm seatpost to smooth the ride, the actual seat tube is 31.6mm for dropper post compatibility and you get stealth cable routing too.

A flat rather than riser 740mm handlebar keeps hands low and well connected to the trail through the fast reacting 40mm stem and relaxed 67 degree head angle.

The triple and double butted, externally braced tubeset connects the tapered fork head tube and post mount brake 142x12mm bolt through the back end, with an obedient but forgiving character. At 12.91kg it’s one of the lightest bikes in our test line up.

Pinnacle has concentrated the kit budget where it matters too. A 15mm thru-axle equipped RockShox Recon Gold RL fork putting 120mm of well controlled suspension between you and the trail.

Shimano Deore M615 brakes are consistently communicative and the durable Deore gearset gets a switchable clutch to reduce chain rattle. That leaves only a clunky, slow engaging rear hub on the grumble list, but that certainly doesn’t stop it being an effervescently enjoyable and versatile ride for the money.