It feels like Saracen is going through something of a rebirth. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Saracen was one of the go-to names in the mountain biking world, proving got-to-have-’em models that inspired a generation of would-be thrashers to get out and discover life off the beaten track. It felt as if the entry into the 2010s marked a slight dip for Saracen, with other brands leaping onto the scene and quickly forging a new path ahead. 

But it feels as if the wind is now swinging back in Saracen’s favour. Still designed in the UK, Saracen now has a great range of bikes, ranging from full-fat downhill models to modern e-bikes. It also has a successful racing team in the Madison Racing squad, with riders like World Cup-winning Matt Walker and seasoned racer Will Longden showing that Saracen has a keen eye on the competition. 

We’re checking out the Ariel 30 today, which is one of Saracen’s core trail bikes. It’s a hotly contested segment, too, with serious models from a number of other bike builders all vying for attention in the group. So we’ve pumped up the tyres and headed to the hills to find out whether or not the Ariel 30 has what it takes to put Saracen on the trail map. 

Saracen Ariel 30

The Ariel 30 is technically the ‘entry-level’ point into the 30 range. You’ve also got the enduro-focused Ariel 60 and park-based Ariel 80, but it’s the 30 which will no doubt prove appealing to riders who want something of an all-rounder. At £2,499 it represents a significant chunk of cash – though the mountain bike segment is pretty au fait with heartbeat-increasing prices – and puts it squarely in the region of models like the Canyon Spectral and Giant Trance, to name just two. 

But we’ve got some decent components to sweeten the deal. There’s a Fox DPS Performance air shock, while Marzocchi’s Bomber Z2 fork will be a hit with the fans. Shimano’s tried-and-tested Deore groupset is here too, alongside an SLX rear mech and twin-piston Deore calipers. 

Of-the-moment wheel builders DT Swiss provides the M422 rims, bringing the option to fit tyres of up to 2.5 inches and the ability to go fully tubeless should you want to. And speaking of tyres, Ariel 30s get Maxxis Minion DHRIII rubber out of the box.

Sphere Score

For

• Price is spot-on with rivals
• Good level of equipment 
• Reliable handling
• Approachable size and easy-to-use cockpit

Against

• No other colourways 
• Standard tyres might be a bit aggressive for full XC use 

Tech specs

• Butted aluminium frame 
• Small and medium frame bikes get 27.5/29-inch wheel setup, larger and extra large are fully 29er 
• Marzoochi Bomber front fork 
• Fox Float DBS Performance shock 
• 1 x 12 Shimano Deore/SLX
• DT Swiss M422 Rims/ KT Boost hubs 

Design and styling 

Even before you’ve swung a leg over, the Saracen Ariel 30 is a great-looking thing. The baby blue colour is nicely offset by the black components, while the internal cable routing keeps things tidy across the board.  It’s a bit of a shame that the Ariel 30 isn’t available in any other colours, but the standard blue still looks the business from all angles. 

The Saracen branding is pretty subtle, too, with just some smaller logos applied to the top tube, while the primary one is positioned underneath the downtube and gives the whole bike a stealthy ‘who has made that bike?’ kind of feel. The gleaming silver cassette actually stands out really nicely against the otherwise blue and black colourway and it’s all tied together by the black wheels. 

Performance 

The Saracen Ariel 30 is a bike which feels like it’s up for a bit of rough and tumble. We took it on some mid-level trails and it happily dealt with mud-plugging sections as well as steeper climbs, where the quick lock-off forks allowed you to quickly change up the amount of compression you got on the fly. The dropper post works really smoothly, too, and the lever is nicely integrated. 

The standard Maxxis Minion rubber is great at getting through those muddier sections, too, though they are quite aggressive for lighter sections. If you fancy going a little further afield with the Ariel 30, then we’d probably swap them out for a slightly less aggressive setup which isn’t going to drag as much on the inclines. That’s an easy change to make, however.

It’s a really confidence-inspiring setup, too, and that means it’ll be a great option for people who are coming into the mountain biking game for the first time. The bars have a decent amount of width to them and the overall riding position doesn’t feel too aggressive. We rode the Saracen with standard flat pedals, too, it should be pointed out – though you could quite easily make this into a more focused trail bike with the fitment of some clipless pedals instead. 

We did find that the ride could feel a little choppy over those harder surfaces, but this could probably be helped by adjusting the amount of air in the tyres. We also found that Shimano brakes provided nice, steady slow-down performance and the overall lever action felt bang-on. 

Verdict

The Saracen Ariel 30 might be one of the cheaper entries into the brand’s range of bicycles, but it feels anything but budget. This is a trail bike that’ll be a great upgrade for newbies into the scene but definitely has enough capability to keep the most hardened of riders pushing for more. We’d like the option of some more colours, but save for that slight glimmer this is one accomplished trail bike.