Calibre has just sent us details of its new Bossnut — one of the most impressive budget mountain bikes available.
The new version of the bike gets up to date geometry and an impressive spec list, and it's still a good price too at £1,100 with the Go Outdoors Discount Card (which costs a fiver).
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The Bossnut is, without doubt, one of the most impressive bikes you can buy for around £1,000, and joins the £2,000 Sentry enduro bike which was released earlier this year.
Ever since its introduction, the bike has been the one to beat when it comes to pocket-friendly trail-orientated, 130mm travel, full-suspension mountain bikes.
Not only was the parts package a lesson in picking decent kit for not much money, but the Bossnut was also a genuinely great bike to ride.
Calibre's designer, Mike Sanderson, always felt that cheaper bikes shouldn't be compromised by their geometry or suspension, and so the frame itself was excellent, especially for the money.
Calibre has built on this with the new Bossnut, and the bike's geometry is now longer, lower and slacker — something we talk about all the time.
Plus, the introduction of SRAM's SX Eagle drivetrain makes a 'proper' 12-speed, 1x specific drivetrain possible at this price point.
The hydroformed aluminium frame gets internal cable routing for a stealth dropper post too.
Almost more impressive is the addition of a bolt-thru rear end.
There are distinct performance benefits to having a bolt thru-axle on a full-suspension bike, such as improving stiffness at both ends, and it also makes it a much more attractive prospect to upgrade later when budgets allow, because higher performance wheelsets rarely have a QR option these days.
Calibre Bossnut 2020 geometry
While far from radical, the Bossnut has a shape that sits right up there with the big players. Reach figures have grown, head angles have slackened and seat tubes are steeper.
Here are the key figures for a large Bossnut;
- Reach: 460mm
- Seat tube: 480mm
- Head angle: 66 degrees
- Seat tube angle: 74.5 degrees
- Chainstays: 436mm
- Bottom bracket drop: 24mm
Calibre Bossnut spec
The spec is impressive for a £1,100 bike: a 130mm air-spring fork from RockShox is paired with a RockShox shock, while there's SRAM brakes and a 12-speed drivetrain.
- Fork: RockShox Recon RL 130mm (non-Boost)
- Shock: RockShox Monarch R
- Drivetrain: SRAM SX Eagle, 11-50 12-speed cassette
- Brakes: SRAM Level T 180mm/160mm rotors
- Wheelset: Formula hubs, WTB ST i29 rims
- Tyres: WTB Vigilante High Grip Comp 27.5 x 2.3in front, WTB Trail Boss Comp 27.5 x 2.25in rear
- Finishing kit: Calibre branded, including 45mm stem and 780mm bars
Calibre Bossnut pricing and availability
The Go Outdoors Discount Card is a £5 membership card that gets you a range of discounts across the store. With the card, the Bossnut costs £1,100.
The previous Bossnut was available for £1,000 with the card and £1,300 without it, so we imagine the vast majority of potential customers will see the value in purchasing the card!
The Bossnut is available now from your local Go Outdoors and online.
