MacMahone’s Duncan McCann popped into BikeRadar HQ to show us the latest goodies from the French mountain bike company, including their Lionheart full-suspension bike and Reaper hardcore hardtail.
Looking at the graphics, you’d be forgiven for thinking the company was steeped in Scottish history. But MacMahone have no Scottish connection – the graphics were designed by the company’s international team in France.
The £1,099 alloy Lionheart (also available in scandium at £1,449) is the company’s single-pivot full-suspension trail bike. The standout feature is a titanium plate which sits under the supplied Manitou shock and is designed to add stiffness when pedalling. We’re looking forward to slinging a leg over this bike and reporting back on how the plate affects the ride.
If it’s a hardcore hardtail you’re after then the £399 (frame only) Reaper may be the thing for you. Built for the street or the dirt jumps, it ships with two rear hangers so you can run it singlespeed or with gears, has V-brake bosses and comes with ISCG tabs so you can slap on a chain device with ease.
The Reaper's got 'gnarcore' written all over its burly frame
The Sword cross-country/all-mountain frame comes in scandium (£748), aluminium (£539) and singlespeed (£539) guises and has some neat standout features including a CNC’d seatstay and, on the singlespeed version, an integrated chain tensioner. It's perfect for 100mm forks, and we’re looking forward to putting the Sword to the trail soon.
Are you a fan of dirt jumping/four-cross/BMX with a hint of tartan? The £449 Elliot might be your ideal stable mate. Available in orange, white, black, silver and this fetching blood red, the Elliot is a versatile, hard-hitting beast.
Heading up the MacMahone parts list, this shiny aluminium headset is available in five colours (green, silver, black, blue and red) and will set you back £89 or £99 with a titanium bolt. There's also a superlight titanium version available for £199.
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – these £69 multi-butted chromoly handlebars have been put on a drill-based diet and weigh in at 340g for the 26mm model.
The Angus all-mountain bars are 710mm wide and hit the scales at 292g (31.8mm). £69 for these fellas.
MacMahone rider Jamie Johnson will be riding in the Mountain Biking UK Dirt Jump Invitational comp at BikeRadar Live, so why not come along to watch the amazing riding on offer? Other riders attending include Sam Pilgrim, Lance McDermott, Chris Smith, Jamie Goldman, Amir Kabbani and Pat Campbell-Jenner.
Keep an eye on BikeRadar and Mountain Biking UK magazine in the coming months for in-depth tests on the new MacMahone frames and parts. For more information, go to macmahone.com (macmahone.co.uk will be live very soon).