Downhill is considered the Formula 1 of bike sport. The downhill bikes are damn fast and often unreasonably expensive. They are often designed for one purpose only: for use in the Downhill World Cup. This is also the case with the Atherton A.200.1.
The Atherton has a unique frame concept. It is based on carbon tubes that are held together by 3D-printed titanium sleeves. Thanks to this design, customers can request customised frames in addition to twelve different standard sizes. Do you need that? Not necessarily, but many a race nerd will be delighted with this option. The A.200.1 rolls on mullet tyres (29/27.5 inches).
Bike park or race track?
Naturally, the bike was designed for World Cup use. In other words, it is trimmed for maximum speed. This is exactly the case with other downhillers. However, some downhillers are still playful enough for bike park use.
You can also have fun on jump trails with the Atherton A.200.1, but this is not the bike's speciality. Incidentally, we rode the bike on the downhill track in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis and on the UCI World Cup track in Leogang. We checked the playfulness and manoeuvrability on the park descents.
Mullet or 29-inch tyres - our test team discussed this topic intensively. We came to the conclusion: everything speaks in favour of Mullet. Lighter, more manoeuvrable and the tyre tread doesn't grate on your backside on steep steps.
- Laurin Lehner, BIKE test editor
The facts: Atherton A.200.1
- Weight: 16.3 kg
- Spring travel: 200/200 mm
- Wheel size: 29/27.5" inch
- Price: 9912 Euro
- Material: Carbon/titanium/aluminium
Equipment
- Fork / damper: Fox 40 Float Factory / Fox Float Factory DHX2 Coil (475 lbs)
- Circuit: Sram XO Eagle DH
- Brakes: Hayes Dominion 203/203 mm
- Impellers: Stan's E-Sync
- Tyres: Continental Kryptotal Fr/Re DH 29/27.5 x 2.4
- Guarantee: for life
- Max. system weight: 130 kg
- Special features: 12 available frame sizes, individual enquiries possible. Ordering from Wales may be complicated due to customs etc.
From the test lab¹
- Total weight: 16.32 kg
- Weight of wheels: 5411 g
- Impeller inertia: 4414 kg x cm²
¹ BIKE measured values: Wheel inertia: The lower the measured value, the easier it is to accelerate. Weight without pedals. Wheel weight per set with tyres, cassette, brake discs. Frame stiffness: Lateral stiffness in N/mm separately for the front frame triangle including the installed fork (front) and the rear triangle (rear)
Good to know!
The history of Atherton Bikes is impressive. Downhill siblings Rachel, Dan and Gee Atherton have been riding successfully in the World Cup for decades and winning on various bike brands. Then they decided to launch their own brand and put all their expertise into the project. Atherton Bikes was born.
Since then, her downhill bike has already won World Cups and even two World Championship medals. We remember. Charlie Hatton won gold at the 2023 World Championships in Fort William and Andi Kolb silver. The Austrian also sticks 500 grams of extra weight under his bottom bracket for more stability on the downhill. Original for the label from Wales: the titanium lug concept.
Simple instead of complex
Visually, the bike looks rather plain. Instead of a raised pivot point, the A.200.1 relies on a six-bar VPP rear triangle and round carbon tubes. The design polarised the test team. Some like the simple look, others think the frame looks like an assembled prototype.
While the predecessor still rolled on 29-inch wheels at the front and rear, the Athertons have given their latest model mullet wheels - for more clearance and cornering stability. We think that's good!
Driving report: sit on it & drive fast
The Atherton A.200.1 positions the rider low on the bike. This immediately instils confidence. The frame size 7 fitted us well with a tester height of 1.79 metres. The suspension was extremely sensitive and generated a lot of traction. The 475 mm spring in the rear was a good fit for our operating weight of around 80 kilos, but tended to be on the soft side.
Despite the high level of comfort, the rear suspension also parried hard hits with confidence and was pleasantly progressive towards the end of the travel, offering sufficient support. We immediately felt comfortable on the World Cup course in Leogang - and fast! We really liked the harmoniously high cockpit with the "flexible" handlebars.
Even on rough descents, the Atherton reacted calmly, as if signalling to the rider: "Let go!" In high-speed corners, the rear felt softer - and more comfortable - than the nominal value from the lab. We suspect that the wheels were the deciding factor here.
On park tracks with berms and jumps, the Atherton is sufficiently manoeuvrable and also has enough pop for airtime interludes. However, the Atherton didn't really want to be pulled onto the rear wheel. Great: Our Atherton test bike was extremely quiet.
BIKE conclusion on the Atherton A.200.1
The Atherton A.200.1 is a success with its intuitive handling, balanced cream chassis and pleasing geometry. It is fast, manoeuvrable enough and comfortable. In short, it can do everything a downhiller needs to do. However, if you are looking for a maximally playful big bike for park use, you will find better candidates from other manufacturers.
Plus:
- Great chassis
- Original framework concept
- Good brakes and tyres
- pleasing geo
Minus:
- High price
- angular saddle
- long chainstays
² EVALUATION: Spider diagram: Drive, play instinct, downhill refers to the riding behaviour: The larger the deflection, the better the suitability. Equipment: is made up of different points such as quality/workmanship, usability. The BIKE grade is made up of practical impressions from test riders and laboratory measurements. The grade is independent of price. Range of grades: 0.5-5.5, analogue to the school grading system.
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Laurin Lehner
Editor
