Test duel around the world - England: Atherton AM.150.1 versus Hope HB916
Jan Timmermann
· 11.06.2023
All topics in this test duel:
Rachel, Dan and Gee Atherton
From exotic sports cars to hovercraft, all kinds of useful and bizarre things have been invented in the UK. Always accompanied by a healthy dose of British humour and a great passion for their own ideas. The island nation is particularly famous for great inventions from small sheds. This was also the case with perhaps the fastest family in the bike world. Thanks to the World Cup successes of the three siblings Rachel, Dan and Gee, the whole scene knows the name Atherton.
With a desire for change, they left the World Cup stage in 2019 and returned a short time later not only with their own racing team, but also with their own bike company. Dan's former mechanic Ed Haythornthwaite had specialised in carbon frames with titanium lugs under the label Robot Bikes and merged his company with the sibling trio. Since 2022, non-racers have also been able to order Atherton Bikes' production models directly from Machynlleth in Wales.
The Hope company
150 miles further north, in the English county of Yorkshire, lies a small community that has long been a household name for lovers of colour-anodised and CNC-milled bike parts. The milling machines have been running in Barnoldswick since two former Rolls-Royce engineers founded Hope in 1991. Initially, production was limited to disc brakes. Soon a colourful portfolio of aluminium add-on parts was added, followed by the first carbon handlebars.
However, when Hope announced that it would be launching a complete bike on the market, fans of the English milling art were thrilled. Anyone standing in front of the latest HB916 model today can sympathise with this excitement. The race enduro bike with high-pivot rear triangle is an exquisite puzzle of carbon and aluminium. The main frame, seat stays and chain stays are made of carbon. With the rocker, bearing seats, idler pulley and integrated chain guide, the masters of aluminium milling are living out their discipline to the full. Naturally, the HB916 is covered in Hope parts, with customers able to choose from eight typical anodised colours - something no other complete bike manufacturer offers. A flip-chip enables a mullet setup with a 27.5-inch rear wheel, and the steering angle can be varied using headset inserts.
Test: Atherton AM.150.1 versus Hope HB916
The first impression of the Atherton AM.150.1 is no less captivating: sleek tubes made of Mitsubishi carbon are inserted into titanium sleeves. It takes a 3D printer a full 16 hours to weld the 3500 layers of titanium particles up to ten micrometres in size into a set of sleeves. These are then bonded to the carbon tubes. The Athertons obviously have complete confidence in this joining method, as they not only tested all models in the laboratory during development, but also tested them themselves according to downhill standards - regardless of whether they were customer trail bikes or Gee's personal racing machine. The lifetime warranty scores plenty of points, as does the frame's ease of maintenance, which is completely threadless except for the bottom bracket and bottle cage.
If you enter your body measurements into the calculator on the Atherton website, an algorithm suggests two of the 22 possible frame sizes. It is advisable to carefully consider the choice of size, as a kink in the seat tube prevents full seatpost insertion and can therefore reduce the feel-good factor on the downhill. Because the family-run company is independent of carbon and forged shapes, it can also realise individual custom frames and shorten the seat tube, for example, in the desired configuration. However, Atherton riders have to do without the option of geometry adjustment.
The different seating positions
In the saddle, the Atherton AM.150.1 offers a balanced riding position. The long head tube and high riser handlebars ensure a relaxed load distribution. The Hope HB916, which is nominally one frame size below the Atherton, is a different story: Here, a steeper seat angle and the low front end push the rider far forwards. As a result, the enduro bike climbs steep ramps stoically with a pleasant amount of pressure on the front wheel. On flat slopes, however, the compact riding position feels a little squat. Propulsive efficiency is not the high-pivot bike's speciality. Among the enduro bikes in our Comparative tests from BIKE 6/23 the Hope is still one of the good climbers. The rear end of the Atherton is even livelier. Without platform damping, it is not very stable uphill and constantly bobs. Criticism for both parties: Despite the high-tech materials, both candidates land well above the 15-kilo mark.
The downhill performance of the Atherton and Hope enduro bikes
As soon as you go downhill, you realise that the Athertons know a thing or two about suspension. The AM.150.1 filters stones and roots out of the trail with sensational sensitivity. The suspension travel feels like much more than the 142 millimetres we measured. The Fox 36 seems somewhat undersized compared to the Öhlins fork with its massive 38 mm stanchions on the Hope. Because the Athertons don't go to extremes with the geometry, the bike has a striking character in an enduro comparison. Sporty and light-footed, it encourages the rider to adopt an active riding style. In capable hands, the Atherton AM.150.1 quickly mutates into a fun bike and playfully zips through tight courses without lacking directional stability on the race line.
Meanwhile, the Hope HB916 offers classic high-pivot riding characteristics: the rear triangle elongates noticeably during compression. The system with a rearward-facing wheel lift curve ensures an extremely smooth ride at high speeds. The low centre of gravity also allows very direct control of the front wheel when riding downhill. At the same time, the lower bottom bracket plants the rider better in the bike and gives a greater sense of security on rough terrain. Although the Öhlins suspension requires a little more time to find the right set-up, the Swedish softeners convince with a lot of traction. Even on hard hits, the HB916 doesn't bounce, but flutters smoothly and powerfully over large bumps.
Loud brakes on the Hope and soft tyres on the Atherton
Unfortunately, the powerful Hope brakes buzz loudly due to the disc design and cut through the otherwise British-cultivated background noise. In addition, the Maxxis tyre combination cannot fully exploit the potential of the geometry and suspension. A softer compound at the front and more puncture protection at the rear would be better. This is where the grippy, soft Conti downhill tyres on the Atherton AM.150.1 score points. In direct comparison to the Enduro Ballermann from Hope, however, the Atherton feels like a lighter calibre despite its thick tyres and requires more work from the rider.
Different characters among testers and test bikes
In the end, the different characters of the duel partners divided the opinions of the testers like Brexit divided the British. On points, however, the confidently mature Hope HB916 clearly trumps the fun and direct Atherton AM.150.1. In rough enduro use, a plush hovercraft beats the lively sports car.
Test summary by Max Fuchs, BIKE test editor:
Atherton and Hope make it clear that British brands know their trade. Both enduro bikes are technically fascinating to the max. The AM.150.1 shines with its highly sensitive rear suspension and precise handling. However, it can't quite match the downhill skills of the confidently potent HB916.
Technical data and notes on the Atherton AM.150.1
Manufacturer information
- Price: 7505 Euro¹
- Available from the sender
- Frame material: carbon/titanium
- Frame size: 1-22; 12 (tested size 42 cm)
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 15.42 kg
- Frame weight: 3359 g
- Weight of wheels: 5432 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 4477 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 800 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 51 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: Stans Flow MK4
- Tyres: Continental Kryptotal Fr/Re; Downhill Super Soft 29 x 2.40
- Fork: Fox 36 Float Factory FitGrip2
- Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory
- Front/rear suspension travel: 160/142 mm
- Brakes: Sram Code RSC / 200/180 mm
- Gear system: Sram X01 Eagle 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 10-50 / 500 %
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: Fox Transfer Factory / 170 mm / 31.6 mm
Valuation
- Driving behaviour uphill: 16 from 20
- Chassis efficiency: 14 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 6.5 out of 10
- Weight: 1.5 from 15
- Inertia impellers: 3 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 2.5 out of 5
- Driving behaviour downhill: 36 from 40
- Front suspension: 22.5 out of 25
- Rear suspension: 23.75 out of 25
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 13.5 out of 15
- Tyre grip: 14.25 out of 15
- Driving stability: 4 out of 10
TOTAL UPHILL: 43.5 OUT OF 80
TOTAL DOWNHILL: 124 OF 140
- Other: 23.75 out of 30
- Ease of maintenance: good
BIKE test rating²: very good - 191.3 out of 250 points
Technical data and notes for the Hope HB916
Manufacturer information
- Price: 8500 Euro
- Available from specialised dealers
- Frame material: carbon/aluminium
- Frame size: H1, H2, H3, H4 (tested size H2, 40 cm)
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 15.47 kg
- Frame weight: 3158 g
- Weight of wheels: 5532 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 4499 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 800 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 33 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: Hope Fortus 30 SC/Hope Pro 4
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai/Minion DHR II; 3C MaxxTerra Exo+ Protection TR 29x2.50
- Fork: Öhlins RXF38 m.2 HSC-LSC
- Shock absorber: Öhlins TTX Air
- Front / rear suspension travel: 164 / 158 mm
- Brakes: Hope Tech4 E4 / 200/180 mm
- Gearing: Hope Evo / Sram GX Eagle 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 10-52 / 520 %
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: One UP Dropper / 210 mm / 30.9 mm
Valuation
- Driving behaviour uphill: 18 from 20
- Chassis efficiency: 16 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 8.5 out of 10
- Weight: 1.5 from 15
- Inertia impellers: 3 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 3.5 out of 5
- Driving behaviour downhill: 38 from 40
- Front suspension: 23.75 out of 25
- Rear suspension: 23.75 out of 25
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 15 out of 15
- Tyre grip: 12.75 out of 15
- Driving stability: 2 out of 10
TOTAL UPHILL: 50.5 OUT OF 80
TOTAL DOWNHILL: 125.3 FROM 140
- Other: 25.25 out of 30
- Ease of maintenance: poor
BIKE test rating²: very good - 201 out of 250 points
¹Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
²The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements and the subjective impression of the test riders. The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-170 P.), good (169.75-140 P.), satisfactory (139.75-100 P.), with weaknesses, unsatisfactory.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
