At last year's Eurobike, the small manufacturer from Basel launched its first product: the Essential trail bike was developed as an open mould frame and is also used by Müsing, for example. Arc8 developer Jonas Müller is no stranger to the scene. He has already developed bikes for BMC and Santa Cruz. With Arc8, he has fulfilled a long-standing desire to be able to offer high-quality bikes exactly as he wants them at a lower price.
With the Evolve race hardtail and the Enduro Extra, Arc8 is launching two new models on the market this year. The Enduro Extra is available exclusively from Arc8, while the Evolve can also be licensed by other manufacturers.
Arc8 Evolve: Race hardtail with modern geometry
The data at a glance:
- Frame weight: 980 grams
- Steering angle: 68 degrees
- Suspension travel: 100 to 120 millimetres
- Long reach: 445 millimetres
- Price: 1570 euros for the frameset
The Arc8 Evolve was designed by the Basel-based manufacturer as a modern race hardtail that should provide a lot of fun and safety, especially on descents. To achieve this, the steering angle was designed to be slightly slacker at 68 degrees, while the seat angle is not too slack at 74 degrees. The 445 millimetre reach is compensated for with short stems. Of course, the Evolve can also be ridden with a dropper post on demanding routes. The Swiss chose a 30.9 mm seat tube for a wider choice of seat post models.
To ensure that comfort at the rear is not neglected, the seat stays have been set very low. This should provide a certain amount of flex. The 980 gram frame is usually fitted with 100 millimetre forks. If you need a little more travel at the front, you can also build a nimble trail bike with a 120 millimetre fork.
Tidy look
The cables of the Evolve disappear first into the headset and then inside the frame via a special, specially developed stem. This not only looks particularly clean, but also has the advantage that the frame has no holes for the cables and should therefore have no weak points.
If you take a closer look at the down tube, you will discover the inverted teardrop-shaped Aeroshape. However, Arc8's aim with this shape is not to generate less air resistance, but to offer less surface area for mud and dirt to accumulate. During test rides, the Arc8 team had noticed that the wide, flat modern downtubes collect a lot of dirt, which adds unwanted weight to the bike. Jonas Müller claims to have avoided this problem with the teardrop shape.
The Evolve will be available from mid-August via the manufacturer's website and in selected shops. However, no complete bike is planned for the time being. Jonas Müller explains that in the race sector, every rider has their own favourite parts anyway, so in most cases only a custom build is an option. The Arc8 Evolve frameset will be available for around 1570 euros.
Exclusive to Arc8: the Enduro Extra
In contrast to the other bikes, the Extra model will be available exclusively from Arc8. With its aggressive geometry, racers and downhill-hungry bikers in particular will enjoy the new platform.
The data at a glance
- Frame weight: 2.2 kilos
- Complete bikes from 12.7 kilos
- Rear suspension travel: 160 mm / front: 160 - 180 mm
- Steering angle: 64 degrees
- Reach size M: 465 mm
- Price: 4545 euros for the complete bike
The Arc8 Extra offers the classic 160 millimetre rear suspension travel. The characteristic curve has been designed so that both air and coil spring shocks can be used. Forks with 160 to 180 millimetres of travel are used at the front. At 160 millimetres, the steering angle is around 64 degrees. With a reach of 465 millimetres, even the size M is quite long. The seat tube is correspondingly short at 400 millimetres so that telescopic seatposts with a lot of travel can also be accommodated in the frame.
Plenty of space for wide tyres
To ensure that there is enough space in the rear triangle for 29 x 2.6 inch tyres, Arc8 relies on the slightly wider Super Boost standard on the cranks. In contrast, a classic thru-axle is used on the rear triangle in order to be able to choose from the full range of wheels.
As with the Evolve hardtail, the cables of the Arc8 Extra are routed into the frame in a visually appealing way. However, a specially developed headset with a special cap is used here. This allows the cables to disappear neatly inside the frame. There is space for at least one standard bottle in the rather small frame triangle. However, the manufacturer recommends a sideload bottle cage for better handling.
Complete weights from 12.7 kilos
The frame of the Extra weighs 2.2 kilos without the shock and should make complete bikes in the air suspension version possible with just 12.7 kilos. This is all the more astonishing when you consider the price: For a manageable 4545 euros, the chic Arc8 Extra will be sold over the counter. The complete bikes will be available in different equipment variants. The current models are delivered with a shifting mix of Sram GX/X01, Lyrik forks and Super Deluxe shocks from Rockshox. A Race Face seat post and wheels with in-house 30 millimetre wide rims complete the build.
Stefan Frey
Editor
