At first glance, the Arc8 Essential gives the impression of being in an identity crisis. The slender carbon frame with its minimalist shock linkage and the straightforward design immediately make you think of an effortlessly accelerating race bike. But at the front of the head tube is a massive 36 mm Fox fork with 150 millimetres of typical all-mountain travel.
millimetres of travel. The Float-X damper with reservoir is also otherwise only found on bikes that are more downhill orientated. A look at the measurement data from the BIKE lab confirms this: Arc8's latest addition really does have two beating hearts.
The Arc8 is more of a race bike than an all-mountain bike
The Arc8 already reveals its race bike genes in the frame. At 1850 grams (without shock in size L), the carbon chassis joins the ranks of genuine race bikes. For comparison: the centrepiece of Canyon's full-suspension Lux racing file weighs 1675 grams. Lapierre's new XR 9.9 race bike only weighs 2017 grams. The unique rear triangle design forms the basis for the low weight of the Essential. No ordinary rocker link is used for the shock linkage: two minimalist guide cylinders transfer the forces from the rear end linearly to the shock. In terms of stiffness and weight, the slider design combines the positive characteristics of a short rocker link with the kinematic advantages of a longer link. In addition, Arc8 Essential saves the weight of the rear suspension mounts and relies on flexing seat stays. If you take a look at the geometry data, the Essential is more of a wild downhill bike. The extremely slack steering angle (64 degrees) would also look good on a thoroughbred enduro bike. But does the Swiss hybrid full suspension bike also manage the balancing act between race bike and all-mountain in practice?
The Arc8 Essential goes uphill with ease
With a total weight of 12.7 kilos, the Essential is no longer a lightweight compared to Lux and co, but it beats bikes in the same suspension travel class by far. With its drive-neutral rear end and easy-rolling Onza tyres, the Arc8 Essential impresses with excellent propulsion. Perfect for fast laps around the house or pedalling-intensive tours. The riding position is compact despite the very long reach. The reason for this is the in-house handlebar/stem unit with a length of just 35 millimetres. When riding slowly, the front wheel of the Arc8 tends to tip over. A longer stem would help to distribute more weight over the front wheel axle and thus improve handling.
Once you've picked up speed, however, the long and slack geometry holds all the trump cards. As usual, the Fox fork works at the highest level and gives the rider a lot of confidence even in rough terrain. However, if you follow the pleas of the potent front end and open the brakes, the rear end usually reminds you in a rude way that the Essential is only half an all-mountain after all. The rear does respond very sensitively. However, with just 116 millimetres of travel, it swallows up even medium-sized bumps. This means that the Swiss bike does not fulfil the comfort requirements of an all-mountain bike, but with the necessary riding skills you can confidently venture into more extreme terrain.
Transformer between the worlds
We were unable to find out the true identity of the Arc8 Essential. Whether in terms of weight or downhill performance - the balancing act between all-mountain at the front and race bike at the rear requires compromises. However, there can be no talk of a crisis. Thanks to the bold development approach, the Essential may not master every discipline perfectly, but it can cope with almost every facet that mountain biking has to offer.
Conclusion on the Arc8 Essential Custom by Max Fuchs, BIKE test editor:
A mountain bike that is easy to accelerate is exciting and extends the range of action. However, this characteristic is usually irreconcilable with solid downhill performance. Not with Arc8. Despite its downhill-orientated components, the Essential is an all-rounder with its sensationally light frame and extreme geometry data. If this approach is too extreme for you, you can get the Essential with a lighter 140 mm fork.
Technical data and notes on the Arc8 Essential Custom
Manufacturer information
- Price: 7500 Euro¹
- Available by mail order
- Frame material: Carbon
- Frame size: M /L (tested size, 43 cm)
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 12.73 kg
- Frame weight: 1850 g
- Weight of wheels: 4567.1 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 3676 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 800 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 37 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: DT Swiss XMC 1501 Carbon
- Tyres: Onza Ibex TRC 50 29 x 2.40; Onza Porcupine TRC 60 29 x 2.40
- Fork: Fox 36 Float Factory FitGrip2
- Front / rear suspension travel: 150 / 116 mm
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Brakes: Shimano XT 203 / 180 mm
- Gear system: Shimano XT 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 10-51 / 510 %
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: Fox Transfer Factory / 170 mm / 30.9 mm
Valuation
- Driving behaviour uphill: 24 from 30
- Chassis efficiency: 18 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 15 out of 15
- Weight: 10 from 20
- Inertia impellers: 5 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 8 out of 10
- Driving behaviour downhill: 27 from 30
- Front suspension: 15 out of 15
- Rear suspension: 16 out of 20
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 13.5 out of 15
- Tyre grip: 12.75 out of 15
- Driving stability. 5 from 10
TOTAL UPHILL: 80 OF 105
TOTAL REVENUE 99.25 FROM 115
Other: 21.5 out of 30
Ease of maintenance: medium
BIKE test rating²: very good 200.8 out of 250 points
¹Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
²The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements (BIKE laboratory measurement) and the subjective impression of the test riders.
The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.).
This is Arc8
Jonas Müller and Serafin Pazdera are the brains behind the Swiss boutique brand Arc8. Before founding the company, both had been working in the bike industry for a long time. They developed the first version of the Arc8 Essential as an open mould project before founding their own brand in 2018. Since then, Arc8 has been known for its consistent lightweight construction and daring development approaches. The team has now grown to 15 employees. The head office is in Basel and the production facility is in the Far East.
Max Fuchs
Editor
