Saracen Ariel 60 Pro wins Singletrack Editors' Choice Award

Winning awards is always a nice thing. But when the award you win is from the UK's best-loved and most respected MTB magazine, then it's even better. We're incredibly happy and proud that Saracen's fantastic Ariel 60 Pro has been chosen as a winner of a Singletrack Editors' Choice award for 2023. They test and ride a huge number of bikes every year, so to be picked as one of the very best is a real testament to the hours of planning and development that went into bringing that bike to fruition. 

The favourite bike of Madison Saracen DH Race Team's Matt Walker, the Ariel 60 Pro is designed to be Enduro capable while also pedalling well enough that you can be your own uplift if that's what you fancy doing. The steep seattube and efficient suspension design handle the pedalling side, while the 160mm Fox 38 Performance Elite forks and matching Fox Float X2 shock mean that you're well supported on the way back down even when things get a bit loose. Add in the Shimano SLX/XT drivetrain and 4-pot SLX brakes and this is a seriously competitive bike and we even think that the pastle green frame colour is a winner too. 

But yeah, dont take our word for it. This is what Singletrack had to say:

“Just one of those bikes I found myself wanting to ride all of the time, even after the review was long since written and published. It had its flaws – principally the modest 150mm travel KS dropper it came with – but the bike just rode really well. Everything just felt like it was in the right place: bar height, front wheel, rear wheel, feet. The Shimano drivetrain and brakes were flawless. The Fox Performance Elite dampers were lush. The DHR II rubbers can do it all. Perhaps the most beguiling aspect was Saracen’s TRL linkage-driven single-pivot design. That was a bit o’ me that was, as they say. Rides high, rides well.”

You can read the full review over on the Singletrack website here. Or check out the bike here on Freewheel. There are also plenty of other options if you want an Ariel 60 including the base model that features a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, Marzocchi Bomber Z1 160mm fork and Fox Float X2 shock or the all-singing, all-dancing, range-topping Ariel 60 Elite that uses a full XT drivetrain and a Fox 38 Factory fork paired to a DHX2 Factory shock.