By Madison, 6 years ago
Being just days away from a new World Cup season is exciting enough, but Saracen has a brand-new bike ready to go. That’s right, the Myst is back, and it’s better than ever.
And this isn’t a tweak or a refinement, this is a full-on new ride engineered from the ground up to be tougher, nimbler and faster than ever before.
Actually, to be honest, it’s actually two new bikes because this Myst comes in a 27.5” and 29” versions, both designed to have the same characteristics and give the Madison Saracen boys the choice of wheel sizes without any difference in handling or performance so they can choose whichever they want depending on where they’re racing.
With Matt Walker a big fan of the 29er and Danny Hart joining and keen to try both, it made sense to give Matt, Danny and Alex Marin as much choice as possible as they attack the new season.
The new frame features an updated linkage curve, which has been in development for the last five years on the world cup circuit with our design engineer Ryan Carroll working closely with Team Manager Will Longden.
The rear end has changed, widening it to 157mm with a new adjustable dropout system allowing riders to change wheelbase depending on the demands of the course. So no matter whether it’s a straight drag race or a twisting, technical nightmare, the Myst is ready. One thing carried over from the existing bike is the head tube, which allows the riders to fine tune the front-centre by +/- 5mm depending on their preference.
Saracen product manager, Simon Wild, said: “We have worked really hard to get this brand new Myst to the point that it will give Danny, Matt and Alex every opportunity to push themselves all the way in this world cup season. A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into getting it here for Croatia and we can’t wait to see how the team gets on. It’s a hugely exciting time for us as a brand and we reckon the new Myst is our best design yet.”
Will Longden, Madison Saracen manager said: “It’s been great to be part of this project, which initially started with developing a 29er and ended up with two fantastic new bikes that are born out of the proven Saracen Myst pedigree and all the knowledge and feedback from years of World Cup racing. I can’t wait to get stuck into the race season now and see where the riders can take these bikes."
This season, the new Myst is a strictly team-only affair. The only place you can see this bike is flying along downhill tracks under Madison Saracen riders with a production version on the cards later down the line. See the full gallery below:
By Jos Dyer, 1 year ago