Atherton Bikes launches first aluminum bike: The S.170 is now available – mountain bike press release
Atherton Bikes has introduced a brand new aluminum bike that builds on the insights of their award-winning Additive Manufacturing Series. The S.170 is a powerful big mountain enduro bike that reflects the lug and tube construction of the brand’s world-beating Additive (A) series. Strength and perfect fit remain at the heart of the brand’s efforts, offering 12 standard sizes. The S.170 features a mixed wheel configuration and 170mm of travel at the rear with 180mm at the front, sharing geometry with the award-winning A170. Dave Weagle’s DW6 suspension platform gives way to the simpler DW4 in line with that of the new model daily, “Put it in the van and go” feeling.
The S170 is made from 7075 aluminum using subtractive manufacturing. Specially drawn 7075 aluminum tubes are connected with CNC machined eyelets incredibly strong DDouble overlapping shear connections. Because Atherton bonds rather than welds its frames, it can use 7075 aluminum, which has 70% higher fatigue strength and 70% higher tensile strength (UTS) compared to weldable alternatives (e.g. 6061 aluminum).
The young Atherton brand cemented its authority on the circuit in 2023 with World Championship victory for Charlie Hatton (the first Elite World medal for a British bicycle brand) and World Cup victories in the Men’s and Women’s Elite classifications for Andi Kolb and Rachel Atherton. The design freedom and speed of innovation that comes with additive manufacturing means that valuable lessons learned from racing could be quickly applied to the A.170, which launched in April 2023 to a number of rave reviews, and in turn to the new p.170. The S.170 is the first of a planned S series, but no schedules are currently available for other models.
Since launching the brand in 2019, the team has set out its ambitions for a more affordable bike to support grassroots riders like the people they ride with every weekend.
Gee Atherton said “We had to be as excited to ride this bike as we were with our A.170, and that’s a tall order…The DW4 has the class-leading performance our customers demand, and the frame compliance and geometry are direct descendants of the A.170 .” that playful driving character that we love.
Dan Atherton said: “I have spent many hours on this bike and can say from experience that it can handle anything you can throw at it. It’s made of a different material, but we were determined that it would feel like an Atherton. We will only produce bikes that we are proud to put our name on the downtube.”
said Rob Gow, Atherton’s chief designer “There is nothing radical about any of the individual elements of our new manufacturing process, but we have brought them together in a truly unique combination. And we used established technologies, but also pursued some innovative approaches that were only possible through close collaboration with our technical partners. We knew that only through the toughest tests would we discover our limits. Luckily we have the perfect test location and the perfect test crew…”
Extensive field testing in Dyfi, Queenstown and other locations was followed by brutal laboratory testing. The S.170 has passed the EFBE Tri Test Cat 4 (Enduro) and Cat 5 (Downhill), meaning Atherton can offer a lifetime first owner guarantee, no matter where you ride.
said Dan Brown, CEO of Atherton Bikes “Making affordable bikes in the UK clearly has its challenges, Especially for the design and production teams, who were pushed to the limit here! But regardless of the lower unit price, there are no compromises when it comes to quality control. Since the beginning of our brand, this more affordable bike has been the dream, delivered with the same uncompromising attention to detail as the A-Series. Even though we outsource some of the manufacturing processes, we will still glue all frames in-house in Machynlleth. Fans of our A series shouldn’t worry, it’s not going anywhere. In fact, we’re working hard to offer even more customization options.”
Size and geometry
Versions and prices
4 options will be available at launch, with first deliveries expected in April 2024.
Frame Only – Fox DHX2 Coil – £2799/€2729*/$2985*
Build 1 – RockShox Ultimate Coil and SRAM X01 – £5999/€5849*/$6399*
Build 2 – FOX Performance and SRAM GX – £5499/€5359*/$5865*
Build 3 – RockShox Domain and SRAM GX – £4799/€4679*/$5119*
- Unlike the A-Series, these builds are fixed and there is no option for custom builds
- All sales through our website
- Prices in Euro and USD do not include taxes and shipping – the conversion rate varies
For more informations: www.athertonbikes.com.
British patent application number GB2400886.4
