A marathon-specific bike designed to be comfortable and agile over longer distances? Yes, that too. Given the chance to build a brand-new frame crafted from our next generation C:68X carbon, our engineers took the opportunity to refine what was already a widely admired cross-country thoroughbred. The result is a chassis that's 15% lighter than the one it replaces, but every bit as efficient at translating rider effort into rapid forward progress. The tapered head tube, Boost 148 rear end and carefully profiled down tube ensure incredible pedalling efficiency, while slender seat stays and a narrow 27.2mm seat post add noticeable rider comfort to the mix. We've tweaked the Agile Ride Geometry, too, with a slightly slacker head angle for more relaxed handling. With Sram's 1x12 X01 Eagle transmission and Level Ultimate hydraulic disc brakes, it's ready for the start line. Newmen wheels and fast-rolling Schwalbe tyres hook up well on a range of trail surfaces, while RockShox's iconic SID Ultimate fork takes care of keeping the front wheel planted and pointed in the right direction. It's all you need for a day's racing... or simply a day out in the hills, riding hard and fast.
If there's one thing our engineers have learnt over the years, it's that you can always squeeze a bit more performance out of a frame. That's why they went back to the drawing board with the Elite. It was already stiff, light, comfortable and agile - but the new one is 15% lighter, designed with even greater comfort in mind, and features revised Agile Ride Geometry designed with marathon riding and endurance cross-country in mind. It's all possible thanks to the combination of our high-end C:68X carbon and Advanced Twin Mold manufacturing technology, which gives our engineers the ability to add or remove precise quantities of carbon to create the perfect blend of characteristics. Slender seat stays help absorb trail vibration for greater comfort over long distances, while the tapered head tube and Boost axle at the rear help maintain precise steering and incredible pedalling efficiency. There's even provision to upgrade to an internally routed dropper post. Better than before? Definitely. The best out there? Well, we think so. But we'll let you be the judge...