IN BRIEF
Atherton Bikes, the Welsh mountain bike manufacturer whose A-series frames are assembled around 3D-printed titanium lugs, has put online a configurator that lets buyers visualise their bike before ordering it. According to Bikerumor, which reported the announcement on 20 August, the tool comes with a new option that is more interesting than the choice of colours: chainstay length, offered in three values — Agile at -5 mm, Neutral at 0 mm and Stable at +5 mm. The outlet reports a £240 / €228 upcharge on the A-series carbon and titanium frames, and no upcharge on the S-series aluminium frames. Again according to Bikerumor, the change has been approved by Dave Weagle, designer of the DW-link kinematics.
| Chainstay lengths offered | Agile -5 mm, Neutral 0 mm and Stable +5 mm |
| A-series upcharge (carbon and titanium) | £240 / €228 (according to Bikerumor) |
| S-series upcharge (aluminium) | None (according to Bikerumor) |
| Sizes available | 22 in the A-series, 12 in the S-series |
| Scope of the configurator | All non-electric mountain bikes in the A-series and S-series |
| Manufacturing | Machynlleth, Wales |
Configuring a bike online has become commonplace. What Atherton Bikes has slipped into it is far less so: the ability to choose the chainstay length of your mountain bike, in other words one of the parameters that decide how the machine behaves — and which manufacturers generally keep to themselves.
The Atherton configurator opens up chainstay length
Bikerumor reports that “Atherton Bikes just launched a new online custom bike configuration tool that lets buyers visualize their perfect mountain bike build before ordering”. Several manufacturers offer comparable tools, and the outlet notes as much itself: the tool “it’s not entirely unique”. It is the option that comes with it that changes things: three rear-end lengths, described by the outlet as “-5mm Agile, 0mm Neutral, or +5mm Stable”.
Five millimetres sounds like very little. On a mountain bike, they nonetheless shift the weight distribution. The configurator’s guide, quoted by Bikerumor, describes the effect of the short chainstay: “A shorter chainstay shifts weight rearward, making the front end lighter and easier to lift. This sharpens turn-in response and makes the bike feel more playful and manoeuvrable, particularly on tight, technical trails and in corners.” The long version aims for the opposite, stability at high speed.
Why printed titanium makes the option a paid one
Atherton’s manufacturing method explains the upcharge. The A-series frames are built around 3D-printed titanium lugs, which makes it possible to produce a part on demand rather than tool up a mould. Hence the upcharge reported by Bikerumor: “The carbon & ti A-series bikes have a £240 / 228€ upcharge for picking either Agile or Neutral. That’s because they require extra design and prep to create a “custom print plate” for the 3D-printed titanium lugs each customer’s bike is built from.” Atherton’s own configurator, consulted on 21 August on the A150 page, does not say the same thing, however: it charges “+ £240.00” for the Agile option as well as for the Stable option, and gives Neutral as “Included”.
The S-series aluminium frames escape the extra cost, for a simple industrial reason set out by the same article: “The good news for the budget hunters is, the alloy S-series bikes have no extra charge. Alloy rear ends are made in batches, so Atherton will just pick the premade rear that fits your needs.”
That leaves the awkward question: is it wise to let a buyer change a geometry figure? Bikerumor writes that “the change to rear center lengths of the DW-link designs has been approved by Dave Weagle”, the designer of the kinematics used by the brand. The outlet also points out that the A-series is already offered in 22 sizes and the S-series in 12 — the chainstay option therefore adds to an already heavily segmented catalogue, each frame of which is, according to Atherton, “designed and manufactured at our HQ in Machynlleth, Wales”.
