Today I take ownership of a 2013 BH Ultimate XT 29er hard-tail, My new "Race Only" bike. I have now retired my 2014 Giant Trance 27.5 for now and will now be my trainer and weekend trail bike, not the everything bike.
The reason I decided to go for this brand was not because it has won 3 Euro Champs and or Numerous World Cup XC Events, in particular XCO, as its the rider that does that and the bike is just the instrument of winning. The reason for this bike is I just couldn't get a 2014 Giant XTC Advance 29r, as there was just nil on the market Australia Wide, unless I bought a used one, which I didn't want someone else s problems.
I looked around on the market for something different. I had look at DOGMA, FELT, FUJI, Apollo etc; something not the run of the mill. All shops or dealers could offer me a bike, but not a look at or ride, as the they had to order it in, and without a definite purchase they where not willing to go down that path. This was until I came across the below article and made some calls to BH. This ended up being JetBlack Inc and where more than happy to let me look at it and ride it if required at one of its local sellers "Castlehill Bike Shop" (Thanks Guys).
The first race I will be entering it in will be the Camelback Highland Fling (Half Fling) and you are probably wondering why a 2013 and not 2014/15. Easy answer, there is no 2014 as BH only releases MTB's every 2 years and only if there is a major change or development. 2015 has not been released and probably won't be until 2015 and no one can tell what changes if any there will be. So 2013 it is.
Ok here is a write up of my new ride from Bicycling Australia enjoy;
BH Ultimate Review
- See more at: http://bicyclingaustralia.com.au/2014/05/bh-ultimate-review?page=show#sthash.EQSa7E0b.dpuf
BH Ultimate Review
BH is not
shy when it comes to the appearance of their bikes. Their curvy Zenith hardtail
(tested in May/June/July 2013) and the Lynx dually are distinctive looking
beasts, as was the now discontinued Ultimate 26-inch hardtail.
The new
29-inch wheeled version of the Ultimate looks plain Jane in comparison, at
least from afar. Get closer and it’s instantly apparent that this thing is a
monster. Sure, the tubes aren’t contorted like pretzels, but they are
absolutely huge! When the Ultimate casually saunters into the gym the squat
rack stops and cowers in fear and the bench press shuffles off to hide behind a
treadmill. This is the MTB equivalent of a front row, season ticket pass to the
gun show. Buckle up!
Thankfully
the latest rendition of the Ultimate will come with suitably wide handlebars.
If you prefer them old school and narrow, a hacksaw will fix them quick smart.
The top
tube is flattened and almost 60mm wide and 30mm deep before it meets the head
tube. The down tube is closer to 65mm wide and 50mm deep for most of its
length. It fans out to a palatial 70mm directly behind the head tube. Oh, the
chainstays are a hair under 50mm tall but let’s round it up to an even 50mm.
Who’s counting anyway? When a big order of Airbus A380s goes through, there is
always talk of how this affects the price of raw carbon for small industries
such as the bike game. Well BH is doing their best to swing the pendulum the
other way with the Ultimate!
The rear
derailleur cable runs internally for the entire length of the frame and only
pops out at the dropout. Aesthetically it’s a very tidy setup.
If I stop
the silly girth-based shenanigans for a brief moment, BH pitches the Ultimate
as their go-to elite level XC racing frame. They say that it has been
specifically designed to succeed in competition, so it should be light, rigid
and responsive. It’s worth noting from the outset that this is a 2013 model—the
2014 bikes are due any second. Both use the same frame but there are some minor
(but wise) parts variations that we’ll touch on later. The significant point regarding
the 2014 bikes is that there also be a 27.5 inch wheeled option, so file that
in the back of your head if smaller wheels are more your cup of tea (or shaker
bottle of high-protein muscle rebuilding drink).
Clearance
is really tight around the rearmost calliper bolt—it makes trail side brake
adjustments and repairs pretty awkward.
BH hasn’t
missed a trick on the Ultimate. Every current development makes an appearance;
a 92mm wide press-fit bottom bracket, tapered head tube, direct mount front
derailleur, post-style brake mounting, internal cable routing and 142x12mm rear
thru-axle. She’s not about to be out of date! There’s no provision for a
dropper post, but that’s not what the Ultimate is for, so we can let that
slide.
The tapered Evolution level Fox fork looks
positively wimpy compared with the head tube, as does the seemingly anorexic
stem. In a large size the bare frame weighed 1,290g; while that’s a reasonable
figure, it’s far from feathery in this age of sub-kilo carbon wonder-frames.
The weight is somewhat understandable given the volume of the tubes, there’s
plenty of scope for weight reduction in the parts. The stock XT build-kit takes
the Ultimate up to 11kg out of the box—respectable yet again but not a
show-stopping figure.
The
left-side guides force the brake hose to take an extended journey around the
head tube (assuming you have the rear brake on the left side of the bars). You
can also take the more direct route on the left side of the head tube but that
leads to more scuff-points on the frame.
Basic
Bits – Ultimate Frame
For a
lazy $5K it’s fair to expect a fast bike, and the Ultimate certainly is, but
it’s fair to say that BH has invested more of your hard earned into the frame
than the parts spec. It comes with an in-house branded handlebar, stem and
seatpost, all of which are alloy. The stock bar on our 2013 model was only
660mm wide while the stem was a 100mm long. The 2014 bikes will come with a
700mm wide bar, which is a big improvement. We swapped to a wider bar/shorter
stem combo almost immediately for this review. While the newer models have an
appropriately wide bar, they remain pretty basic alloy units where a future
upgrade could trim a fair chunk of weight.
Stan’s
ZTR rims ensure that the almost inevitable tubeless conversion is a pretty
straightforward affair.
Wheel
selection is a critical part of any bike build and BH has made some sensible
decisions in this area. BH branded hubs, straight gauge spokes and brass
nipples keep a lid on the cost but the Stan’s ZTR Crest rims are a top-notch
choice. A popular rim with XC racers everywhere, they keep the weight low
around the wheel circumference (where it matters most) while offering good
durability. Best of all, they are built with tubeless conversions in mind. Give
them a wrap of tape, some valve stems and a scoop of sealant and you’ll be able
to toss the inner tubes away. In addition to dropping a couple of hundred grams
in rotating mass, you’ll get fewer punctures and be able to run lower pressures
for better comfort and traction. Another change for 2014 is in the tyres, which
change from fast rolling Continental X-Kings to the slightly lighter and
possibly faster Schwalbe Racing Ralphs.
While the
seat stays look skinny from the side, they are very broad in cross
section—another contributor to the super-stiff frame.
The rest
of the kit is mostly Shimano XT. Shifting and braking on the Ultimate were
fantastic, as we expected from Shimano’s second tier group. Our bike had carbon
FSA SL-K cranks, but these will also be swapped for Shimano XT double ring
cranks on the 2014 model. They will come with a 24/38 chainring
combination—this offers a wide gear spread and comfortably allows you to tackle
steep and sustained climbs, but it also creates a big gap between gear ratios
that can be annoying on some trails.
Numbers
Now
Back to
the bit that really counts on any bike; the frame and most importantly the
geometry. BH has given the Ultimate oodles of standover. The top tube makes a
subtle arc from the headtube to the seat tube, which is then continued by the
curvature of the seat stays. The seat tube extends quite a way above the top
tube in order to support the seatpost. This is necessitated by the low height
of the top tube itself. BH supplies the Ultimate with a quick-release seatpost
clamp, which seems odd given its racy intentions.
The quick
release seatpost collar seems a little out of place on a thoroughbred XC race
bike.
Our large
frame had a roomy 620mm effective top tube, so it’s a genuine ‘large’. With the
saddle at proper height, the top tube seems a long way down below. We’ll always
take as much standover as we can get; hats off to BH for getting the Ultimate
long and low. The back end is reasonably tight. Measuring 436mm, the chainstays
are nice and short, which tucks the rear wheel in under the rider to enhance maneuverability. The 70-degree head angle is about average for an XC 29er.
Overall, the Ultimate is a pretty lively character.
Generally
the Ultimate frame is beautifully finished but there were a couple of
noteworthy quirks. Firstly, the guides for the rear brake hose run along the
top left hand left hand side of the down tube. This placement is based on the
assumption that the rear brake will be run on the right hand side of the bars,
giving the hose a nice rounded arc around the head tube.
For Australian riders,
who typically run their rear brake on the left, this means that they will need
to loop the brake hose around the head tube and then cross it back over the
down tube to run through the first cable guide on the left hand side. It
doesn’t affect performance, but it doesn’t look tidy and the hose rubbed
slightly on the top of the downtube as a result. It’s a shame that such a permanent
feature of the frame has not taken different rider preferences into account.
This
cover provides easy access to the internal cabling. Routing the inner wires is
easy enough, as long as the ends aren’t frayed.
The other
idiosyncrasy is the placement of the rear brake calliper inside the rear
triangle. By mounting the calliper on the chainstay it’s tucked out of the way,
but it can be a real hassle to access the rearmost mounting bolt. While it’s
acceptable in the workshop where you have a range of tools to help, it’s a real
hassle out on the trail. Our rear brake came loose during the review and we
struggled to tighten it with our multi-tool. These bolts thread into little
alloy barrels that slot into the frame, and they could get lost if you were
unable to tighten the calliper mid-way through a trail ride.
BH
sponsored riders may never have to worry about issues such as this – it’s for
the pit crew to deal with – but the privateer racer would be outta luck, and
the privateer racer is the Ultimate’s guy. This is such a go-fast race day
machine. It’s not so fast in its steering that it’s unmanageable under a
non-elite bike handler, but it’s so powerful and direct that it demands to be
ridden hard. Of any mountain bike that I’ve ridden, this is the most
reminiscent of a high performance road bike. It’s still a mountain bike, don’t
be confused for even a moment, but the way the frame responds instantly made me
feel like I was on my road bike and giving it some real anger. The overall
weight is low for a mountain bike, and the back end is so stout that decent out
of the saddle effort seems to catapult you forwards.
The Fox
CTD remote is a chunky beast of a thing. Thankfully it gets trimmed down on the
2014 model.
Ultimate
Power
If you
don’t own and regularly ride a road bike then this may be a little lost on you,
and that’s almost a case in point: if you’re not out smashing it on the road to
get your fitness dialled then the BH may not be the ride for you. The power
transfer makes dancing on the pedals a handling point of the bike, provided
that you have the engine to follow through. You can intentionally gas it out of
a corner and easily spin and slide the rear wheel to change your line or
counter weight the direction of the front wheel. You can throw trail debris at
the rider behind you on a whim, or pop your weight back just a touch before unleashing
an unsportsmanlike acceleration that leaves them in your wake.
Riding to
the trail on the blacktop I was surprised by the sizable whack that square
edges delivered through the frame, especially given the amount of rubber and
air between the bike and the road. Again, a real ‘responsive’ road bike feel in
an off-road machine. Thankfully this all becomes a little more subdued on the
dirt. Big one-off hits are left to the rider to deal with, but smaller trail
chatter is nicely absorbed into the ride. There’s also loads of room in the
frame for a bigger bagged tyre if more ‘squish’ is desired.
Ultimate
girth—you really need to see this bike firsthand to fully appreciate the size
of the frame tubes.
The overall
rigidity of the Ultimate means that you can set off like a missile on winding
singletrack, using the rear end to punch out of corners after you’ve used the
beefcake front end to muscle through the turn. Even the race-oriented XC tyres
felt solid and manageable when drifting through the turns. Ultimately, this is
one very powerful bike.
Thumbs Up
Ultimate
rigidity
Excellent
standover
Tyre
clearance
Thumbs
Down
Rear
brake access
Brake
hose routing
Basic
cockpit spec
Specifications (2013 model)
Frame: Carbon
Monocoque
Fork: Fox
Evolution 32 CTD 100mm travel
Headset:
FSA 1 1/8 - 1 1/2
Handlebars:
S.Lite Alloy flat
Stem:
S.Lite Alloy
Shifters:
Shimano XT
Front
Derailleur: Shimano XT
Rear
Derailleur: Shimano XT
Cassette:
Shimano SLX, 11/36 10-speed
Chain:
KMC X10
Cranks:
FSA SL-K
Bottom
Bracket: FSA
Pedals:
N/A
Brakes:
Shimano XT
Hubs: BH
Alloy
Spokes:
Stainless Steel
Wheels:
Stan’s ZTR Crest
Tyres:
Continental X-King 2.2
Saddle:
Prologo X8
Seatpost:
S.Lite Alloy
Weight:
11kg without pedals (Medium frame 1,290g)
Available
Sizes: S, M, L (tested) & XL
Price:
$4,999 (This is not the price I paid - Heaps Less)
BH
is not shy when it comes to the appearance of their bikes. Their curvy
Zenith hardtail (tested in May/June/July 2013) and the Lynx dually are
distinctive looking beasts, as was the now discontinued Ultimate 26-inch
hardtail.
The new 29-inch wheeled version of the Ultimate looks plain Jane in
comparison, at least from afar. Get closer and it’s instantly apparent
that this thing is a monster. Sure, the tubes aren’t contorted like
pretzels, but they are absolutely huge! When the Ultimate casually
saunters into the gym the squat rack stops and cowers in fear and the
bench press shuffles off to hide behind a treadmill. This is the MTB
equivalent of a front row, season ticket pass to the gun show. Buckle
up!
- See more at: http://bicyclingaustralia.com.au/2014/05/bh-ultimate-review?page=show#sthash.EQSa7E0b.dpuf
BH Ultimate Review
- See more at: http://bicyclingaustralia.com.au/2014/05/bh-ultimate-review?page=show#sthash.EQSa7E0b.dpuf
