That's a really smart build. The Hunt wheels are really sweet and very reasonably priced, those brakes are really, really good, nothing wrong with GX or the Lyrik. No flash, all function. Respect!
Damn! Dude is one of the best reviewers I have seen and is very easy to watch. I'm all about value and this bike oozes it... plus, they get cable routing.
Totally agree, loads of details but exceptionally easy to watch. I’m not keen on a fox build personally as the tooling is too expensive for home services and equally I’m happier with 11sp shimano for cost of ownership so it would be nice to see a even more budget build in terms of keeping it running
All similarly burly and stable enduro machines. You'll likely be happy with any - choose the Privateer for value and a steep seated position; Madonna for ultimate predictability and balance, and Kavenz for buttery suspension and the best climbing traction.
Nice review. i like hearing about the different attributes of the bike and where they might be an asset and where they might not be. It's always nice to hear about the tradeoffs of the design. Great stuff
I somehow missed this video despite reading the review on the website. Very thorough and honest compared to most, highlighting the positives and negatives. I own a P1 141 which you could say is a "de-tuned" version of the 161. The similarities both in geo and construction are very obvious. After a year of ownership I can say it's a little beast, loves big days on proper mountains and hasn't required any maintenance. It can tackle almost anything, which makes it great for exploring unknown trails. Not very rewarding to ride on XC loops (could be the weight) but tons of fun everywhere else. I didn't expect it to be such an amazing climber, I often challenge myself trying to go up silly stuff and more often than not, make it. I like the look to be honest, everything is there for a reason, the very definition of form follows function. The seat tube/bb/pivot forging is the heart of the frame, you can tell a lot of thought went into this part. My size p1 takes a 170mm OneUp v1 dropper btw which is excellent for a small frame and a 163cm /5'4" rider.
Had my 161 for just over 2 years now. Made a few changes, coil on the rear and I actually won a set of carbon wheels which made a nice improvement. I do run the Michelin wild enduro racing line tyres at about 1.4kg each so adding back in any weight saved with the carbon wheels. I ride the bike for a bit of everything but generally steep climbs to natural enduro trails. Really is very confidence inspiring and with the coil it is very planted. I really think the coil made a big improvement for me but I guess it depends what you like. The bike has been through x2 winters of riding frequently in the mud / rain and the frame bearings are surprisingly still going! I honestly don’t think there is much that can compare when it comes to price vs spec. It was about 750 cheaper than the current price when I bought mine though. Enjoyed the video!!
I've had 161 for a year now and I've been extremely happy with my choice. Like you said there is quite a bit of pedal kickback and the rear end becomes very loose under braking. Neither of these aren't an issue for me but things you will feel and have to deal with. On the other hand the bike gives you so much confidence to push it's almost scary. 😅 The thing I've been struggling the most is the rear suspension. For me the bike feels very plush with its soft(est) damping tune. I cannot use proper sag numbers because the bike will bottom out way too easily. I'm gonna re-tune the shock to get more support on big compressions. It's not massive issue thou because it works just as well regardless of the less sag. I've tried adding volume spacers but these days I'm actually running the suspension as linear as possible but with higher spring rate. That way to me it feels the most intuitive. LSC nearly maxed out. It's a weighty bike but not once I've felt compromised because of it. I haven't heard a single frame cracks being reported (regardless of the questions in owners groups) which is exactly the thing I was after. I wanted a bike I can safely abuse on my long days at the local bike park. The bike feels like it's built to last!
The bike seems built around amateur racers and EDR racers outside of the top 50. The top EDR riders are usually on smallish bikes with REALLY progressive rear suspension, and they're usually running really stiff settings. The big plushmobile bikes like the Transition Spire never seem to get EDR/EWS podiums.
I've been riding a 161 for almost 2 years now. No issues to date. I agree that the RS air shock in the rear could use more compression damping. It blows through its travel easy but I haven't had any hard bottom-outs.
@@cben86 If you've had it for 2 years already your shock is most likely tuned differently. For 2022-model which I had they went for LNL1-tune (even less compression damping if I remember correctly). Linear rebound tune is fine but the shock needs more compression damping.
I'm all for well thought out aluminum bikes. I love my RAAW Madonna 2.2. Definitely not for weight-weenies, but it just feels bomb-proof and easily serviceable at home.
If dragging the brake bothers you then… (I’m going to say something stupidly obvious… ) set aside some time specifically to break the habit. It’s not something will likely change unless you do as it’s not something you do consciously but intuitively. Beginners might “think” but most of us don’t think “front/back” when we are actually riding, we just do. If you set aside some time and take some mellow runs specifically thinking about it say once a week you’ll soon start just doing it. A great inspiration is watch some Mike Boyd YT vids .. (even non bike ones) - he just decides to do something and makes time. I’m a bit shit at making time to do something like that as well so the inspiration helps me. By all means pay for coaching .. but imho you already know what to do and you just don’t set aside some riding time and develop habit and muscle memory
I’m the same height as Robert at 6’2 and I’m torn between P3 and P4. Seems like climbing position gets cramped in the P3 but the P4 has a relatively long 1316mm wheelbase. Any suggestions on choosing the right size?
Very dependent on your local terrain and bike preferences! We’d all likely size down to the P3 unless we were riding mostly very open high speed terrain
My thoughts exactly tbh .. even yari/lyric or domain for the non weight conscious but the fox stuff is just too expensive to maintain in terms of specific tooling Same goes for the drivechain .. I just want cheap to maintain and reliable and still works when you bend it back
everything is kind of fine, but I don't like 80 seat angle at all - that's too steep for me can't see how I would get this one instead of a status + a couple of upgrades the price itself is not that low considering you can get a slash 8 with some discount now maybe
They’re also running this with a decent discount just now. The 80deg effective angle can be made slightly less aggressive by sliding the saddle back, it didn’t feel overly extreme when done so
Debatable. The Polygon is going to need ALL the pivot bearings upgraded if you actually are serious about racing enduro or doing a lot of park on it. Also will need new wheels, 35mm rims are not going to corner well (most of the EDR/EWS field is on 30mm or less), and no idea how strong those Entity rims are. Would also upgrade brakes and toss a Grip 2 upgrade kit into the fork.
Nice looking bike, great value! Only thing that stops me from buying one is the cable and hose on the top of the downtube. I understand it's for ease of maintenance & repairs, which I appreciate but why don't they put it on the underside of the top tube? Would tidy it up soo much. Maybe there's a reason? Absolutely love everything else about the bike though! Would still say the Vitus Sommet crx is better value imo
Horses for courses. The Remedy is a 27.5in wheel play bike that is happiest on jump lines and doing jibby stuff. The 161 is a race bike that is happiest monster trucking through steep AF rock gardens at mach chicken.
Yeah true. For me personally, it's a tad too heavy. They are only down the road from me in partridge green. I buy the hunt wheels off them. But they are super light.
That's a really smart build. The Hunt wheels are really sweet and very reasonably priced, those brakes are really, really good, nothing wrong with GX or the Lyrik. No flash, all function. Respect!
We agree, very solid build and performance and reasonable price.
Damn! Dude is one of the best reviewers I have seen and is very easy to watch. I'm all about value and this bike oozes it... plus, they get cable routing.
Thank you for the kind words! Privateer did a great job with this thing for sure 🤘🏼
Totally agree, loads of details but exceptionally easy to watch.
I’m not keen on a fox build personally as the tooling is too expensive for home services and equally I’m happier with 11sp shimano for cost of ownership so it would be nice to see a even more budget build in terms of keeping it running
one of the best reviews of this bike, thanks! It was a bit neglected by the MTB channels.
Thank you for watching!
Really stuck between buying a Kavenz vhp16, Madonna V2 and the 161. Your reviews on all of them make them sound amazing. Great job.
All similarly burly and stable enduro machines. You'll likely be happy with any - choose the Privateer for value and a steep seated position; Madonna for ultimate predictability and balance, and Kavenz for buttery suspension and the best climbing traction.
Nice review. i like hearing about the different attributes of the bike and where they might be an asset and where they might not be. It's always nice to hear about the tradeoffs of the design. Great stuff
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed!
On a P1 141 for the last year. Still turns heads. Solid bike.
They're definitely solid!
I somehow missed this video despite reading the review on the website. Very thorough and honest compared to most, highlighting the positives and negatives. I own a P1 141 which you could say is a "de-tuned" version of the 161. The similarities both in geo and construction are very obvious. After a year of ownership I can say it's a little beast, loves big days on proper mountains and hasn't required any maintenance. It can tackle almost anything, which makes it great for exploring unknown trails. Not very rewarding to ride on XC loops (could be the weight) but tons of fun everywhere else. I didn't expect it to be such an amazing climber, I often challenge myself trying to go up silly stuff and more often than not, make it. I like the look to be honest, everything is there for a reason, the very definition of form follows function. The seat tube/bb/pivot forging is the heart of the frame, you can tell a lot of thought went into this part. My size p1 takes a 170mm OneUp v1 dropper btw which is excellent for a small frame and a 163cm /5'4" rider.
Had my 161 for just over 2 years now. Made a few changes, coil on the rear and I actually won a set of carbon wheels which made a nice improvement. I do run the Michelin wild enduro racing line tyres at about 1.4kg each so adding back in any weight saved with the carbon wheels.
I ride the bike for a bit of everything but generally steep climbs to natural enduro trails. Really is very confidence inspiring and with the coil it is very planted. I really think the coil made a big improvement for me but I guess it depends what you like.
The bike has been through x2 winters of riding frequently in the mud / rain and the frame bearings are surprisingly still going!
I honestly don’t think there is much that can compare when it comes to price vs spec. It was about 750 cheaper than the current price when I bought mine though.
Enjoyed the video!!
I've had 161 for a year now and I've been extremely happy with my choice. Like you said there is quite a bit of pedal kickback and the rear end becomes very loose under braking. Neither of these aren't an issue for me but things you will feel and have to deal with. On the other hand the bike gives you so much confidence to push it's almost scary. 😅 The thing I've been struggling the most is the rear suspension. For me the bike feels very plush with its soft(est) damping tune. I cannot use proper sag numbers because the bike will bottom out way too easily. I'm gonna re-tune the shock to get more support on big compressions. It's not massive issue thou because it works just as well regardless of the less sag. I've tried adding volume spacers but these days I'm actually running the suspension as linear as possible but with higher spring rate. That way to me it feels the most intuitive. LSC nearly maxed out.
It's a weighty bike but not once I've felt compromised because of it. I haven't heard a single frame cracks being reported (regardless of the questions in owners groups) which is exactly the thing I was after. I wanted a bike I can safely abuse on my long days at the local bike park. The bike feels like it's built to last!
Right on, thanks for sharing!
The bike seems built around amateur racers and EDR racers outside of the top 50. The top EDR riders are usually on smallish bikes with REALLY progressive rear suspension, and they're usually running really stiff settings. The big plushmobile bikes like the Transition Spire never seem to get EDR/EWS podiums.
@@mrvwbug4423 just because there are not top of the top riders on each brand, doesnt mean the bike isnt capable enough for it ;)
I've been riding a 161 for almost 2 years now. No issues to date. I agree that the RS air shock in the rear could use more compression damping. It blows through its travel easy but I haven't had any hard bottom-outs.
@@cben86 If you've had it for 2 years already your shock is most likely tuned differently. For 2022-model which I had they went for LNL1-tune (even less compression damping if I remember correctly). Linear rebound tune is fine but the shock needs more compression damping.
Coming up to 2 years of ownership. No complaints.
I'm all for well thought out aluminum bikes. I love my RAAW Madonna 2.2. Definitely not for weight-weenies, but it just feels bomb-proof and easily serviceable at home.
We agree! We’re hopefully getting a RAAW in to test in a month or so. Excited for it.
If dragging the brake bothers you then… (I’m going to say something stupidly obvious… ) set aside some time specifically to break the habit.
It’s not something will likely change unless you do as it’s not something you do consciously but intuitively. Beginners might “think” but most of us don’t think “front/back” when we are actually riding, we just do.
If you set aside some time and take some mellow runs specifically thinking about it say once a week you’ll soon start just doing it.
A great inspiration is watch some Mike Boyd YT vids .. (even non bike ones) - he just decides to do something and makes time. I’m a bit shit at making time to do something like that as well so the inspiration helps me.
By all means pay for coaching .. but imho you already know what to do and you just don’t set aside some riding time and develop habit and muscle memory
That's nicely spec'd for the price. Commencal Meta/Clash are great value aluminum bikes, but Privateer might take the cake on this 👍
It’s definitely a great value ripper 🤘🏼
good review, thanks
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Awesome cool epik beautiful bike
They’re pretty awesome.
I’m the same height as Robert at 6’2 and I’m torn between P3 and P4. Seems like climbing position gets cramped in the P3 but the P4 has a relatively long 1316mm wheelbase. Any suggestions on choosing the right size?
Very dependent on your local terrain and bike preferences! We’d all likely size down to the P3 unless we were riding mostly very open high speed terrain
Well it is not available at the time. Is there an update coming to it? And this or the Madonna v2.2?
I wish they had a Zeb Select / deore build. The price sounds good in pounds, but the price is still 6k cad which is a lot imo
They currently have a sale on so it's roughly 4800 CAD. Seems pretty killer value to us.
My thoughts exactly tbh .. even yari/lyric or domain for the non weight conscious but the fox stuff is just too expensive to maintain in terms of specific tooling
Same goes for the drivechain .. I just want cheap to maintain and reliable and still works when you bend it back
@@TheLoamWolf At that price hell yeah I can't seem to find it tough
Nice review! I love how this guy is going through the facts sounding like a steward introducing you to the rules on board hahaha
Thanks for watching, and be sure to fasten your seatbelts!
About the only things I would change on that build is put a Zeb up front, and lace up some DT Swiss EX511s or FR541s and call it good.
Yeah, us too. Lyrik is still absolutely an acceptable fork for hard charging, and the Hunt wheels are reasonable at least.
I NEED HELP!! So im looking at buying the frameset and some people are saying its a mullet and some aren't.
As a 141 Ohlins owner, I can confirm, these are heavyweights.
I’ve got the 161, with a solid build it weighs in at 16.8kg 😂
@@andylow01 is it worth it?
@@Tequila628 get a vitus imho
@@Tequila628 For the Tweed valley its great. Straight up, straight down. For anything flatter it’s a bit too much work!
@@andylow01 my 141 is probably a hair over yours, depending on the direction of wind that day. 😁
How long is the dropper post, and is it possible to use a longer travel one?
Came with a 180mm OneUp V2, but we ended up fitting a 240mm OneUp post with great success.
everything is kind of fine, but I don't like 80 seat angle at all - that's too steep for me
can't see how I would get this one instead of a status + a couple of upgrades
the price itself is not that low considering you can get a slash 8 with some discount now maybe
They’re also running this with a decent discount just now. The 80deg effective angle can be made slightly less aggressive by sliding the saddle back, it didn’t feel overly extreme when done so
What‘s the grease nipple about at 2.25 min.?
Either their website is not exactly current or something, but privateer has the 161 listed at $4400
Which is the better buy, XT or GX?
XT if you can swing it.
Polygon Collasus N9 I think has this beat for value.
Debatable. The Polygon is going to need ALL the pivot bearings upgraded if you actually are serious about racing enduro or doing a lot of park on it. Also will need new wheels, 35mm rims are not going to corner well (most of the EDR/EWS field is on 30mm or less), and no idea how strong those Entity rims are. Would also upgrade brakes and toss a Grip 2 upgrade kit into the fork.
It's a great bike for the price.
What is your hight...?
It sure is. Robert is 189cm / 6’2”
Nice looking bike, great value! Only thing that stops me from buying one is the cable and hose on the top of the downtube. I understand it's for ease of maintenance & repairs, which I appreciate but why don't they put it on the underside of the top tube? Would tidy it up soo much. Maybe there's a reason? Absolutely love everything else about the bike though! Would still say the Vitus Sommet crx is better value imo
You could potentially fashion a stick-on cable guiding solution to rectify that! It’s not a clean looking setup but does the trick
I would also look at a RAAW Madonna
Should have one coming to test soon!
@@TheLoamWolf Bird Aeris 9 looks promising as well!
Gonna break my rusty chain. And walk...
Haha
Gotta treat that steed to some chain lube man HaHa
We know, we know 😂
What trail are you riding here..??
It’s Glenduro track in the Tweed Valley 🤘🏼
I realised where it was as soon as you popped out on the fire road! Keep meaning to have a wee razz about around the Glen Benna bit!!
@@andylow01 well worth checking out!
me thinks Leatt had a more conventional cyclist build in mind with those pants. this fellow is more like a rugby player.
You’re most definitely right, Robert eats well
First comment again
Thanks for watching!
Vitus Sommet 29 CR way better offer for me :)
Also looks like a good option!
Better off with the trek remedy.
This bike is heavier and less spec for money. This is just more boutique.
Thanks for sharing your opinion Tony. The 161 is a very different bike to the Remedy, but both good in their own spaces
Horses for courses. The Remedy is a 27.5in wheel play bike that is happiest on jump lines and doing jibby stuff. The 161 is a race bike that is happiest monster trucking through steep AF rock gardens at mach chicken.
Yeah true. For me personally, it's a tad too heavy. They are only down the road from me in partridge green. I buy the hunt wheels off them. But they are super light.
Look a longer Kona
What value ? $4400 is value ?
Bro the average joe can’t spend more than $1500-$2000 on a bicycle.
In the performance enduro bike world, unfortunately $4400 with this spec level represents good value.
Its too heavy
What makes you say that?
@@TheLoamWolf because its heavy for a 160mm bike