I was excited to throw a leg over the Arktos 135 – it was my first trip to Moab of the spring season and I’ve wanted to check out the smaller Colorado brand for a long time. As the middle sibling in the Arktos family — the others being a shorter travel downcountry configuration and a long travel enduro bike — the 135 is built as a jack of all trades with efficient uphill power transfer and good geometry for lower speed climbing. The planted comfort of Sine suspension kicks in when the speeds increase on the downhills.
The Arktos family has even more versatility hidden up its sleeve though. With the factory conversion kit, this bike can swap into the Arktos 120 and/or Arktos 150, run as a 29er, or mullet 29/27.5. If you’re not afraid of a wrench and want the versatility of 6 bikes while only taking up the space of one bike (plus some components in your garage), take a long look at the Alchemy Arktos.
Price: $5999
Where to buy: Alchemy Bicycles
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
What I like: This bike is a point-and-shoot ripper. It confidently handles a wide variety of terrain and covered for any mistakes I made, while proving itself capable on climbs.
What I’d change: The rear end felt a bit long, detracting from the playful character I enjoy in trail bikes. I’d also put more Loctite on the linkage bolts, since having one back out and sheer off would suck.
My call: This is a smartly-designed bike from a boutique manufacturer at a high but competitive price. It was one of my favorites in our Moab test group. The versatility of each build option only adds to the allure of the Arktos.
Alchemy Arktos 135: Suspension and wheel size versatility
The Alchemy Arktos family is built with versatility in mind. By changing the fork, suspension, and wheels, plus the geometry adjustment available in the “flip chip” suspension linkage, you can build a rear end with 120mm, 135mm, or 150mm of travel paired to a recommended 130mm, 150mm, or 170mm of front fork travel from the factory conversion kits. (You could also go wild and swap in your own front fork for customized travel numbers.) There’s also the option of changing the flip chip for more relaxed suspension, and swapping in a 27.5 rear wheel. All that adds up to a ton of options just from the factory alone.
I didn’t get to ride this bike with a 27.5 rear wheel, but I do wonder about how that would feel on the already long wheelbase. We know 27.5 bikes are more flickable, but that’s not just because of the rotational momentum of a smaller wheel – it’s also because chainstays can be shortened making it easier to get rider weight behind the rear hub and lift the front end.
The Arktos has a long wheelbase – in part because of the long rear end. This makes it stable at speed, but inversely detracts from playfulness. Just putting a 27.5 rear wheel in the back doesn’t shorten the chainstays, so although it will accept a 27.5 wheel (like most bike frames), that won’t necessarily give it the beneficial ride characteristics of a true mullet bike. These are the tradeoffs with a jack-of-all-trades bike.
Alchemy Arktos 135: The Ride
I rode this bike on Moab’s Falcon Flow trail and Navajo Rocks. Both of these trails are great test areas with a wide variety of terrain from sandy corners to square-edged rocks, with punchy climbs and aggressive descents. I was super impressed by the eagerness with which this bike rolls downhill. It is quick to pick up speed and confidently arcs through sweeping corners. Tighter switchbacks might prove difficult given the long wheelbase, though. Transitioning from rock to sand, and back to square rocks, the large 29-inch wheels held impressively through the chundering terrain.
The long wheel base also inspired confidence and I felt relaxed letting the bike pick up more speed than normal. I barely touched the brakes on grippy sandstone, though I did find it difficult to pop off rollers. That’s a general theme with the Arktos: It very much wants to stick to the trail. That’s a good thing until it’s not. Getting it off the ground takes more coaxing than I expected.
When the trail turned uphill, the bike pedaled efficiently even without adjusting suspension valving. I did struggle with the long wheelbase on the tight uphill switchbacks of Falcon Flow, but they were still rideable. Transitioning from a high speed downhill through a creek bed or other depression and into harsh terrain on an uphill took far more attention than I was used to. I found myself needing to work harder to get the front end up and over obstacles. I think this was particularly noticeable with the rocks in Moab and may not be as important on less harsh terrain.
Alchemy Arktos 135: Final Word
Built as a single bike, this was one of my favorite bikes we tested. It’s fun and capable on all sorts of trails but truly shines on straight-line chunky descents. If you’re after a whippy, throw-it-around bike, you might want something with a tighter wheelbase. But for sheer adaptability and chunky fun, the Alchemy 135 is hard to beat.
We will do a review of the Alchemy Arktos in its longer-travel configuration soon. Stay tuned!