2014 Ghost AMR Riot
Crankworx is an ideal venue to preview soon-to-be released bikes. With the variety of trails in the Whistler valley and the terrain provided by the bike park, there are few better places to try something new. Along with Ghost product marketing manager Ruben Torenbeek and MEC bike product manager Tim McDermott, we were treated to a preview of the 2014 Ghost AMR Riot, an all new 130mm travel rig that will be officially released at Eurobike.
Pete Roggeman taking his preview of the RIOT very seriously on Kill Me Thrill Me. The combination of 650b wheels, 130mm of travel and a 68 degree head angle make this a very capable machine.
We chose Kill Me Thrill Me, a classic Whistler trail that starts with some Kills – lots of punchy, switchback-strewn climbs – and moves on to the Thrills, consisting of some swoopy bits to get your flow on as well as technical rock lines that require attention. In short, typical XC for Whistler but considered extremely technical just about anywhere else and perfect for our needs.
Notice the absence of cables and lines? Ugly hangers be gone! Ghost managed to route both derailleur cables and the rear brake line through the BB shell. There’s also armour stolen from Robocop to protect your precious carbonium.
The RIOT is all sharp angles and utility, bearing more than a passing resemblance to a Stealth bomber.
The full carbon frame is striking. Angular, sleek, and aggressive looking and a nice departure from previous Ghost frames which weren’t nearly as unique in appearance. The Riot features composite bushings (expect to see a lot more bushings in the future), integrated downtube protection and a small chain keeper to protect your frame from derailments to the inside, and the closer you look, the more refinements you will see. Overall, this is a very clean, well-designed effort from Ghost that left us impressed.
Internal routing of all cables and lines added to the stealth look. The cover plates can be swapped out depending on how many cables you need – so you won’t have a gaping wound if you are running a 1-by system. Ghost has a new industrial designer whose last gig was making Audis look pretty.
An X12 axle system, 68 degree head angle, 60mm stem and Reverb stealth dropper post all indicate the Riot’s intentions for serious play time, but a 25 lb. weight for the top spec’d AMR Riot 9 means you aren’t losing out on being nimble and quick. Ghost’s team riders have been using the 2.1 kilo Riot frame for XC racing (slimmed down to 9 kilos or 19.8 lbs) as well as in a beefed up form for Enduro racing, indicating its versatility.
Kill Me Thrill Me is a Whistler classic. It goes up and down quicker than a crackhead, but it didn’t serve up a long sustained descent like you’ll find in an Enduro race. Pete Roggeman rocks it here on the Riot 7.
The Riot brake mount transfers the majority of force to the axle rather than the frame allowing engineers to remove material from the non-drive side seat stay.
The Riot is named for its linkage system, which is new to Ghost and is a 4-bar linkage driven platform with a rocker link that is designed to be inactive until the final 20% of travel is needed. This allowed Ghost to tune the shock rate to be more linear for that first 80% and then engage with a more progressive rate curve in that final fifth of its travel.
The RIOTLink was designed to allow the first 80% of the travel to operate without having to worry about bottom out. Instead of having to set the shock so that it ramps appropriately the rocker link engages once that 80% has been exhausted ramping the ratio for that portion of the travel alone. Ghost tells us this allows the first 80% to pedal more efficiently while dealing with the majority of impacts smoothly.
We haven’t even mentioned the wheel size yet but we can all expect to see a lot more 650B wheels in the mid-travel category for 2014. Make whatever argument you like but we weren’t left wishing for a wheel size change. The Riot has been dialed in and had a very balanced, user-friendly ride quality. It pedals with great efficiency and descends responsively, without objecting to rough treatment.
The RIOT link performed as advertised with no bottom-outs even in wheel-eating holes at the bottom of chutes. The same could not be said for the Fox 32 CTD which, when pushed, starts to squirm and howl. For an endurance racer that spec would do, but for our unsavoury intentions a stiffer fork would be an essential upgrade.
This bony section showed us the Riot is game for a technical challenge – despite the constipated look on Cam’s face.
Colour us intrigued. The AMR Riot represents an impressive step forward for Ghost, into a design that seeks attention and backs it up with performance. Our first impression gives us a pretty good idea on riders who are a safe bet for the Riot; a trail junkie who does a few races and those who like epic length rides or multi-day races but still care about some play time on the way down. We’ll reserve our thoughts on whether it would meet our own ideals in terms of an Enduro race bike, however for courses (or riders) favouring pedal efficiency and lighter weight over 20-30mm more travel and with a modified spec, this chassis could very well be your ticket.
In Canada the XTR-equipped AMR Riot 9 (pictured above) will likely lighten your wallet to the tune of $7300 (or so) and the bikes will only be available at MEC stores. The Riot 9 weighed around 25lbs. It was a very nimble climber but we felt for the kind of riding we like it could use a more robust fork. The XT adorned Riot 7, with the same frame, will be in the $5250 range.
With suspension design becoming more efficient, a 130mm bike doesn’t seem as “small” as it once did. What do you think of the new Ghost?
Comments
Morgan Taylor
10 years, 7 months ago
The stealth bomber comparison is perfect. So angular. Pretty sweet.
I like the idea of a 130mm 650B bike. Preferably with a Pike or a 34.
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