Privateer 161 - any owners here?

Friend has one, build was a bit slap dash but that was during Covid. Rides well but a bit heavy.

I have a P2.

Absolutely brilliant bike. I’m an incredibly average rider and it’s considerably more capable than I will ever be. The best way to describe it would be fast, neutral and confident. You want to do a jump or drop? It does it. Tech section? No problem. Just a great all round hard-hitting long travel bike. It’s not one of those bikes that makes you feel like a riding God, but then you get to the end of the day and realise you’ve hit things harder and at twice the speed you’d have been comfortable at on your old bike.

Would it be my first choice for all-round riding excitement? Probably not, as it’s too composed and mature for that. Does it give me the confidence and ability to hit things way outside of my comfort zone? Very much so. As that’s exactly what I bought it for, I’m very happy with it.

The only cons as far as I can tell are very poor paint and as the above poster said, a build that needed a few finishing touches to get it working properly. My gears weren’t indexed and the gear hanger and crank were loose. The only other observation I’d make is just make sure it’s what you’re after. It’s a heavy(ish) 170/160 enduro race bike with a very descent-focused build, designed for pedalling up a fireroad and throwing yourself down the other side. It’s not well suited to things like Verderers at FoD and it’s so competent it makes things like the blues at BPW very dull. I bought mine mostly to give me the confidence to ride the Dyfi reds at a much faster pace and with a greater degree of safety than on my hardtail, and for that purpose it’s outstanding. A better rider than me will be able to get even more from it.

Good to hear!

I've got a p4. I love it, and mostly  agree with what steelisreal said.

I didn't really have and build quality issues with mine, but I did have a few problems. The forks had premature bushing play in one leg, the magura brakes kept springing leaks and much later on the front rim cracked on the weld and the pawl springs in the freehub failed. All if these issues were well handled by Privateer.

The main issue I have is with the geometry. I'm 6 ft 2 and went for the larger size due to the short ETT caused by the steep seattube angle. I find it a comfortable bike to ride, and it is very stable and competent - I could easily drop a size for the shorter wheelbase and some more manoeuvrability,  but as someone with short legs and a long torso I think I'd find it a bit too short when seated. I'm glad I went with the larger size for seated comfort, but the trade off is that it makes a big brute of a bike even bigger and brutish. It's definitely not much fun to ride on surfaced blue trails like Verderers or the BPW blues, even the reds there can be a bit dull on it too. But point it down some steep offpiste at Risca or similar and it's much more at home.

I'm going to be selling mine very soon (hopefully!) and I'll be getting an order in for one of the new ones when they become available. Very happy with the bike and privateer's support. I believe the new one will have slightly more progressive rear suspension and a steeper seat angle, so it should be exactly what I'm after.

I meant to add that I have have the 'raw' colour option on mine. I'm not sure what it's coated with but it seems very durable. I've done around 2800 miles on mine and the frame still looks great - no obvious scratches or oxidation.

I have one - 6ft 2 ins ( I have shrunk ) and P4.

Handled Morzine better than I did - it's chunky but so am I.  In reality when you are moving you don't notice the weight.

As above, when out of the seat (Morzine) it is the ideal weapon - but if you are long of body / short of leg it can feel cramped on a long ride.

May keep mine - but will depend on how the scaphoid heels and whether Morzine is possible next year