Free carbon wheels worth £1149 with Privateer complete bikes

Is anyone else struggling with the word "free"?

There's no such thing as a free lunch.....

If your experience of hunt wheels turns out like mine you will be without a bike for 18 months of 2 years…

"Free carbon wheel upgrade"

But can we just appreciate the proper spec on these bikes, they're wanting for nothing and not wasting money on anything. Performance Elite suspension, OneUp Dropper, all-GX drivetrain, Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, MaxxGrip front tyre.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch…..

Good point, but you really shouldn't try eating a pair of Carbon rims, or aluminium for that matter, whatever you paid.

When you think about it, it's probably just an extra couple of hundred quid on the actual COGs for the bike, obviously they'd normally supply a wheelset with Al rims by default, if they're paying more than ~£100 per carbon rim wholesale from the far east I'd be surprised, otherwise there's not much difference.

It's not a bad loss leader "Worth £1149" just means the RRP that mugs pay, but the actual dent to margin wouldn't be that much, possibly a good deal of you're after a new MTB.

True ... but god forbid a bike company should be allowed to make a profit!

Given the somewhat lukewarm (at best) reception the new Privateer line-up got, they might well be struggling to do just that

"“Worth £1149” just means the RRP"

Those wheels are currently discounted by 35% on Hunt's website to £746.86 so the whole "worth £1149" is nonsense.

Mister-PFree Member
““Worth £1149” just means the RRP”

Those wheels are currently discounted by 35% on Hunt’s website to £746.86 so the whole “worth £1149” is nonsense.

And they are instead of the standard wheels, not in addition to them.

Only on here could a British bike company do something nice and be torn apart.

So maybe the title is slightly misleading, but they didn't write that

Upgraded wheels may be a better choice of phrase, but it's still a good thing surely if you're in the market for a Privateer.

It’s possibly worse in their wording. This states that the upgrade is worth £1149

I think we’re picking at Privateer here. They’re just saying they have upgraded the wheels from alloy to carbon essentially. Yes the RRP is a lot and they’re often reduced - but nevertheless it’s what most companies would quote to make it sound the best case possible.

I wonder if they’re struggling a bit with the new 161 and 141 (and the ebike actually) as they’ve been knocking out some cheap deals vs other manufacturers on stuff (real prices not comparing rrp).

I wonder if they’re struggling a bit with the new 161 and 141

I suspect this may be the case. They may be excellent bikes but they don't have the universal visual appeal that the old 141/161 had.

I fully accept judging a bike on looks is quite vain, but I am sure I am not alone in this.

It's lucky that the hunt wheels have a good warranty support as in my experience you'll need it.

I didn't realise Privateer had their Gen 2 bikes out. They look awesome!
I never liked the Gen 1 bikes visually so not paid much attention to them since.
The 141 has made it on my shortlist though.
Love the design, the spec & the price seems reasonable.. especially with the free carbon wheels 😉

Edit: 17kg/37.5lbs for a 150/140mm Trail bike! How did they make it so heavy?! That's a shame..

Do you get to keep the original wheels as well, as a spare set? Then the RRP is maybe relevant.

Yes they're obviously struggling to sell the new bikes which are even heavier than the chonky old ones, plus much more visually challenging.

Hope that doesn't sound harsh, I just don't understand what they were thinking signing off on such a heavy frame set.

My 141 Ohlins edition was a very impressive bike and I thought it looked mint but it was over 17.5kg with the Enduro wheels and coil shock. I swear the weight doesn't make as much difference as people think it does but I wasn't expecting the new one to be even heavier and more expensive.

The hammering they got in the comment sections for the looks was second only to the Cotic e-bike. They're not that bad if you squint. The bent top tube ruins it for me, the rest is pretty regular.

I just don’t understand what they were thinking signing off on such a heavy frame set

Apparently these are the first bikes designed in-house, but yeah you would've thought "not heavier" would've been a requirement.

I fully accept judging a bike on looks is quite vain

Unfortunately the reviews haven't been all glowing either, so it's a double-whammy

The bent top tube ruins it for me, the rest is pretty regular.

Same for me. And that is the bit I couldn't understand - why do that when it looks like they could easily have just made it straight.

cokieFull

Edit: 17kg/37.5lbs for a 150/140mm Trail bike! How did they make it so heavy?! That’s a shame..

The trail bike comes with their 2100g Enduro wheels, which doesn't help. The carbon upgrade saves 100g, but they're still heavy

I went back to have second glance at these - 40% progression, ooft. Even half price I’d be wasting my time with that.

I was a fan of the old model and would likely have had one if I didn’t end up buying from the Chiggle fire sale

I've been riding my gen1 141 for a good few years now and still love it. They don't feel like heavy bikes when you get them going. TBH the gen2's looks have grown on me a tad, and I like the fact it can be mulleted ect.

They don’t feel like heavy bikes when you get them going.

That's what I used to say about mine. They're a hefty lump when they're sitting still but they fly when you're riding them. Tyres make way more difference to speed/efficiency.

People on here are old and still have the 30lb weight limit in their heads.