Allied Cycles newest bike, the BC 40 is made from carbon and has a full suspension design. It is light and offers excellent performance even in competition with stiffer rivals. It was made in the US.
Allied has been making great progress, with their bikes making an impression on us. Their newest bike is a full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with in-house production and USA manufacture.
They are very promising. This could be an important development for carbon fiber frame production in the USA.”
Allied Cycles uses uncooked couscous as filler in the bottom bracket to keep it rigid during compression. It is cheap, abundant, and biodegradable, said Pickman.
Once fabricated, the subassemblies are placed into aluminum molds that are manufactured in-house at Allied. One mold creates the front triangle while the rear comes together after being cured with a pressurized manometer.
The mold is closed, hooked up to pressurize bladder plies, and then slid into a heated press where two 25 tons of pressure seal and compress them simultaneously.
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After curing, the frame parts come out of the mold and begin their last phase on the journey. Molding flash gets removed, interface parts including the head tube, bottom bracket and bearing seats get cleaned up.
Then a large crew starts prepping the frame for paint. This process involves a lot of sanding, inspections, and touching the frame under intense lights to create a smooth surface for paint in order to have it match what is seen on your computer screen.
Although some consumers may have the perception that the product is inferior because of the large amount of time and worker hours necessary to complete the finishing process, this is not necessarily true.
The large team of finish workers, who work diligently(hard to achieve a deep and high-quality paint job), is actually intended to get rid of any perceived flaws in production.
Once it clears prep, the frame moves to paint. Allied offers custom colors and finishes- a process which can be relatively expensive if you don’t have access to their sponsorship-but some of the custom work is well worth a viewing. Payson McElveen’s bike with an arresting fade and splatter scheme is one example of what they can do.
“Leveraging the power of knowledge” to travel faster
Allied designed the BC40 as a 120mm frame and around a 120mm fork. That puts it in the fast trail bike category, competing with companies like the Specialized epic EVO and the Trek Top Fuel.
Other contenders are Spot Ryve 115 and Cannondale Scalpel SE, Transition Spur, Revel Ranger, Santa Cruz Blur TR.
The BC40 was built to be an all-around MTB for different terrain and the rear travel can be adjusted to 100mm. Averaging speed of 15mph, Payson McElveen and Lea Davidson are racing the BC40 in 100mm mode this Fall at Leadville with Allied’s support.
Learn how Allied BC40’s managed switchgear systems improve performance
For help with its first full suspension bike, Allied Cycles asked for the help of Cero Design that is located in Barcelona.
This design agency has been led by former World Cup downhill racer Cesar Rojo and partners with major brands like Mondraker and Intense in designing and building attractive bicycles.
With their expertise, design and engineering, Cero were able to make the best bike. Working with Medlock, they created a bike that reflects the company’s aesthetics with a comfortable ride.
Cero guided them through all levels of the design process to provide inspired sketches as well as exact specifications they needed in order to make the perfect product.
Get all the benefits of a suspension from bikes like the Biketek BC40, which has a single pivot with swing link and flex stays on the front.
This is the same system found on Specialized, Cannondale, Transition, and many other bikes. It may be unimpressive, but it’s an effective way to provide further comfort for shorter-travel bikes.
Allied BC40—Weights And Features
The frame-only weight of the Allied bike is around 1940 grams and a RockShox SID Luxe shock. This is heavier than the Specialized S-Works Epic Evo, which weighs around 1660 grams with shock.
The bike will weigh more depending on paint and parts, but for an average that may include Payson McElveen’s system (BC40 frame, high country build with stiffer post and lighter tires) totals 24.2 pounds while his XC race set up (rigid post, lighter tires) is 21.7 pounds.
With specifications are tried-and-true, you will find a 73mm threaded bottom bracket, molded cups for integrated headset (the Chris King Dropset 3 fits) and tapered steerer, boost rear spacing, post mount for 160mm rear disc rotor, 31.6mm seatpost, a SRAM UDH derailleur hanger with internal routing, two bottle holders inside the main triangle of the frame, plus room for two bottles on either side.
Allied BC40—Geometry
The Allied BC40 offers four sizes of 29-inch mountain bikes with geometry numbers close to competitors. The highlight numbers are: 76-degree seat angle; 66.5-degree head angle; 40mm of BB drop and 435mm chainstays.
Allied Bicycle Components introduces a VR line of high end all-mountain ebikes at affordable pricing. The first deliveries will be made in 12 weeks time and are available starting at $7,625 for a Shimano XT build and topping out with an SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS build at $12,115.
There are five complete options, beginning with the Shimano XTR model and moving through to the top end SRAM X01 Eagle AXS bike which will cost $10,755.
Those prices reflect the BC40 with Allied’s stock parts picks, matte black paint, and silver logos. However, Allied lets riders customize almost every part of the build
If you prefer to play product manager at home, beginning framesets can be purchased for less than $6000. This includes a RockShox Ultimate or Fox Factory suspension package and a Cane Creek Hellbender 70 Lite headset.
Allied BC40—First Ride Impressions
I flew to Bentonville, Arkansas and had a first-hand experience of the BC40 being built in the factory. I took a short ride on the area’s famous mountain bike trails and that helped in creating the BC40.
The trails shaped the BC40 design, so it’s natural for me to have initial impressions of this new bike. A full review will follow when a medium test bike arrives from Allied Cycles before I get to test the BC40 at home.
This hybrid bike is designed for riding on cross-country gravel and fast pavement. It’s not quite as agile or nimble as a trail bike because it has a 66.5-degree head angle, but it does have a responsive, efficient feel, thanks to its supportive spring curve and no sag in the frame.
The suspension feels planted even when you’re attacking steeper sections of pavement. The rear traction is good with just enough sensitivity off the top to help stick the faster rolling pre-2018 Rekon tire to the ground while also providing a nice level of control on flatter trails and descents.
The BC40 was a stable and efficient climber, with good stability and ample progression when descending. The bike felt slightly more damp than most of the other bikes I’ve ridden, providing appropriate feedback in bumpy terrain.
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In the future, I anticipate that the medium frame will feel livelier and sharper than this large. The medium felt great when plowing chunks of trail, but just slightly lessened in tighter, slower terrain. Basically, it felt like the bike was too big for me and needed to be more stable.
However, the BC40 offers incredible performance in a no fuss package made in the U.S.A. In my evaluations of overseas-made carbon bikes, I was highly impressed with the quality and performance of the BC40.
