FIRST LOOK: ALLIED BC40 XC BIKE

 

We have to be honest, we had to look up ALLIED Cycle Works to see what they’re all about. All we knew was Redbull athlete, endurance phenom, and “The Adventure Stache” podcast host, Payson McElveen rides for them. Until now they’ve been known for their high-performance road and gravel bikes made right here in the U.S.A. Their goal is to make the highest quality bikes in the world in a place you may have heard of once or twice, Bentonville, Arkansas. They’re proud of their legacy and have brought that to their newest bike, the BC40.

 

Watch Payson McElveen and Lea Davison take the BC40 through signature Arkansas singletrack.

 

This video demonstrates their process and shows what it takes to make a bike in the U.S.A. As far as we can tell, the quality in the lay-up, paint, and frame testing are all top-notch. At a claimed frame weight of 1,950 grams or 4.3 pounds, this full suspension bike is as light as any on the market today.

 

 

‘”Design, market, sell.” Normally, this is the holy trinity of American bike brands. “Make” is almost never part of the equation. And this is why Allied is different. Our mission is to make the best carbon fiber bicycles in the world, manufacturing them right here in America.’

 

 

 

 

All BC40 models come with 120mm of front and rear suspension travel using their version of the Four Bar linkage. They also offer the dimensions needed to make the bike a little bit more of an XC race machine. Throw on a 100mm travel fork and a shock with the recommended stroke length and you’ve got a 100mm travel, race-ready monster. This is what some of their athletes are going to be doing for events like the Leadville 100 this year. At 66.5°, the headtube angle is a little bit slacker than your typical XC bike. I guess you could call it a trail bike in a sense, but it still has many XC qualities.

 

 

 

We can’t deny this bike looks good. Maybe one day we’ll be able to get our hands on one and put out a full review, but until then, we’ll leave it up to you to try it out.

 

 

(PRESS RELEASE)

 

With ALLIED Cycle Works located in the singletrack mecca of Arkansas and mountain biking being an integral part of the team’s DNA, it was only a matter of time before a mountain bike chassis was in development. Introducing BC40, a monumental mountain bike that blends XC Race with Downcountry abilities. Designed, built and tested in-house at their factory in Northwest Arkansas, the bike is named after the iconic Back 40 trail system that weaves its way up and down the ridges and valleys near Bentonville.

 

“The BC40 project has been over two years in ideation, development and testing, but the vision for this bike concept has been on our minds since the origins of ALLIED. A bike that extends the capability boundaries of cross-country while giving up nothing from a weight and pedaling efficiency standpoint,” said ALLIED Cycle Works CEO Drew Medlock. “I’m incredibly proud of this team. We have been able to double our in-house manufacturing capacity over these last two years while simultaneously developing the BC40. Given the hurdles we have faced every single day with the entire supply chain faltering and fighting to keep our operations running smoothly though the pandemic, it’s a huge accomplishment. We can’t wait to see this bike pushed to the limit by our athletes Lea Davison and Payson McEveen at the upcoming Leadville 100, Marathon Nationals and more.”

The BC40 is a thoughtfully engineered cross-country racing machine, mixed with an all-day trail sled. At a scant 1,950-gram frame weight, the bike features 120mm of front and rear travel combined with a second-to-none pedaling platform and progressive geometry that delivers precise speed, handling, and tracking for the needs of the modern trail shredder and racer alike. The BC40 is a unique mixture of passion, craftsmanship and performance.

For more information and complete BC40 bike offerings, go to AlliedCycleWorks.com.