Privateer has been working on the second-generation versions of their 141 and 161 bikes for three years now, and Dan Hicks, the engineer behind the project, has a ton to share about the thought process behind the updates and bike design in general — and does a great job of explaining all of it. So we sat down with Dan for a very deep dive into the new bikes, and he shared a ton of thoughts that are going to be interesting to anyone who cares about mountain bike design — whether or not you’re in the market for a Privateer.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Dan’s background & role at Privateer (2:12)

The goals of the 141 and 161 V2 (2:55)

The E161 (6:02)

Sizing bikes & proportionality (10:13)

Geometry adjustability (25:34)

Suspension kinematics & shock tuning (29:16)

Sag & suspension setup (37:12)

Pedaling performance (44:16)

Pedal kickback vs. chain feedback (46:19)

Wheel sizes (56:26)

Cable routing (1:01:12)

Bottom-out bumpers & shock progression (1:19:46)

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