Alchemy BikesReviews of alchemybikes.com

Great Bike Overall! Pulled the bike out of the box and it was like finding buried treasure. Immaculate. Fit, finish, parts, packing everything 10 out of 10. I love the parts spec, the TAG carbon bars, the Sram T-Type transmission and the I9 Wheels. Exquisite. One issues I had was the shock was not torqued. As I got the bike assembled I noticed something was "knocking" when I lifted the bike and moved it around as I was mounting the wheels and getting everything dialed. Simple turn of the Allen key to resolve, but someone not accustomed to bikes might have had a tough time with this. Easy enough for me, but this should not have been missed. I let Alchemy know and they confirmed this is very rare and I believe it. As I rode the bike the Fox Transfer post failed and would not return to the "up" position. I went to Alchemy with this, as this is who I bought the bike from, and they sent me off to hunt this down with Fox with an explanation of "how the bike industry works". This did not sit well with me, as I bought this bike from what I thought was a high end dealer, and was treated like I was bothering them. I ended up buying a replacement as I wasn't going to have my bike sit around for a month while Fox fixed the post. That being said, the bike is amazing, it rides and looks 10 out of 10. I've been riding the wheels off of it since I got it sometimes riding three times a day. Before work, during lunch and after work. Can't get enough! I doubt most buyers have the issues I did, and just know if something on the bike breaks, they will send you on a side quest to track down the manufacturer. Overall, I'm happy and love the bike!

The 1st bike that was shipped was damaged in transit, which of course is not Alchemy's fault and just something that happens some times, but I was able to contact someone at Alchemy very quickly and resolve the issues smoothly. Since I got the bike, it's been great - everything I hoped for when I ordered it sight unseen. The positive reviews I had read, which prompted me to make the purchase, where not wrong!

The Arktos 150 inspires a lot of confidence. My two finalists were a Pivot Firebird and this. I was extremely comfortable on steep descents with my Pivot Mach 5.5, but the Arktos description of it being more lively sold it for me. The geometry was just bigger, longer and more slack than my 5.5, and tackled steep lines with drops with ease. One of my first days on it, I ended up over the nose on a tight 6' drop. There is no doubt I would have gone over the bars on my 5.5, but with the Arktos I somehow managed to ride it out. It's a beast, and super fun, on technical descents. My only issues, and why I didn't give it five stars are as follows: 1) It came from the factory with a small paint chip on the top tube and was slightly out-of-tune. A few minor adjustments regarding cable tension and the front chain guide was able to mostly fix it. 2) The tires are horrible Maxxis Exo (Maxxis is horrible period), the seat is basic, and the grips are ok. I swapped out the tires to Continental Kryptotals (night and day), the seat to a WTB volt, and the grips to DMR death grips. Lastly, it's not light. But it really wasn't sold as such, so it's not fair for me to ding it for that. It's a decent climber, but not quite as good as I hoped. I could swap out everything else for carbon and xtr for $2500 just to shave a pound, but it's not worth it. The i9 wheelset is amazing, and the xt components are bomber and tried and true. If you're looking for an enduro machine that looks and feels very well-built and instills a ton of confidence at speed on steeps, and you don't mind a little extra effort on the climbs, you can't go wrong.

The Good: Bought an Arktos 150, and it is a total beast! it is exactly what I needed for rougher trails (transitioning from hard tails I have been riding for a decade). This thing floats right over bumps and drops like the dirt bikes I also ride. The Bad: I had to take a star away for a couple of things here for one the hub spacing on the front fork was incorrect and needed a spacer. If the forks were not pre loaded together the axel would not fully engage the clamp (it was about halfway in) also turns out if I didn't preload the forks together the brake disc could (and unfortunately did) eat the brake caliper mounting. it didn't break anything but did scratch up the brake disc, and mill some paint and metal off the fork. Fortunately, I have a buddy with a lathe and we custom fabricated a spacer bushing for it that got it fixed. This second one is more minor, but when I converted to tubeless, I discovered the rims weren't taped properly and had air bleeding out through half a dozen spokes on both wheels. Again got it fixed but still a little disappointing it wasn't right the first time. Bottom line, don't get me wrong the bike is fantastic, but would appreciate a little better quality control from a premium brand.

Would have been 5 star if chain stay etc had allowed for wider tires, at least 2.6. My favorite tire is Maxxis Recon 2.8