Ghost ASX 4900 Review
Ghost ASX 4900 Review
Wow where do we begin with this bike. The Ghost ASX 4900 is a strange beast and sometimes in MTB its good to be strange.
First off rather amazingly for under £1000 the Ghost features 27.5″ wheels. Traditionally a MTB has 26″ wheels, but a recent trend (and something that will probably stay forever) is mountain bikes with the ever so slightly bigger 27.5″ wheels. The argument being that 27.5 (also called 650B) offers better grip, traction, rolling and speed. With almost all pro riders switching to 27.5 in 2014 this is probably the case!
27.5 wheels at this price is fantastic! So lets move onto the rest of the bike. 130mm front and 120mm rear suspension makes this Ghost a full bore All Mountain trail machine. Anything around 120mm/130mm is perfect for most UK trail centres and bike parks. This looks to be a bike that can handle a bit of hammer and jumps. The RST front forks are maybe not as cultured as similar offerings from Rock Shox but they are a standard OEM brand for this price point and should offer trouble free performance and good bump handling. The X-Fusion rear shock is a solid platform and again will cope well with some gnar.
The groupset is a mix of shimano SLX (great), Deore (great), Acera (budget) – overall a good platform for the price and you can always rely on shimano products. The deore 9 Speed rear mech is a great addition.
The Ghost looks great in Stealth black or mental Green
Sram hubs on alloy rims and Schwalbe tyres are good rolling stock – try the tyres out they might not suit everyone but for many they will provide good off road performance and shouldn’t need to be changed.
The brakes are Hydraulic Tektro HDC 300 and are a standard OEM kit offering solid performance and good stopping power. The finishing kit and controls are Own brand Ghost featuring a low rise 700m wide riser bar and 31.8 bar and stem combo.
In conclusion the Ghost offers great value for money for anyone looking for a bigger hitting MTB with the 130mm travel. The 27.5 wheels are a great point and the Ghost would love to be trashed around Sherwood pines Red run or smashed around your local woods and single track. The mid level suspension handles DH well and is suitable for all round riding and adventure. At a little over £800 this bike offers fantastic value and a great way to get into serious Mountain biking.
WOW 4.5* out of 5*
Get some rider reviews and full spec here…
The ASX is a completely new design for 2014. 27.5” wheelset for improved rolling characteristics and traction, 130mm of travel for perfect control in difficult terrain and sensible components including air suspension, disc brakes and Shimano drivetrain. The ASX delivers top technology at a fair price!
Features:
Frameset:
- Frame: ASX 650B Alloy DB
- Forks: RST Aerial Air RLO 130 mm
- Rear Shock: X-Fusion E1 RL Air 120 mm
Groupset:
- Chainset: Shimano Acera 44-32-22 / 11-32
- Bottom Bracket:
- Brake/Shift Levers: Shimano Acera SL
- Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore 9-Speed
- Cassette:
- Chain:
Wheelset:
- Rims: Ryde Taurus 21
- Front Hub: SRAM 306
- Rear Hub: SRAM 306
- Spokes:
- Tyres: Schwalbe Smart Sam 2.25
Components:
- Front Brake: Tektro HDC 330 160 mm
- Rear Brake: Tektro HDC 330 160 mm
- Handlebars: GHOST Low Rizer light 700 mm 31.8 mm
- Grips:
- Headset:
- Stem: GHOST AS-DC1 31.8 mm
- Saddle: GHOST 2055 comfort
- Seatpost: GHOST light SP DC 1 31.6 mm
- Seatclamp:
Weight: 14.9 kg
Technologies:
- Four Bar Linkage: Rear-suspension performance used and proven for years by GHOST, the Four Bar Linkage system uses an advanced principle where braking forces don´t influence the function of the suspension. Pedal efficiency up the hill and maximum traction down the hill are guaranteed!
- Control Cockpit: Wider and shorter are the two keys for greater control. Using wider handlebars and a shorter stem results in the same position for your upper body but a different position for your hands. With your hands positioned more widely you will have more control on the trail.
- Geometry Concept: Through years of experience, Ghost have developed a very effective principle that can now be found on all of their mountain bikes. The features are: short chainstays, a slack headtube angle, and a steep seat tube angle. The short chainstays give you manoeuvrability in corners, the slack headtube angle gives the control in the descents and the steep seat tube angle creates the best sitting position for efficient climbing. The magic combination of these three key measurements also results in the best wheelbase length and cockpit length for every frame size. The results is the optimum combination of manoeuvrability, control and propulsion.
- E:I Shock: Set your sag, adjust the rebound, go ride and the bike will do the rest! Open, Medium or Lock, these three modes are set automatically during the ride. Everything works automatically through an intelligent electric system. Two sensors do the job – the first sensor in the bottom bracket measures pedal activity and the second sensor on the fork measures the roughness of the terrain. In less than 0.1 seconds, the system changes the shock setting, and a controller on the handlebars allows you to fixate the mode if desired. The display on the handlebars shows the current shock-mode, but also numerous other functions like distance, temperature and time. During the ride, the E:i Shock does its job, letting you concentrate on the trail, enjoy the marvellous panorama, or chat with your mate!
- 27.5 Inch Wheels: The perfect combination of traction, dynamics and control. What seems to be such a small difference is exactly what convinces so many riders,it’s balanced and that’s how it feels.
- Hydroformed Aluminium: The process of hydroforming uses extremely high pressure liquids to form aluminium to the desired shape in a mold. One of the biggest advantages of the hydroforming process is summarized by the word ‘force flow’. This means that – every area of the frame is optimized not only for the best strength and stiffness, but also for the best force flow. In addition to the technical advantages the hydroforming process allows production of the most stunning designs.
Buy Ghost from Chain Reaction Cycles, the World’s Largest Online Bike Store.