Made in Arkansas: Allied Cycle Works Launches Carbon Mountain Bike
Inspired by the Arkansas trails around its headquarters, Allied Cycle Works releases its first-ever full-suspension mountain bike.
With Arkansas’ forested mountains offering some of the country’s best singletrack, the latest bike from Allied Cycle Works seemed inevitable.
On July 14, the company released the BC40, a mountain bike named for the iconic Back 40 trail system that winds through the mountains and valleys near Bentonville.
The bike represents several firsts for Allied. Surprisingly, it’s the company’s first full-suspension mountain bike. It’s also the first bike designed fully by Allied, from front to rear. Blending XC race designs with downcountry abilities, the BC40 was designed, built, and tested at the company’s factory in Northwest Arkansas.
Research & Development
The sleek and classy-looking bike released this week represents more than 2 years of research and development, said Allied Cycle Works CEO Drew Medlock in a press release.
Medlock noted that designing the bike through the pandemic came with challenges. Supply chain issues caused frequent problems throughout the process, he said. Despite that, Allied finished the development of the BC40 while also doubling its in-house manufacturing capacity.
“We can’t wait to see this bike pushed to the limit by our athletes Lea Davison and Payson McElveen at the upcoming Leadville 100, Marathon Nationals, and more,” Medlock said.
Allied Cycle Works BC40 Features
With the BC40, Allied has created a cross-country bike mixed with an all-day trail sled. According to company specs, the carbon frame weighs just 4.5 pounds, good news for Allied athletes like McElveen and Davison.
It’s based on 120/120mm travel but will also have optional setups in 100mm and 110mm. That makes the bike more flexible: functional for pure XC races and downcountry.
The frame’s 29 x 2.4-inch tire clearance will work with downcountry tires like the Rekon and Maxxis Forekaster, among others. The BC40 accepts 29-inch wheels and uses a 73mm English threaded bottom bracket.
Framesets for the BC40 start at about $5,590. The builds are relatively less expensive than others. The Shimano XT8100, for example, with Fox suspension, starts at just over $7,600. The highest-end SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS will cost more than $12,000.
While the bike has a matte color design in its promotional photos, the BC40 is made to order, and a wide array of custom colors are available for an additional fee.
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