Calibre has made a new-rider bargain in the Saw hardtail, and it’s half price for Black Friday
Calibre has a fearsome reputation for great value, bikes like the Two Cubed have topped our Best Hardtail Mountain Bike mega test for years now. And the latest bike to try and pick up the mantle is the Saw, which on paper looks like an absolute steal.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a week away now, and we’ll be scouring the web to find the best off-road deals this side of the Alps. And the other side too. But Go Outdoors looks like being well ahead of the game, with Black Friday sales already doing the rounds.
Calibre Saw | Save 50% at Go Outdoors
Was £500, now £250
Calibre makes some of the best entry-level bikes around, like the Bossnut which has been dominating our full-suspension grouptests for years now. We’ve yet to test the Calibre Saw, but the spec looks great, the lightweight alloy frame is a good backbone for a hardtail, and the price is out of this world. Just be aware you have to join Go Outdoors to get the 50% off, but that costs just £5.
Case in point, the Saw. At £250 the Saw should be relegated to the discount aisle of a German supermarket, but with a 6061 alloy frame, hydraulic brakes, Shimano gears and 100mm of suspension up front it actually belongs in a new rider’s shed.
In fact the Calibre Saw could well be the cheapest decent hardtail we’ve ever seen. We’ve yet to review it, but at a glance we can tell it’s not a throw-away bike that won’t last a season. That makes it an absolute bargain at the discount price of £250.
The Calibre Line T3-27 won our hardtails grouptest back in the summer, it’s better specced but shows just how competent Calibre is when it comes to making hardtails
How can we tell it’s decent? First up, that frame is going to be reasonably light, as it’s made from 6061 alloy and probably in the same place as the Calibre Two Cubed. Having a lightweight bike is really important on a first mtb because nothing spoils a good ride quicker than having to lug a battleship up a hill. It saps the bike’s liveliness going downhill and your strength going up. The Saw weighs a respectable 16kg.
Being Calibre, it’s also likely to be generous in sizing, as the Two Cubed was, although unhelpfully there’s no information on sizing on the website. You best bet is to head along to the Go Outdoors store and sit on the thing.
There’s no geometry data on the bike either, but Calibre does say it has “modern geometry”, implying a 68° head angle and relatively low bottom bracket height. The suspension fork has just 100mm travel but really that’s all you need on a beginner’s bike, and with limited travel it won’t upset the geometry too badly. The Suntour XCT is a decent performer, it uses a steel spring, which isn’t as useful as an air spring because you can’t set your sag accurately, but with a bike at £250 it’s a great achievement to have suspension at all.
Braking comes from Clarks M2 Hydraulic Disc Brakes, which we’ve reviewed and rated as fantastic performers, while the Shimano Acera shifting looks good too. Finally, tyres are super important as a mountain bike, the only point of contact with the trail they’re essential for cornering and braking grip. It looks like Kenda has supplied the tyres on the Saw, which is a good start because it’s an established brand with a decent reputation.
The Calibre Saw usually retails for £500, but to get the Black Friday deal and drop the price to £250 you need to be a member. Fortunately that’s just £5 a year, so really the price should read: £255.