Key Points

• The Codeine goes to 27.5 wheels after three years of development
• Slacker angles and longer travel point to a change in intended use
• Full Marzocchi suspension

Remind me, what is On-One again?

On-One is a brand straight out of Sheffield’s thriving mountain bike industry. It is probably best known for its aggressive 456 hardtail but it does also make a range of other bikes including the full-suss Codeine. The original Codeine was a 29 inch all-mountain bike but it is going to be revamped as a 650b enduro bike for 2016.

Isn’t it a bit behind the curve on that?

Potentially yes. The original Codeine came out at the start of 2014 when the wheel size battle was still in motion.

On-One has said it was considering 27.5 inch wheels for the original Codeine but it envisioned the bike as an all-mountain mile muncher and decided that bigger wheels were better for that application.

As 27.5 inch wheels emerged as the best option for longer travel bikes, On-One did not want to compromise by simply sticking 650b wheels on a bike that wasn’t really designed for them.

So the new On-One Codeine not only has new wheels but also longer travel and a revised geometry to suit. It has apparently been three years in the making and seems to be more of an enduro sled than the do-it-all 29er version.

Watch: will it be more capable than the similarly priced Capra AL 1?

So what’s the new bike like?

Besides the wheels, the most obvious change comes in terms of travel. The original Codeine had 140mm at the front and 130mm at the rear. The new version is beefed up to 160/150mm.

This is complimented by a new geometry that sees the Codeine slackened to a 65.5° head angle (2° steeper than the 29er) and 72° seat angle. This gives the medium a reach of 440mm, roughly equivalent to a large framed YT Capra, meaning this is a bike with thoroughbred descending potential.

How has it been specced?

The bike has full Marzocchi suspension with the gorgeous looking Cappuccino coating coming as an added bonus. There are two build options available: one with SRAM XO/1 and one with SRAM GX. Both bikes come with Reverb Stealth seatposts that removes the ugly cable routing from the original Codeine.

How much will one of these set me back?

The XO/1 model will cost £2,499.99 (a price raise of £100 from the 29er version) and the GX version comes in at £1,999.99. There will also be a frame only option for £900. The On-One Codeine is on sale now here