Calibre Bikes Overhaul the Bargain Bossnut for 2019

Aug 9, 2019
by Calibre Bikes  
Views: 3,246    Faves: 1    Comments: 0


PRESS RELEASE: Calibre Bikes

Driven by the idea that good geometry shouldn't come at a cost, our head designer, Mike Sanderson, set about designing a bike that would provide people new to the sport with the perfect platform to get them as stoked on riding bikes as he was. Too many lower end bikes are let down by long stems, narrow bars, steep head angles and tiny reaches, the Bossnut gave riders an option for something truly capable without having to break the bank. 130mm travel front and rear, appropriate finishing kit and tyres which don't need immediately replacing if you want any grip: the complete package.

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With each successive year, we refined the frame, adding internal dropper post routing and tweaking the geometry based on feedback from magazines and testers to keep the Bossnut firmly on top in all the group tests. But times have changed. Introducing the all-new Bossnut. New frame, with hydroformed tubing and bolt through rear end. New spec; SRAM SX Eagle 12 Speed and RockShox Recon RL fork. And new geometry, firmly putting the Bossnut back on the map as a capable entry level bike (full spec available here). Our young pinner, Kenzie Nevard, recently rode this same frame to 3rd place at this years British National Downhill Championships, showing just how much abuse this thing will take. It's as at home cruising flow trails in Morzine as it is on your local trail centre loop.

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The Womens Bossnut has also been revamped with an identical spec, making it an option for an alternative colour way should you be looking for something a little less red.

In order to celebrate the release of the new bike, we headed to Leeds Urban Bike Park to meet up with some of the guys and gals from the Calibre Bossnut Riders Group, an independent Facebook group set up by Calibre riders, to shoot a video showing off the best of Bossnut. It was a privilege to put some faces to names and get to know the riders who make Calibre the brand it is.

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Available now for £1100 *with your GO Outdoors Discount Card.

Keep up to date with all things Calibre on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

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Author Info:
RideCalibre avatar

Member since Nov 17, 2016
18 articles

78 Comments
  • 66 2
 Dental office receptionists will love this thing!
  • 20 0
 I love my dental office receptionist
  • 9 0
 @generationfourth: Are you a dentist?
  • 6 0
 @DarrellW: He didn't say that she loves him back..
  • 2 0
 @hirvi: nobody said its a girl ..????
  • 34 1
 So good to see bikes like this, for those new to the sport or not on a 5k budget. The updated frame and colours make it look way more premium than the price tag would suggest.

odd they have labelled the other colour a 'female' bike seeing as its spec is identical, or is it a women specific geo? I prefer it to the red!
  • 12 1
 That grey / teal colourway is sweet. I would go that route if the geometry were the same.


That said, still not available in the U.S.
  • 6 1
 They will ship it here for $10 @ninjatarian:
  • 3 0
 @ninjatarian: Agreed, teal and grey works for me
  • 6 0
 The teal and grey does look better.
  • 1 0
 @ninjatarian: The geometry is the same though isn't it? The bar width is the only difference.
  • 1 0
 @mgolder: Really not sure- I wish they had expounded a bit more on that topic. Could just be a different shock tune or components, like narrow bars.
  • 1 0
 Geo is the same for the women. Confirmed in video on singletrackworld.com by the maker. Only difference is the bars.
  • 29 1
 B U S T N U T
  • 12 1
 @dicky21: I see what you did there. Standover still looks a touch high to me.
  • 8 3
 Seat tubes need to be shortened by 40mm+ on steeper stuff the saddle will get in the way, head angle slackened by 1° and another 5-10 mm for the rear chainstays on the longer frames.
  • 1 1
 Glad to see another Mr Hang-so-Low
  • 2 0
 Bust-a-nut and Booty Sweat
  • 28 2
 In this world of $9000USD Yetis, anything that provides a reasonable entry point into the sport is fantastic
  • 13 1
 Jeeezh! £1100. F me. Black stanchions all over the place, plus eagle. Crazy. Seriously considering selling my current bike, buying one of these and have enough money spair for a bike holiday to morzine.
  • 3 1
 That's the discount card price only, and it seems you need to visit Go Outdoors in person and pay a few quid to get hold of one. Otherwise I fully agree, that's a stonking price point
  • 4 1
 @gkeele: it's £5 for a card, renewable every 12 months
  • 5 1
 @gkeele: So £1105 for the bike - that is fantastic value for what the bike does and comes kitted out with. It isn't about the fancy kit labels, but it offers the same abilities as the more expensive bikes, so well worth the money.
  • 2 1
 @ShoodNoBetter: You're missing my point - you would have to drive over 500 miles just to get to a shop, in order to get the discount card, in order to be able to buy the bike online. The price is great, having to go and buy a card in person so you can shop online is not. I'm lucky enough to live in the SW anyway, but Go Outdoors seem to be acting like they're a national chain when they're not.
  • 5 1
 @gkeele: I ordered their astronaut dj bike last year. Bought the discount card online. Shipping was around 30 dollars and got to the US in 3 days.
  • 2 1
 @gkeele: I'm not sure you have to in order to buy online - I think you can get the 1100 price anyway online - that's what I've done in the past (admittedly not on bikes, but other camping gear)
  • 3 1
 Come on, it's not over 500 miles really unless you live in the arse hole of nowhere. Even with petrol for this 500 mile drive it's a bargain.
  • 1 1
 @Davec85: I was referring to @ShoodNoBetter, who happens to be Scottish
  • 2 0
 @CullenHerring: According to their website you are not currently able to buy the card online. So hopefully that's a short-term state of affairs. But it's also saying the bikes are only available for collection.
  • 2 0
 @thingswelike: Having actually clicked through checkout you do get the £1100 price indeed, I'm thoroughly confused by the discount card thing TBH
  • 3 0
 @gkeele: They have outlets all over the UK, including several in Scotland. Is that not national?
  • 3 0
 @gkeele: I was at their store in Inverness last week, so they do actually have stores in the arsehole of nowhere! Lol.
  • 3 0
 @gkeele: You can buy the card and the bike online. No need to be driving 500 miles at all.
  • 2 0
 @gkeele: shouldn't you be walking if you're up in Scotland?
  • 1 0
 @gkeele: Nope, not missing your point at all. GoOutdoors have shops in loads of places, so no need to travel far but they also do online so you don't even need to leave your house to buy one. These a excellent bikes for new riders to get, those new riders will be less fussy about what it has or hasn't got and will be happy to pay that price to get such a capable bike (geometry helps with that and this has great geometry).
Your point was to suggest it was such a good deal as you had to buy a membership card...for the fiver, the discount is easily worth it and doing online means you don't need to drive the half hour to a shop.
  • 1 0
 @ShoodNoBetter: I wasn't disparaging the bike or the company at all.. simply confused by the website. Evidently it only shows me stores within a certain distance of myself, which along with the statement saying you can't buy a card online, suggested to me that actually buying one could prove tricky for some people. Apparently I was wrong, but I never questioned the price or the performance on offer.
  • 1 0
 @mgolder: www.gooutdoors.co.uk/discount-card

What's the first line on that page?
  • 10 0
 Pinkbike should set-up a new segment... Star on a reasonably priced bike. Famous riders set out on a given trail or course to set a time, get a resident racer of pinkbike to test all of the exotics on said trail... Dirt version of TopGear, GO!!!
  • 3 1
 Their sponsors/advertiser's would never go for that.
  • 2 0
 @onemind123: as long as they cover the face, it's gonna be okay. Dress the resident racer in an all white kit while we're at that.
  • 1 0
 @rifu: yup..just like top gear..or the other way around,repaint a budget bike with a solid colour,no design/marking whatsoever,make racers ride the exact same bike & compare their times.Lets see who’s on top.Its a level playing field.Same bike/spec,same trail.Should be super exciting.
  • 16 9
 It's a shame they moved to 12-speed. It's a bad choice for someone just getting into the sport imho. A wide-range 9 or 10 speed would be lighter and less finicky.
  • 8 1
 I imagine their choice in the matter is restricted.

At this price-point every little helps and if SRAM offered better pricing (or likely 10spd wasnt even available) on the 12 speed stuff then thats whats getting put on the bike.
  • 1 0
 @rifu: I am dying to try this drivetrain.
  • 7 2
 Looks like a great bike, I brought a bourdman mtr 8.8 as a spare bike, got to say it rides as well as a kona process 134, or an on one codiene up and down hill, if anything it's let down by its rockshox delux air shock, well over damped, but better than it being a pogo stick I suppose.. Most trail center riders will never need anything more than these bikes can provide.i recently did a demo day on the new santa cruz High tower cc and nukeproof mega 290,these cheaper bikes arnt a million miles away from any of the best bikes. It's a bike you have to ride it, if your a fat usless dentist it wount matter if your bikes carbon and worth 7000 quid you'll still be shit...
  • 2 0
 Much improved over past versions, looks better too. You have to wonder...buy this, add a few choice upgrades (dropper, brakes etc) and you’re still well under £2k, and will rip just as much as an off the peg (and pricier) Trek, Spec etc and will probably have a better spec with the upgrades. Decent riders just using trail centres etc, surely it’s all they’ll need. And cheap enough to replace in a few years. Seems a win-win.
  • 2 0
 I purchased two Evo’s on sale for the wife and I and did not have to buy the discount card. It was cheap to ship but where you get hit is the import fees, $600 for two bikes. Even with the $300.00 addition each your not finding a bike with the spec/geo for the price here in the US ($15-1600.00). Threw a dropper and some tires on the wife’s and she absolutely loves it. I sold mine for some more travel but it is a great riding bike. I’ve always purchased bikes at the mid-range price point, the Bossnut didn’t feel any different in terms of quality. We have hit the bikes parks (season passes), local single track, and big mountain rides with zero issues.
  • 2 1
 Looks sweet, big improvement on the previous versions. A kinked top tube on the larger sizes would of been nice but for the money it looks seriously impressive. Teal version looks awesome too, If there’s zero differences between spec and sizing seems odd to gender the colours? Oh well, good thing we live in a gender fluid world hey, will feel slightly less self-conscious when im riding around on my new ‘girls’ bike.
  • 6 2
 I would say its more than reasonable. Its more bike than most people will ever 'out ride'. Extremely good value.
  • 2 1
 Calibre! You need to figure out how to get USA distribution again. I bought your Astronut (which I freaking love) but now I cant buy your bikes anymore from GoOutdoors. Lost revenue guys. You could be the new YT. Low margin, high volume and decent quality.
  • 2 1
 Cheap frames with cheap parts at cheap prices. Yes - pretty much nothing else matches the spec at the price, but these are entry level bikes only and any keen rider will want to move onto something better quickly. They do not hold value in resale and won't have the longevity of better brands.
Shopping around for a well specced 2nd hand bike can provide better value for money and a better ride.
One area where Calibre excel is press releases. It's very difficult to find any genuine reviews of their bikes, but there's an abundance of paid for promotional "reviews".
I fully expect to cop a lot of shit for expressing this unpopular opinion, but I've got some experience of Calibre and I would hesitate to recommend them to anyone now.
  • 2 0
 I don’t buy a bike for the potential re-sale value (it’s not a VW Golf). It’ll get ridden, scuffed, scratched and give me a laugh for the 3 years (or however long) I keep it, then if someone does want it, I’ll get what I can as a bonus. Most people I speak to with these say they’re robust. My partners Voodoo Majii full-suss is still going strong after 2 years, and it’s cheaper, less specc’d than the Calibre.
  • 1 0
 @GazeeMW: I don't buy bikes for their re-sale value either, but if you are buying a Calibre you probably have a limited budget, so that may be a consideration for some. It's an entry level bike, so lots of buyers will progress rapidly to the point where spending more makes sense.
My point is that you could buy a better specced second hand bike for similar money which might also hold some re-sale value if you decide to upgrade within a relatively short space of time.
  • 6 2
 Looks like a...reasonably priced bike
  • 1 0
 Apparently the only difference between the two versions, apart from colour, is that the ‘womens’ is specced with a narrower handlebar. Apart from that exactly the same.
  • 3 1
 now I know my endurocarbon exp is a VVVEEEEEERYYY costing bike....WTF!!!....Sh...at!!!
  • 4 0
 Awesome deal, ugly bike.
  • 1 0
 Well, I'm a pretty big fan.
  • 2 0
 We've gone a little bit longer..... A little bit slacker..... Said every bike company that's renewed a model of their range.
  • 2 2
 Not sure why Brit's still refer to bike parks/tracks as 'trail centres'. Sounds like you're visiting a garden centre that will sell you a small trail for your garden by a man called Graham.
  • 2 1
 whens the non red colourway onsale? @ridecalibre
  • 1 1
 so he rode a downcountry bike on a downhill race? oohhhh
soon we gonna have Downcountry World Championship?
  • 1 0
 Really good energy in that video.
  • 2 1
 Sold
  • 2 1
 Bravo calibre.
  • 2 2
 metal single pivots are so hot right now
  • 1 2
 Should be called the busted nut!
  • 4 6
 It needs a dropper post...
  • 9 0
 No, it doesn't. Nice to see such a low price tag. A dropper would add cost and troubles. Any buyer who thinks differently is free to upgrade it to his liking. Way to go !
  • 12 3
 you can always upgrade with Brand X...
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I got a Satori Sorata Pro dropper post for 90eur shipped, riding it since January without any issues. I don´t know how the first maintenance will go, as it seems to be a locked down cartridge.
  • 4 4
 @zoobab2: cartridges to certain droppers cost less than a piston kit to Reverb...
  • 1 2
 @WAKIdesigns: I sent my leaking Reverb on maintenance, it costed me 120eur, 30eur more then a new Satori :-(
  • 1 0
 @zoobab2: here in Norway a reverb service will cost you 160 eur, and they say you have to take it at least annually to maintain guarantee.
  • 1 0
 @erikskon: don't you use kroner?
  • 2 4
 I see what you did there. Standover still looks a touch high to me.
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