THE DIRT
Combined with its’ upright stance, the raked out head angle meant that particular attention was required to weight the front wheel in corners initially. After some time on the bike though this position encouraged attacking corners, and especially shone when bashing through rowdy terrain, where you have a very solid and stable base on the bike. This “attack” position combines with the short rear to spur on popping around the trail and pulling manuals at every opportunity, capturing the playful nature that BTR had intended.

Seated climbing position is reasonable thanks to the 76 degree effective seat tube angle. For my long legs this seat angle does begin to slacken as the actual is 74 degrees, but even so there was little need to consciously weight the bars until climbing the steepest of the steeps, even with the short stays. When seated, the rear end remains quite neutral and bob-free under power, but the weight of the bike with the build I was testing (which was particularly burly) did prevent it from having the snappiest acceleration I’ve encountered. Standing up and giving it some gas, the 130mm rear end doesn’t behave like most others – there’s not quite the support you’d usually expect. However, flicking the compression lever on the EXT Storia shock improved the pedalling platform considerably, without rendering it useless for mellower descents, so you can almost experience a dual personality on the Pinner with the Storia on the rear end. The flip side is that when seated climbing, the lack of chain force causing an extension of the rear end allows the rear wheel to react well to rougher terrains, finding a healthy amount of grip to get you up the chunkier ascents. Nevertheless, the Pinner is clearly not your typical 130mm travel bike on the climbs, but then it’s quite clear that this is not a bike that’s intended to be used exclusively on smooth, pathed tracks…

When things start going down, the Pinner truly comes alive. If it had spotify built in (other music streaming services are available..) then I’ve no doubt that Metallica would blare out at full volume every time you dropped in to a gnarly descent. The aggressive geometry and outstandingly robust construction combines with a rear end that’s incredibly plush and sensitive, to create a machine that embodies nothing short of a downhill rig, just with less cushion to take the sting out of bigger hits. That said, you’d never guess that the rear end only has 130mm travel – the progression combined with the damping quality of the EXT shock suggest a bike with longer legs; more so than I’ve ever experienced. Through all situations on the descent, you’re met with sensitivity and control that’s truly impressive – hard braking doesn’t phase the BTR, and there’s just enough support to generate adequate ‘pop’ when jumping too. The burliness of the rear end does detract somewhat from the off-camber grip that many steel bikes have on offer, but the sturdy feeling that results inspires confidence of the highest order when things get wild. The low bb and short rear end combine to make whipping around corners a pleasure, especially when there’s some serious G’s involved.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The BTR Pinner certainly won’t be to everyones tastes, but few bikes come close to matching the raw aggression that it encourages every time you so much as look at it. It’s by no means the tool that I’d reach for to go on a mellow pedal, but it’s an excellent tool to go and thrash around the woods or attack a bike park, knowing it’s likely to outlast every component on your bike five times over.

Frame Price: Starting at £3000.00
Website: BTR-Fabrications.com