We’ve certainly no complaints about the chassis. There’s only so much cross-country work you can enjoy/endure on a 16.3kg (36lb) bike with downhill tyres however well it pedals, and this bike is just gagging for a shorter stem to enable it to play properly.

The superb pedal response of the DW system meant that despite being the heaviest bike on test, the Horse outclimbed everything else with pretty contemptuous ease, and hustled flat sections far better too. If you attempt to really hammer it through multi-hit sections it starts shuddering, clanking and coughing up control pretty soon, but keep your weight back and nose light and you’ll cope just fine. The Marzocchi fork does needs a bit more TLC and consideration, though. The fact that we felt absolutely no need to fiddle with the shock settings also left our heads clear to concentrate on the important issue of what we were going to do to the trail, not what the trail was going to do to us. Even when the shock was probably using too much mid-stroke, the DW link action meant it didn’t slow down or fudge braking or pedalling response, and it never once bottomed out harshly. DHX Air shocks aren’t the most consistent feeling cans in the world, but the 6Point suspension dropped, cornered and ploughed through boulder fields superbly.

In fact, it’s a great tribute to the chassis and dynamics of the DW link suspension that we coped with the slightly curious choice of stem as well as we did. But there’s no doubting that it neuters the handling and responsiveness in the extreme situations that the bike otherwise has the potential to really shine on. Iron Horse have put on a cross-country/all-mountain length stem to add a bit of breathing space for climbs, and more cross-country-bred riders will feel at home on the trail.

Iron horse bike specs