Saracen Mantra Race LSL review

The Saracen Mantra Race LSL sports some typical Saracen geometry: it is long AF. The reach on this L is 490mm, which will ride longer when sagged.

Pros

• Descent focussed geometry
• Excellent build kit
• Good pricing in the sales

Cons

• Relatively short chain stays (for its long reach)
• 150mm dropper is limiting
• The cheaper Mantra Elite LSL is potentially even better

• Brand: Saracen
• Product: Mantra Race LSL
• Price: £2,799.99 £1,999.99
• From: Freewheel
• Tested by: Aran Francis for 3 months
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I grew up on hardtails. I was the last of my mates to move to a full suspension as we got older (and faster). When it came time for a new bike, with limited funds I would always prefer to buy a proper kitted-out hardtail than a heavily-used, low-spec, full-sus for the same price.

Now I’m a full-time full-sus rider, I can see the appeal of a hardtail from a simplicity point of view. No linkage, no pivot bearings, no rear shock. Just less to worry about maintaining. 

I’ve been mostly riding big travel enduro bikes, dabbling in some downhill and enduro racing over the past few years. Whilst I have occasionally borrowed a hardtail for coaching, cross-country or even the odd BMX track race, this Saracen is the first time I’ve ridden a hardtail in anger since 2020 and the capability of this thing was immediately clear. 

LSL stands for long, slack and low. The first thing that was abundantly clear is that the Mantra is properly long. On the large, tested in this review, the reach is 490mm and with a 64° head angle it’s decently slack too. Coupled with a capable 140mm travel Fox 36 fork (with a proper GRIP2 damper) this is a hardtail that’s geared up for some gnar.

Straight off the bat it felt pretty alien being on a hardtail with these sort of numbers. Whilst I am often sceptical when long, slack bikes are criticised as wandering and vague, the only real issue I occasionally had with the Mantra was related to its length and slackness (possibly its not-that-long chainstays also). In tighter corners it can be tough to get the weight over the front wheel. As a result if you’re not expecting it, the front wheel can get away from you when you are pushing through corners. I did notice this slightly on jumps as well, with the Mantra not being as flicky and nimble in the air as expected. However, this isn’t intended to be a dirt jumper, and it was far from letting me down in the air. Instead the length introduced some added stability. 

Overall thoiugh the benefits of the length and slackness of the Mantra are clear. First off, this thing handles steep tracks arguably better than my full-sus enduro bike. The length and the slackness means not only do you feel nice and confident, but having less weight over the front means that on the brakes I didn’t find myself diving into the fork travel as much. Secondly, the Saracen Mantra Race LSL is a mullet (27.5 inch rear wheel with a 29 inch front), this means it offers some extra space before you buzz your bum on the back wheel.

Talking of brakes, this is another aspect where the Mantra really shines. Whilst I am big a fan of the Shimano XT 4-pots in general, the Mantra’s geometry aids the stopping power; the shortish chainstay make it easy to get weight on to the back tyre. As a package, the geometry, brake spec and decent weight of this bike means that stopping is a fairly instant experience. The braking performance of the Mantra has been very good at getting me out of trouble!

Which is just as well because the Mantra itself is very good at getting you into trouble. The aggressive geometry and stout forks really let you get up to speed quickly and feel confident on the steep stuff. At this speed I found myself quickly forgetting the bike is a hardtail, hitting an extra rough bit of track and suddenly running out of talent. When out of control I always find the negatives of a bike begin to get amplified. Whilst, yes, the short and rigid back end starts chucking you around if you push too hard, the overall wheelbase length means you just get that little bit of extra correction time to avoid going over the bars. 

As with most Saracens of late, the Mantra could do with a much longer dropper than the 150mm post it comes specced with. I am on the lower end of the Large bracket and I’m running the KS Lev Integra a fair way out of the frame.

Does a very downhill-capable bike mean a poor climbing bike? Whilst this is to an extent true the mantra hasn’t really lost much of its hardtail uphill capability in its efforts to cope with the downhills. So much so that I even regularly used the mantra to commute into university and then hit the tracks straight after. The slackish seat angle and shortish chain stays are noticeable on the climbs (the front end gets undesirably light at times).

Generally speaking, the Mantra is a decent all-rounder bike. I would just as happily take it on a long XC slog over the moors as I would thrash it about the woods with my mates. As mentioned, I have even taken it to a BMX training session. Whilst I did get some funny looks lining up on a gate with what can only be described as a battleship when surrounded by 20 inch BMXs, it seemed to handle the track surprisingly well; stiff enough to pump and generate speed (but having the suspension to cope with my vagueness at judging a landing).

Finally, perhaps I should address the ‘race’ part of the Mantra Race LSL. Simply put, if I was to enter in the hardtail category for an enduro or even DH race, this is the bike I would want to take. By the by, for those more enduro-inclined there are an impressive three mounting points for bottle cages or kit stashes.

The capability of the Mantra LSL is what impressed me most. Usually on a test bike, I start tailoring my rides to complement the bike’s strengths ie. for a hardtail I would typically be looking at less gnarly tracks than I would approach on a full-sus bike. Pretty soon I realised this really isn’t necessary for the Mantra, the bike handled pretty much any track I took it down. Again this means that your bike is not going to be the limiting factor on a group ride if it starts getting steep and rough.

Even if the ride may not be as grippy/fast/comfortable as it could be on a full squish bike, you will get the bottom, very probably still in one piece.

The only real pitfall of the Mantra is that this capability does to an extent compromise how nimble it is. It is a sub-30lb hardtail so you will always be able to chuck it around to an extent, however its long front centre vetoes a truly flicky feel. Having said that, this compromise for me is totally worth it when the rewards are such a massive capability.

Overall

Overall then I would say that the Saracen Mantra Race LSL is an impressively capable do it all hardtail. The best use for a hardtail in my eyes is on grim days in winter sliding down tracks with your mates. The Mantra would be more than up to this task. Grippy, confident and aggressive. Fun on a stick.

Saracen Mantra Race LSL specification

• Frame // 6061 Aluminium
• Fork // Fox 36 Performance Elite GRIP2 140mm
• Wheels // DT Swiss EX511 rims on Shimano XT hubs
• Front Tyre // Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 29×2.3in
• Rear Tyre // Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 27.5×2.3in
• Chainset // Shimano XT, 170mm, 32T
• Brakes // Shimano XT 4-pot
• Drivetrain // Shimano XT, 12sp, 10-51T
• Stem // Raceface Turbine 35, 50mm
• Handlebars // Raceface Next R Carbon 35, 780x35mm
• Grips // ODI Elite Motion Lock-on
• Seat Post // KS Lev Integra, 150mm, 30.9mm
• Saddle // Saracen Custom CrMo MTB
• Weight // 13.6kg

Geometry of our L size

• Head angle // 64°
• Effective seat angle // 75°
• Seat tube length // 460mm
• Head tube length // 115mm
• Chainstay // 440mm
• Wheelbase // 1,260mm
• Effective top tube // 664mm
• BB height // 20/45mm BB drop
• Reach // 490mm

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Review Info

Brand:	Saracen
Product:	Mantra Race LSL
From:	Freewheel
Price:	£2,799.99
Tested:	by Aran Francis for 3 months