UK based Maxim Bikes are a new name, and one that we should definitely be keeping an eye on judging by this Leela. The Maxim Bikes lineup is currently a three strong affair with a DH bike and a 4X bike sitting either side of this 150mm travel Leela. There’s one common theme that runs throughout the range too, and that’s affordable price tags. The two guys who have set up the company have always been mad about mountain biking, but being young they never had loads of money to spend on bikes so when they decided to take the plunge and set up their own bike brand accessibility was always a key consideration.
The whole direct selling thing obviously helps to keep costs down, but they’ve also looked to keep things simple where there’s no point in being overly complicated. This Leela is a good example of that too as it is based around a classic 4-bar linkage suspension design, and tube profile wise there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Why waste money on stuff that’s not really necessary hey. What they reckon they have done though is spend time getting both the suspension and geometry right through their own input and that of their team riders. Our initial impressions in both of those respects is good.
The frame is definitely built on the solid side, particularly at the rear, and as a result it definitely isn’t the lightest 150mm travel frame. But the Leela has been designed so that you can throw it down a hill without any worries whatsoever about reliability, and we definitely think there’s a place for that kind of frame after some of the lightweight and fragile feeling bikes that we’ve ridden. At the end of the day it’s still light enough to be ridden up hills, and as the old saying goes…strong, light, cheap…pick two.
Options wise there are two sizes and you can buy the Leela as either a frame only or a complete build. If you’re just going for the frame then you’re best off going for one with a RockShox Monarch rear shock as that is what the frame has been designed around, but if you really want Maxim Bikes can supply you with an X-Fusion or Fox shock. There are two full build options; the Pro with high-end kit such as Fox forks, XTR and a Reverb, and then the Comp comes with Rockshox Sektor RL forks and SLX kit. If you fancy something a bit different though to either of those builds then Maxim Bikes are willing to do one-off custom builds.
Anyway, below is a little promo video for the frame and all the pricing details…
Frame Only: £999.99
Frame Inc Monarch RT3: £1099.99
Frame Inc Monarch Plus RC3: £1199.99
Leela Comp: £2499.99
Leela Pro: £3499.99
