First impression: Ghost AMR Riot 9

By Eric McKeegan, photos by Adam Newman

Let’s get the basic stuff out of the way about this company first. One: Ghost is a German brand, part of the Accell group (parent company of many brands, including Raleigh, Diamondback, Redline and others). Two: Starting soon, Ghost will be available, via a dealer network, across Canada. Three: No current plans for U.S. distribution.

OK, now let’s get on to the bike. This is the AMR Riot, a carbon fiber 130mm trail bike with 27.5 wheels. The rear suspension is a Horst Link design, with an extra link tucked into the bottom bracket area. It moves on Norglide bushings.

The first bit of the travel is on the regressive side of things, which helps keep suspension bob in check, getting more plush mid-stroke for more better bump absorption. That extra link changes the progression of the suspension over the last 20 percent of the travel as the progression ramps up aggressively, to the point where it’s nearly impossible to bottom out the shock.

The rest of the bike features all of the stuff we’ve come to expect on modern trail bikes, with nice little touches that show someone at Ghost is paying attention. The internal routing has multiple optional for entry plugs to get a custom set up depending out your cable routing needs, be it for 1x , 2x or 3x drivetrains, brake lever set-up (moto or standard) and dropper post choice.

The cables run inside the bottom bracket shell out through the chainstasy, eliminating the common ugly loop of cable under the BB. The BB92 press fit bottom bracket is standard enough, but a small plastic chain catcher keeps the chain from falling off the little ring. And finally the rear brake mount is a post style, but it is a separate aluminum piece that uses the rear axle as the rear mounting point.

The Riot will be available in five sizes. All sizes share a 68-degree head angle, 17.1 chainstays and 73.5-degree seat angle. The size large I rode has a 24 inch top tube, matched to a 60mm stem (which is stock for all sizes) was a fine fit for my 5 foot 11 self.

There will be three trim levels available, all with Shimano groups and Fox suspension. I headed out for a nice ride with Ghost’s Ruben Torenbeek. We spun down to the Lost Lake area in Whistler and got right to it on a technical climb. Right off the bat, I noticed the Riot is the the best pedaling FSR-style bike I’ve ever ridden. I never touched the CTD lever on the rear shock, and never felt the need to do so. Even with the dropper post slammed, out of the saddle the suspension behaved itself, resisting bob without feeling too harsh. It’s almost dw-link feeling, in a very good way.

Headed back down similar terrain, this was an easy bike to get used to, with very little time needed to adapt. I didn’t get info on the BB height, but it felt low enough to corner to corner aggressively, but not too low as to smash pedals and cranks while climbing.

Unfortunately, without U.S. distribution, this may be the only ride I’ll ever have on the Riot, which is a shame. From my short time on it, I came away impressed, and would love some more time on it. I’m a bit jealous of the people living within the global Ghost dealer zone.

Specs

130mm front and rear
27.5 wheels
Full carbon frame
Aluminum linkage parts
RIOTLink suspension system, patented pending by Ghost Bikes.
Disconnect Brake Mount, a new design brake mount where forces go directly into the X12 axle instead of the seat stays
Frame weight: 2.1kg
3 models: AMR Riot 5/7/9
Fully internal cable routing
BB92 bottom bracket
Tapered Headtube
Reverb Stealth seatpost
68 degree headangle
73.5 degree seat tube angle
435mm chainstays
Composite bushings