Spot Mayhem 140
Wheel Size: 29’’
Travel: 140 mm rear / 150 mm front (160 mm optional)
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 65.2º (150 mm fork) / 64.7º (160 mm fork)
- Seat tube angle: 77º (size Large, 150 mm fork) / 76.6º (size Large, 160 mm fork)
- Reach: 475 mm (size Large, 150 mm fork) / 470 mm ( size Large, 160 mm fork)
- Chainstay length: 435 mm
Frame Material: Carbon Fiber
Price:
- Frame w/ RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock: $3,799
- Complete bikes: $5,999 to $9,499
Intro
Spot’s new Mayhem 140 represents a thorough redesign of the Mayhem platform, and according to Spot, will replace both the Mayhem 130 and 150. The foundation of the Mayhem 140 is the third iteration of Spot’s Living Link suspension system, combined with an all-new frame design. There are some innovative things going on at Spot, so let’s dig in and see what they’ve come up with.
The Frame
The Mayhem 140 is Spot’s ninth full-suspension bike, and it debuts the third version of the Living Link suspension system, called “Inversion”. Aesthetically, there’s no real resemblance to the outgoing Mayhems, or the Ryve for that matter. On those bikes, the Living Link system is positioned behind the seat tube, whereas on the Mayhem 140 it moves to the front of the seat tube — plus the shock eyelet mounting location has changed from the top tube to the downtube. The frame has an asymmetric support arm that aligns with the shock mounting, which Spot names the “Slaybar”, that essentially subdivides the mainframe into two triangles. Spot claims this new design is 56% stronger than the Mayhem 150, and 10% lighter than the Mayhem 130, while exceeding the requirements for ASTM 4 certification.
Spot’s Living Link suspension system is based around a leaf spring that flexes when the suspension moves. Spot says the “Inversion” update to this design has the leaf spring and main pivot “flipped upside down” in relation to the previous generation. Spot also states that the new design adds negative spring force at the beginning of the stroke, then positive force in the sag range, and neutral force at bottom out. Another benefit to the new version is substantially fewer parts — there are only 6 bearings in the entire suspension system, which are mounted to the links instead of the frame members.
On the kinematics side, the Mayhem 140 has some pretty unique-looking suspension graphs. The anti-squat curve starts at around 110% at top out, then rises up to around 125% at 30% travel, stays relatively flat to 50% travel, and finally drops off steeply to around 80% at bottom out. The curve has more of a dome shape than we’re used to seeing, with peak anti-squat numbers right in the sag range, and lower values on either end. [Spot doesn’t specify what gear ratio, or where the center of gravity is, for the published anti-squat graph.]
The leverage rate curve is equally as interesting as the anti-squat curve and has three distinct phases. It starts a little over 2.6:1, then drops quite sharply to around 2.35:1 at 45 mm of travel, where it flattens out through 100 mm of travel, then falls steeply again to around 2.2:1 at bottom out. The leaf spring’s contribution to the leverage rate curve adds leverage and progression at the beginning of the travel due to the leaf springs negative force, and then helps flatten the curve through the mid-stroke with positive force, and is said to be neutral towards the end of the travel.
On paper, the suspension kinematics look promising, and Spot claims that the Mayhem 140 offers improved small bump sensitivity over the Mayhem 130 and 150, excellent traction with efficient pedaling performance in the sag range, support in the mid-stroke, decreased pedal feedback, and good bottom out protection without the need for a ton of air can tuning. There’s seemingly a lot to like here, and we’re looking forward to getting one on the trail to see how it all comes together.
Spot has incorporated a new pivot axle locking system on the Mayhem 140. The SprockLock system does away with traditional collet-type hardware that relies on friction to prevent loosening, in favor of a plate that indexes into the frame and meshes with teeth machined into the head of the axle, creating a true mechanical locking interface.
Another frame detail to get excited about, and one that will undoubtedly make mechanics happy, is that all the pivot hardware and fasteners (including the cable ports) are accessed from the non-drive side. Additionally, the water bottle mount is integrated into the leaf spring mounting bolts, cleverly doing away with frame rivnuts. The mount is also slotted to make it easier to use with a strap for holding a tube or other similar item in place of a water bottle cage.
Fit & Geometry
Spot offers the Mayhem 140 in four sizes, Small through XL. The fit across the size range looks fairly standard with reach numbers starting at 415 mm for the size Small, then going up in 30 mm increments per size, to 505 mm on the size XL.
The effective and actual seat tube angles are within a few degrees of each other, which will
help keep the effective seat tube angle pretty consistent through various seat heights, and with the effective seat tube angle a decently steep 77º, should in theory provide a good climbing position.
The geometry numbers are very much in line with bikes in this travel range that lean a bit more on the conservative side. And yes, a 65.2º head angle now seems conservative. I’m a fan of short chainstays, so I’m selfishly happy to see the Mayhem 140’s 435 mm rear center. Another number I like is the bottom bracket height of 343 mm, which should provide ample crank clearance without being so high that it starts to negatively affect the handling — obviously we will need to ride it to confirm these assumptions.
The geometry numbers we’ve discussed here are all for the Mayhem 140 with the standard 150 mm fork. Spot has provided a geometry chart with the 160 mm fork, and has confirmed they will be offering it as an option for purchase. As to be expected, the longer travel fork slackens the headtube angle (to 64.7º), as well as the seat tube angle (76.5°, size Large), and raises the bottom bracket height (347 mm).
The Builds
Spot will offer three build levels for the Mayhem 140, with all three anchored by SRAM drivetrains and RockShox forks and shocks (all the builds have the same RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock). Overall I think the builds represent above-average value, as well as leaving little need for upgrades at each level, as they have put an emphasis on parts that most directly affect performance — like suspension, wheels, dropper posts, and brakes.
The 4-Star build at under $6,000 is hard to ignore and looks like a solid choice. I would, however, prefer to see a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate, instead of a Lyrik Select, to better match the Rockshox Ultimate rear shock. There’s, of course, a balancing act with price here, but I would gladly pay a few hundred dollars more for a higher-spec fork. With that said, the Rockshox Lyrik Select is still an excellent fork and likely will be more than adequate for most riders.
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM G2R (200 mm front / 180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Rockshox Lyrik Select
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Wheels: Stan’s Flow S2
- Dropper Post: BikeYoke Revive (S: 125mm; M: 160mm; L-XL: 185mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code Silver Stealth (200 mm front / 180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Wheels: Industry Nine 1/1 Enduro S
- Dropper Post: BikeYoke Revive (S: 125mm; M: 160mm; L-XL: 185mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth (200 mm front / 180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Wheels: Industry Nine Hydra EN325 Carbon
- Dropper Post: RockShox Reverb AXS (S: 125mm; M: 150mm; L-XL: 170mm)
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Spot’s thrd generation of the Living Link suspension system with the new “Inversion” layout claims to add negative spring force in the beginning of the travel, positive force in the sag range, and neutral force at bottom out — this all sounds good on paper, but how will it translate to on-trail performance?
(2) Will the energy of the leaf spring feel undamped and springy?
(3) Will the geometry feel too conservative for a bike in this travel range?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Bikes in the 140 mm travel range reside in a competitive space, but Spot brings an innovative suspension design, proven geometry, and solid out-of-the-box builds to the table. There’s also an attractive new frame that has some thoughtful details, and the exclusivity of a small Colorado brand to consider, in what is shaping up to be a really interesting and unique take on the Trail bike category. We’ve spent some time on the Mayhem 140 and will be getting one in for review soon, so stay tuned for a Full Review to come.
Flash Review: Our Initial On-Trail Impressions
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Flash Review — Spot Mayhem 140
The Spot Mayhem 140’s suspension layout doesn’t look like anything else out there, but how does it ride? Check out our early impressions.
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Simon, we need some values on the vertical axis on that antisquat figure. Thanks.
While not an option on the web site, Spot tends to be quite flexible if you want to customize the spec (like a different fork), send them an email