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)
FULL REVIEW
The Spot Mayhem 140 combines a proprietary, and very unique suspension design with somewhat conservative geometry to challenge the status quo of more mainstream Trail bikes. We’ve put a ton of miles on the Mayhem 140 so let’s dig in to find out if the small Colorado bike company has come up with a winning recipe.
Fit & Sizing
Simon Stewart (6’, 170 lb / 183 cm, 77 kg): Resisting the trend to lengthen the reach and slacken the head angle, Spot kept things more on the conservative side when drawing up the geometry numbers for the Mayhem 140. Admittedly, when I first saw the 65.2º headtube angle and 475 mm reach in their geometry chart for the size Large, I was worried it would be too steep and might feel cramped for me.
Lately, I’ve been riding a couple of crazy slack bikes in the 62º range, as well as ones with considerably longer reaches. So while those numbers look steep and short compared to some other bikes, 65.2º isn’t steep in the grand scheme of things, nor is 475 mm that short, and both are very much appropriate for a Trail bike. It’s funny how riding wildly progressive bikes can alter your perception of what are actually pretty good numbers for a Trail bike.
My own geometry preference for reach has evolved, and my preferred range has lengthened by about 5 mm. A few years ago I was happy in the 470 to 480 mm range for reach, and today I like 475 to 485 mm, with around 480 mm being the sweet spot. I was only concerned the Mayhem 140 would feel too compact because I was coming from bikes that are notably longer.
On my first ride, it did feel a bit compact initially, but only for a little bit, and it wasn’t long before the too-compact feeling faded and it started feeling just right. In fact, I’d say the Mayhem 140 actually feels roomier than the numbers suggest.
Climbing
The Mayhem 140 is quite the inspiring climber. It has great traction with excellent small bump sensitivity, while also having above-average efficiency and plenty of support.
To me, the Living Link suspension feels more supple in slow technical situations than it does when at higher speeds (more on that in the Descending section). The Mayhem 140 feels very ground-huggy and compliant when tackling rocky sections at climbing speeds, and it sits high in its travel and has plenty of crank clearance thanks to the not-super-low 31 mm bottom bracket drop. Additionally, the frame feels quite stiff torsionally, which helps it stay nicely composed and precise when riding janky off-camber technical sections.
On paper, the Mayhem’s short 435 mm rear center and not-too-long 475 mm reach might indicate a more rearward weight bias that could potentially make the front end lighten up in steep sections. But I haven’t found that to be the case — the Mayhem 140 feels nicely balanced, and the front end tracks predictably while also being easy to lift up onto ledges. The suspension does a nice job of not getting overwhelmed by big shifts in body position, which allows me to confidentially pick my way up some legitimately difficult-to-clean sections. All of this adds up to a bike that promotes technical climbing confidence, which is a big component of staying committed to tricky moves. Overall, I’m very impressed by the Mayhem 140’s technical climbing performance — I’ve kept a mental scorecard on the climbing moves I’ve cleaned on the Mayhem 140, which to be clear is not very scientific, but I think the Mayhem 140 may be one of the best technical climbers I’ve been on to date.
Ok, I’ve been going on about how good of a technical climber the Mayhem 140 is, but it’s no slouch on long-fire road slogs either. It has a comfortable seated climbing position that’s just right for spending lots of time locked into that same position. On my scale, the Mayhem 140 weighs a very respectable 29 lb / 13.15 kg, and combined with the Living Link suspension’s excellent efficiency, the Mayhem 140 is a great companion for big days up in the high country that have tons of climbing in thin air.
I played around with the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate’s climb switch when on double track and fire roads, and didn’t notice much improvement in efficiency, and given how energetic the Mayhem 140 feels in the open position, that’s not surprising. Ultimately, the Mayhem 140 doesn’t need any help from the shock to convert the rider’s watts into forward momentum, and it definitely didn’t help in technical climbing situations as it compromised the Mayhem 140’s excellent traction and sensitivity — so I just preferred to leave it off.
Descending
The Mayhem 140’s geometry is without question on the conservative side, but I would say it descends with more pace and confidence than those geometry numbers might suggest. And with that said, I think the Mayhem is a more well-rounded Trail bike because of those numbers, but let’s get into how it goes downhill.
I mentioned in the Climbing section that I feel like the Living Link suspension has very good sensitivity in slow technical situations but then seems to firm up a bit when the speeds ramp up. The Living Link suspension system, which Spot calls Inversion, has a titanium leaf spring that acts as both a suspension pivot and a spring that affects the leverage curve. At the beginning of its travel, the leaf spring essentially acts like a countermeasure spring by adding negative spring force to the beginning of the stroke, which is why it has good small bump sensitivity at slower speeds when going in and out of sag clambering up and over rocks. Once into the sag range, however, the spring adds positive spring force, which helps explain why it feels firmer and less sensitive once you start pushing the speeds and getting further into the stroke. At times it can feel a little on the firm side, but that also means it has good mid-stroke support and I never felt like it wallowed in its travel.
The leaf spring’s effect on the suspension is more noticeable than I thought it would be. You can definitely feel it, and overall I’d say it makes a positive contribution to the way the Mayhem 140’s suspension feels in most situations. And before I forget, it feels like the leaf spring stores energy (kind of like flexing a ski), which helps generate speed when pumping through rollers. Also, the Mayhem 140 has lovely plush landings thanks to the negative spring force right when the wheels hit the ground.
Dylan Wood and I talked about how much we liked cornering on the Mayhem 140 on our Bikes and Big Ideas podcast — both of us were impressed by the frame’s stiffness and precision which translates into a bike that loves to be pushed hard into corners. And, like I talked about above, the leaf spring stores energy, which helps give the Mayhem a little extra pop in the corner exits.
Unlike the last Trail bike I reviewed, the Rocky Mountain Instinct, which has a ton of geometry adjustability, the Mayhem 140 has none. The Instinct’s adjustability is one of the things I like about it, but I think for some riders it can be overwhelming — having none on the Mayhem 140 is much simpler. On the Mayhem 140, you never finish a trail second-guessing your setup. Now, to be clear, I’m not biased one way or the other when it comes to adjustable geometry. Both approaches have their merits and will appeal to different kinds of riders, but I did appreciate the Mayhem 140’s simplicity. With that said, Spot does offer a 160 mm fork option, so if you’re more comfortable seeing a head angle in the 64º range, the longer travel fork puts it at 64.7º, but of course that also slackens the seat tube angle, and might negatively affect steep climbing performance.
I’m a bit torn on the 160 mm fork option. There were definitely occasions on some especially steep and weird rock rolls that I would’ve liked a bit more front travel and the corresponding slacker head angle — but the thing is, I enjoy the handling the rest of the time at 150 mm and think that it matches the Mayhem’s personality quite well. Thankfully, a travel change on the RockShox Lyrik fork is inexpensive, and super straightforward, especially when tacked on to the recommended 50-hour service (basically a clean and lube of the fork lowers and seals). If I owned a Mayhem 140, I would likely experiment with it at 160 mm of travel, and since it’s easily reversible back to 150 mm, it’s a pretty small commitment.
The Build
I tested the Mayhem 140 in Spot’s top-end 6-Star AXS build, which, as expected, is very nice. It’s not uncommon to see brands feature SRAM’s wireless shifting on their high-end bikes, and Spot has taken that approach. But what is not particularly common is the full complement of SRAM XX components—which includes cranks, derailleur, cassette, and chain.
Not surprisingly given the high-end SRAM parts on the 6-Star build, Spot specs the Mayhem 140 with a RockShox AXS Reverb dropper post, and while I’m a fan of how well they work and the wireless convenience, they’re not my favorite dropper posts because the longest travel available is only 170 mm. As long as the post has been out now, it honestly baffles me that SRAM/Rockshox has not updated it to include longer travel options.
The 6-Star build comes with pretty swanky Industry Nine Hydra EN325/310 24H carbon wheels, which are one of the spec standouts for me. Industry Nine describes them as All Mountain and Enduro wheels that are burly enough to handle lift access riding, yet are also as lightweight as many Trail category wheels. The wheelset features Industry Nine’s Duo Concept which pairs a wider (32.5 mm inner width) more compliant front wheel with a narrower (31 mm inner width), stronger, and less compliant rear wheel. Throughout the duration of the review, they performed beautifully and didn’t require any truing, plus they have a lifetime warranty.
The wheels come wrapped in a Maxxis DHR II 2.4 3C Mac Terra EXO front, and Maxxis Dissector 2.4 3C Max Terra EXO+ rear tire. I’ve run this combination quite a bit, and it’s one of my favorites for the terrain I ride offering a nice balance of being fast rolling with good traction in the predominantly loose over hard conditions I ride in. I think the 2.4 Dissector with the EXO+ casing rear tire is a great match for the Mayhem 140’s Trail bike nature, and because the tire clearance is very tight even with the Dissector, I wouldn’t be inclined to swap in something wider or more aggressive. The tire clearance wasn’t an issue for me since Colorado’s baseline is dry conditions (unless in the high alpine, and even then it’s usually not sticky mud), but it is something to consider if you often ride wet muddy trails.
Throughout the review period, the Mayhem 140 stayed creak and rattle-free and none of the pivots developed any play. It’s worth noting the suspension pivots use T30 Torx fasteners as part of Spot’s proprietary SprocLock pivot hardware system, so if the Mayhem were my daily driver, I would put a T30 Torx tool in my tool kit since I don’t know of any multitools that come with one.
Who’s It For?
The Mayhem 140 makes a compelling case as a do-it-all Trail bike, especially if you find some of the current crop of Trail bikes to be too long and slack. Folks that put a premium on technical climbing performance should put the Mayhem 140 on their shortlist because it is one of the better bikes in that department I’ve been on recently. And if you prefer the simplicity of a bike without geometry adjustments, the Mayhem 140 checks that box too.
Bottom Line
The Mayhem 140 brings a unique blend of traits to the table. It’s a fantastic climber, competent playful descender, and it’s equally fun on more mundane trails as it is on more challenging trails. Spot’s Living Link suspension delivers a lively, supportive, and composed ride that creates an engaging experience in a wide range of conditions.
Colorado demands a lot of versatility from Trail bikes, it often asks them to act like Cross-Country bikes on long steep climbs, and then go downhill like Enduro bikes on insanely long descents. The Mayhem 140 taps into its Colorado heritage and does so without trying to be something it’s not — it doesn’t pretend to be a shorter travel Enduro sled or a beefed-up XC rig. Instead, the Mayhem 140 leans firmly into the Trail bike category and is better for it. There’s no identity crisis here— the Mayhem 140 is a Trail bike through and through.
Deep Dive Comparisons
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Deep Dive: Spot Mayhem 140
We compare the Spot Mayhem 140 to the Rocky Mountain Instinct, Scor 2030, Yeti SB 135, Revel Rascal V2, and Commencal T.E.M.P.O.
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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
EVERYTHING about this bike calls to me, except for the tight rear tire clearance (also mentioned in many other reviews).
Here’s hoping that Spot is working on a minor running change to address that issue.
nice review – as they all are coming from you. Your photographer makes your riding look pretty rad as well ! :)