Cell Awaba 2.0

Sydney based riders, especially commuters, will be well familiar with Cell Bikes. This savvy retailer has been pumping bikes out of their inner west store for years, apparently over 100,000 units and counting! Cell’s motto is ‘ride more for less’. Their business model bypasses many of the steps in the traditional retail supply chain, selling their own branded bikes direct to the public. Historically these bikes have been ‘out of a catalogue’ frames, spec’d with a name brand drivetrain and unbranded parts elsewhere. Catering to the consumer mindset of wanting a carbon (or alloy) frame with Shimano group XYZ has been Cell’s strength.

Anyone commuting through the Sydney CBD and surrounds will not be able to ignore the penetration that Cell has achieved. Similarly, a quick road ride on any of the popular weekend loops will produce multiple Cell sightings. These guys have concocted a solid formula and backed this with a comprehensive, and aggressively priced online store. Regardless of where you are, your Cell bike purchase is just a click and courier trip away from your doorstep. Most recently, Cell has also opened a large store in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North.

Bike snobs will typically perceive a Cell as a generic bike. A bike that fits somewhere between a department store offering and a ‘brand name’ bike. A history of less than stellar graphics as well as product shots with awkwardly positioned handlebars and saddles has not helped their cause. Snobbery aside, you can also say that Cell is a 100% Australian owned brand, born in Sydney in 2002, that is not only surviving but thriving and expanding. That’s pretty exciting when you stop to think about it, so it’s important to keep things in context.

Patriotism aside, we can’t sit around admiring a product simply because it’s ‘local’ (we have unnamed northern hemisphere friends that are great at that). To this end, Cell has made a conscious decision to lift their game for 2014 and into the future.

New Direction

Instead of ‘off the shelf’ frames, Cell has invested their efforts into developing their own line of frames from a blank sheet. Cell is in a transitory phase; maintaining their ‘ride more for less’ mantra whilst elevating the quality and presentation of their product—they want go head to head with the big guys.

All design is done in house, overseen by Sydney rider Dave Musgrove. Dave, as modest as he may be, is a very, very good rider, with years of experience in several of the best bike stores in town. He’s is anal about the details and he knows what works.

Fittingly for an Australian brand, Cell’s new MTB models are named after well-known local riding destinations. The trails of Awaba (one hour north of Sydney) weave and duck through leafy rainforest, hand sculpted by the local club. The singletrack flows and flows; it’s pretty close to cross-country nirvana—anyone that has ridden there can confirm that it is worthy of having a bike named after it. These trails don’t call for a dually or a heavy handed, slow handling bike. The hardtail is still the king at Awaba.

There are two Awaba models, both featuring the same alloy Cell frame (the 2.0 that we reviewed is the higher spec’d version). For now these are Cell’s premium off-road offering (watch this space). We get to review plenty of alloy hardtails at Mountain Biking Australia, and the lack of suspension kinematics and carbon fabrication affords us the time and space to sweat smaller details. When it comes down to it, most bikes are pretty darn good these days, so it’s the little things that can make a difference.

Geometry Matters

As Cell Bikes are local, we were able to speak directly to Dave about the Awaba. We’re already familiar with the terrain that inspired the bike, but getting to chat directly to the driving force behind a product is a rare insight.

Dave began with firm concepts about the geometry and features for the Awaba, and how it would be used. The chainstays needed to be short to keeping handling agile, and to allow a slightly relaxed head angle so that the bike wouldn’t be a liability when things got gnarly. All geometry would be based around a 51mm fork offset (a standard championed most loudly by Trek), which also allows a bike to feel fast handling as well as stable when the design is fully integrated.

The result is a frame with 435mm chainstays and a sub 70-degree head angle. The numbers correspond closely with the some of the most enjoyable hardtails that we’ve swung a leg over, and place the Awaba shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of new-school 29er geometry. It’s a rapid evolution from the awkward Cell mountain bikes of only a few years ago. The Awaba even comes with a lifetime frame warranty.

One of Cell’s most popular past models was the X-Light; a sharply-priced 26-inch hardtail that came in under 10kg with an XT groupset. The geometry was a bit funky, but the bike clearly ticked the right boxes for a lot of folks. As such, all efforts were made to keep the Awaba frame as light as possible. At 1,810g it isn’t the lightest around, but it’s competitive or lighter than most frames in the same price-point.

Throughout the process, the frame went through 15 revisions. The first five attempts resulted in a search for a new factory, as the original factory couldn’t get the chainstay length or tube shapes perfect. A new factory was selected and the process began again, throwing up new challenges along the way.

Originally the Awaba had been spec’d with a direct-mount front derailleur, but the new factory would not weld the mount onto the curved and thinly butted seat tube that Dave wanted to use. A heavier straight gauge tube could have been used, but instead the Awaba now runs a band clamp derailleur and maintains the original lightweight butted tube. A bonus of this is that riders converting to a single-ring drivetrain won’t be left with a disused direct mount fitting on the seat tube. The gusset underneath the head tube/down tube junction wasn’t in the original plan either, but the triple butted (as thin as 1mm in the middle portion) down tube required the gusset for strength.

Elsewhere, common sense prevails on the Awaba frame. A 27.2mm seat tube allows for a skinny, comfort enhancing post. The head set uses drop-in bearings that sit directly within the machined head tube to save weight and complexity. Downstairs a Shimano press-fit bottom bracket shell was selected, affording a slightly larger surface area for welding on the generous sized down tube.

The rear dropouts are unlike any we’ve seen before—in a way they summarise the unique situation at Cell. Dave’s riding experience meant that a 142x12mm axle was a non-negotiable feature for the Awaba. So dropouts are thru-axle specific but also incorporate mounts for racks or mudguards – and you read it here first – a kickstand! Cell know that plenty of Awabas will be retro-fitted with slick tyres, racks and lights, and put to work as urban commuters, and these additional mounting points are a boon for that customer segment.

Beyond the cross-application design endeavours, the Awaba is aimed squarely at the person looking to buy their first proper mountain bike. The hardened bike snob probably won’t be out looking for a Cell, but their mate who was roped into the weekend ride on an old V-brake equipped hardtail will be positively giddy for a sharply-priced Shimano XT and RockShox equipped upgrade. The spec sheet that Cell has put together is modest and dollars are saved where it’s possible without affecting the ride of the bike. All the cockpit parts are Cell branded; they’re far from the fanciest in-house parts we’ve come across but they work as well as anything else. Nice touches include the lock-on grips and a carbon seat post, which provides some extra flex in its 27.2mm diameter.

The hero of the show is definitely the Shimano XT 2x10 groupset and the SLX brakes. A complete SLX spec would have been more than fine on this bike, but having XT parts just rams home the value proposition. The trail legitimacy is reinforced by the RockShox Reba fork; it’s stiff and easy to adjust with an ultra-reliable lockout. We know these parts are going to perform when we hit the trail, no matter how hard we ride, and we found the Awaba to be most obliging.

Dirty Cell

The trails of Sydney are generally pretty rough, as the city is built on a plain surrounded by eroded sandstone ridges and gullies. All the good trails are sandy and rocky. Growing up on an XC diet in Sydney involves far more rock ledges, roll-ins and steps-ups than berms and switchback climbs. Sketchy, wimpy race bikes are the domain of the brave or foolish. The Awaba has a strong core; the rear thru-axle, wide stays and big down tube allow the Awaba to keep its line when bouncing and pinging down short, steep and technical descents. As far as entry level bikes go, the Awaba has a supremely confident swagger—it clearly reflects the thought put into its design, and the robust spec list.

Along with the skinny carbon post, Cell has tried to make the Awaba as comfy as possible by minimising the size and thickness of the seat stays. There is no magic result here, but as far as alloy hardtails go, the Awaba is relatively comfortable and will go further as the engine becomes more efficient.

To begin with, the wheel spec doesn’t jump out as anything special, but the rolling stock is possibly the most inspired part of the Awaba. Novatec hubs and Alex rims are not the stuff of dreams, but they are the stuff of great quality for low price. The 32-spoke wheels are easy to true, strong, and spoke replacement should be painless. The icing on the cake though is the Alex rims; they are ‘tubeless optimised’ and the Awaba even comes with the required rim tape and valves—just add sealant! It really shows the thought that Dave has put into the entire package.

The Continental tyres were selected for their large comfort enhancing air volume. A balloon like 2.4 X-King is used up front, offering plenty of tread. On the back is the 2.2 Race King; also a generous size it rolls a bit better than the X-King. Once converted to tubeless they offer a bucket load of grip, confidence and comfort. The only negative was that the rims do seem soft; we quickly put a few dings into the rear rim when running low tyre pressures.

The Awaba serves well as a knockabout companion and many owners will use it this way, but this is an XC bike at heart. The geometry is entirely up to date with a long cockpit and short rear end, so it takes naturally to flowing singletrack. It’s stable, there’s enough breathing room to dig in and get comfy for a long climb, and the bars are low enough for putting in a sprint or getting your weight forward when carving a turn. The current crop of XC hardtails are far more capable than those we were riding five years ago, and the Awaba sits comfortably in this new generation crowd.

All the big brands have some refined machines at the $1,699 price point, split about 50/50 between fast and twitchy traditional hardtails and more stable and versatile machines such as the Awaba. With its XT running gear the Awaba is a standout in the value for money stakes. The pricing seems near impossible, but the direct to consumer model and modest marketing budget makes it happen.

Of course their direct sales model isn’t without drawbacks. Buying a bike direct over the internet doesn’t allow you to hop on a bike and judge the sizing. While the bikes are checked over prior to shipping out, you’ll need to do some basic assembly at home once it’s unboxed. And if you can’t handle basic gear adjustments, you’ll be paying for this at your local bike shop; the same store would probably offer this initial service for free on a bike that was purchased from them. Of course these points only fly when purchasing the bike mail-order style online. If you live near a Cell Bicycles outlet, then it’s no different to buying from any bike shop.

All in all the Awaba is a cracker of a bike. It’s ready to tackle dead-set serious mountain biking, so please don’t put a kickstand on this machine—it belongs on the dirt!

Thumbs Up

Attention to detail in parts spec

Excellent geometry

Unbeatable value 

Thumbs Down

Unsightly rack and stand mounts

Soft rims

Direct to consumer/online buying won’t suit everyone 

Specifications

Frame: Triple butted hydroformed alloy

Fork: RockShox Reba 100mm Travel

Headset: FSA integrated

Handlebars: Cell Elite flat double butted alloy

Stem: Cell Elite 3D forged alloy

Shifters: Shimano XT

Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT Shadow Plus

Cassette: Shimano HG62, 11/36 10-speed

Chain: Shimano HG95

Cranks: Shimano XT 24/38

Bottom Bracket: Shimano press-fit

Pedals: Shimano M520 SPD

Brakes: Shimano SLX

Rim: Alex Volar 2.1 w/tubeless conversion kit

Hub: Novatec Alloy

Spokes: Black stainless forged

Tyres: Continental F - X-King 2.4 / R Race King 2.2

Saddle: Pro Logo Nago Evo

Seatpost: Cell Pro Carbon 27.2mm

Weight: 12.2kg including pedals (Large frame 1,810g)

Available Sizes: S, M, L (tested) and XL

Price: $1,699 

Distributor: Cell Bikes (02) 9146 5385 / www.cellbikes.com.au