{"product_id":"avanti-hammer-sl-2025","title":"Avanti Hammer SL (2025)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Hammer SL is the fast end of down-country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt runs the same 130mm front, 120mm rear layout as the alloy \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/ivanhoecycles.com.au\/products\/avanti-aammer-s1-2025\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"avanti hammer s1\"\u003eAvanti Hammer S1\u003c\/a\u003e, but almost every part that decides how a bike feels when you are working hard has been changed: the mainframe, the fork damper, the shock, and the drivetrain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you already know you want a short-travel 29er and your riding is long, climbing-heavy and paced, this is the version worth paying for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Hammer SL frame\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Hammer SL uses an HMF carbon mainframe paired with an SL 6011 alloy swingarm. It is worth being clear about that, because plenty of listings just say \"carbon frame\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarbon earns its place in the front triangle. That is where the largest, least-supported tube sections are. So it is where the strength-to-weight advantage of carbon converts into real weight saved and real pedalling stiffness gained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rear triangle is a different problem:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShort tubes, high impact loads, pivot hardware, chain slap and rock strikes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlloy handles all of that with less risk and less cost, and the weight penalty at the back is small.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe frame takes tyres up to 2.6in, runs a PF92 bottom bracket and modern Boost 148x12mm rear spacing, and carries the same longer-reach, slacker-head-angle down-country geometry as the rest of the Hammer platform.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe suspension is where the money went\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the real difference between the SL and the alloy bikes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFox 34 Float Performance Elite, 130mm, remote lockout.\u003c\/strong\u003e Performance Elite is the tier where Fox stops giving you a simplified damper. GRIP-X is a proper adjustable damper with usable low-speed compression, which means you can actually tune support for how you ride rather than living with a factory setting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe remote lockout is the main feature:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA bar-mounted lever that firms the fork on the spot. On a bike built for long climbs, being able to lock out without reaching down to the crown is the difference between using the feature and forgetting it exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFox Float SL Performance Elite trunnion shock.\u003c\/strong\u003e Trunnion mounting bolts the shock directly to the frame instead of through an eyelet. This shortens the whole assembly and lets Avanti fit a longer stroke shock in the same physical space. The Float SL is Fox's lightweight air can, matched to the 120mm rear end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA remote lockout adds a cable, a lever and some bar clutter. If you ride terrain where you never think about pedal bob, you will not use it, and that is part of what tells you whether this bike or the S1 is your bike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eShimano XT and SLX, mixed the sensible way\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe drivetrain is XT shifter and rear derailleur with an SLX cassette and crank. This is the mix experienced riders build for themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXT at the shifter and derailleur is where you feel the difference:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrisper lever action, better clutch, faster shifts under load when you are grinding up something steep and have left it slightly too late.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXT cassettes and cranks cost significantly more than SLX for a few hundred grams and no functional gain, so Avanti have spent the money where your hands are and saved it where they are not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSame 10-51T range either way, and every part is cross-compatible with Shimano's 12-speed range when it comes time to replace something.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSRAM DB8 four-piston brakes on 180mm rotors\u003c\/strong\u003e carry over from the rest of the Hammer platform. Four-piston stoppers on a 120mm bike is more brake than the category usually gets, and the DB8 uses mineral oil rather than DOT fluid, which makes servicing far less unpleasant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWheels, tyres and cockpit\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlex DP-27 double-wall tubeless-ready rims on Formula Boost sealed-bearing hubs, wrapped in Kenda Regolith Pro 29 x 2.4in 120 TPI tubeless-ready tyres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet these up tubeless from day one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRunning tubes on a tubeless-ready wheelset means carrying the weight without the puncture protection or the low-pressure grip, and it is the single cheapest performance change you can make to this bike. We can do it before you collect, and we stock the \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/ivanhoecycles.com.au\/collections\/tubeless-sealant\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"tubeless sealant\"\u003etubeless sealant\u003c\/a\u003e and valves to maintain it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cockpit is full Syncros: Fraser 2.0 low-rise bar, FL 20 stem, Pro lock-on grips, Belcarra 2.5 saddle, and the internally routed Duncan dropper post.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Avanti","offers":[{"title":"Black \/ S","offer_id":53514649305397,"sku":"7615523721399","price":3699.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ M","offer_id":53514679058741,"sku":"7615523721405","price":3699.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ L","offer_id":53514678632757,"sku":"7615523721412","price":3699.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ XL","offer_id":53514678763829,"sku":"7615523721429","price":3699.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0700\/3468\/6261\/files\/avanti-hammer-sl-2025.webp?v=1789352285","url":"https:\/\/ivanhoecycles.com.au\/products\/avanti-hammer-sl-2025","provider":"Ivanhoe Cycles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}