Arrow Racing Review

Arrow Racing is the brainchild of Nils “Gus� Gustafson, who formed the company in 1982. After spending years designing and flying bombers for the US Navy, Gus decided to travel a different road and explore his interest in bikes while bringing his extensive design and fabrications skills to bear. He began with a BMX frame that he designed and TIG welded in 1982, which received critical acclaim when it was released. In 1985 he did the same for mountain bikes and was the first to use a longer sloping down tube with an asymmetrical chainstay in the design. During the 1980s Gus designed seat posts and stem extensions which all proved very popular. In 1994, Arrow brought a new wheel size to the industry and the 24.5� rim was born. In 1997 Arrow partnered with Duro Tire and moved into making tires for bikes under the Clincher name, and also expands its wheel rim business.The Arrow Racing DHX is regarded as just about the toughest downhill wheel on the market. They continually get rave reviews on consumer tests and user forums. Despite that, they are quite difficult to obtain, with only a couple of online retailers stocking them. FRX is regarded as one of the strongest light wheels on the market, and is lauded by mountain bikers around the country.The DSS frame also received critical acclaim when it was released, from the industry and riders alike, yet they too are very difficult to obtain. Slalom riders like the DSS for its agility and downhillers rate it because of its strength. Arrow Racing seems to have struck an excellent balance between strength and weight, which is the holy grail in mountain biking. It’s just a shame their products are so difficult to get hold of.

Models

• Bike Frames: DSS-3 and DSS
• Tires: Launch, Blitz, Savage, Bite, Wide Bite, Ramped Bite, Prime Bite, Flow Tubeless, Flow, Ratchet, Mud-x
• Rims: XCL, DHX, FRX

Pricing

Arrows Racing are now best known for their wheel rims and tires. The DHX 26� rim costs around $99, and the FRX rim around $49. The tires are mid-range, with the Savage costing $29, Launch $20, Blitz $21. The DSS frame can only be bought as a frame and not a full bike. It retails for around $2,399 online.