Market: With the LAST Clay, a new trail bike from Germany sees the light of day. The small direct mailer from Dortmund has not only made a name for itself among connoisseurs and the 140mm newcomer Clay will undoubtedly find numerous fans again.
The small MTB forge LAST based in the Ruhr area has been able to steadily increase its fan base in recent years. Many LAST riders appreciate the fact that the bikes like the enduro bike COAL or the Fast Forward Longtravel Hardtail mean that LAST moves with the times - for example in terms of geometry - but likes to hold back when it comes to other trends and standards and instead open up proven technology. You can tell from the bikes that they are built by bikers for bikers.
The newest addition to LAST's small but mighty range goes by the name of Clay. The Clay is a modern 27,5″ trail bike with a firm chassis and 140mm travel. The rear end of the aluminum frame should look familiar to connoisseurs of the Ruhrpott forge: The linkage already established on the enduro bike Coal is also used, but this is tailored to the area of use of a typical trail bike: degressive, plush behavior in the first few millimeters meets a decent final progression good use of travel and lots of 'pop'.
Geometry LAST Clay
S | M | L | XL | |
seat tube | 390 | 400 | 450 | 510 |
Top tube horizontal | 563 | 588 | 610 | 641 |
head tube | 105 | 110 | 120 | 135 |
chainstay | 429 | 429 | 429 | 429 |
wheelbase | 1147 | 1174 | 1198 | 1229 |
Steering angle | 65,2° | 65,2° | 65,2° | 65,2° |
Seat angle | 75,2° | 75,2° | 75,2° | 75,2° |
Reach | 407 | 432 | 452 | 477 |
Stack | 585 | 590 | 599 | 613 |
The fact that, as with all LAST bikes, the Clay is also thought of as a buyer is shown by a few small but fine details that often only become apparent at second glance: For example, the company has persistently resisted the trend towards internally routed cables - all cables (except for the dropper post) run on the down tube in the case of the Clay, making maintenance considerably easier. Full-ball stainless steel bearings at all pivot points ensure that the rear end still runs smoothly even after being bombarded with dirt. A heart for screwdrivers is also proven with exchangeable threaded inserts in the post mount brake mount and on the thru axle mount.
Features LAST Clay
Component | Clay Flow | Clay Ride | Clay Trail | Clay S.L | Clay frame set |
suspension fork | RockShox Pike RC 150mm | RockShox Pike RC 150mm | RockShox Pike RCT3 150mm | RockShox Pike RCT3 150mm | |
Suspension shocks | Rock Shox Deluxe RT Debon Air | Rock Shox Deluxe RT Debon Air | Rock Shox Deluxe RT Debon Air | Cane Creek DB Inline | |
Wheels | DT Swiss E1900 Splines | DT Swiss E1900 Splines | DT Swiss XM1501 Spline | DT Swiss XMC1200 Carbon | |
Seat post | KORE OCD 350mm | RockShox Reverb Stealth 170mm | RockShox Reverb Stealth 170mm | RockShox Reverb Stealth 170mm | |
Brakes | SRAM Guide R 200/180 | SRAM Guide R 200/180 | SRAM GuideRS 200/180 | SRAM Guide Ultimate 200/180 | |
Power Type | SRAM GX 10-42 | SRAM GX 10-42 | SRAM X01 10-42 | SRAM X01 Eagle | |
Tubes | Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo | Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo | Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo | Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo | |
Stem | KORE reputation 50mm | KORE reputation 50mm | KORE reputation 50mm | Renthal Apex 50mm | |
Links | KORE torsion 800mm | KORE OCD 800mm | KORE OCD 800mm | Renthal FatBar Carbon 800mm | |
Weight | 13,3kg | 13,3kg | 12,9kg | 12,5kg | 2,9kg (without damper) |
Price | 2.999€ | 3.279€ | 3.999€ | 5.679€ | 1.599€ |
The geometry is modern - that means flat and long: 65,2° steering angle and 452mm reach in size L promise a lot of downhill potential, the effective seat angle of 75,3° promises a lot of efficiency on the climbs. In addition to the bare frameset, there will be four configurations of the LAST Clay. The West German manufacturer sells its bikes exclusively via its own website. However, if you have any change requests or questions, you can always contact the guys by email or phone. Test drives are possible on site in Dortmund or at various testivals in spring. By the way: LAST also approves the trail bike frame for use on difficult bike park terrain and in competitions, provided the appropriate attachments are available.
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