Wireless shifting is the headline here. The Silex 8000 pairs SRAM Rival AXS levers with an S500 Eagle AXS rear derailleur, so there is no gear cable to route, contaminate or replace. On a bike that spends its life in dust, grit and river crossings, that is a practical advantage as much as a novelty, and the shift quality does not fade as the miles pile up.

The frame is CF2 carbon II, with Disc Cooler fins carrying the rear caliper, a threaded bottom bracket, a 142 x 12mm rear axle and clearance for 700 x 45c tyres, or 42c with mudguards. Geometry sticks to the Silex formula of a long top tube and head tube with a short stem, which keeps the front wheel out ahead of you on steep loose descents and gives you a position that works over a long day rather than just a fast hour. Five sets of bottle bosses and internal dropper post routing are both there.

Gearing is 1x12 with a 42 tooth Rival XPLR crankset and a SRAM XG-1275 10-52 cassette on a DUB BSA Road Wide bottom bracket, so the low gear is genuinely low for loaded climbing. Rival hydraulic discs handle braking, mounted inboard on the chainstay.

Wheels use DT Swiss G 1800 Spline rims with a 24mm internal width and 25mm depth, centrelock, on Expert TR hubs, with 45c Schwalbe G-One RX Performance tyres fitted. The cockpit gets an Easton EC90 AX carbon bar, and the saddle is a Prologo Scratch M5 AGX on a Team SL II carbon post, with a minitool included.

Features

• CF2 carbon II frame with Disc Cooler caliper mount
• Silex II CF2 full carbon fork with tapered steerer
• SRAM Rival AXS wireless 1x12 shifting with S500 Eagle AXS rear derailleur
• Rival XPLR 42 tooth crankset with SRAM XG-1275 10-52 cassette
• SRAM Rival hydraulic disc brakes
• DT Swiss G 1800 Spline rims, 24mm internal width, 25mm deep, centrelock
• Schwalbe G-One RX Performance RaceGuard tubeless ready tyres, 700x45C
• Easton EC90 AX carbon flared bar, width by frame size
• Prologo Scratch M5 AGX saddle with minitool, Team SL II carbon seatpost
• Five sets of bottle bosses and internal dropper post routing
• Threaded SRAM DUB BSA bottom bracket, 142 x 12mm rear axle
• Clearance for 700 x 45c tyres, 42c with mudguards