Whaka
Origin
The Whaka is Stevens' trail hardtail — designed for riders who want enduro-style capability without full-suspension weight and complexity. Named after Whakarewarewa Forest (colloquially 'The Whaka') in Rotorua, New Zealand — one of the world's most celebrated purpose-built mountain bike trail networks. The bike is built to be taken in anger on similar terrain: technical, varied, and forgiving at speed. The 'ES' (Elite Spec) variant added a dropper post and more capable fork, while the Whaka Carbon brought an HMF carbon main frame.
Specifications
- Frame
- Aluminium triple-butted (Whaka); Carbon SL on Whaka Carbon; short chainstays; Boost 148 mm rear spacing (from 2016); thru-axle; tapered head tube
- Drivetrain
- Shimano Deore XT / SLX 2×11-speed (varies by trim); KindShock dropper on ES builds
- Brakes
- Shimano hydraulic disc; rotor sizes vary by trim (160–180 mm)
- Wheels
- 27.5" or 29" (size-dependent); Boost axle from 2016; Oxygen rims; tubeless-compatible
The verdict
- Named after world-class MTB trails — the geometry reflects the terrain it's designed for
- Boost 148 mm + thru-axle brings modern platform compatibility
- Dropper post on ES builds is genuinely trail-ready out of the box
- Hardtail limits capability on very rough enduro terrain vs Sledge full-suspension
- 2×11 drivetrain is legacy — modern builds have moved to 1×12
- Wide tyre compatibility varies: 27.5+ frames don't fit standard 29" tyres
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