Berria streamlines their Mako cross-country bike with a fully integrated rear shock

Berria Mako cross-country bike wirth a brick wall background

Berria Mako cross-country bike (Image credit: Berria)

Berria has launched the fourth generation of its Mako cross-country mountain bike. The brand's most popular bike has undergone a major overhaul which now sees the shock fully integrated into the frame, optimized kinematics, and new geometry. There's a burlier downcountry spec too.

Inverting the shock and using a trunnion mount within the seat tube is a complete redesign for Berria's Mako lightweight full-suspension mountain bike. Integrated rear shocks aren't anything new and although the Mako will draw quick comparisons to Scott's Spark XC bike, there are other bikes on the market like the Bold Linkin which also house the shock within the frame.

There are plenty of good reasons to integrate the shock within the frame, enclosing the shock within the frame helps keep the shock shielded from mud, dust, and debris and potentially prolong service intervals. Positioning the shock right above the bottom bracket helps center the mass of the bike which is said to improve stability and also frees up front triangle frame space so that you can fit two bottles on all frame sizes.

A man riding the Berria Mako cross-country bike through a forest — Internally mounting the shock will help shield it from dirt and debris (Image credit: Berria)

To help with shock setup and servicing, Berria has marked a shock sag indicator on the linkage and there is a removable cover under the seat tube bottle cage giving access to the shock itself.

The new suspension platform comes with more travel and new kinematics too. The rear end now sports 113mm of travel which Berria says has been optimized for a "better ratio of progressively and regression".

There are two versions now, with the Mako getting an XCO and downcountry options, both bikes use the same monocoque carbon HM2X fiber frame (2,175g, claimed). Berria also has a premium-level Mako BR frame which uses a more sophisticated UHM3X carbon fiber and weighs only 1,875g (claimed).

Berria Mako leaning against a stone wall — The cross-country bike has a 110mm fork, while the DC version gets 130mm up front. (Image credit: Berria)

The XCO and downcountry but are separated by the component build, with the XCO version being specced with a 110mm fork, 760mm wide handlebars, Berria's Tibia seatpost, rims with a 25mm or 28mm internal width, and 2.25in tires. The downcountry-oriented versions feature a 125mm dropper seatpost, 120 or 130mm front suspension travel, four-piston brakes, 780mm handlebars, wider 30mm rims, and 2.35in tires.

Berria has equipped some of the bikes with its own carbon finishing kit, most notably the Tibia seatpost on the cross-country bikes. This is the same seatpost that we rode on the Berria Bravo 7 which is designed to offer up to 14mm of compliance.

As the two bikes use the same frame, it's the added fork travel that influences the differences in geometry. They come in three sizes and have different head angles and seat angles depending on the size you choose. Depending on the frame size the head angle is 76.2 to 65.8 degrees (XCO) or 75.2 to 74.8 degrees (downcountry) and the seat angle is 7 degrees (XCO) or 75 degrees. Reach for a medium XCO is 458mm while the downcountry bike is 10mm shorter. The bottom bracket drop and chainstay length are the same across all sizes, with a 47mm bottom bracket drop and 430mm chainstay on the XCO bike and a 40mm bottom bracket drop and 431mm chainstay on the downcountry bike.

Berria Mako pricing and spec

The Mako range starts at €4,399 and tops out at €7,499 for the LTD version. If you want the BR carbon frame, builds start at €6,899 and it will max out at €8,499. These are prices for the base specs, Berria gives customers the option to upgrade the wheelsets at an additional cost with options from Fulcrum, Mavic, and Bike Ahead.

There are four levels for the Mako DC, with the DC 6 retailing at €4,399 and the DC LTD €7,999 before any wheel upgrades.

Berria Mako 6

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: RockShox SID Base
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe
Drivetrain: Shimano SLX/XT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Seatpost: Berria Tibia Flex
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride ID25 25mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax SL S 25mm
Wheels 3: Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon 26mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.25in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €4,399

Berria Mako 7

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: Fox 34 SC Factory
Shock: Fox Factory Float DPS 3P
Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle, 12sp
Brakes: SRAM Level Bronze Stealth
Seatpost: Berria Tibia Flex
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride ID25 25mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax SL S 25mm
Wheels 3: Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon 26mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.25in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €4,999

Berria Mako 8

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: RockShox SID Base
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Ultimate
Drivetrain: SRAM GX AXS T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level Bronze Stealth
Seatpost: Berria Tibia Flex
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride ID25 25mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax SL S 25mm
Wheels 3: Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon 26mm
Wheels 4: Bike Ahead Bitturbo 28mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.25in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €5,199

Berria Mako 9

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: Fox 34SC Factory
Shock: Fox Factory Float DPS 3P
Drivetrain: SRAM X0 AXS Eagle T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level Bronze Stealth
Seatpost: Berria Tibia Flex
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride ID25 25mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax SL S 25mm
Wheels 3: Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon 26mm
Wheels 4: Bike Ahead Bitturbo 28mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €5,999

Berria Mako LTD

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: Fox 34SC Factory
Shock: Fox Factory Float DPS 3P
Drivetrain: SRAM X0 AXS Eagle T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level Bronze Stealth
Seatpost: Berria Tibia Flex
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride ID25 25mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax SL S 25mm
Wheels 3: Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon 26mm
Wheels 4: Bike Ahead Bitturbo 28mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €7,499

Berria Mako DC 6

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: RockShox SID Base
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Ultimate
Drivetrain: Shimano SLX/XT
Brakes: SRAM Level G2 RSC
Seatpost: TranzX, 125mm
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride 30, 30mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax XL R, 30mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €4,399

Berria Mako DC 8

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: RockShox SID Base
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Ultimate
Drivetrain: SRAM GX AXS Eagle T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level G2 RSC
Seatpost: Crankbrothers Highline, 125mm
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride 30, 30mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax XL R, 30mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €5,399

Berria Mako DC 9

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: Fox 34 SC Factory
Shock: Fox Factory Float DPS 3P
Drivetrain: SRAM XO AXS Eagle T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level G2 RSC
Seatpost: Fox Transfer SL, 125mm
Wheels 1: Mavic Crossride 30, 30mm
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax XL R, 30mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €6,499

Berria Mako DC LTD

Frame: Carbon fiber HM2X
Fork: Fox 34 SC Factory
Shock: Fox Factory Float DPS 3P
Drivetrain: SRAM XX AXS Eagle T-Type
Brakes: SRAM Level G2 Ultimate
Seatpost: Fox Transfer SL, 125mm
Wheels 1: Fulcrum Red Metal 500 Alloy
Wheels 2: Mavic Crossmax XL R, 30mm
Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35in
Price: $tbc / £tbc / €7,999

Graham Cottingham joined the BikePerfect team as our senior tech writer in 2020. With over 20 years of riding experience, he has dabbled in downhill, enduro, and gravel racing. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has embraced bikepacking over the last few years and likes nothing more than strapping some bags to his bike and covering big miles to explore Scotland's wildernesses. When he isn’t shredding the gnar in the Tweed Valley, sleeping in bushes, or tinkering with bikes, he is writing tech reviews for BikePerfect.

Rides: Cotic SolarisMax, Stooge MK4, 24 Bicycles Le Toy 3, Surly Steamroller

Height: 177cm

Weight: 71kg