On-One Wrekker Titanium hardtail MTB review – mad value, rad ride

The super radical On-One Wrekker mountain bike has a suitably interesting story starting with the infamous Sick bikes company and On-One’s Hello Dave which is essentially the steel version of this frame. It’s also had a previous form under the Titus flag, but switching brands within the Planet-X portfolio doesn’t mean it’s lost any of its excellent detailing despite the economy price. 

Aimed at being the best hardtail mountain bike, this version is loaded with top-quality SRAM GX AXS kit and RockShox Lyrik fork to maximize its mayhem-taming potential and expand its impressively efficient everyday ride appetite too.

Design and geometry

Looking at the Wrekker shots here you’d be forgiven if you were thinking I’ve stretched them to fit the formatting. But no, that really is a 62-degree head angle throwing the 44mm offset, 150mm fork way out front at the end of an already huge 510mm reach figure on this large frame. The 77-degree angle of the straight seat tube is more vertical than most and the 459mm chain stays give a wheelbase of 1,335mm. For the record that’s nearly a degree slacker and 45mm longer than the largest size Specialized Demo DH bike.

As nuts as the numbers are there are some really nice touches to the titanium build. The oversized top tube is slightly ovalized at the top of the tapered head tube and the down tube is kinked at the head end before slightly squaring at the bottom bracket. The bottom bracket gets tabs for a chain retention device which isn’t a bad idea on a hardtail with DH angles and there’s masses of room for fat rubber in the rear of the bike. The chain stays finish in big cowled dropouts while the seat stays bend up and round with a slight S swerve taking them up to the top A frame brace. The seat tube slot faces backward which is a black mark but that’s because there’s a big brace pipe at the front. Extended seat tube lengths are still reasonable at 460mm on this large which would be over an XL on most geometry charts. 

The lack of bottle boss or kinks/curves means plenty of room for a long dropper post and it comes with 175mm as standard. That means only one bottle cage in the frame and the cable/brake routing is external but I’d rather have easy access than a compromised frame feel from too much tube working. Laser-etched brand panels on the downtube and machined logos on the solid chain stay front section and head tube complete the indestructible aesthetic.

Components and build

On-One has really ramped up their premium options and while you can get the Wrekker with cable SRAM GX and a decent Pike fork for $2,357.49 / £2,299, this bike has wireless SRAM GX AXS and a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate 150mm fork. Yes, it’s the older 2021 version but if you read our Lyrik Ultimate 2022 review here you’ll realize that’s no bad thing. 

The other big news from On One is that they’ve now added quality Hutchinson tire options to their builds, in this case, the excellent Griffus all-rounder. As all bikes are built in-house in Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England you can choose different tires and contact points when ordering. There’s nothing wrong with the super short 35mm Serfas branded stem, 780mm riser bar, and single clamp grips though and the saddle is fine if nothing fancy. The same applies to the SRAM G2 R brakes and WTB i30 rims, but the fast reacting 150 point pickup rear hub is a real responsiveness booster. You will have to add tubeless valves and sealant yourself though as On-One doesn’t ship with it installed because delivery drivers don’t like milky mess disasters. The fact you get a well-finished and detailed titanium bike with this level of spec at the 3k mark is remarkable even compared to other online brands.

Ride, handling and performance

The first question anyone asked when they saw the bike was ‘can you really ride something that slack on normal rides?’, and before I first rode the Hello Dave I definitely had my doubts too. 

But once you’re over the pronounced steering flop at walking speed it’s remarkable how quickly the Wrekker feels totally fine. It does need a wider line around right-angle turns and you’ll still occasionally scuff the rear tire on an apex rock or stump that most bikes would be well past. The prospect of wiping out that fancy mech in the process will likely accentuate how careful you are about that too. As soon as you’re going at a reasonable speed, the short ‘Scandi flick’ stem and fork offset set make tipping the Wrekker in earlier and more obviously corner scything second nature. The extended wheelbase and super slack head unsurprisingly give huge amounts of stability for really pushing hard on loose, steep, fork bullying, or slippery surfaces alike. Add the super supple stroke and easy compression of the Charger 2 damper in the Lyrik Ultimate fork and the excellent carcass compliance and chunky side knobs of the Hutchinson tires and wrekking is the last thing it feels like might happen on the On-One. Given that the medium still has a 479mm reach you could easily downsize for a bit more agility too.

If you know anything about bike dynamics you won’t be shocked to hear lifting the front wheel for a drop or manual requires considerably more effort than a shorter bike, particularly one with a shorter back end. Like the steering, it’s only a matter of time before you adjust your pivot points and add some hip thrust, but just be careful getting back on more conventional bikes or you might loop out spectacularly. Don’t bother getting the Wrekker (or the Hello Dave) if you like schralping loam turns or scalping berms either as the rear end is too long and grippy for that.

Those super long chain stays combine really well with the steep seat angle to make the Wrekker remarkably good at winching up horrible climbs even though the narrower rear tire has a shallower tread than the front. The 50mm BB drop gives decent pedal clearance without making the bike feel perched at speed or under braking either. The titanium tubing also makes the Wrekker about a kilo lighter than the steel Hello Dave for ‘only’ $400 / £400 more which is worth the investment if you’re pedaling a lot and/or a long way.

The titanium frame provides a great balance of feel too. It’s not the smoothest Ti frame I’ve ridden, and it’s not as soft and springy as the steel Hello Dave either. It’s still got noticeably more compliance than the average alloy hardcore hardtail frame though and it feels far livelier than Reynolds 725 steel hardtails I’ve ridden. Add the low weight and a really positive harnessing of whatever power you put through the near-instant hub connection via the SRAM cranks and the Wrekker is a much better XC/Trail style all-rounder than I expected it to be. The compliance also helps comfort in the saddle which can be a real issue on steeper seat tube bikes and while I was expecting most of my testing to be short blasts around the silly side of the woods I ended up heading off around the hills without any worries. 

The quality of the fork also means the stiffness added to the front with the subtle shaping doesn’t create arm pump or hand fatigue even when you’re hunting or dropping long travel full suspension bikes on the local red and black runs. The stiffness is very welcome for making the most of those radical angles in the ragged edge riding moments that aren't just encouraged but insisted on as soon as you’ve got gravity on your side. The only thing I would say is that the front end is so composed, it’s easy to forget you’re on a hardtail until your feet get blown off the pedals and you have to rodeo a section. At least you don’t have to worry about scratching the paint if you do wipe out though and cleaning the frame up after a filthy session is bliss compared to a painted bike with intricate suspension linkages and shock pockets. 

Verdict

It might look mad, but On-One’s Wrekker answers most questions about how slack is too slack in a remarkably positive, ridiculously capable way. It’s not just a steep DH freak either, as the lively frame feel, low weight, and keen climbing performance make it an efficient and enjoyable day rider. 

Add a tough, nicely detailed sweet riding titanium frame, excellent fork, gears, and tires with decent support componentry for an excellent value price, and the Wrekker comes highly recommended. Unless you like manuals, rear wheel slides, and really tight switchbacks as it’s absolutely rubbish at those, for that sort of riding check out the more conventional Titus Viajero instead.

Tech spec: On-One Wrekker Ti GX AXS

• Price: $3,074.99 / £2999.99
• Discipline: Trail/Enduro
• Frame: Grade 9 3AL-2.5V Titanium
• Head angle: 62 degrees
• Seat tube angle: 77 degrees
• Reach: 479mm (medium tested)
• Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate (2021) 150mm travel, 42mm offset
• Wheels: WTB i30 rims with Planet-X 150 hubs
• Tires: Hutchinson Griffus 29 x 2.5in front and 29 x 2.4in rear tires
• Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS, 10-52 teeth 12-speed cassette
• Brakes: SRAM G2 R / SRAM Centerline Rotors (200/180)
• Seat post: Rockshox Reverb, 175mm
• Saddle: San Marco GND
• Bar: Selcof Enduro 6, 780mm
• Stem: Selcof Tickety Boo 35
• Sizes: XS, S, M (tested), L, XL
• Weight: 13.75kg