XDS BOSS 3.0

The latest XDS Boss 3.0 is one of the best value recreational mountain bikes in our range. In our deep dive, well explain who its designed for, where it can be used and the main components.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Value for Money: The XDS Boss 3.0 is a top choice for recreational mountain biking, offering great value under $1,000.
• Target Audience: Ideal for family rides, fitness use, and light off-road trails, including rail trails, bike paths, and 4WD tracks.
• Wheel Options: Available in 27.5 wheels for XS and SM frames, and 29 wheels for larger frames, catering to different rider heights and preferences.
• High-Quality Frame: Features a premium X6 aluminium frame, co-developed with a leading research institute, offering a superior strength-to-weight ratio.
• Advanced Frame Features: Includes internal cable routing, high-polish welds, and a tapered head tube, typically found on more expensive bikes.
• Suspension Fork: Equipped with an XDS suspension fork with a lockout lever for adjusting suspension firmness, enhancing ride efficiency on different terrains.
• Reliable Gearing: Uses S-Rides 9-speed mountain-bike gears, providing smooth gear changes and a total of 18 gears for versatile riding.
• Trigger Shifters: Features trigger shifters for precise gear changes, making it easier to handle various riding conditions.
• Hydraulic Disc Brakes: Comes with Tektro M290 hydraulic disc brakes, offering superior stopping power and control compared to mechanical disc brakes and V-brakes.
• Ergonomic Brake Levers: Adjustable brake levers suitable for smaller hands, enhancing braking comfort and safety for all riders.

A DEEPER DIVE

WHO + WHAT ITS FOR

The Boss 3.0, while an improvement over the Giant Talon 29 2 and Boss 4.0, serves the same terrain: rail trails, bike paths, light off-road trails and 4WD tracks.

Its designed for family rides, general fitness use and the occasional adventure on easy mountain bike trails (like Lysterfield Park in Mebournes south-east).

Readers note that the Boss 3.0 comes in 2 wheel size options – depending on what frame size you need.

The 13 (XS) and 15 (SM) size frames are built with 27.5 wheels.

This makes itso much easierfor smaller riders to:

• Steer the bike; 27.5 wheels make the steering more responsive.
• Mount/dismount (smaller wheels lower the frame too).

All this equals better handling and itll be especially easy for pre-teens or teens coming from smaller bikes to handle.

The rest of the frame sizes – 17, 19 and 21 – come with 29 wheels.

Some advantages of larger wheels:

• It lifts the front of the bike, delivering a relaxed riding position.
• Larger wheels cover more ground; per rotation of the wheel you travel further.

THE FRAME

XDS is an engineering company.

Look, they are really bad at marketing, sales and any form of advertising. Its just not their strength.

But making some of the best bikes in the world definitely is.

And thats why the Boss mountain-bike range uses the best alloy frames under $1,000 in our range. In fact, its better than most aluminium frames north of a grand too.

How?

Firstly, XDS use their premium X6 aluminium for their Boss range thats been co-developed with Central South University Aluminum Research Institute – a leading research centre in the field of metal science.

Theyre able to get the frame weight down and frame stiffness up, improving the Boss strength-to-weight ratio.

Why should you care though?

Because it delivers a much better riding bike, with better than average handling.

High-end frame finishes likeinternal cable routingkeep the cables hidden. This means the cables are not exposed to dirt, grit, mud and the elements.

High-polish welds make the frame look almost one-piece. And definitely helps set the Boss apart from the competition who still use exposed welds.

Atapered head tubeis anotherhigh-endframe feature we rarely, if ever, see under $1,500. This improves the Boss handling.

Note how this tube is much bigger at the bottom and smaller at the top. Thats because more force occurs at the bottom, so the frame is designed to suit.

THE COMPONENTS

Starting at the front:

TheXDS suspension fork* is smooth and reliable.

Its got a red lockout lever positioned on top of the fork. This lockout lever allows riders to switch the suspension from being soft to hard.

As an example: For concrete bike paths and rail trails, set the suspension to Firm. This maximises power transfer for easier, more efficient riding.

But, dont forget to turn the dial back to Plush for rougher paths!

The Boss 3.0 comes built with S-Ridess new9 speed mountain-bike gears. These parts are robust, reliable and deliver super-smooth gear changes.

The back 9 gears are paired to 2 front gears. This creates 18 gears in total. Having 2 front gears (compared to 3) makes the gears much simpler.

Gear 1 is used for climbing steep hills and Gear 2 is for everything else.

Theres also less gap between each gear (compared to 7 and 8 speed gears) which means the chain doesnt clunk as it moves from one gear to the next; so its smoother than 7 and 8 speed bikes.

The gears are controlled by trigger shifters, not the old-style twist shift. Push the small paddle to shift into a harder gear (to go faster) or the larger bottom paddle to change into an easier gear (for going uphill).

Generally though:

Gear 1, 2, 3 are used for going uphill. Gear 4, 5, 6 for riding on flatter paths. And Gear 7, 8, 9 for going faster – typically downhill.

Next area of interest are Boss 3.0shydraulic disc brakes.

Hydraulic disc brakes front and rear generatemuch more stopping powerthan mechanical disc brake and V-brakes.

Not only that but they also deliver more control. This means you can slow down without skidding and losing traction – especially in wet conditions.

The Boss 3.0 uses Tektros M290 brakes. This has a new short-blade lever thats a little more ergonomic than the Boss 4.0 and Talons M275 design.

Power output also increases marginally over the basic M275 brake.

Important:

Riders on the 13 and 15 frames are most likely going to have smaller than average hands.

The lever on these brakes is adjustable to suit – without dramatically affecting braking power.