The women’s specific version of the popular Ghost Bikes ‘All Mountain AMR 5700’, the Miss AMR 5700 is an all mountain dream – stiff, responsive, with well thought out geometry and a heap of quality components that will keep you pedalling over any terrain.

The Miss AMR is designed for all mountain riding, so where better to test it than the Alps! I took it to The Mountain Bike Chalet in Les Arcs, France, to put it through its paces.

Ghost Bikes have put a lot of effort into designing a bike that fits their female consumer perfectly. The Ghost Miss AMR 5700 has had the geometry tweaked from that of the standard AMR. It still features the same super lightweight aluminium tubing but everything had been shortened slightly.

There is no denying the Miss AMR is a great looking bike and it’s clear a lot of effort and thought has gone into the development and production of this bike.

The shortened top tube will keep you fairly upright and the comfortable saddle and the slight rise bar give you the perfect position to see the trail ahead and ride for hours without any complaints. The head tube is tapered, from 1’5 inches on the bottom narrowing to 1 1/8 inch on the top. This increases stiffness at the front, giving a more responsive and controlled ride.

Ghost Bikes have realised that smaller riders not only require a small frame but also a shorter rear end. This makes a bike that is a lot easier to manoeuvre on technical sections.

The Miss AMR features something known as Specific Chainstay Length (SCL), which means that the chainstay grows or shrinks with the frame size, rather being a standard length on every size of bike. Ghost believes that this results in ‘a perfectly balanced bike which offers superior riding performance in any frame size’ and are they right? Hell yes! The proportions of the bike felt perfect.

The short rear end really improved handling and comfort

I was able to easily pull the front end of the bike up over obstacles and for drops. It enabled me to manual over rocky sections and keep my speed up pumping through berms.

The 180mm Shimano 505 hydraulic disc brakes handled the steepest descents and gave plenty of stopping power; I felt confident riding down some of the steepest terrain I have ever faced. This new found confidence led me to believe I possessed all the skill of the Atherton’s, a belief that ended quite quickly after a variety of sketchy moments bombing rather steep rocky descents!

The Shimano group set was responsive and never missed or slipped a gear

The gear changes were instant and it shifted perfectly whether covered in mud, dust or whilst riding over choppy rock gardens. The Shimano FCM 552 crankset feels solid, the triple chain ring and 10-speed cassette give you the right gearing for the biggest climbs and will keep you cranking on the descents. Even riding over extremely rough and rocky terrain the chain only came off the chainring once in the whole week.

The rear Shimano XT derailleur is a clutch style mech, which means it has a switch you can flick to stiffen up the tension thus reducing movement and chain slap. It also has a reverse hanger which means it is mounted on the inside of the chainstay reducing bending stress that occurs during shifting. The result of this is a more efficient gear change. The chain does make a bit of a racket on the bumpier descents but stays tight enough for you to not have to worry when pedalling.

The Miss AMR 5700 comes equipped with a 120mm travel Fox fork and rear shock that are outstanding! All it takes is the flip of a couple of switches to set the bike up for any terrain.

You can select from three modes on both the fork and rear shock; Climb, Trail and Descend (CTD).

Climb mode locks out both the front and rear shocks – this low-speed compression setting allows for maximum pedalling efficiency enabling you to put all your power into actually climbing rather than bobbing your way uphill.

Trail mode gives you a moderate low-speed compression setting which delivers that optimal blend of pedalling efficiency and bike control on all types of terrain. Enough suspension to get through the rough stuff, but not so much that it sucks up the power from your pedalling.

Finally, descend mode (which is my favourite) is a low-speed compression setting that allows for maximum travel, control and plush performance on the steepest, most aggressive descents. This CTD system means the Ghost Miss AMR 5700 is capable of tackling any terrain, climb or descent.

Over the duration of the week I took the Ghost up and down every type of terrain you can imagine, and once I remembered which way to flick the switch I found it extremely easy to swop between the suspension modes on the move. The suspension absorbed the rocky terrain of the Alps for hours on end, remaining reliable and strong, unlike my hands that were sore from gripping on so tightly!

The Ghost x Alex 19mm rims are tough and light and whilst they might not be as strong as a 23mm rim, they do keep the weight down. Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres let them down slightly; I found them to be quite slippery once they got even the slightest bit wet.

It would have also been nice to see a 15mm through axle on the front wheel rather than the standard quick release; this would have complemented the positive effects of the tapered headtube nicely.

Les Arcs Bikes Park was the perfect testing ground for the Ghost, and although it’s not specifically designed for aggressive downhill trails, the AMR handled everything the Alps could throw at it. This is a bike that is only limited by the riders’ ability.

Verdict

A well thought out, high spec all mountain machine which is able to handle all you can throw at it with ease. A great all rounder; perfect for long cross country rides, thrashing around at the trail centre, or even picking your way through technical, rocky descents.

Pros

– Lightweight
– Specific Chainstay Length
– Extremely manoeuvrable
– Perfect for technical descents

Cons

– At 680mm, the handlebars were on the narrow side for me
– Tyres slippery when wet
– Lack of 15mm through axle

Sizes:  
40cm/16”, 44cm/17.5”,  48cm/19”,  52cm/20.5”,  56cm.
Price: RRP £1799.99
Weight: 12.80kg
More information: Ghost 
UK Supplier:  Hotlines

What Ghost say about the Ghost Miss AMR 5700

120mm pure riding fun! We treated our super lightweight aluminum frame to all of our technologies, put a Fox chassis in and equipped it with high-quality Shimano components! Every second on this bike equals pleasure!

Frameset

Frame: AMR Actinium DB SCL
Fork: Fox Forx 32F Air RL 120mm Tapered
BB: Shimano Pressfit BB
Shock: Fox Float RL 120mm
Colour: Grey/Turquoise/Yellow

Wheels

Rims: Alex FD19
Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25
Spokes: DT Swiss 1.8
Hubs: Shimano Deore

Drivetrain

Rear derailleur: Shimano XT 10-speed
Front derailleur: Shimano SLX
Shifters: Shimano Deore SL
Cassette: SRAM PG-1030 11-36
Crankset: Shimano FCM 552 42-32-24

Components

Saddle: Selle Royal Seta Lady
Seatpost: GHOST SL SP 717 31.6mm
Handlebars: GHOST Low Rizer light 680mm 31.8mm
Stem: GHOST light ASA-106 31.8mm
Headset: Ritchey Tapered
Brakes: Shimano 505 Disc 180mm
Brake levers: Shimano 505

Cover image copyright David Noakes