I Think I've Decided on The Next MTB.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
03/13/2019 at 16:45 • Filed to: None

I spent the past weekend at a MTB demo event in Moab. The conditions were great and I spent most of the time riding bikes that were way outside my price range, but I think I’ve finally decided.

The brand is barely two weeks old, but they’re based out of Carbondale, CO and run by the same people that founded and operate Why Cycles.

This is the Revel Rascal 29. Of everything I rode this past weekend, this one felt by far the best. It just fit well, handled well, rode well, and seemed to be always in the right place at the right time. It didn’t have the most or the least travel and didn’t seem to out-spec or under-spec any other bike present, but it just felt so perfect.

This is highly subjective, and I’m of the opinion that a proper fitting bike is far more important than your brand of fork, drivetrain spec level, etc. It is, after all, an extension of yourself and like a good shoe or backpack, needs to fit you well.

I spent quite a bit of time talking to one of the co-founders about suspension geometry and his reasoning for designing it in such a way. They follow the Canfield suspension design, with a center of curvature near the top of the chainring. This means that there is negligible pull on the chain at full droop vs full sag- the driveline can remain almost static throughout the suspension travel.

They’re somewhat backordered on frames at the moment and awaiting shipment, but I’m hoping to have one in the next month or so.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I’m not affiliated in any way, nor do I get anything from these guys, but I thought I’d share and keep you updated if you’re following the MTB search.

DISCUSSION (23)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:00

Yeti SB150 or gtfac.

functionoverfashion > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:01

Awesome. I agree that fit/feel is so important. Of course, you can feel quality components to some degree right away, and cheap ones will show themselves pretty quickly... but I’m guessing as a new company they’re not going with cheap components to start out, because it would reflect badly on them even if they didn’t make the parts.

Anyway. Have fun and be sure to share more when you get it!

benjrblant > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
03/13/2019 at 17:04

lookey here, son.

benjrblant > functionoverfashion
03/13/2019 at 17:05

Yes, past a certain point, component spec becomes less relevant. There’s little performance difference, if any, between XTR and XT. It’s mostly weight savings at that point. I’d be looking at a GX 12spd build with the anticipation of upgrading components as they are damaged or wear out.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:07

hmmm... looks nice.. i should try one (when i can... could be a while over here.... but thats fine... i need to build me some mountains first anyway)

functionoverfashion > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:12

Exactly my theory. I didn’t want to spend $4k on a bike, so I got a deal on a lower-spec Trek Fuel Ex a few years ago. I still love it, but would love to update some components. I haven’t broken it in a while. Need to ride some more.

BeaterGT > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:22

Only t wo weeks old? You can change your handle to b enjrblant, Revel Development Rider! In all seriousness, I dig how that bike looks even if it is the fully kitted model .

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:24

Looks pretty sweet. You’re braver than I am by going with such a new manufacturer.

Any other notable standouts from all the bikes you rode?

benjrblant > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back
03/13/2019 at 17:29

I rode an Alchemy Arktos which I quite liked as well. Another new brand, Esker , was present with their 27.5 Elkat which I liked too, but I’m more of a 29 guy and Esker wasn’t expecting a 29er til end of year. I did not particularly care for the Niner Jet9 or the Ibis Mojo. I wanted to but did not get to ride anything from Pivot, Orbea, or RockyMountain.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 17:40

Looks nice a nice piece of kit! Any worries that the company is so new?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > functionoverfashion
03/13/2019 at 18:16

The newer geometry is revolutionary .

HammerheadFistpunch > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 18:21

Looks nice, the VPP was such a huge game changer for geometry.

ST80MND > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 21:32

That’s a nice looking ride. I second the bit about fit. I ride a lot of styles, and over the years and miles have found Specialized to normally tick all the boxes.Except when it came to my downhill bike. None of specialized offerings seems to fit. I tried to live with a demo 9 , but never really felt confident. Then I rode a friends devinci, which wasn’t supposed to give the demo any competition, but wow, what a difference. It was perfect. So unbelievably perfect. It was like a bike that I wore instead of rode, like it was connected telepathically. Proper size means all the difference.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > benjrblant
03/13/2019 at 22:36

Nice choice. Pinkbike had nice things to say about its longer travel sister , the Rail.

I do laugh though at the Canfield Balance Formula (which is the marketing name for the rear suspension design that Revel use) acronym CBF that is used in their marketing. In Oz, this is automatically converted into Couldn’t Be Fucked.

benjrblant > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/14/2019 at 00:01

Not particularly, the founders have been operating Why cycles for three years now. Same people, new brand. Both share a facility.

benjrblant > ST80MND
03/14/2019 at 00:02

Yes! So many bikes feel like a thing you sit on and roll about, but a proper fit feels like an extension of your body and it behaves so much better.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > benjrblant
03/14/2019 at 09:47

All the bike mags have had good things to say about these bikes after their first rides. It will be interesting to see if it is as good as the first impressions make it. If you end up riding one you’ll have to give us a review of it.

benjrblant > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
03/14/2019 at 09:51

I did ride it! They had a small fleet of demo bikes at an event in Moab this past weekend.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > benjrblant
03/14/2019 at 14:22

I meant if you end up buying one and get more miles on it than just a demo ride. It seems like it takes me a few rides to get a really good feel for a bike.

benjrblant > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
03/14/2019 at 15:20

oh oh, yes. will do.

functionoverfashion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
03/14/2019 at 22:19

By “newer” are you including things that are 4 years old? Or like, the newest stuff on the market now?

In any case I’m not spending thousands on a bike this year, and I do really love mine. But I’m curious if I should be planning ahead or just continuing to replace components on mine.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > functionoverfashion
03/15/2019 at 00:13

The last two to tree years depends on the bike. The main difference being a slacker head tube angle and a bit longer reach for high speed stability.

vicariousILive > benjrblant
04/03/2019 at 23:01

Kinda late to the discussion but that was my favorite bike from the Thaw. By far the best climber but it was a little hard on cornering. I wish they had a more aggressive

I was hoping to ride an Yeti SB130 but unfortunately Yeti didn’t show up