SHORT XTEAM BICYCLE FULL
Because there is no real lock–out there’s a tendency to hunch over the front on bigger climbs but the Shimano 2×10 gearing offers a crawler–lane option and the stiff rear end means there is no gear jumping under full stress either. It’s no hill climber, the angles see to that, but even though it’s a touch over 31lb the Rallon is relatively light to ride. I’m left thinking why the higher priced bike (the XLtd) is £1200 more when this has the better wheels?īOS Deville's lacked clearance but seldom an issue, looking forward to the new FCV versions FEELING Finishing detail and cable routing is good, the Orbea comes with some handy frame protection too. It’s all good but what really counts are the dampers front and rear. The bike covers ground silently, quickly aided in no small way by those Mavic Crossmax wheels and the drive off the Race Face Next SL crankset. The Race Face bars sit tidy and the green Race Face grips are a perfect compound, the right shape. It all begins with crisp Shimano XTR shifting whilst slithering up the RockShox Reverb Stealth to reach the trailhead. This can also be resolved with Orbea’s online customiser where you can swap to Shimano and save £90. The brakes on the Rallon were not the best however we have ridden some better examples of the Formula since we did this test so we are hoping it was a one-off as they tended to bind quite frequently which the newer versions don’t. We were super keen to get the Rallon into a variety of environments.įormula brakes, not the best but ridden better versions since this test COMPONENTS However, just getting the bike down close to the floor alone doesn’t make a bike steer and respond well, it’s a combination of many factors. It’s low, which means the cornering might be a bit tasty. And it only takes about 20 seconds to carry out this geo’ change. The Rallon is low at –7mm drop on the bottom bracket, but it can go even lower, as far as –14, which puts it into a very special place, one that reads 338mm on the bottom bracket from the floor. I know this because our man at Le Dirt (our new French version of the mag) in Cannes has it all at his pad. Getting onto BOS suspension is like climbing into a hot bath after a cold day on the hill, backed up with Christian Dior shampoo and a big furry towel. Yes you can ride any bike downhill but class can be identified pretty quickly. Maybe a handful of companies would get a nine out of ten for their bikes, maybe one or two a ten.
Unfortunately there are still many mountain bike manufacturers who suffer from bright ideas and mediocrity on a pretty big scale, no more so than in the newish enduro scene.
It’s not the first time I’d heard the comment, and all I can really say is that the confidence a good bike instils is priceless. Having been fully absorbed for four hours on the Orbea I barked back, “No they are not… not by a long way”. “Bikes are much of a muchness these days though aren’t they?” he asked, with one eye on a Kona Process. The oil was still cooling in the Kirk damper when I met an old mate near the trails. Photos: Steve Jones / Ben Winder SHAPE AND PURPOSE Getting onto BOS suspension is like climbing into a hot bath after a cold day on the hill
0 kommentar(er)
