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REVEL Rascal Review




OVERVIEW


Over the last few months, I've been able to spend quite a bit of time on the Colorado company's mid-travel 29er: the Rascal. Revel has three bikes in their lineup, with the Rascal currently being the longest travel 29er option. Anyone familiar with Canfield Balance Formula for rear suspension design will be delighted to find all Revel bikes equipped with the CBF design out back. Per the Canfield website, marketed attributes of CBF include: 1: THE MOST EFFICIENT PEDALING AND POWER TRANSFER POSSIBLE

CBF™ points the chainline and drive forces directly into the IC throughout 100-percent of the travel by balancing the CC over the chainring, resulting in maximum pedaling efficiency, regardless of where you are in the travel, what terrain you are on or what kind of power you’re putting down. All the power you put into the pedals propels you one direction–forward—allowing the suspension to do its job completely independent of drivetrain and braking forces.

2: COMPLETE SEPARATION OF DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION FORCES

By Balancing the CC on the chainline, CBF™ creates an IC that can travel from a high position to low, forward to back, mirroring the rear axle and keeping the distance between the two more consistent, lessening chain-growth/pedal-kick throughout the travel. As the wheel moves up, the IC moves down, avoiding unnecessary interruptions to the pedal stroke. The chainline pivots with the suspension, around the same point, providing complete isolation of drivetrain and suspension forces for an incredibly smooth ride.

3: SMOOTH, ACTIVE, CONTROLLED BRAKING

CBF™ decouples suspension and braking forces, allowing the rear wheel to smoothly and efficiently track terrain even under hard braking for maximum traction and control. “Brake jack” is virtually non-existent. CBF has optimal anti-rise (80%-100%) throughout travel, preventing braking forces from causing unwanted squat or rise, maintaining favorable geometry and allowing the suspension to do its job, keeping the rider in control when it often matters most.

4: NOT SAG DEPENDENT

CBF™ is not sag dependent. Our formula allows the rider to set up the sag position anywhere in the travel with maximum anti-squat and pedaling efficiency. Because the chainline always points at the IC, there is no way to miss the “sweet spot” in the travel. Of course, your sag and suspension setup will still affect bump compliance and how much travel you use, but if you like to run it soft or it has not been properly set up, you won’t be giving up any pedaling efficiency. You will also maintain efficiency when climbing (a situation in which weight is shifted rearward, causing the bike to sit deeper into travel beyond the normal ideal sag position), riding downhill, through obstacles and rough terrain, or any other variables that require efficient pedaling deeper in travel.


Specifications:


The Rascal is specced with 130mm of travel in the rear and paired with a 140mm fork.


Frame-only options start at $2,799 with a Rockshox Super Deluxe air sprung shock, but you can dish out the extra cash for a frame equipped with a Fox Float X2 ($3,099) or custom tuned PUSH Elevensix coil option ($3,699) if you prefer.


Complete builds start at $5,199 for GX Eagle, $7,399 for XO1, and $9,999 for a full XX1 AXS wireless system. Across the three builds, you'll find a pretty nice selection of components including contact points. All three complete bike options come with wheelsets built on Industry Nine hubs, a Maxxis DHF EXO 2.5 up front and Aggressor EXO 2.3 rear, Ergon grips and saddles, and Enve handlebars/Revel carbon rims on the two higher end models. Revel really doesn't leave a whole lot to be desired in terms of the immediate need to swap parts, except for saddles and grips which are particularly personal. With only SRAM/Rockshox builds available, this may be somewhat limiting to the Fox/Shimano crowd looking for complete bikes. At this time we're not sure if Revel will be offering other build kits. Construction: The Rascal's claimed frame weight is 6.6lbs for a medium frame with no shock. The build quality is solid and there are many thoughtful details built into the frame. There are water bottle mounts on all frame sizes, though I had trouble fitting a full size bottle on my medium frame. Sizes large and up should be fine with a full size bottle, but medium to small will want a smaller one. Building the bike is a breeze with the tube-in-tube molded internal routing, chain guide and threaded bottom bracket.


Geometry:


ON THE TRAIL Setup: Most testing/riding was done along the Front Range and Western Slope of Colorado, as well as Moab, Utah. My bike was equipped with a 140mm Pike Ultimate outfitted with a PUSH ACS3 coil conversion and Elevensix rear shock setup for my rider weight. I opted for a frame-only option so the bike was built up with parts I already had available. I ran the fork at about 20-22% sag and the rear shock right at 30%.

Climbing: Looking at the Rascal; this bike looks fast. Its sleek lines and minimalistic aesthetic are very appealing. After swinging a leg over the bike for the first time, I immediately felt at home with a 444mm reach on a medium sized frame with a 40mm stem. For reference I'm about 5'7'' with absolutely zero torso and long legs. I felt nicely centered and balanced on the bike. It definitely caters to an "in" the bike feel as opposed to a perched "on" the bike feel. After a few pedal strokes up my first climb I did notice the 75 degree seat tube angle, which is relatively slack compared to the 77 degree STA found on the YT Jeffsy Pro Race I had been on previously. There were a few instances on steep, switchback climbs where I had to put significantly more weight over the front end than usual to keep the front end planted, but this was not an issue on any climb outside of all but the steepest grades. I was surprised to find the Rascal didn't quite have the lively get-up-and-go feel that the bike is marketed to have. This was particularly noticeable on long, smooth grinds. The Jeffsy had 150mm of travel and felt a bit more efficient up the hill. While CBF suspension is known for ground-hugging traction, I wasn't able to decide if its slower climbing feel had more to do with suspension design or the slacker STA. I don't think putting a lighter weight air shock on it would make it much faster, but I could be wrong. Personally, I would like to see a steeper STA on this bike. Colorado's Front Range has no shortage of technical, rocky climbs. I began my initial ride climbing up Bitterbrush trail; known for its technical, punchy big efforts. The Rascal was more than happy to be pointed up off-camber rock chunks and ledges and held traction remarkably well. It happily spun up sections of trail that I normally have issues with; regardless of whether I was standing or seated. It never sank into its travel more than I would have liked and didn't get hung up anywhere. The small bump sensitivity was obvious, and on more committing efforts it did butter its way up just about everything without a fuss. The Rascal isn't going to win any races uphill in its category but it will reward ambitious technical climbing efforts. Descending: We don't traditionally think of 130mm bikes as being highly capable descenders. There definitely are lines that I would exclusively reserve for a longer travel bike. While I didn't point the Rascal down *all* of my favorite downhill lines; I was surprised by the amount of what I was able to confidently descend. The Rascal stayed surprisingly composed through high-speed chatter and chunk. It's incredibly stable and plush. While I did bottom out a small handful of times over three months, the somewhat progressive 19.5% leverage rate helped to prevent diving too deeply into the travel on bigger impacts. Getting this bike into the air is no problem and it makes easy work of seeking out more playful trail features. It gives a very predictable and balanced feel in the air. It was easy to be inclined to jib off of every rock and root I could find. I had no hesitations riding bigger drops and steep slabs, and questionable landings or run-outs weren't even a consideration. This bike wants to hold a straight line. I did find the limits of the Pike down high-speed chunk. Someone wanting to build a quiver-of-one version may find some value in speccing a Fox 36, Lyrik or similar up front. PROS AND CONS Pros: - Fair price point for a boutique brand - Solid, high quality frame construction - Comfortable and confidence inspiring uphill and down Cons: - Not the most efficient feeling climber on long grinds - Seat angle could be steeper - Limited build kits for complete bikes

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