Southern California Survivor - CHUMBA Racing

Southern California
Survivor Chumba XCL
Ted Tanouye ran the incredible
Bike Beat bicycle shop in
Orange, California, and in his
spare time, built his own mountain
bikes. The bike company eventually
overshadowed the shop and today,
Chumba Racing continues an almost
forgotten tradition: bikes being built by
the same person who owns the company.
Ted still designs, machines and
welds like he always has. All Chumbas
are built in Southern California out of
6061 aluminum parts that are sourced
from the Los Angeles area.
No energy is wasted on swooping
gussets or hydroformed tubes. Ted
incorporates a Bauhaus philosophy
that puts the pivots and tube lengths
exactly where they should be. This is
not a corrupted version of Horst
Leitner’s Amp Link pivoting dropout.
Ted put the Amp Link pivots and
links exactly where Horst himself
found them to work best. It’s not until
the best pivots and angles are found
that Ted selects the tubes and gussets
that will most effectively hold it all
together.
82 www.mbaction.com
Check out the overall tough look of
the XCL: the beefy butted tubes, the
burly swingarm assembly, the solid
pivot housings. This Chumba is built
to last. The finish appears cobby when
compared to the latest hip-hop-looking,
me-too, chain-brand wonders, but
that’s a function of just how real the
XCL is. It’s has a cool form-followsfunction
look that prioritizes trail performance.
PERFECT SPEC
Chumba Racing sells the XCL only
as a frame and shock. When you get
yours, do the same thing that Ted did
to ours. Fox for suspension and SRAM
for just about every other component.
The only drivetrain products not
sourced from SRAM are the crank and
front derailleur.
More product bling not mentioned
in the specs includes a stem, bar and
seatpost from Truvativ (a SRAM company),
the WTB Rocket V chromolyrail
saddle, Lizard Skins lock-on grips,
and Lizard Skins chainstay pad.
You are absolutely doing yourself a
Railed: The XCL is a completely harmonious
blend between angles, lengths and
rider position. Aboard it you never think of
“what if?” Rather, you look at something
gnarly down the trail and say “I can do
that!”

Let’s do this: The Chumba has a wild
bent. It’s perfect to take on an epic trail
ride with a group who likes to stop now
and then and test their nerves. On the
XCL you will do things you never used to
have the confidence to try.

Southern California Survivor
disservice if you don’t use the same 3.9/4.7/5.5-inch-adjustable-travel
Fox TALAS fork. The preset air spring setting stays the same regardless
of which travel position is used. Even five years after the fact, it’s
hard to get over just how brilliant the design is. Our Chumba even
Chumba had XCL the most basic R version of the 32 TALAS fork, and we were
more than satisfied.
HORST’S PIVOT PLACEMENT
True Horst-Link rear suspension with a swing-link-guided mac
strut offers unparalleled action. It’s suspension that doesn’t need a
shock with a platform valve to pedal effectively. If you do add a platform
shock, like the Fox ProPedal used on our XCL, watch out!
The Fox DHX 5.0 shock is very fun to tune. Start with a main air
spring setting that is 5psi under your body weight. Then use ProPedal
pressure and reservoir volume to adjust the exact level of pedaling
platform. We ended up leaving the ProPedal reservoir set at 90psi and
turned the reservoir volume in or out to stiffen or loosen the point at
which bumps override the platform threshold. We ran 70psi in the
Talas fork’s air spring.
The XCL feels extremely responsive when pedaled, yet absorbs
everything in its path. It’s 4.5 inches worth of rear suspension that
pedals like a 3.1-inch rear end, but takes bumps like it has over five
inches of travel.
POINT AND SHOOT
Regardless of the front suspension travel adjustment, the Chumba’s
slack-sounding 69-degree head angle literally turns circles around any
other bike out there. It doesn’t demand anything more from the rider
than to just steer and pedal in the right direction.
The more you ride the XCL, the more you will begin to leave the
TALAS at its full 5.5-inch travel setting. The shortest travel setting
gives the bike quick steering on busy terrain. It also keeps more of
the rider’s weight on the front tire up vertical pitches. Even if you
forget to lock the travel down, the Chumba climbs so well it motors
right up in the full-travel position anyway.
Riders climb so well on the Chumba because of the bike’s perfect
steering control and a rear end that refuses to break loose. The XCL
elevates traction because the rear suspension always remains active
as it absorbs everything in its path. The weight should have bothered
us, but it didn’t. This is a 31-pound bike that feels like a 28-pounder.
Nice trick, Ted.
CHUMBA RUMBLERS
We had only one complaint. It was hard to unscrew the DHX
shock’s main air spring Schrader valve cap because of how tight it fits
in the frame. That’s it.
CONTINUE THE MISSION
So what is the XCL? Exactly how we tested it—it is a trail bike
ideal for ultra-punishing trails. Dry, dusty, rocky, pumice, volcanic,
slate, granite and moonscape all describe the surfaces this bike will
thrive on. This is not a bike you wrap in padding when transporting.
Just throw it in the truck bed and go. Ride it hard and put it away
wet.
You may be tempted to go for lighter wheels (we did for part of our
test). If you ride light on your feet (smoothly landing jump transitions,
steering around jagged rocks and not plowing into stuff), using
lighter wheels is not out of the question and makes this bike feel even
more lively. If you’re a basher, run what we tested.
Referring to Ted Tanouye and Chumba as “survivors” is wrong,
because that insinuates they are barely holding on in the world of
mass-produced mountain bikes. Not true. The Chumba XCL is a nofrills
mountain bike that is built to take a beating without inflicting a
beating on its rider. It can be configured to fit a wide range of riding
styles, and two or three years into ownership, this bike won’t just be
surviving—it’ll still be thriving. ❏
84 www.mbaction.com
Hold on: If the Chumba came with a user guide it would
say not to let the weight of the XCL influence the ride.
Instead, use the SRAM drivetrain as designed and let a
low gear do the work for you. Chumba built the XCL to
be ridden hard and to last.
CHUMBA XCL
Price $1699 (frame and shock)
Country of origin USA
Weight 31.1 pounds
Hotline (800) 706-0760
Frame tested Medium (17")
Bottom bracket height 13.5"
Chainstay length 16.8"
Top tube length 23.5"
Head angle 69°
Seat angle 73°
Standover height 31"
Wheelbase 43.5"
Suspension travel (front) 5.5"
Suspension travel (rear) 4.5"
Frame material Aluminum
Fork Fox 32 TALAS
Shock Fox DHX 5.0 Air
Rims DT Swiss EX 5.1D
Tires WTB MotoRaptor (2.2")
Hub DT Swiss 340
Brakes Avid Juicy Seven
Brake levers Avid Juicy Seven
Crankset FSA V-Drive
Shifters SRAM X.9 triggers
Front derailleur Shimano XTR
Rear derailleur SRAM X.O
Chainrings FSA V-Drive (44/32/22)
Cassette SRAM PG970 (11-34)
Pedals None (tested with Shimano M520)