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92 january 2011 Bike Buyer’s guide nomaD by raleiGh fs 20 Nomad is Raleigh rebranded, with new vigour and renewed passion for making decent bikes suited to our harsh terrain. We tested this entry-level dual-suspension bike on an Epic reconnaissance stage – the hardest of the 2011 route – and it shone like a rough diamond. Polish it up with a Stan’s wheelset and lighter tyres to make it a competitive stage racer. Key spec: SRAM X7/9 10-speed, RockShox Recon fork r12 495 silverback aspire The Aspire is the second evolution of the popular Mercury’s platform. Featuring MU9 higherdensity aluminium and a carbon rear triangle, the designers have made the linkage stiffer and lighter. We’d have to take it apart to show you how. At 11.5kg specced with XT and XTR, it errs on the side of reliability, but with aggressive angles it’s still a proper race bike. Key specs: XTR/XT drivetrain, RockShox Reba RLT Ti, FSA finishing kit r39 315 pina fv5 There’s little to touch the performance and bling of a Pinarello road bike. It’s the classic, archetypal Euro racer. But mountain bikes?! To some it just seems wrong. But look at the top-end carbon materials used, the asymmetric concept taken across from the Dogma and the RockShox suspension. Fritz Pienaar is one of the few to have ridden one and his reports are glowing. Key spec: SRAM X0, RockShox fork and rear shock r55 000 (as shown) Gt sensor 9’r pro This is a bike that could easily fall into either category – race or all mountain. Rated as one of our favourite bikes of 2010, the 26-inch version was raced in stage events and thrashed on the backside of the mountains with equal enthusiasm. The 29er promises more of the same, with 20mm less rear travel to allow for the forgiving faster wheels. Love the colour, can’t wait to ride it. Key spec: SRAM X9/X7, Fox F29 RLC FIT with 15mm through axle r22 995 khs xc team The word value is relative. To many R44k for a bike is a massive outlay, but considering the competition, this is a really good deal. You get a full carbon frame with a proven linkage system, top-of-the-line RockShox all round and the best groupset in the business. At this price, many of the contenders offer spec that’s two notches down. Worth a good look. Key spec: RockShox SID RLT, American Classic wheels, Shimano XTR 10-speed r42 899
All Mountain/Trail Bike Buyer’s Guide Most Versatile someone once called this the leisure category, but regretted it. These long-travel, do-anything bikes will widen the grin on your face and the gap in your mind between sanity and madness. commençal meta 55 team In Andorra, where these bikes are designed, there’s little choice of biking routes – mild or extreme downhill riding. Perfect for R&D. The Meta’s Contact System employs a single-pivot design with a one-piece swingarm. The shock is driven off a linkage allowing refinement of the progressiveness of the suspension. Key spec: Mavic Crossride wheels, 15mm through axle, Formula RX brakes r26 995 cannonDale jekyll carbon 1 Hammertime! No not the 80s rapper – it’s the term the design team use to describe the ballistics-grade carbon used to fend against sharp, flying rocks and broken hearts. But that’s the least of it. Cannondale say it’s two bikes in one – a lever on the bars switches it from an energetic climber (90mm) to an all mountain/freeride ripper (150mm). It’s an ‘over mountain’ bike. Key spec: Fox DYAD RT2 dual rear shock, BB30, Shimano XT r56 000 yeti 575 In honour of its 25th anniversary, the legendary brand Yeti has pimped its most popular model – the 575 (5.75” rear travel) – and updated the frame on the new 575 to accommodate a longertravel fork. The angles have been adjusted and the suspension’s been tweaked to make it stiffer midstroke. Fresh tech, retro paint. Key spec: Fox 32 150mm fork, 12x142mm rear through axle compatible r26 000 (frame and fork) morewooD sukuma Continuing their spread across to cover all possible genres, Morewood Bikes has, for the first time, bought a license to use another proprietary suspension system. This bike features Dave Weagle’s (Turner Bikes) split pivot system, designed to separate the braking and acceleration forces on the suspension. Morewood love the Turner design so much they’re importing them. Look out for it in future issues. Key spec: Built to order From r36 000 santa cruz nickel After telling the mountain bike world that their virtual pivot system is the way to go, Santa Cruz announce an ‘active pivot’ bike. Granted, this makes for a far more affordable set-up and they have solved the single pivot eccentricities. There’s more responsive pedalling deep into the travel, minimised brake force reactions, and an improved shock rate curve where the shock gets stiffer the further you are into the travel. Key spec: Built to order r14 500 (frame only) january 2011 93
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