Australian Mountain Bike — December 01, 2017

84 - AMB

TESTED

The RockShox Reba RL fork sports 120mm

travel and uses the Motion control dampener.

The entry-level Monarch R rear shock unit has

rebound adjustment - but without the threshold

and lockout of the higher models. But as a

proper RockShox suspension unit, spares

are available and they are fully serviceable in

Australia. This is a massive positive for this bike

over others in a similar price bracket.

The SLX 1x10 drivetrain is a solid performer

and coupled with the Sunrace 11-40 cassette

gives a wider range than available without

reaching the higher price point groupsets.

Hydraulic braking courtesy of Deore is another

smart addition, although the rear rotor could

possibly be beefed up to 180mm to match the

front and deal with stopping 15+ kilos of trail bike.

Other notables are the KS Crux cable actuated

dropper post and Formula hubs sealed

bearings laced into WTB Scraper rims. The

WTB Trailblazer tyres in 27.5 x 2.8” are on the

narrower end of the plus sized spectrum, but

there is plenty of frame/fork clearance to go

bigger if your heart desires.

The OEM bits on offer are simple but effective.

The aluminium handlebars have a good shape

and are a generous 760mm and couple well

with the 70mm stem to provide a comfortable

cockpit.

It is cool to see that bikes made for fun are

gaining traction in the marketplace, with

applications that are not race-oriented. Sure,

the Vice is no flyweight - tipping the scales

at 15.5kg for our test model - but nor was

it meant to be. The tyres are UST ready so

ditch the tubes and save 600 grams. Drop

some rotational mass and gain a couple of

emergency tubes, it’s a double win really.

Theory aside though, how does it ride?

ON THE TRAIL

Rolling into the trails the initial feeling on the

Reid Vice is that the bike has quite an upright

riding position - not uncomfortably so, just

different to what was expected. But ducking in

and out through the first few sections singletrack

I couldn’t stop the smile from creeping across my

face. You can’t help but have fun on a bike like this.

Having spent very little time on Plus

sized bikes, it feels like I am in a similar

position to those who are looking to try

their first (semi) fat ride. Straight up it

is a totally crazy experience. You have

to “earn your turns”, the extra rotating

mass meaning that weight shifting

in and out of corners has to be more

defined and pronounced. The bike is

super stable at speed and gives you the

confidence to lean deeper into turns

and you realise that the grip on offer

goes far beyond where you believe it

would end.

The larger volume tyres don’t have a

definite edge but more a soft rounding

that allows the rider to bring it back

from imminent carnage.

The suspension performed well and

gave some extra versatility to adjust

the ride to suit the conditions. There is

a bit of pedal induced bob but this is to

be expected. Where it really excelled

is in the really rough stuff, where the 120mm

of travel was like adding double malt to your

favourite milkshake. The Vice just ticks through

whatever you see fit. Up rough rutted climbs,

sure. Down loose chutes with rocks the size

of a baby’s head, why not? It is like engaging

tractor mode and plowing into the unknown.

Sure you may not be going warp speed but that

is not the aim of the game here.

Both novice and experienced riders alike will

enjoy the predictability and up-for-anything

nature that the Vice FS offers. The KS Crux

dropper post worked a treat, even with the