96 mbrm ay 2 019
longtermers
therider
laurabailey
PositionCycling
partnerships
manager
MostlyridesSurrey
HillsandQECP
Height5ft9in
Weight75kg
thebike
nCapable150mm-
traveltrailbike
nTop-of-the-range
Altitudebuildwith
analloyframe
nRollingon
27.5inwheelswith
2.5inWideTrail
Maxxistyres
nRide9 System
offersa mind-
bendingarray
ofgeometry
andsuspension
adjustment
MONTH5:Laurafacesherendurobaptismoffireinunder
six months and is looking for ways to lighten her load
laura’s rocky
mountain
altitude alloy 50
£3,199.99 / 27.5in / bikes.com
P
rojectEWS80is well
underway.Andwith
lessthansixmonths
untiltheRocky
Mountaingoesback
toitsspiritualhomeforrace
day,I’mputtingmyselfand
thebikethroughourpacesto
makesurewe’rereadyforthis
bigadventure.
Whichhasledmetothinking
a lotaboutweight.Bothmine
andthebike’s.I’mona planto
losesomeexcesspoundsto
maketheclimbinginWhistler
a biteasier.AndI’vestarted
assessingwhetherI canshed
somepoundsonthebiketoo.
Weighinginat14kg,theRocky
isn’tanoverlylightbike.Butlet’s
notbetootough,though,it
is analloyframeafterall,andis comparable
toitspeers—suchastheTBOTYcontendersonp58.
Probablythebestplacetodroptheweightis
withthewheels,asis sooftenthecasewhen a
bikeis builttoa competitivepricepoint.
TheShimanoSLXhubsandSunDuroc
rimscreatea solidbutheavywheelset.
There’salsosomeweighttobe
savedwiththeNXEaglecassette
byswitchingtoGX,onlypossibleif I
doswitchthewheelsasthecurrent
freehub body is not compatible with
SRAMGXEaglecassettesorabove,astheyalluse
anXDdriver-body.
Evenif webothmanagetoshedsomeweight,the
slackseatangleandshortchainstaysstillcombine
toproducesomefrontwheelliftonthesteeper
climbs.Theflip-sideofthislessthanoptimum
climbinggeometryis thatwhenyouhit
tight,twistytrailsonthedescents,the
bikeeatsupcornerswithitsplayfuland
livelyride.It’sgiveandtake,sofingers
crossedtheraceorganiserswillbe
kindtousandI’llbetakinginthe views
from the chairlift in Whistler.
whyit’shere
IsRIDE9 ideal
forlearning
aboutgeoand
suspension?
sPeciFication
FrameAlloy,
150mmtravel
ShockFoxFloat
DPSEVOL
ForkFox 36 Float
PerformanceEVOL
Grip,160mmtravel
WheelsShimano
SLXboosthubs,Sun
Duroc 35 rims,Maxxis
MinionDHF/Maxxis
AggressorWTEXO
27.5x2.5intyres
DrivetrainSRAM
Stylo6kEagle34t
chainset,SRAMGX
r-mechandNXshifter
BrakesShimanoSLX,
180mm
ComponentsRocky
Mountain780mmAM
bar,RockyMountain
35AMstem,Race
FaceTurbineR
seatpost,WTBVolt
Racesaddle
SizesXS,S,M,L, XL
Weight14kg
(30. 8 6lb)
Ge ome t r y
SizetestedL
Headangle65°
Seatangle74°
BBdrop14mm
Chainstay426mm
Frontcentre800mm
Wheelbase1,206mm
Downtube710mm
Toptube628mm
Reach 452mm
Awheelswapmaybe
onthecardsasLaura
looks for weight savings