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Spotted at Sea Otter: New 160mm Juliana Roubion

10.04.2014
by

If you build it, will they come? If women ask for the bike, will you make it? Juliana responds in a big way.

The Juliana Roubion features 160 mm travel on 27.5" wheels, and is aimed at all mountain riders.
The Juliana Roubion features 160 mm travel on 27.5″ wheels, and is aimed at all mountain riders.

Venturing more and more into their own territory, the Juliana brand is expanding under the tutelage of Santa Cruz Bicycles. It’s a brand for women, and the company’s direction is being driven by women. Talking with Brand Manager Katie Zaffke about the brand, she had this to say, “We set out to do it our way.” And after hearing her talk about mt. biking with an excited voice, and the way things are going for Juliana, it seems to be working out well.

Bringing the Roubion into the game is the recent exciting news from Juliana. Featuring extended travel and 27.5 wheels, both features riders have been waiting for. Zaffke has figured out that women don’t want bikes falling under the “shrink it and pink it” way of thinking. What they want are bikes capable of riding on big mountain terrain.

Featuring the Rock Shox Pike fork up front and Monarch Plus rear shock, the bike is ready to crush some downhills.
Featuring the Rock Shox Pike fork up front and Monarch Plus rear shock, the bike is ready to crush some downhills.
Classic paint job and strong branding exist in a tidy package on the Roubion.
Classic paint job and strong branding exist in a tidy package on the Roubion.

The Juliana label started in conjunction with Juli Furtado, one of the most decorated names in American mt. bike racing history. Today’s Juliana racer putting up fantastic results is Anka Martin, participating in the full Enduro World Series circuit. Anka maintains a widely read blog, Ride House Martin, of her travels around the world as a racer and working bike guide. The Roubion was developed in conjunction with her input. As she travels, Anka constantly talks to other female racers and riders, and she kept hearing one thing, “more travel please” when asking about the existing Juliana bikes.

Small details add to a great looking bike.
Small details add to a great looking bike.
At least on this bike, the same as Anka Martin's race bike, SRAM XX1 is the drivetrain.
At least on this bike, the same as Anka Martin’s race bike, SRAM XX1 is the drivetrain.

More details about the bikes will be released in June, and for the time being, only two exist, and they consist of carbon frames and racing components hand picked by Anka herself. Juliana is putting on a contest with the winner receiving the other bike, and trip to France to ride with Anke. More information can be found on the Juliana website, but ends on May 6th, so get out there and hash tag with #myroubion.

Cable routing details. Will the full production models feature internally routed cables? Find out in June.
Cable routing details. Will the full production models feature internally routed cables? Find out in June.
Try to win this bike. Hash tag your photos with #myroubion for a chance to win it.
Try to win this bike. Hash tag your photos with #myroubion for a chance to win it.

Words, Photos: Daniel Dunn

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