Exclusive: Rose Bikes presents all-new trail bikes for 2015
After spotting the first prototypes of the new Rose bikes earlier this year at Lake Garda (Uncle Jimbo, Root Miller) we waited in anticipation for the the German direct sales company from Bocholt to officially launch their new lineup for 2015.
The highlight of the 2015 model year is an entirely new designed platform that will find application in five new trail bikes. The design of the new models carries the clear signature of the two developers Max Sistenich and Christoph Krüppel. Within only two years those two engineers have realized an almost complete makeover of the Rose mountain bike range. Last year The Unchained, Soul Fire and Thrill Hill were presented with entirely new designs and kinematics, this year it is the Uncle Jimbo, Granite Chief, Ground Control, Root Miller and DR.Z, as well as the XC carbon hardtails Psycho Path and Mr.Big.
The foundations of the new model range is an organically formed aluminium frame with a four-bar linkage rear suspension, featuring a specific geometry, wheelsize (no 26″) and travel for each model. Thanks to the new hydroformed tubeset the frames come without supporting tubes, gussets or CNC-machined bearing points providing a very clean and cool look. And, of course, reduces the weight. The current test bikes are still prototypes and use the same tube sets for every model. The production bikes will have different tube sets with different wall thicknesses and shapes that will reduce the weight further i.e. all weights that are mentioned below are provisional.
As part of the redesign the rocker pivot point has been moved from the top tube into the seat tube, allowing better kinematics and gives the possibility to vary the height of the top tube for each frame size, achieving a low standover.
Rose is all about “customization”. Thanks to their own Bike Configurator you can choose the components as well as the ergonomic setup (e.g. stem length, handlebar width, grips) of every Rose bike according to your individual needs and personal preferences. The basis for your customization is always a variety of standard bikes with recommended specs by Rose.
Here we give you the first look at 3 of the 5 new models, plus a nice surprise:
The Rose Uncle Jimbo 2015
The Uncle Jimbo 2015 is an entirely new bike: 27,5″ wheels, 160mm of travel and an aggressive geometry make the Rose a true trail blaster for both fun and serious racing: Short 431mm chainstays, a slack 66° head angle and a 75° seating angle sound promising. We still have no final pricing yet, but as usual Rose bikes are a very hot deal. The weight of the displayed bike is 13,6 kg.
The Rose Granite Chief 2015
In 2014 the Granite Chief already rolled on 27,5″ wheels(click here to see how the Granite Chief 2014 performs in our long term test), but for 2015 the entire frame of the 150mm trail machine has been redesigned: 67° head angle, 75° seating angle and a fairly short wheelbase in combination with 435mm long chainstays provide an excellent mix between stability and agility. The bike will be available in an additional size XS making it an interesting choice for short women and men.
The Rose Root Miller 2015
With 130mm travel front and rear, 29″ wheels and a well-balanced geometry (68,5° head angle, 74,5° seating angle, 449mm chainstays) the new Root Miller is supposed to be the all-round weapon for any kind of trail, and it weights in at a competitive 13,3kg. There will be a “Supertrail” version of the Root Miller with a 140mm fork in front and accordingly slacker angles for more aggressive riders.
The Rose Tusker 2015
“Tusker” is the name for big African bull elephants. Nearly as big and majestic is the new fatbike from Rose, called “The Tusker”. It will be available in different versions with either a RockShox Bluto suspension fork or a rigid fork. Horizontal dropouts allow the bike to be run with a single speed setup. If you prefer to mount a drivetrain you can adjust the chainstay length.
More info: www.rose.de
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