How many gears do you need? Charge's Duster Eight demonstrates that you can get by perfectly well with a lot fewer than the usual 27. A great steel frame and sorted handling helps too. If a hub gear sounds like a good idea, this is way to test the water without buying the superb but super-expensive 14-speed Rohloff system.The Duster Eight's fully protected gear system works incredibly well. It's bolstered by a top-quality Tange Prestige steel frame. However, the rear hub makes for a heavy rear wheel that makes the bike feel less than sprightly over bumps.Read the full review on BikeRadar
Top-quality frame and fine handling married to a fully protected gear system
Top-quality frame and ï¬ne handling married to a fully protected gear system
We still remember the revolutionary race framed Kona Kula from 1998. Eleven years on it's still a distinctive speed machine for dynamic riders and climbing freaks.The light yet stiff Kula chassis is a great example of Kona's experience with scandium frames. Square headed, hydro formed main tubes are flared for maximum wrap on the external shaved head tube, while chunky stays carry rear dropouts.The typically steeply sloped Kona top tube gives plenty of shock-soaking post length as well as forward facing seat slot. The neat bolted clamp is anodised gunmetal to match Kona's smart new finishing kit.With a premium frame you're always going to either pay more or get worse kit. As the name suggests, the Deluxe keeps the kit and takes the cash. The good news is it's a well balanced spec if you can afford it. The 100mm (4in) stroke of the dual spring Reba SL is fully tuneable. XT transmission is a crisp shifting benchmark and we prefer SLX anchors to XT in feel and function.The Mavic Crosstail wheels look great, feel tight and are tubeless ready with a slop of Latex sealant if you fancy it. Maxxis Ignitor tyres are good all rounder's and the low, wide Kona bar is well suited to the bike.The Kula has a distinct ride character compared to most 100mm hardtails, with great technical tenacity. Most of this is down to a slack 68.5 degree head angle, which with a long stem and wide bars makes an unshakeable front end. A lower hand position gives the Kula an aggressive feel, particularly on technical climbs or when accelerating hard. There's no wander of lift, just a desire to race to the top first.The low bike weight plus direct power transfer make it a gift for climbers. It's equally quick and committed on straights and fast descents, without feeling sketchy.The frame's reduced shock absorption and shorter travel forks mean it's the roughest ride here though. It's well balanced but you have to plan your path through tighter sections. It won't snap react, manual or lunch off drops like the others either, although it's got more zeal for the dodgy overtaking than most of its race weight opposition.
A phenomenally committed climbing and race bike that's impressive on descents too.
Charge's Blender High falls somewhere between jump bike and 4X racing machine. It has the same spec as a World Cup 4X ride, but mixes things up with a steel frame that will please any dirt jumper. What attracted us to the Blender is its minimalist look, spiced up with classy components such as the Charge grips and saddle.Ride & handling: Uber-cool all-rounder that's at home on trails and 4X tracksThe Blender really spoke to our test riders who came from a downhill/4X racing and trail riding background thanks to its slack head angle, strong frame and 4X spec. When we rode up to the start of the dirt jump line we found ourselves sprinting, manual pumping and styling it up before we'd even hit anything.Part of the test was done at a set of jumps we've never ridden before, but such was the confidence that the Blender inspired, we decided to hit the main line without really having a good look at it. Round the switchback berms and through the pump bumps, we were able to pick up speed effortlessly, enough to send us over the first double.The Blender has a natural race feel so we squashed the rest of the line and made it through to the end first go. It felt comfortable straight away so going for big air wasn't a problem.Feeling compelled to ride all the lines at the jump spot, we started hitting really rough lips that had been smashed up by the locals with no problems at all. It wasn’t even hard to dodge a roller that had been left in the bottom of a transition - although it goes to show you should always check the line first!The bike felt like it wanted to be chucked around, so we had lots of fun pulling huge whips and tabletops. The Blender excelled at whatever was put in front of it, making it a serious dirt jump bike that insists on going faster and bigger, meaning it's very hard to put down.Frame: Top-quality steel chassis blends minimalist looks with maximum strengthWhether you're super-smooth or loose as a goose, you need to know your frame isn't going to let you down. The Blender is made from top-quality Japanese Sanko chromoly steel, with a reinforced head tube and ISCG chain device mount, so you know you're safe.The Blender's main feature is the slack head angle, which comes from 4X but translates convincingly into dirt jumping. Because it's a dirt jump-specific frame, there are no cable stops for a front mech. Vertical dropouts make switching to singlespeed possible.Nice touches include the seatpost slot facing forward so the frame doesn't fill with water in the rain. There's also loads of clearance on the rear triangle if you want to fit wider tyres.Equipment: Amazing spec, including great own-brand kit and RockShox forkWhat sets the Blender High apart is its spec. We've already mentioned the own-brand grips and saddle, and they are sweet.At the front of the Blender there's a RockShox Argyle 409 Motion Control 100mm (3.9in) fork, with external rebound, which stands up well through rough berms and when you over-jump a section.The through-axle adds stiffness and the short Truvativ stem gives extra control, as do the Kenda tyres. There's a deeper tread tyre on the front and a semi-slick 4X-style speed tyre on the rear. This balance enables you to gain extra speed while pedalling and pumping through transitions, but never lose grip on the front end.Hydraulic Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes make stopping effortless and consistent, something you can't always say about cable operated brakes.As you'd expect for a 4X-style jump-ready bike, the Blender has a single-ring chainguide transmission and a close ratio rear block. The Truvativ pedals are best suited to wide-footed riders, but their long pins mean your feet stick to them like glue.
With a loose head angle and classy forks, the Blender is a serious dirt jump contender
The latest carbon fibre incarnation of GT's cornerstone bike is here, and it has no problems keeping up with the new kids on the cross-country whippet block.Ride & handling: Cross-country whippetry of the highest orderThrow a leg over the Zaskar and you'll instantly realise the bike's racing snake credentials. The low front end and narrow, flat bars pitch you forward and straight into the engine room. The steering is lightning fast from the off and doesn't take any prisoners once the speed picks up. The pedalling efficiency is staggering – the Zaskar leaps out of slow turns and munches its way up climbs. The back end is stiff and can jump up and bite you now and again but that's an essential part of the Zaskar's charm – you learn how to go fast on it. Like driving on ice, it's a balancing act between deft steering inputs and keeping the momentum rolling. The Kenda Karma rubber offers decent communication and solid all-round grip while the RockShox Recon Race fork is superb. Under heavy braking the Zaskar tends to 'stand up' thanks to that steep head angle but the Recon remains surefooted and keeps the front-end planted in the trail. There's a definite groove that the Zaskar likes to be ridden in, and if you keep things smooth and precise, it's eerily fast. Push a bit harder and it gets a bit squirmy but in a really controllable way. You always know where the Zaskar is at – it offers a level of communication that you don't normally associate with this sort of bike. Some bikes in this bracket suffer from 'for race only' syndrome but the GT is a bit more talented than that. Okay, so it may be just a tad too frenetic for relaxing all-day epics but that's not what the Zaskar is about. This is a race bike that'll bring a smile to your face too.Frame: Carbon rehash of GT classicThe classic Zaskar triple triangle design lives on in full carbon glory. There aren't many prettier cross-country bikes that we've seen! The head tube angle is a steepish 71 degrees, although the GT does feel slacker on the trail. Our size large came with a lengthy 24.3in top tube and 16.5in chainstays. The combo results in a really stable platform. That back end is super-stiff though – the GT doesn't do 'twang' so be prepared to get those leg-based shock absorbers working. Equipment: Smart speccing for raceheadsAt the heart of the Expert is Shimano's SLX groupset. It might not be earth shatteringly light but it all comes together exceptionally well. The shifting isn't as immediate as some of its prestige stablemates but it is accurate and can handle emergency dump shifts with ease. The brakes offer consistent feel and more than enough power to stop the lithe Zaskar. But we felt that the narrow flat Ritchey bars limited the GT's ambitions. Scrap them for something with a bit more width and rise and you reignite the Zaskar's old school thrashability. The speccing of a Fizik Gobi XM saddle is inspired and spares your behind from carbon abuse.
"A truly rapid cross-country machine that doesn't mind a good thrashing"
The classic Zaskar triple triangle design lives on in full carbon glory. There aren't many prettier xc bikes that we've seen!...That back end is super stiff though - the GT doesn't do 'twang' so be prepared to get those leg based shock absorbers working...Throw a leg over and you'll instantly realise the bike's racing snale credentials...The low front end and those narrow, flat bars pitch you forward and straight into the engine room. The steering is lightening fast from the off...The pedalling efficiency is staggering - the Zaskar leaps out of slow turns and munches its way up climbs...The Kenda Karma rubber offers decent communication and solid all-round grip while the RockShox Recon Race fork is superb...Some bikes in this bracket suffer from 'for race only' syndrome but the GT is a bit more telented than that...
This is a race bike that'll bring you a smile too.
The new carbon Vertex RSL 50 is a far cry from the bikes on which Canada-based pioneers Rocky Mountain built their reputation, but it's a classy looking high-performance offering that'll have a lot of appeal to speed freaks looking for something a bit out of the ordinary. Big profile tyres and a wide riser bar are symbolic of its hard-riding trail ability, but it's no slouch when it comes to cross-country race speed. Ride & handling: Speedy bike with confidently neutral handling The Vertex 50 is a lot of fun to ride. It manages to combine purist precise race speed thrills with hard riding trail ability. While its straightline tracking under power and vibration-damping character are doubtless dictated by the frame's careful carbon lay-up, the Fox RL 100mm fork, 2.2in Continental Race King tyres and 27in Easton riser bar are also potent controlling factors in the bike's core trail personality. They effectively allow it to become far more than just a race bike. Comfort and control is superb on even the most demanding technical trails. The geometry is slightly more relaxed than a pure race bike, which equates to feeling more confident, especially over rough terrain, to the point where you really don't notice the extra weight over a superlight cross-country bike apart from on long steady climbs – and even there hardly.Frame: Monocoque carbon chassis for more than just pure race dutiesRocky Mountain say their experience developing custom alloy tubesets over the past decade has been invaluable when it comes to perfecting their 'FORM' carbon frames. The Vertex 50 RSL (Racing Super Light) is built using top quality carbon fibre. The swoopy, almost sculpted looking monocoque (one-piece) build is aesthetically very pleasing and is said to be "stronger than a tube-to-tube or lugged design" as well as helping to keep the weight low. The complete Vertex RSL 50 tips scales at 23.7lb, but that's mainly down to the components. The top and down tube sections of the frame are configured as big triangulated ovals, flared at the ends and ribbed for extra lateral rigidity. The seatstays and chainstays are ribbed and curved to achieve the right balance of strength and rigidity plus some resilience to bumps, while the overall frame shape is built using Rocky's RTC (Race Tuned Compact) low top tube geometry. Equipment: Combination of fork, handlebar and tyres makes for a great rideDrivetrain-wise, Race Face Evolve cranks and SRAM X.7 gears are a couple of downgrades that bring the complete bike price down but do not affect overall performance. Formula RX brakes are good stoppers but we couldn't stop them squealing like banshees on the first couple of rides. The Easton stem, 27in MonkeyLite riser bar and seatpost are all superb finishing parts and we found WTB's Silverado saddle very comfortable. The front mech is a Shimano frame bracket unit and the wheels are trusty Mavic Crossrides. No complaints there, then. Continental Race Kings are among the biggest profile 2.2in tyres out there. They offer a superb mix of decent grip, fast rolling speed and the sort of comfort that's unusual on a race bike.
"Clever kit choices helped make the Rocky Mountain a popular ride with our testers"