Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter – pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market. He is also a regular presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar podcast. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too. Tom Marvin is a technical editor at and MBUK magazine. When something bigger is hit, the Rallon is very quick to blow through its travel, giving a trap door-like sensation. The setup feels a touch harsh off the top, leaving the bike skittery on smaller bumps. The rear end left us a little disappointed though. It’s certainly a fork that rewards a bit of time and effort put into setting it up – if you’re a plug and play type, you might miss out on the top end of its performance. Up front the Deville fork was a popular choice with our testers – there’s lots of adjustment available, and the supple, responsive damping means the front wheel stays glued to the ground, unless you pop the front up. Staying with the high-end theme, Orbea has gone to BOS for the suspension, specifically the Deville FCV 160mm fork and Kirk V2 shock, with a specific Rallon tune. All this helps bring the top-spec Rallon to 13.45kg – a decent if not mega-light weight. When it comes to wheels, Orbea specs DT Swiss E-1700 models, mated to fast rolling Maxxis Ardent rear, High Roller front tyres. While some bikes in this price range use more expensive carbon frames, Orbea has flashed the cash on the spec, which includes a carbon RaceFace Next SL crank (with a spin-happy 28t ring), Shimano XTR derailleur and XT shifters/cassette and brakes. Adjustable geo means the head and seat angles can be slackened by half a degree and the bb lowered: Russell BurtonĪdjustable geo means the head and seat angles can be slackened by half a degree and the BB lowered
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |