The Yeti Beti SB5 uses a frame that’s identical to the critically-acclaimed SB5, but with a lighter shock tune as well as touch points (grips, handlebar, saddle) that are better suited for smaller and lighter riders. Born on the rugged trails of Colorado, the Beti SB5 represents everything a modern trail bike should be: lightweight, nimble on the climbs, and dominant on the descents. With 5in of bump-gobbling Switch Infinity travel out back paired with a 6in travel Fox 36 fork up front, this bike is capable of tackling everything from all-day rides on raw backcountry singletrack, to quick laps at your local trail network, or even ripping the bike park on the weekend. On this SB5 Beti Carbon GX Eagle Complete Mountain Bike, all parts are high-performing and durable enough to withstand multiple seasons of use while coming in at a price point that leaves you enough to fund riding trips to epic mountain bike destinations to see just how far you can push this bike. For 2019, Yeti beefed up the fork stanchions from 34 to 36mm for more lateral and torsional stiffness on the front end to help it track better, and also gave the bike clearance for up to 2.8in wide plus tires. This significantly expands your tire options so you can run the right tread for the conditions at hand. Whether it’s fast-rolling 2.3’s for snappy handling on buff singletrack, meaty 2.5 or 2.6’s for a mix of rugged conditions, or high-volume 2.8’s for the chunky rock ledges of places like Moab, the SB5 can run them all. This build comes with 2.6in tires that find a nice middle ground between ground-hugging traction and reasonable rolling resistance.
A huge part of the Beti SB5’s success is the Switch Infinity suspension design. It’s certainly one of the best platforms we’ve ridden, made so by the translating main pivot with two Kashima-coated stanchions that switches directions as you move through the travel. The mechanism moves upward in the initial travel, providing excellent anti-squat characteristics in the pedaling zone for superior pedaling performance and mid-stroke support, all without sacrificing small-bump compliance. The link switches directions and moves back downward as you get deeper into the travel, dropping the anti-squat drastically and decoupling chain forces from the suspension, allowing the rear shock to better absorb impacts. Simply put, Switch Infinity is buttery-smooth throughout the entire travel, inspiring confidence on technical descents while remaining exceptionally efficient on the climbs by preserving your energy with minimal suspension bob.
We’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t talk about Yeti’s carbon and the bike’s geometry. This build is constructed from Yeti’s C-Series carbon fiber, making for a frame that weighs just over 6lb with shock, depending on the size. This puts the bike on the lighter end of the trail bike spectrum despite the minor 250g weight penalty compared to the Beti SB5 frame made of TURQ carbon. This weight difference is due to a different carbon lay-up that allows Yeti to offer the C-Series frames at a lower cost, without sacrificing strength, stiffness, or ride quality compared to the TURQ frames. Yeti is quite confident in their carbon so starting in 2019, all frames come with a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, including the Switch Infinity link itself. Available in sizes ranging from extra-small to extra-large for riders from 4’11 up to 6’6, the slack geometry inspires you to test your limits, while the low-slung top tube and short standover height give you confidence to lower your center of gravity for more control on tricky sections of trail, as well as easier dismounts in surprise situations.
Don’t be fooled by the cutsie naming convention, the 2017 Yeti Cycles ASR Beti Turq Mountain Bike Frame isn’t the downgraded pink-and-shrink fare we’re used to seeing in products targeting women. It features the same top-tier, hard-riding, trail shredding construction and geometry found in the ASR Turq, just with a lighter tune to better suit smaller riders. While we can go back and forth about the merits of gendering bikes by colorway, there’s no arguing that the ASR Beti is a great option for lighter riders of all genders looking for a whip-fast XC ride that still holds a hint of that famed Yeti enduro aggression.
This ASR Beti also carries Yeti’s new Turq designation, which represents the most advanced frame the company can make at any given time. For the ASR, this means a more precise carbon layup, carefully molded to reinforce key stress points along the frame without adding any unnecessary bulk. This results in a frameset that has strength where you need it, and much appreciated weight reductions where you don’t. Weighing just a claimed4.28lb, this feathery frame shaves even more weight by choosing a single-pivot suspension system over the heftier Switch Infinity, giving it nearly limitless acceleration potential on smooth, serpentine climbs without compromising on its ability to take on root lattices and brake-rutted descents.
That’s not to say that the ASR Beti gets timid when grueling climbs flow into jarring descents. It shines across abusive terrain and white-knuckle descents that would have other cross-country bikes quaking in their tires. The ASR Beti is built to pair with 27.5 or 29in wheels, depending on size, so the big (or bigger) hoops steamroll anything lying in their path, allowing you to ride over trail impediments with effortless composure. And because it’s distinctly Yeti at heart, this frame proudly retains a gravity-friendly persona with a head tube angle of either 68 or 69 degrees, again depending on size. This more relaxed geometry won’t chuck you over the bars like other cross-country bikes when the going gets steep, allowing you to confidently descend on only four inches of suspension where other riders opt for longer-travel bikes.
As with the ASR, the ASR Beti eschews Yeti’s applauded Switch Infinity in favor of a significantly lighter single-pivot suspension. Not only does this design save a ton of weight for efficiency, but it also simplifies regular maintenance for riders and racers servicing their own bike. The exceptionally stiff high modulus carbon frame and swing arm complement the lightweight suspension platform, translating into uncompromising acceleration needed for tearing the competition to shreds.
The Juliana Roubion 2.1 Carbon CC X01 Eagle complete bike has earned a devoted following worldwide of women who shred, hard. With responsive 27.5 inch wheels and plenty of travel to take on technical trails in total control, this is an ideal steed for those who are constantly pushing their riding to new heights.
Part of what’s earned the Roubion such a rabid fanbase is its 150mm of VPP suspension. As with all VPP bikes, the Roubion’s counter-rotating links are carefully arranged to resist activation by pedaling forces, all but eliminating unwanted bobbing under power. This being the latest iteration of VPP, it’s tuned to provide more midstroke support than previous generations of the VPP platform, giving the rider a better feel for the terrain, and a livelier ride feel.
The rest of the Roubion’s formula for excellence is largely down to its impeccably refined geometry. The 66 degree head angle is stable and predictable when diving into steep chutes, and it’s quick enough to make easy direction changes, which is easily appreciated when the trail throws a surprise your way. At 17 inches, the chainstays strike a nice balance between being short enough to turn quickly, and long enough to maintain weight on the front wheel, especially when hanging off the back on descents. At 13.4 inches, its bottom bracket height is plenty low to remain planted in bike park style berms and off camber corners, but it’s just high enough to keep your pedals from hitting rocks and trail debris. Where some other bikes go to extremes, the Roubion’s strength is its balance, of which it has plenty to spare.
The Rubion is built using Juliana’s top tier CC carbon fiber construction. By using some of the finest, and strongest, raw materials available, Juliana is able to make its CC level frames extremely lightweight, while maintaining outstanding impact resistance, exceptional stiffness, and just the right amount of finely tuned flex to cancel out trail chatter. Of course, balancing these factors requires true mastery of carbon fiber, and the design team at Juliana has proven time and time again that their command of carbon fiber construction is unsurpassed in the bike industry. The result is a frame that will hold up to years of hard riding, will provide a comfortable ride, and will do so at a very competitive weight.
This Roubion build delivers components that are similarly ready to tackle any trail you face. It begins with a class leading suspension from Fox. The fork is a 36 FLOAT FIT4 Performance Elite unit with 150mm of travel, paired with the new FLOAT DPX2 Performance Elite air shock. This setup offers a supple stroke, on-the-fly adjustments at the flip of a lever, and easy tuning for both suspension gurus and those less experienced. SRAM’s phenomenal X01 Eagle 12 speed groupset provides the gear range necessary to take on big climbs and all-day rides, while the Guide brakes provide modulation and control in the face of unpredictable terrain. The Rockshox Reverb dropper post enables the necessary on-the-fly saddle height adjustment, while the Santa Cruz carbon fiber handlebar offers a perfectly tuned balance of stiffness and flex that simply surpasses many of the best aftermarket carbon fiber handlebars available.
Sure, some folks may keep a quiver of bikes at hand for every specific kind of riding, but when there are true do-it-all bikes like Ridley’s Liz Carbon Ultegra Complete Road Bike, we hardly see the point. This quintessential all-rounder offers a blend of stiffness, weight, strength, and performance, aiming for comfortable geometry that lends itself to long days in the saddle, but takes it a step further by pairing up with unique shaped tubing to elevate aerodynamics, so you can feel just as comfortable toeing the line on race day as heading out for a multi-city weekend cruise. Like we’ve seen in years past from Ridley, the Liz continues to illustrate the company’s view on women’s cycling — that we ride hard, and have the same needs as the opposite sex, and it’s easy to prove seeing as the Liz continues with the same geometry and carbon layup as its sibling, the Fenix, but with some fine-tuned touch points accommodating our narrower shoulders, and wider hips.
The Liz C is built from the same 24t high-modulus carbon fiber as the Fenix, a move that we can’t applaud enough in an industry rife with examples of shrink, pink, and downgrade when it comes to women-specific fare. While its geometry stays the same in both the C and SL designations, this 24t carbon layup is what differentiates the two frames. The SL opts for a more expensive layup with two different gauge carbons, 24t and 30t, the C simplifies things to drop the price. As a result the Liz C is slightly less stiff than its race-ready SL iteration, but still maintains lightweight control on the tarmac.
Ridley maintains the plush ride in a light, stiff as a result of a few design choices. These include narrow, flat-section seat stays that absorb power-sucking road noise while maintaining lateral stiffness. The stays feed into a vertically compliant 27.2mm seatpost, and the flat, curved top tube serves as a leaf spring of sorts that works in conjunction with the seatstays and slimmed-down seatpost. The net result is a system-wide vibration damping and compliance for a more forgiving ride across everything from rural chip seal to the jarring stones of Belgium.
The top tube and down tube utilize a unique multi-hexagonal shape, which is undoubtedly partially responsible for the Liz’s torsional rigidity and responsiveness. At the front, Ridley utilizes a tapered head tube that makes for increased stiffness while torqueing on the bars and exceptional handling and cornering capabilities while sweeping through descents or diving through the final turn before a finish sprint.
For an extra dose of stiffness, Ridley opts for a beefy PressFit BB86 shell. The wide bottom bracket shell anchors the oversized drive spine, solidly transferring every bit of power to the drivetrain without any watt-sucking lateral movement. While this frame isn’t billed as specifically aerodynamic, it does boast an integrated fork crown for a smooth transition between the head tube and fork that at least offers the appearance of aerodynamics. You’ll enjoy some drag-reduction benefits over frames without the integrated fork crown, and it just plain looks cleaner.
A Jackie of all trades, the Joplin D Complete Mountain Bike is just as at home doing endurance races as it is getting buck on raucous trail rides where roots, rock gardens, and ledge drops are all part of the recipe. With the fast-rolling XC, 29-inch wheel option, the Joplin covers plenty of miles of trails quickly and efficiently. This frame is constructed from aluminum for durability and without the higher price of its carbon fiber sisters. Adding a Rock Shox Recon fork and SRAM’s NX group builds up a capable bike that is ready for challenging trails at a friendly price tag.
Taking design notes from its big brother the Tallboy, the Joplin blends highly responsive XC handling with that of a go-anywhere, ride-anything trail bike with its 110-millimeters of VPP suspension paired with a 120-millimeter fork for the 29 wheels and tires. The shorter travel out back and extra squish up front lets the bike pedal with exceptional efficiency, and offers a little more security when sending blind drops and twisting the throttle when the trail opens up. One area where the Joplin and Tallboy differs is in its female-specific shock tune, so instead of skipping over rocks and roots with damping suited for heavier riders, the suspension will be better able to absorb the hits and keep you in control.
The VPP suspension gets 10-millimeters of extra travel over the previous Joplin, positioning the bike in the do-it-all category of rigs in the 4 to 5-inch range. Juliana didn’t just increase the travel, it revised the VPP platform making it perform better in all conditions and making sure that you are able to utilize all of the 110mm of travel. Juliana engineered the leverage ratio so the travel is more supple off-the-top so you’ll have more traction when you’re riding over bumpy rock and root sections.
The shock remains linear until the end of the stroke for a smooth, bottom-less feel, then ramps up, becoming more progressive resisting bottom-outs on drops to flat and high speed jumps. The suspension kinematics help you use all 110 millimeters of travel leaving you with a plush bike that can handle trails typically reserved for bigger travel bikes. The 68-degree head tube angle remains the same for confident descending when the trail turns steep and rocky, as well as keeping the short 17-inch chainstays and low-slung bottom bracket at 13 inches for nimble carving and stable handling.
Mountain biking can take you on some absolutely stunning and incredible adventures, but once in a while, it can trap you in some heart-palpitating storms far from any shelter, in rough and rocky places, being pelted with hail while you nervously count the seconds between lightning strikes and thunder. When your adventures take you to places that the faint of heart avoid at all costs, you need a burly bike that will carry you through the quest without hindering you. Designed so you never have to worry about whether your bike can handle the next rock garden ahead, the Juliana Roubion 2.1 Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame is hungry for steep downhills, big hits, drops, and getting rowdy. With long and slack geometry, 150mm of VPP suspension, and 27.5in wheels, it’s no wonder you feel so bombproof descending through chunder and shale on a Roubion.
An essential piece to the puzzle in an aggressive all-mountain bike is the balance of slacked geometry with a pedal friendly suspension platform. The Roubion achieves this pedal-ability in a long bike by pairing their super slack 66-degree head tube with a steeper 74-degree seat tube, so you won’t have a problem staying forward when climbing, so you can lay down maximum power, and reduce the ever-dreaded pedal bob. This steep seat tube angle also helps you keep your upper body in the perfect attack position for sharp corners, or rocky and rooty descents, so you have ultimate control in tracking in tough lines. To contrast, the slack 66-degree head tube angle stretches out your wheelbase for a long ride that lends its self to smoothness and stability descending. The Roubion is a beefier bike that can handle larger blows than the Furtado or Joplin, but find its self in a happy medium with a little less travel and more efficient pedaling than Juliana’s new super enduro beast, the Strega.
Juliana harnesses VPP to smooth out the chunky rocks you encounter on the Roubion, and with their FOX Float Factory DPX Kashima rear shock, fine tuned to a lighter weight rider, you know the rebound won’t feel too harsh or jostle you around. A lighter shock tune is ideal for most ladies on the trail, since we’re on average 30lbs lighter than the guys out there, who warrant a heavier tune. The light tune helps to keep out suspension sensitive when we’re pedaling over rocks and roots. VPP ramps up suspension absorption, so that the rear end is able to stay stiff when pedaling uphill, and is able to soak up blows descending. The Roubion is designed to be the ultimate bike for aggressive all-mountain riders.
Juliana has been in the game for many years, with bikes that hit the nail on the head for just about any rider out there, and it’s done with ultimate respect for the rider. There aren’t any dumbed-down builds, soft geometry or lazy carbon layups in Juliana bikes, their engineers know that women ride just as hard as the guys we share the trails with, and embrace us with high performance bikes that can handle the whole mountain. Speaking of high end carbon layups, the Roubion 2.1 Carbon CC frame uses Juliana’s highest level of carbon, which is stiffer and lighter weight than their mid level Carbon C manufacturing. Incredibly skilled workers in the Juliana factory use one-piece carbon layup and curing to create CC level frames, which means the front triangle is assembled and cured together, rather than assembling pieces with messy joints to be sanded and prettied up later. While curing the carbon, an internal bladder presses against the exterior mold, which reduces resin pooling and over all material, to land you with a lighter, stiffer, and more durable frame. In the unlikely event that you take your bike beyond the limits that frame can take, Juliana stands behind their carbon and bearings with a lifetime warranty so you’re never left behind in the dust.
We’re not one to judge a book by its cover, but we are here to tell you the Juliana Strega Carbon C XE Complete Mountain Bike does actually ride as good as it looks. All it wants to do is have you pilot it through the biggest lines at the park or take it out for that backcountry epic you’ve planned for months. Named after the Italian word for witch, the Strega will have your riding partners green with envy at first glance, and it’ll have you spellbound with its aggression on the trails.
Officially, the 170mm Strega is officially branded for women; but, in our experience, the bike is really for any demanding rider desiring a long-travel machine to progress their skills across jumps, sketchy steeps, and technical alpine terrain. If getting butterflies in your stomach when you are about to drop in on a weekend shuttle run or playing rock-paper-scissors on the lift to see who goes first (and always cheating to ensure you win) is what you live for, then you’ve met your match.
One of the first things you’ll notice with the Strega is its reconfigured VPP suspension, which is driven by a lower-link mounted shock that marks a radical departure from the likes of the Roubion, Furtado, and Joplin. This shock location takes cues from the Santa Cruz V10, which is renowned as a World Cup DH weapon of the Syndicate. Translated to the Strega, the lower shock placement makes it feel more linear and supple throughout its stroke, allowing it to never be phased over the roughest terrain and provide a bottomless feel like that of a good DH bike. Juliana does take the extra step of employing a custom shock tune designed for lighter riders, meaning it’ll be more active and not as harsh.
Geometry wise, the numbers have the Strega at a black diamond inspiring 65-degree head tube angle in the high geometry setting making it the slackest women-specific bike on the market. Not too long ago this was in the realm of DH only; however, realizing that many female riders desire a long-travel bike that can actually pedal uphill, the designers at Juliana engineered it with a pedal-friendly 74.5-degree seat tube angle (again, in the higher geometry setting). This allows you to power up steep climbs and string together sections of trails across the map, especially with the superb gear range of the Shimano drivetrain and e13 9-46t cassette.
Juliana lets you choose your own adventure and engineered the Strega with a flip-chip on the linkage that changes the bike’s geometry from its burly trail rated 65-degree head tube angle to a downhill-dedicated 64.6 degrees, as well as lowering the bottom bracket and slightly elongating the wheelbase for rock-solid high speed stability. We really like the special fender that blocks detritus from reaching the shock. Juliana engineers clearly ride, and they spec smart details that show it. For example, the custom shuttle guard, which reduces the risk of your Carbon C frame getting damaged from banging around on truck tailgates or being tossed about by overzealous lift operators.
Speaking of its Carbon C frame, the Strega Carbon C XE is slightly heavier than the Carbon CC frame, but doesn’t sacrifice any of the strength or stiffness that’s made Juliana frames legendary. Many of us will gladly save the cash and buy lift tickets for the season or upgrade parts down the road. Juliana achieves this fine-tuned balance of stout construction and weight by using a slightly heavier and less expensive carbon fiber in the lay-up of its Carbon C frames. And seeing it’s custom built for hard-changing shorter riders, a low standover heights (as low as 27.7 inches for the XS frame) and size-specific droppers make the most of the bike’s slack and aggressive geometry without compromising fit.
We think that there’s some room for simplifying things in the cycling world. That may mean clean lines and classic kits, but we also think that there may be something to be said for simplifying our bike quiver. That doesn’t mean you should minimize yourself to just one discipline on the bike, but rather, reach for a bike that breathes versatility, like the Ridley Liz SL Ultegra Complete Road Bike. With geometry lending towards endurance, this all-rounder combines stiffness, strength, and performance to offer a ride that feels comfortable toeing the line on race day, and long relaxed tours alike. And just as we’ve gotten to know (and love) about Ridley, the Liz SL continues to match the geometry of its male counterpart, the Fenix SL, with the same carbon layups, and endurance-minded build, but with a few new touch points to better suit the differences in our anatomy, like a narrower bar, and female-specific saddle.
The Liz SL is built from a blend of 30t and 24t high-modulus carbon fiber, just like the Fenix SL, a move that we can’t applaud enough in an industry rife with examples of shrink, pink, and downgrade when it comes to women-specific fare. While its geometry stays the same in both the C and SL designations, the SL features a blend of 30t and 24t carbon layups to differentiate the two frames. The SL opts for a more expensive layup with two different gauge carbons, 24t and 30t, offering unbeatable stiffness, while maintaining intensely light construction.
Ridley maintains the plush ride in a light, stiff as a result of a few design choices. These include narrow, flat-section seat stays that absorb power-sucking road noise while maintaining lateral stiffness. The stays feed into a vertically compliant 27.2mm seatpost, and the flat, curved top tube serves as a leaf spring of sorts that works in conjunction with the seatstays and slimmed-down seatpost. The net result is a system-wide vibration damping and compliance for a more forgiving ride across everything from rural chip seal to the jarring stones of Belgium.
The top tube and down tube utilize a unique multi-hexagonal shape, which is undoubtedly partially responsible for the Liz’s torsional rigidity and responsiveness. At the front, Ridley utilizes a tapered head tube that makes for increased stiffness while torqueing on the bars and exceptional handling and cornering capabilities while sweeping through descents or diving through the final turn before a finish sprint.
For an extra dose of stiffness, Ridley opts for a beefy PressFit BB86 shell. The wide bottom bracket shell anchors the oversized drive spine, solidly transferring every bit of power to the drivetrain without any watt-sucking lateral movement. While this frame isn’t billed as specifically aerodynamic, it does boast an integrated fork crown for a smooth transition between the head tube and fork that at least offers the appearance of aerodynamics. You’ll enjoy some drag-reduction benefits over frames without the integrated fork crown, and it just plain looks cleaner.
Focusing on twitchy control and nimble handling over the brute strength of a long-travel enduro beast, the Juliana Furtado Carbon 27.5 S Complete Mountain Bike strikes that perfect balance for a lot of trail riders. The Furtado boasts 130-millimeters of responsive VPP travel that craves fast and flowing trails with massive berms, tight switchbacks, and long climbs to the top of the forest. It retains the dialed geometry inspired by the iconic Santa Cruz 5010, but the shock is tuned specifically for the needs of lighter female riders for a more sensitive feel when you’re pedaling over rocks and roots.
The little sister to Juliana’s enduro-bred Roubion, the Furtado emphasizes surgical precision, especially on tighter trails where trees and rocks pose clearance issues. That being said, this bike doesn’t sacrifice much in the way of descending composure versus the Roubion, thanks to a reinvigorated geometry that’s longer, slacker, and low-slung. The 67-degree head tube angle keeps you confident and composed when you’re dropping into steep descents littered with rocks and sudden drops. Plus, it retains one of the lowest bottom brackets in Juliana’s line at a mere 13.1 inches, keeping you glued to the trail when you’re charging at high speeds and railing around corners. Another notable geometry number, the 16.7-inch chainstays are shorter than your average trail bike, making it quick to change direction around corners.
It’s loaded with 130-millimeters of travel (just a tick over five inches) of VPP suspension, which balances responsive pedaling with bump-smoothing compliance over rock gardens and forest roots. Surprisingly, the engineers at Juliana made this 130-millimeters of VPP travel feel a bit deeper than the numbers suggest, making it suitable for conquering all but the most technical of trails. And because Juliana gives it a custom shock tune for lighter female riders, you’ll find its more sensitive and responsive than a shock designed for heavier male riders.
This particular version of Juliana’s VPP suspension recently underwent a subtle redesign in the top suspension linkage, now attaching it to the top tube for greater stiffness and extra stand-over clearance for shorter riders. The lower linkage is neatly tucked above the bottom bracket, protecting it from flinging rocks and trail debris. As always with VPP, you’ll find it strikes a nice balance between pedaling efficiency on the climb and rock-smoothing plushness on the descent, making it complementary to the Furtado’s balanced geometry.
Juliana’s Carbon C frame makes the Furtado impressively stiff, meaning rider energy is better directed into forward motion with every turn of the cranks. This particular S build kit comes with a Fox 34 Float Performance fork, which provides stiff tracking and precise handling with its 34-millimeter stanchions and 130-millimeters of plush travel. It’s finished off with the SRAM Eagle GX drivetrain, which gives you a massive range of usable gears without having to deal with a pesky front derailleur. Moreover, it’s outfitted with size-specific dropper posts, so you can get the most out of every trail ride.
A mere glimpse of the spellbinding lines, alluring paint scheme, and gravity-inspired shock configuration of the Juliana Strega Carbon CC XO1 Complete Mountain Bike conjures up daydreams of flying downhill at high rates of speed, sending intimidating freeride lines, and conquering hour-long descents in epic alpine terrain. Fittingly named from the Italian word for witch, the Strega mesmerizes fellow riders and onlookers with its drop-dead gorgeous aesthetics paired with aggressive geometry, smooth suspension feel, and exceptional Carbon CC frame.
Creating a long-travel bike without equal in the women’s market, Juliana tossed preconceived notions aside of what ladies desire in an aggressive mountain bike in designing the Strega. Packing 170 millimeters of VPP travel, the Strega is purely intended for the demanding female rider seeking a long-travel bike to keep up with their progressing skills across big hits, scary steeps, and technical alpine terrain. Ultimately, it’s the type of bike for those pouring their heart and soul into every ride, whether it’s weekend shuttle runs on downhill-dedicated trails or self-propelled adventures deep into high-alpine terrain.
The first thing you’ll notice with the Strega lies within its reconfigured VPP suspension, driven by a lower-link mounted shock that’s radically different than the likes of Roubion, Furtado, and Joplin. This shock location takes cues directly from the Santa Cruz V10, which is renowned on the professional downhill circuit for numerous victories against the fastest riders in the world. Translated to the Strega, the lower shock placement makes it feel more consistent and supple throughout its stroke, allowing it to track smoothly across steep and rugged terrain, much like a dedicated downhill bike. Another thing to note, Juliana employs a custom shock tune that’s designed for the lighter builds of female riders, meaning it’ll feel more responsive and not overly harsh like male-specific shock tunes.
Delving into its geometry, the Strega inspires downhill confidence with a 65-degree head tube angle (in its higher geometry setting) making it the slackest women’s bike on the market. A couple of years ago, this would limit the Strega to lift-accessed downhills and shuttle laps like most gravity sleds on the market. However, realizing that aggressive riders desire a long-travel bike that can actually pedal uphill, the designers at Juliana engineered it with a pedal-friendly 74.5-degree seat tube angle (high geometry setting). This means you’ll be able to power up steep climbs and conquer long swaths of trail, especially with the 500% gear range provided by its XO1 12-speed drivetrain.
Seeing that mountain bikes are best when they’re customized to your personal style, Juliana engineered the Strega with a flip-chip on the linkage that changes the bike’s geometry from its gravity-friendly 65-degree head tube angle to a strict downhill-dedicated 64.6 degrees, as well as lowering the bottom bracket and slightly elongating the wheelbase for greater composure at white-knuckle speeds. Another sweet detail, the reconfigured shock includes a special fender that blocks flinging rocks and kicked-up mud from clogging it up. Juliana didn’t stop there with the obsession to detail, giving the Strega a custom shuttle guard, so your the Carbon CC frame doesn’t get damaged from banging around on truck tailgates.
Speaking of the Carbon CC frame, the Strega Carbon CC XO1 shaves a significant deal of weight from the cheaper Carbon C frame. Juliana achieves this by using a lighter, stronger, and more expensive carbon lay-up, all without sacrificing one bit of strength or stiffness you’ve come to love from Juliana carbon frames. We don’t have any real figures on hand for the weight savings, but a typical Juliana Carbon CC frame weighs about nine ounces less than a Carbon C counterpart. And seeing it’s custom built for hard-charging ladies, low standover heights (as low as 27.7 inches for the XS frame) and size-specific droppers squeeze every ounce of performance from the bike’s aggressive geometry without compromising on fit.
The 2017 Ridley Jane SL Ultegra Complete Road Bike marks a bold step for Ridley as it launches a full line of women-specific bicycles, and we’re happy to report that the company’s done a lot of things right. Kicking back against the common myth that there’s a consistent difference in leg to torso proportions between genders, Ridley opts for mirrored geometry to its Noah SL while adjusting the touchpoints to better suit riders with narrower shoulders and wider hip structure. Across the size range, this manifests as narrower handlebars, shorter stems and cranks, and wider saddles compared to similarly sized Noah SL builds. This particular Jane SL also gets outfitted with Shimano’s exceptional Ultegra 6800 drivetrain with semi-compact gearing and an 11-28 cassette to offer a wide range of gear options for riders of all abilities.
In a world of shrink, pink, and downgrade, it’s fantastic to see Ridley give the Jane SL the same top-tier carbon blend as the Noah SL, ensuring a snappy, high-end, race-ready ride that doesn’t make any compromises in stiffness or weight. This Jane’s oversized tubes earn the SL suffix—which we generally assume denotes the industry superlative Super Light—through Ridley’s inclusion of a mix of 60, 40, and 30-ton high modulus carbon fiber. The inclusion of 60-ton means it can use less material at key points while maintaining the same stiffness, which lowers weight without sacrificing efficiency. As with the original Noah and Noah SL models, the Jane SL’s different carbon moduli are used in different areas of the frame based on desired properties of stiffness, weight, durability, and road-noise damping.
This targeted blend of materials is a common practice across the industry, though few manufacturers go to the extreme of using 60t carbon—an inclusion that demonstrates the Jane SL’s pedigree as a race bike for the top sprinters in the world. The SL also features a tapered head tube for sharp tracking and efficient power transfer, and the PF30 bottom bracket, internal cable routing, and electronic group compatibility that are all but expected in frames of this level. As with the Noah SL frame, Ridley incorporates its Future Aero Speed Technology (FAST) F-Surface design into the Jane SL, which involves fluted channels running the lengths of forward-facing tubes to trip air into a manageable layer of turbulence. That tripped layer detaches later and more cleanly, reducing the frame’s wake and overall wind drag.
The Jane SL’s high modulus carbon fiber fork mirrors the Noah SL’s with a look that stands out as distinctly different from other road forks, with an open channel running down the middle of each leg. This FAST F-Split Fork channel design is revolutionary in its ability to guide incoming air away from the spokes to reduce turbulence and drag, which keeps the airstream around the wheel smooth and fast. By pairing this fork with the FAST F-Surface design, Ridley claims that the Jane SL enjoys a 3-5% reduction in drag over frames without FAST design. This means more speed with less effort, all thanks to a little bit of surface air routing.
Please note that Ridley recommends a maximum rider weight of 209.5 lbs (95kg) for the Jane SL.
The long-standing approach to trendy “women’s-specific” frame design has centered around the myth that there’s a consistent difference in torso to leg proportions across genders, leaving many women with average proportions wondering why they can’t find a bike that fits. Ridley’s taking a different approach with its 2017 Liz SL Ultegra Complete Road Bike, giving it mirror geometry to its renowned Fenix SL and adjusting the touch points to better accommodate riders who have wider hip structure and narrower shoulder. Across the size range, this results in shorter stems and cranks, narrower handlebars, and wider saddles compared to similarly sized Fenix SL builds. Inheriting the Fenix SL’s jack-of-all-trades ability and kitted out with Shimano’s precise and reliable Ultegra drivetrain, this Liz SL is prepared to usher you through all manner of cobbles, chipseal, and buttery smooth tarmac the road ahead presents.
The Liz SL is built from the same 30t and 24t high-modulus carbon fiber as the Fenix SL, a move that we can’t applaud enough in an industry rife with examples of shrink, pink, and downgrade when it comes to women-specific fare. It’s a mix that delivers a rare combinations of long-mile comfort and criterium-worthy stiffness in a lightweight package that soars when the road turns skyward.
Ridley maintains the plush ride in a light, stiff as a result of a few design choices. These include narrow, flat-section seat stays that absorb power-sucking road noise while maintaining lateral stiffness. The stays feed into a vertically compliant 27.2mm seatpost, and the flat, curved top tube serves as a leaf spring of sorts that works in conjunction with the seatstays and slimmed-down seatpost. The net result is a system-wide vibration damping and compliance for a more forgiving ride across everything from rural chip seal to the jarring stones of Belgium.
The top tube and down tube utilize a unique multi-hexagonal shape, which is undoubtedly partially responsible for the Liz SL’s torsional rigidity and responsiveness. At the front, Ridley utilizes a tapered head tube that makes for increased stiffness while torqueing on the bars and exceptional handling and cornering capabilities while sweeping through descents or diving through the final turn before a finish sprint.
For an extra dose of stiffness, Ridley opts for a beefy PressFit BB86 shell. The wide bottom bracket shell anchors the oversized drive spine, solidly transferring every bit of power to the drivetrain without any watt-sucking lateral movement. While this frame isn’t billed as specifically aerodynamic, it does boast an integrated fork crown for a smooth transition between the head tube and fork that at least offers the appearance of aerodynamics. You’ll enjoy some drag-reduction benefits over frames without the integrated fork crown, and it just plain looks cleaner.
Please note that Ridley recommends a maximum rider weight of 209.5 lbs (95kg) for the Liz SL.
The Yeti Beti SB5 Carbon GX Eagle Complete Mountain Bike’s frame is identical to the SB5 with the exception of a lighter shock tune and touch points (saddle, grips, and bar) better suited for smaller and lighter riders. This bike is just as eager to hit up some hot laps after work as it is tackling that multi-day vacation to a mountain bike mecca that you’ve been dying to ride. Yeti did a masterful job of curating the spec on this particular build. On the SB5 Beti Carbon GX Eagle Complete Mountain Bike, all of the parts are high-performing and durable enough to get you through multiple seasons of use while coming in at a price that brings the idea of traveling to those far away trailheads a reality. FOX suspension handles the bounce on both ends and the SRAM GX Eagle provides a gear for every occasion.
Both the SB5 and the Beti version have received industry acclaim as a bike that can tackle most any trail condition you will face but still comes in at an impressive weight and pedals exceptionaly well. We attribute the excellent suspension performance to Yeti’s Switch Infinity slider. The system utilizes a patented translating pivot that automatically switches direction as the bike moves through its travel. This provides excellent anti-squat characteristics for superior pedaling performance and ideal suspension characteristics as it gets deeper into the travel. Inside are a pair of greased bushings that slide up and down on two Kashima coated rails co-developed with FOX Racing Shox. The fully sealed SWITCH INFINITY mechanism has external grease ports to lube the bushings and seals so maintenance is a piece of cake and you will be spending more time on the trail marveling the excellence of this 5 inches of travel instead of working on your bike or time spent in the shop.
We would be remiss if we didn’t speak of the two varieties of carbon used on Yeti frames. The TURQ series is a higher modulus carbon that allows Yeti to build a strong and stiff, very durable frame while using less material, dropping roughly three-quarters of a pound. The carbon series as we have on this build, comes in just north of 6 pounds with shock, depending on size, which still puts it on the lighter end of the trail bike spectrum without sacrificing any strength or stiffness to the TURQ frames. Available in sizes ranging from XS-Large, the low geometry while give you total confidence to test your limits and the tapered head tube and boost spacing front and rear give you all the feedback and stiffness needed when corning hard or pushing the pace through the aspens, pines or whatever indigenous trees you find yourself flying through.
Strega is the Italian word for witch, and we’re not sure if the folks at Juliana picked the name or designed the frame first. Either way, the bike lives up to its namesake; you’re in for a wicked good time as you get aggressive with the Strega Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame’s slack angles and efficient yet plush VPP suspension design. The Strega packs all the features you’d want in a hard-hitting enduro bike and gives you all the speed you’ll need to keep from getting burned at the stake—err, off the line.
The big-hit Strega is easily the rowdiest, most capable women-specific enduro sled we’ve come across. The incredibly slack head tube angle is adjustable with a simple re-position of the flip-chip on the linkage, so you can customize the ride from a higher, trail-taming 65-degrees, to a DH-worthy 64.5-degrees. The DH setting also drops the bottom bracket and elongates the wheelbase, offering plenty of composition at speed yet staying agile enough to take anywhere. Regardless of setting, the steep 74.5-degree seat tube angle allows this bike to pedal well up sheer terrain. You can really get your weight forward, encouraging you to attempt the sharpest uphill switchbacks without resulting in extreme body-English while your power is right over the pedals.
The Strega’s VPP suspension design takes cues from the Santa Cruz V10 and Nomad with its lower link location. Nestled in the lower link is the RockShox Super Deluxe RCT shock, with nearly 7in of suspension, positioned in a way to keep the bikes center of gravity as low as possible. No detail goes unnoticed with the Juliana team, and the shock has its own fender shielding it from errant trail debris.
The shock location also creates the most sensitive VPP platform in the Juliana line-up, providing a consistent linear feel throughout the shock stroke and a quality of travel that can make some DH bikes green with envy. New eye-to-eye lengths afford the use of the metric shock standard, gaining increased bushing overlap for a smoother stroke that encourages descending with reckless abandon and still allows room for a full-size water bottle to sit inside the downtube. The shock also receives a custom tune for lighter—yet no less heavy-hitting—riders.
The frame is constructed from top-of-the line CC carbon in a manufacturing facility exclusive to Juliana and Santa Cruz. A one-piece carbon lay-up is used to eliminate overlapping joints, saving weight because there is no need for extra carbon to bond or wrap those joints. Instead, carbon is wrapped seamlessly between tubes for better distribution of loads and impact energy, resulting in a stronger frame. Frame strength is further enhanced by Juliana’s ability to achieve maximum compaction of the carbon layers. This prevents resin migration, resulting in a stout frame that is almost as smooth on the inside as it is on the outside. The lay-up also allows them to integrate full length tunnels for the internal cable routing, greatly simplifying the process of routing housing through the frame. A threaded bottom bracket further eases maintenance duties for the home mechanic and eliminates the BB creaks that often plague press fit systems. Finishing details include an integrated shuttle bumper to protect the frame when it’s slung over a tailgate for shuttle laps, a downtube guard to protect from rock strikes, and molded chainstay protectors to silence chain slap. To cap it off, Juliana includes a lifetime frame and pivot bearing warranty to the original registered owner.
For many cyclists, Pinarello bikes represent the epitome of the premium race bike, often with a price tag reflecting it leaving us dreaming of the day when we can have our own. The 2018 Gan RS Easy-Fit Ultegra Complete Road Bike hopes to make that dream a reality a little sooner than later. Trading out the prestigious Dream Carbon found in the top-tier Dogma F8 for a more affordable carbon makeup, the Gan RS draws heavily on its pricier sibling’s design and technology to bring Pinarello’s renowned ride to a more attainable price point. Kitted out with Shimano’s Ultegra componentry, women’s specific cockpit, and Fulcrum Racing wheels, this build is chomping at the bit to jump off the line right out of the box.
The Gan RS presents the same eye-catching style as the Dogma F8, with its signature curves and aerodynamic detailing that make the bike just as stunning as it is fast. The main difference between the two frames is the type of carbon used to construct them. While the Dogma F8 features the best of the best Toray T1100 1K Dream Carbon with Nanoalloy Technology, the Gan RS consists of slightly more compliant T900 carbon that sacrifices a tiny bit of weight and stiffness but drops the overall cost significantly. While this carbon is slightly less rigid than the T1100 1K, it remains a high-strength, race-worthy layup designed to ride hard and fast.
As with the Dogma F8, this frame incorporates Pinarello’s trademark asymmetrical design for claimed improvements in power transfer and comfort. The asymmetry in the Gan RS’ seatstays is less extreme than in the Dogma F8, resulting in a slightly more compliant and comfortable ride while still providing benefits in responsiveness to keep you feeling powerful on your rides. At the top junction of the stays, a wishbone shape provides clean lines and aerodynamic protection to keep the rear brake out of the wind.
Pinarello also incorporates the Flatback technology found in the Dogma F8 into the Gan RS, with its oval-front and flattened-back tubing throughout the frame and fork creating an aerodynamic profile that slices cleanly through the wind without interfering with ride quality or adding additional weight. As an added touch, an integrated seat clamp and aero seat post add to the wind-cutting advantage and sleek appearance.
The Gan RS comes complete with carefully internal cable routing compatible with the mechanical groupset here and electronic shifting systems, if you choose so down the road, for an added dose of aerodynamics and crisp, clean lines for any setup. It’s finished with a threaded Italian bottom bracket, a trend that we’re happy to see resurfacing across the industry. The CNC threads provide a more consistent, solid platform for installation to do away with PressFit models’ creak and longevity issues.
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