I had a serious bike flashback on a ride yesterday, and as weird as that sounds, stick with me here. Revel bikes recently released the updated Rascal 29er and I'm excited for this one! Like I have mentioned previously, I don’t really see too many brands taking a gamble this year with anything entirely new. The year 2024 is shaping up to be a model update year for most brands with lots of bikes getting the necessary updates that may have been put off for sometime due to the crazy market. The Rascal 29 is one of those bikes, getting the UDH treatment and a bit more of a progressive geometry. And to be completely honest with you, I don’t have any problems with that! Sometimes small changes are all a bike needs to make it awesome, and the Revel is definitely striking my curiosity.
So what is the Rascal 29er? It's a 130mm rear travel 29er that seems to pair well with a 140mm fork, has a fairly conservative 65.5 degree head angle (remember when 65 was insanely slack?), and short chainstays to match. It utilizes CBF suspension design that stems from Canfield Bikes, a brand that knows a thing or two about traction. The Rascal 29 comes in 2 colors: a yellow-gold color as well as a deep purple. Both share names that might feel slightly cringey when explaining them on the trail, one being Pinot Gnar and the other being Ponyboy. I think we are going to stick to yellow and dark purple here.
So why do I want this bike? Well as you know I am currently putting a Pivot Cycles Switchblade through its testing paces and the bike is insane! I love the combo of a longer reach and a shorter chainstay, it really has made most trails come alive especially the chunky ones! I have a full review coming out on this bike soon so stay tuned.
Now let's talk about that flashback. Every now and then while out on a ride I have flashbacks to a bike I have owned in the past and miss. This flashback came to me on a super fast tight trail with lots of sections to pop off of and the bike itself that came to mind was my old Ibis Ripley. I really did love that bike, there was just something about how short travel it was combined with its shorter wheelbase and lower front end. It felt as if I could jump off of almost anything on the trail instantly even though the frame felt somewhat flexy in certain areas. Was it the most stable high speed bike? Not at all, but it brought out a sense of style in my riding I didn’t know I had, and if i'm being honest with myself, probably was my top 5 favorite bikes I have owned.
As I was having those flashbacks to the Ripley, making my way down the trail, I realized that is what I want from my next test bike. The Switchblade produces an insane amount of confidence on your bike, especially anywhere chunk is present. It almost feels like Pivot has built into the geo an anti-over-the-bars combo of angles and numbers where it really feels like you have total control of the front end of the bike. That short chainstay behind you makes managing that longer front end a breeze as well. I also have a few more test bikes with similar wheelbase numbers coming in for testing soon.
(Rascal 29er Geo Left and Pivot Switchblade Geo Right)
But looking at the Rascal 29er on paper and seeing chainstay numbers as short as the Pivot with the same BB height, but with a 20mm overall shorter wheelbase, as well as shorter stack height, makes me think that this Revel Rascal might ride more like my old Ibis Ripley. And if you have never ridden a bike that inspires you to find any root or small bump to try and get air off of, let me tell you, you are missing out!
So is the Rascal 29er in my future? I think so and if its not, I need to get another short travel 29er fun bike soon. Or else I think those flashbacks will only get more intense, and no one wants that.
Brand new Rascal 29: https://revelbikes.com/product/rascal/
-Mo Awesome
