Revel Rascal GX Review

Should I Buy This Bike?

Revel bikes is a smaller Colorado-based brand specializing in carbon fiber mountain bike frames and wheels. Founded by a team of industry veterans, the crew at Revel has plenty of experience designing bikes and working with carbon fiber. They also licensed the Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension design from the Canfield brothers of Canfield Bikes, which they claim is the "heart of every Revel bike". They made a splash a few years ago when they entered the market with two full-suspension models including the mid-travel Rascal reviewed here. The Rascal sports 130mm of rear-wheel travel paired with a 140mm fork and is intended to be a versatile do-it-all trail bike for any terrain. We found it to be just that, with a somewhat conservative but balanced geometry that performs well in all situations. High speeds, low speeds, aggressive terrain, or mellow trails, the Rascal felt comfortable, intuitive, and ready for anything. Its handling is sharp and this bike feels playful and poppy yet remains surprisingly composed at speed or when the going gets rough. The CBF suspension design impressed us equally on the descents and on the climbs, and the Rascal is quick and efficient on the ascents. Our only real complaint is the slacker-than-we're-used-to seat tube angle, but that really didn't affect this bike's overall performance. The GX Eagle build we tested also comes nicely equipped and ready to shred. Not to mention the fact that this bike looks fantastic, with excellent attention to detail and superb finish quality. If you're a trail rider looking for a mid-travel ride that really does it all well, we think the Rascal is worthy of serious consideration.

The Norco Optic C2 is an interesting comparison to the Rascal. The Optic is a 29er with 125mm of rear-wheel travel paired with a 140mm fork with a longer reach and wheelbase and a 65-degree head tube angle. Its Horst-Link suspension design is super active and this bike throttles down aggressive terrain well above its short travel pay grade. It doesn't climb with the same efficiency or urgency, nor it is quite as nimble as the Rascal, a tradeoff for its confidence-inspiring descending prowess. If you value versatility, we'd steer you towards the Rascal, but if charging hard on the descents is your priority, give the Optic a look. The Optic C2 SRAM we tested retails for $4,399.

Fezzari's Delano Peak is a direct-to-consumer mid-travel trail bike that rolls on 29-inch wheels and has 135mm of rear-wheel travel paired with a 150mm fork. Its geometry qualifies as modern and progressive compared to the Rascal with a longer reach and wheelbase and slacker head tube angle. The Delano Peak is equally versatile, though it feels a touch more stable at speed and comfortable in steep and rough terrain with a slacker head tube and more front travel. That said, the Rascal is a touch lighter weight with a more stable pedal platform, enhancing its efficiency on the climbs. The Rascal's guided internal cable routing also helps to make it quieter and feel a touch more refined through the rough stuff. Both bikes are really quite good, although the Fezzari is a fair amount less expensive, with the Elite build we tested going for $4,599.

Frame Design

The Rascal is built around a carbon fiber frame comprised of a mix of Japanese Toray T700 and T800 fibers. Revel claims that their optimized layup using 30 and 60-degree fibers results in a stronger, stiffer tubing while using less material. The frame has 130mm of rear-wheel travel using the Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension design. CBF is a dual-link suspension design with a rigid rear triangle attached to the frame using two links. The lower link is attached at the bottom of the seat tube just above the bottom bracket, and the upper link is attached to the front of the seat tube a few inches higher up. According to Revel, the CBF design is based around the Center of Curvature and balancing it with the Instant Center which allows the suspension to function without the influence of drivetrain or braking forces. The frame has guided internal cable routing, molded chainstay and downtube protection, and room within the front triangle for a full-size water bottle.

The Rascal comes in four frame sizes, Small-XL. We measured our size large test bike and found an effective top tube length of 633mm and a moderate 464mm reach. The chainstays measured 433mm with a 66-degree head tube angle resulting in a 1,220mm wheelbase length. The effective seat tube angle is 75-degrees, although the actual seat tube angle is a fair amount slacker than that. Revel has also spec-d a (formerly) standard 51mm offset fork on the Rascal. Our test bike weighed in at 30 lbs and 5 oz setup tubeless and without pedals.

Design Highlights

• Carbon Fiber frames only

• 29-inch wheels

• 130mm of Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension

• Designed around a 140mm fork

• Full sleeve internal cable routing

• Integrated chain guide

• Threaded bottom bracket

• Molded chainstay and downtube protection

• 2.4-inch max rear tire clearance

Downhill Performance

Our testers were pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Rascal on the descents. Despite its somewhat conservative geometry, it did everything we asked of it and handled anything that came down the trail with confidence and composure. Revel did an excellent job creating a mid-travel trail bike that is both playful and agile and stable and damp, it never felt out of place. The CBF suspension design was a definite highlight, soaking up small bumps, high-frequency chop, and big hits alike. The GX Eagle build we tested also comes ready to rip and further enhances this bike's downhill performance.

When compared to many of today's trail bikes with modern, progressive geometry, the Rascal's measurements seem relatively moderate, conservative, and perhaps even a little dated. While it may not be exactly cutting-edge in terms of the length of its reach or wheelbase or slackness of head tube angle, we found it to perform exactly like the super versatile mid-travel trail bike that Revel intended it to be. They seem to have aimed for and hit the comfortable middle ground and created a bike that performs well in virtually all situations and is super easy to get along with. The 66-degree head tube angle is slack enough to tackle virtually any steepness of trail, without being so slack that it feels dull or lethargic on mellower terrain or at lower speeds. The moderate length 1,220mm wheelbase and 464mm reach measurements (size Large) help to keep the bike feeling nimble and maneuverable in tight/technical terrain and didn't seem to negatively impact its stability at speed. This bike feels fast and remains remarkably composed with a head of steam. At the same time, the short-ish 433mm chainstays keep the rear end feeling sporty and flickable, and this bike will happily pop and play the way down the mountain if that's what you're after.

With 130mm of rear-wheel travel and a 140mm fork, the Rascal falls squarely in the mid-travel category. It has just enough travel to handle virtually any terrain, without being so bulky that it feels like overkill on mellower trails or lower speeds. Revel has licensed the relatively uncommon Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension design to control the rear wheel travel, and we were quite impressed by its performance. This was our first experience riding the CBF design and the general looks and feel of it reminded us a lot of a similar dual-link system known as DW-Link. We found it to provide a super damp ride feel, with ample sensitivity over small bumps, excellent performance over mid-sized and high-frequency chop, and great bottom out resistance on bigger hits. We also found adequate mid-stroke support, creating a poppy and playful platform to push off of that didn't tend to wallow when you jam on the pedals out of a corner. During testing, we punched it down some seriously long and chunky Tahoe rock gardens and noticed that the suspension seemed relatively unaffected by braking forces. Overall, it was impressively quiet, calm, and never felt it was really being pushed beyond its limits. The Rascal also felt stiff and precise laterally, with no noticeable flex or play between the front and rear triangles. We wouldn't be disappointed at all if we saw other brands using the CBF suspension design.

The GX Eagle build we tested is the least expensive option offered by Revel, but we feel they pretty much nailed it. Our test bike had the fork upgrade to the RockShox Pike Ultimate, providing more tuning options compared to the Select version that comes standard. Either way, the Pike is well suited to the Rascal and provides ample stiffness and control for the front of this bike. Likewise, the RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock handled the rear suspension duties very well. A definite highlight of the build was the Industry Nine Enduro S alloy wheels with 1/1 hubs. These alloy hoops have a great ride quality and the 4-degree freehub engagement helps to give the bike a responsive and high-quality feel. The Maxxis Minion DHF and Aggressor combo is a crowd-pleaser and left nothing to be desired. SRAM's G2 R brakes work well enough, although they'd likely be one of the first things we'd upgrade to enhance this bike's performance on the descents. The Truvativ Descendant alloy handlebar and stem combo provided responsive steering, while the Crankbrothers Highline 7 dropper worked well enough to get the saddle out of the way on the descents.

Climbing Performance

We found the Rascal to be a surprisingly swift and effective climber, although we weren't thrilled about the bike's relatively slack seat tube angle. Beyond some minor comfort issues, this bike felt impressively efficient and almost eager to get up the hill. Thanks to its somewhat conservative geometry, it also handled well at low speeds and tackled tight and technical terrain with relative ease.

As mountain bike geometry has rapidly changed over the past several years, seat tube angles have steepened with most new trail bikes in the 76-77 degree range. The 75-degree effective seat tube angle doesn't seem too far off of that mark, but the Rascal's actual seat tube angle is a fair bit slacker than that. Riders who are on the low end of a frame's recommended height range will be close to that effective seat tube angle measurement, but taller riders, like our six-foot tester with long legs, may end up in a less ideal position. We found that our weight was a little further back than we're used to, with our hips a touch behind the bottom bracket, as opposed to right on top of it. In this position, we found that we were using slightly different leg muscles than usual, a bit more hamstring, and that resulted in some minor lower back strain. Now, this is probably only something that riders coming from bikes with steeper seat tubes would notice, but we feel it is notable nonetheless. Interestingly, we didn't find this to have any negative impact on the bike's climbing performance, and it was otherwise very comfortable and intuitive on the uphills. Handling felt responsive, and we found it to negotiate tight, technical terrain with relative ease and scramble up steep, loose pitches just as effectively.

On the climbs, the CBF suspension design impressed us once again. It supports the rider well and sits relatively high in its travel. We found it to provide a very calm pedaling platform as well, with virtually no noticeable pedal bob or energy wasted through unwanted suspension movement. At the same time, the suspension remains supple enough to maintain excellent rear wheel traction and take the edge off small bumps in the trail. Other than some paved road climbs, we never found the compression damping switch on the RockShox Super Deluxe rear shock to be necessary. Despite our above-mentioned gripes about the seat tube angle, the Rascal proved to be a very efficient climber with testers setting PRs on climbs they do on a regular basis.

The GX Eagle build gave us nothing to complain about on the climbs. The 12-speed GX drivetrain performed flawlessly, and the 10-52 tooth cassette provides a huge range for any pitch of climb. The Maxxis Aggressor is a great, versatile rear tire that works well in a huge range of conditions and is reasonably fast-rolling. The 4-degree engagement of the Industry Nine 1/1 hubs was also excellent, with minimal lag between engagement points giving the bike a refined feel. Lastly, the WTB Volt saddle is a long-time tester favorite, and we found it to be a very comfortable place to sit and spin away the hours.

Photo Tour

Value

While the retail price of the Rascal with the GX Eagle build we tested is certainly no drop in the bucket, we feel it is a good value for a boutique carbon frame equipped with a quality component specification. It is priced competitively with complete builds from major manufacturers, which we feel is quite impressive given Revel's smaller-scale production. The build kit is also quite nice for the price, and this bike is ready for action right off the bat. The frame also comes with a lifetime warranty that covers defects in materials and craftsmanship, so you can rest assured that you're covered should something go wrong.

Conclusion

The Revel Rascal is a top performer amongst mid-travel trail bikes. This carbon-framed 29er climbs and descends swiftly and feels both nimble and planted at the same time. Its somewhat conservative geometry gives it responsive handling, yet doesn't hold you back in aggressive terrain, and the CBF suspension design eats up rough trails with a calm and refined feel. If you're looking for a bike that not only looks great but actually does it all well, check out the Revel Rascal.

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