Words by David Arthur.
German direct-to-consumer manufacturer Rose have been busy for the past year, introducing a slew of updated bikes and a complete redesign of their Uncle Jimbo 160mm enduro bike, which now gets upgraded to 27.5in wheels, for their 2015 range.
It’s fair to say that Rose bikes haven’t always been the best lookers on the market but that is all set to change for 2015. They’ve developed a new frame featuring smooth hydroformed curves doing away with the machined gussets and struts of the old bikes. This new front triangle design is shared across the entire range, including in order of travel, the Uncle Jimbo, Granite Chief, Root Miller, Ground Control and Dr. Z. Another positive outcome of the redesigned frame is a weight reduction.
And as well as the much needed improvement to the frame shapes, they’ve also drastically updated the graphics. Most of the assembled journalists at the Rose 2015 launch in sunny Austria seemed to be impressed with the graphics and decals, suggesting that the company are making a positive step in the right direction.
They already do extremely well on value for money, and performance was never in doubt, but now they have the looks to support those two appealing attributes. So let’s run you through the new range…
