From Dirt Issue 113 – July 2011

By Steve Jones

There’s a few things that need sorting on the Mondraker Foxy RR, but that doesn’t mean to say it’s a bad trail bike. Far from it. At its heart lies a very, very good bike with a particularly keen edge. A finely honed chassis, clean lines, great graphic, shame it lacks any bite out of the box on the descents – those bloody Nevegal tyres are yet again fully to blame.

The Mondraker Foxy RR stands as a mighty–fine example of the type of bike many of us use for general riding – at the moment – although I have to say many of the locals are now leaning more towards forks such as the Fox 36 or Lyric up front around these parts. Bore out the old body, up the horsepower and boot it south with the big guns up front.

We went through the vitals on the Fox a couple of issues ago:

Foxy 140mm

Now I don’t really care two hoots what some product managers say, numbers DO matter. Fortunately for me this bike is a perfect fit. And for trail riding those numbers are as good as it gets for UK 140mm use right now – arguably the best on the market in many ways. Of importance are the low bottom bracket, wheelbase and head angle that allow you to make full use of the travel that is nearer six inches than five.

There are other 140mm trail bikes with similar vitals; the Orange Five, Trek Remedy, Lapierre Zesty and Specialized Stumpjumper EVO – yup, the usual suspects. All have minor niggles that prevent that elusive full–house score that ultimately will only come from a personalized build. And it is nearly always down to damping.

Now the Mondraker ain’t half bad, a good tune on the rear and a totally faultless Fox 32 float up front. Pair these with a proper aggressive geometry and it all lends itself to one rapid piece of trail riding equipment. Balanced in corners with the help of the BB, stability at speed aided by the WB, and a usable lock–out that will no doubt aid your personal best on the climbs. The standover is also worth noting. In short I pretty much love the way the Foxy handles everything you apply it to as a general trail basher.

What needs sorting then? Apart from those bloody Nevegals? Well the bar and stem are the first to hit the garage shelf or riverbed, along with those one–dimensional–straightline–uphill only Kenda’s. Then out goes the front chainset set–up, which totally wrecked several rides due to derailment and tangle – completely OVER IT. Why have a carbon crankset when all that is going to happen is the chain bashing chips into it constantly. Two speed up front, the large 37 tooth chainring worked well with the ten out back. The small ring up front put a load of movement into pedaling and also derailed. Continual noise from the transmission and the chain wrapped in two after each downhill run was frustrating enough before the gear cable became un–housed and wrapped up into a three way fight to drive me insane.

Fast wheels mind, great braking, sensible discs at 185mm and…well, a RockShox Reverb adjustable seat post is now a necessary part of the trail build and can be added later. Grips? All good. Seat? All good. Err keep an eye on those shock bolts. Ours came loose twice before settling into things.

Overall? Slap on a single ring, chain device, bar, stem and tyres and you have a trail bike that can tackle up, down, along and across with total composure. I particularly liked the low standover on this large sized bike and its overall stability. Definitely a bike I’d like to spend more time with.

Foxy RR £3999 (£1299.00 Frame and shock only)
www.silverfish-uk.com