BH’s World Cup XC race hardtail gets a new lightweight Ultimate RC little brother, promising the race-ready tech of the EVO in a bike you can get for about half the price. The new affordable 29er carbon XC hardtail features the same race-proven modern XC geometry as the top-tier bike debuted a half year ago, essentially sharing the same mold, but gets much lower pricing thanks to a more economical carbon layup that only adds a couple hundred grams.
BH Ultimate RC, a carbon XC race hardtail on a budget
BH’s new Ultimate RC hardtail is effectively indistinguishable from its 840g EVO predecessor on the outside, with the same frame shaping & tech details. Only thanks to a mid-range performance-spec blend of carbon inside, BH was able to cut bike prices significantly, while still delivering a 1050g frame (size M).
Ultimate RC – World Cup race-proven geometry
The new Ultimate RC shares the exact same modern trail-inspired cross-country race geometry as the Ultimate EVO. Raced at the front of the World Cup XC circuit last season as a pre-production prototype by Carlos Coloma Nicolas, the progressive setup is long & slack up front for a cross-country bike with a 68° headtube paired to the 100mm fork, and gets short 420mm chainstays out back. Stability on fast & technical descents, combined with slow-speed maneuverability and quick accelerations. What makes it a solid bike for racing modern technical XCO courses, also should make for a fast singletrack all-rounder.
BH Ultimate RC – Tech Details
The same top-spec tech details carry over from the more expensive frame. The 1x-only RC features Boost 148 spacing, a flat mount rear disc brake on the chainstay, PressFit 92 bottom bracket, two sets of bottle bosses, and internal cable routing, including for a stealth dropper in place of the stock 27.2mm seatpost.
It also gets the 1.5″ tapered Acros BlockLock headset (150° limiter) to protect the frame from lever/fork crown impacts in a crash.
Pricing, options & customization
BH offers the affordable carbon hardtail in four complete builds, all with 1×12 drivetrains and forks with remote lockout – each in four sizes (S-XL) and five standard paint jobs. The entry to the RC is the 1700€ BH Ultimate RC 6.5 with the complete new Deore M6100 12-speed drivetrain, Shimano MT201 hydraulic brakes, and a 100mm RockShox Judy RL fork.
At the top of the RC line, the 2900€ BH Ultimate RC 7.7 gets a full XT M8100 1×12 groupset and brakes, and a 100mm Fox 32 SC Performance RL fork.
That top spec of the RC is also the most affordable mountain bike available in the BH Unique custom paint program – letting you pick from 32 colors for both frame & logos, getting matching fork decals and your name on the toptube for an extra 300€. Get your new Ultimate RC from your local BH dealer.
