Revel Bikes have only just celebrated their one year anniversary, but they’re quickly proving to be an exciting company to watch. Initially launching with two full suspension models, the Rascal and the Rail, Revel also launched their own carbon wheel lineup just a year later. Now it’s time for them to release another bike – the all new Revel Ranger.
Wanting something that was both lighter and faster than the Rascal, Revel has repackaged the Canfield Balance Formula suspension design to create their version of the modern cross country bike. Running 115mm of travel at the rear and meant to pair with a 120mm fork up front, Revel managed to make the frame over a pound lighter than the Rascal to fit in with the weight obsessed crowd (Update: 6.1lbs for a medium frame with SID rear shock).
But just because the Ranger should be able to keep up on the race course, don’t let that fool you into thinking the Ranger can’t hang when the trail gets more technical. We’ll have to wait to ride one to confirm, but our hunch is that this will be a very fun interpretation of an XC bike – especially with the forgiving nature of the CBF suspension’s bottomless feel.
More into watts than jumps? The Ranger has you covered with an optional remote lockout system for the rear shock.
The geometry includes a 67.5° head tube angle and a 75.3° seat tube angle, and modern but not outrageous reach numbers. Also interesting is the use of a 44mm offset fork – shorter than both the Rascal and the Rail.
Also interesting is the claim that the Ranger has clearance for any 29 x 2.6″ tire. One of my only two critiques of the Revel Rascal was the somewhat limited tire clearance (though that still didn’t stop me from buying one). But it seems that Revel agreed, which is why we see increased tire clearance on a shorter travel bike here.
My other critique of the Rascal? Limited room for a water bottle. Again, Revel has come through on the Ranger with multiple options. Thanks to a revised shock position, the main water bottle mount has room for a much larger bottle. There’s also a second bottle cage mount on the downtube, and a third accessory mount up top. This could be used for something like the Wolf Tooth B-RAD strap mount as shown, or any other accessory mount that uses standard water bottle boss spacing.
In terms of the frame itself, the Ranger uses the same advanced carbon layup tech that was optimized by ENVE Co-Founder Jason Schiers. In addition, you’ll find full carbon tubes for the cable routing so running new housing or a brake line is as simple as pushing it through one end and out the other.
Frame specs include all of the usual hits like a Boost 148 x 12mm rear thru axle, 160mm post mount rear brake, an IS42/52 headset for a tapered steerer, and a 73mm threaded BSA bottom bracket. You’ll also still get the custom Revel chain guide for the 1x specific frame.
Offered in two colors with Revel’s unique half matte, half gloss finish, you can pick up a Ranger in Johnny Green Jeans or the more subtle De La Coal. As we recently learned, Revel puts a lot of thought into their finishes, and they also have some fun coming up with the names as well.
Now available for pre-order, the Ranger follows the same pricing structure as their other bikes with the frame only priced at $2,799 and the Frame and Fork Only running $3,499. From there, complete builds start with the SRAM GX Eagle Kit at $4,999. Note that at the $7,199 threshold for the X01 kit, you also upgrade to the Revel RW30 carbon wheels.
Pre-orders will require a $100 refundable deposit, and will begin shipping in Early July.
