Chromag is synonymous with hardtails. Trail hardtails. And the 160 mm travel Rootdown ($801 frame, $3,912 complete) is now in its sixth iteration. The updates this round are chassis details and new build specs so let’s check it out…
![Chromag Updated the Rootdown 29er Hardtail](https://media.theradavist.com/uploads/2024/06/Chromag_Rootdown_01.jpg?w=750&quality=75)
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Chromag is synonymous with hardtails. Trail hardtails. And the 160 mm travel Rootdown ($801 frame, $3,912 complete) is now in its sixth iteration. The updates this round are chassis details and new build specs so let’s check it out…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Coming off of the REEB SST and having ridden the piss out of my Starling Murmur 29er over the past three years, when Chromag announced its new full-suspension bike, the Darco 29er, my interest was piqued. It’s no secret to readers here that I love how steel full-suspension bikes ride, and it’s been great seeing small brands put in the PR&D on these niche bikes. After some pleading, the fine folks at Chromag shipped me out a stock build of the Darco in size XL, for me to womp around on down in Phoenix while I escaped the ice-capades of Northern New Mexico for a week. Was it love at first flight? Find out below…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
The Chromag Surface has been in the brand’s 29er catalog for years but the Surface Voyager is something different entirely. With multiple cargo bosses, a 140mm travel fork, and sliding dropouts, perfect for converting the bike to a singlespeed, the Surface Voyager has versatility and capability built-in.
With a CNC’d headtube, custom sliding dropouts and a beautiful chainstay yoke, it’s not just your run of the mill hardtail. This frame is built by Chris Dekerf in Canada and retails for $2,121. See more at Chromag.
I think they nailed the opening text from the new Doctakawk page when they say “Longer, lower, slacker, faster, stronger, slacker, etc etc, did we say slacker?” The new Chromag Doctahawk is a 27.5+ or 29’r mountain bike with 180mm of front travel, a 62º head angle, and a 77º seat tube angle, making it a veritable shreddy hardtail! While it looks bonkers at the side profile, I hope to one day throw my leg over this monster! See more at Chromag.
What say you, Bicycle Pubes?
Tyler’s Electric Mexican Blanket Sunday Driver Chromag Road Bike
Photos by Ross Measures, Words by Tyler Morland
The idea was simple: Create a “Sunday Driver” of sorts. I took inspiration from a bike I was currently riding and blended it with that taste I have for old Ritcheys. My dad has this old Ritchey Timberline comp and I always loved the Fillet brazing look and feel. So Ian Ritz at Chromag Bikes and I started the conversation and we talked about every detail. We used raw material that Chromag had in stock and used something that they have refined for a couple of years, like the drop outs and generally put it through the process that all Chromag frames go through. The head tube was machined in shop and follows the taper of the fork. A real pain in the ass to make. Then, we chose curved seat stays to give it that plush steel ride.
He had no idea it would be this long of a process and neither did I. We roped in Chris Dekerf for the internal routing and brazing. North Shore Billet for the machined parts and sent the completed frame in for a crazy paint job at Troy Lee Designs. I visit TLD once a year for various reasons and those guys are just a bunch of beauties. I’ve been part of the family over at TLD FOREVER and this was a great conversation with a legendary painter… Why not electric Mexican blanket?
The build kit was a no-brainer. That just goes with the territory – All SRAM everything. I still can’t decide if I go ZIPP 303 or 202.
Basically, its special and part of my weird collection… Forever.
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Follow Ross on Instagram and follow Tyler on Instagram and special thanks to Morgan Taylor for coordinating this post!
Chromag just dropped their first run of fatbikes, hand built by Mike Truelove in Squamish, BC. Cheekily named the Nice Dreams, this steel beauty is built around a 120mm RockShox Bluto with a 67.5º head angle and a 170mm rear end for 4″ tires. Result? One seriously shreddable fatty.
This small run will sell out quick, but there are still a couple M and M-L frames available as frame only or full SRAM builds. Contact Chromag to swoop!
John likes to review a carbon full-suspension bike at least once a year to challenge his opinions on his preference of chassis material, and this summer’s bike is the 2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct. Thanks to new geometry, details, and a simplified RIDE-4 adjustment, the Instinct proved to be a very capable 140/150 trail bike. Perhaps the bigger picture of this review is John’s ever-questioning of his quasi-religious, cult-like zealotry for metal bikes…
Travis often sneaks a scornful jab at thru-headset cable routing into his stories. In this Dust-Up, he explains why. And it’s not for all the obvious reasons.
Is your bike getting old? Are you having trouble keeping up with yearly geometry inflation? Has your bike’s lack of low and slack geometry got you down? Well, if so, Wolf Tooth’s engineers have just the product you need: a 2º GeoShift Performance Angleset Headset.
Spencer decided to install a GeoShift Angleset in his 2021 Ibis Ripley AF, hoping to catapult it into the future. Will his tinkering in this review portent the arrival of an updated Ripley AF? Or is he barking up the wrong tree? Read on to find out…
From snow to sand, wildflowers, and close encounters with a rattlesnake, John’s been putting the Cotic FlareMAX Gen5 through the wringer for his in-depth review on this made-in-the-UK short(er) travel, metal full-suspension bike. Read on for his full take on how less is more with the FlareMAX’s design below…
For Morgan Taylor, there’s a magical nexus that happens when a bike has a certain amount of frame flex and low-trail randonneuring geometry. In this long-term review of Elephant Bikes National Forest Explorer, Morgan recounts how past bikes have contributed to this preferred combination and then offers an in-depth look at why the NFE might just be the perfect noodle.
In today’s Dust-Up opinion column, John brings up a controversial point about the disconnect between the “handmade” language surrounding bicycle framebuilder showcases and Asian-produced bicycle frames. Hold onto your butts for this one!
We must say that one bike model pops up more than any other: the Specialized RockHopper. These readily available bikes are frequently customized, and Chris from Minneapolis shared a great one with us this week! Let’s check it out.
After its first top-to-bottom update, the new 2024 Revel Rascal may be the most versatile mid-travel 29er Travis has ever ridden. But does versatility matter when you’re just here to have fun?
In this Stooge Speedbomb review, Jason Fuller reflects on our collective obsession with ever-more-complicated bicycle technologies, and what led him to give up suspension for the simplicity of a rigid mountain bike. Beyond the retro-grouches and technophobes, can a rigid mountain bike be more fulfilling than one with suspension?