Issue #031, Review - January 8, 2018

ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 Review – With a strong taste!

What does the ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 have in common with a good bottle of red wine? Both need time to mature, both share a strong aftertaste and both require a fair amount of knowledge to be fully enjoyed. If you pick your bikes like you do with your vino – by looking at the label – you wouldn’t consider the ROSE at first – but that would be a mistake!

ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 | 160/165 mm (f/r) | 13.16 kg | € 4,799

If you think mountain bikes are costly these days, you should see the pricelist of some of the world’s top wines. And yet there is one simple rule that applies to good bikes and wine: great stuff doesn’t have to be expensive. Retailing at € 4,799 the ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 isn’t cheap, but is still a bargain considering its spec and key features. What makes our hearts race aren’t just the high-end components but also the lush carbon frame.

**Helmet** Troy Lee A1 | **Jersey** ION TEE SS TRAZE AMP | **Shorts** ION BIKESHORTS TRAZE

The ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 in detail

The absolute highlight of the PIKES PEAK frame is the PROGEO-System featured on the lower shock-mount, which allows you to alter both the geometry and the kinematics of the bike and only requires a few seconds and one 6 mm Allen key. This straight forward procedure has a notable effect on the bike’s riding characteristics, without annoying loose bits flying around and getting lost. Alongside the PROGEO system the bike features a variety of intelligent details. The cable routing for example uses internal cable liners which make for a more straight-forward installation and eliminate unwanted cable-slapping noises. On the rear end the wide axle allows for more stiffness; further improved by Rose’s choice to use high-quality Enduro bearings for maximum durability. The only detail on the frame we didn’t like are the countless different bolt heads on the rear end.

If you’re looking for a bright label on the PIKES PEAK you’re looking in vain. This bike is the master of understatement!

ROSE’s engineers took a whole new approach with the PIKES PEAK. Not only did they remove the brand-name from the down-tube but also moved the shock from their usual top tube location to the down tube. This makes the ROSE look a lot like bikes from the competition at first glance #lookslikeatrek, however it really stands out with a very unique character on the trail – just like a good bottle of wine…

**Super light**
The base for the PIKES PEAK is a 2,400 g (size M) carbon frame. This combined with a superb spec gives you a low total weight of just 13.2 kg – and you can feel it on the way up!

**Flat**
The thin Schwalbe Tubeless-Easy tires lack puncture resistance on rocky trails. If you want to milk the full potential of the ROSE you should opt for the Super Gravity-version.

**Maximum performance**
The FOX FLOAT X2 shock offers many settings. We reached the best downhill performance with a setting of approximately 5 clicks in low speed- and 5 clicks in high speed-compression.

**Fast and effective**
The PROGEO-system on the ROSE PIKES PEAK works fast and efficiently. You only need a 6-mm Allen key and you won’t end up with any loose bits flying around the house. Having said that, a slightly steeper seat angle would make this adjustment redundant.

Geometry of the ROSE PIKES PEAK

The long frame (reach 472 mm size L), the slack head-angle (65.6°) and the rather short chainstays (430 mm) combined with a solid rear-end shape the character of this 160 mm 27.5” trail ripper. On technical downhills the ROSE feels like it’s running on rails keeping its composure even at high speeds. Most of the time we ended up riding in the Mid/Slack setting of the PROGEO-System.

For experienced Riders only. The ROSE requires an advanced riding style!

The short chainstays give the ROSE an extra injection of agility which makes drifting easy but requires an active riding style in corners and at low speeds to provide enough weight on the front wheel. If you find yourself right in between sizes and you aren’t an ambitious racer we recommend the smaller size. With a confident riding style the ROSE feels balanced and smooth while offering a great deal of agility.

Size	S	M	L
Seat tube	420 mm	440 mm	460 mm
Top tube (effective)*	591/594 mm	616/619 mm	646/649 mm
Head tube	110 mm	115 mm	125 mm
Head angle*	66.5°/65.5°	66.5°/65.5°	66.5°/65.5°
Seat angle*	75°/74°	75°/74°	75°/74°
Chainstays	430 mm	430 mm	430 mm
BB height*	355/343 mm	355/343 mm	355/343 mm
Wheelbase*	1166/1168 mm	1192/1194 mm	1222/1224 mm
Reach*	432/422 mm	455/445 mm	482/472 mm
Stack*	595/602 mm	600/607 mm	609/616 mm

* steep/slack setting

Specs of the ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3

Fork FOX 36 FLOAT Factory
Rear shock FOX FLOAT X2
Brakes SRAM Guide RSC
Drivetrain SRAM XO1 Eagle
Wheelset DT Swiss EX 1501 Spline ONE
Tires Schwalbe Magic Mary / Hans Dampf (v/h)
Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth
Stem Race Face Turbine 35 mm
Handlebar Race Face NEXT R
Weight 13.16 kg
Price € 4,799

Like all ROSE bikes, the PIKES PEAK will soon be fully configurable online. First off we would swap the standard Schwalbe tires for the tougher reinforced version. The serial 800 mm Race Face handlebars with 35 mm stem and Ergon grips also feel too stiff and too wide – a little bit less would be more in this case.

The ROSE PIKES PEAK EN 3 on the trail

The lush FOX-Factory combo includes a 160 mm 36 FLOAT fork and a plush X2 shock giving 165 mm of travel. These work together smoothly and impress with a very sensitive response and huge amounts of traction. The bike feels composed in challenging sections and masterfully clears bigger, harder and quicker hits. End progression can be adjusted with volume spacers but the factory setting feels incredibly well balanced as it is. In order to maximise the sensitivity in the rear-end we used relatively little compression damping on the X2 shock. This proved to be a good choice. Only when riding fast berms did the rear end sag a little. On long descents the SRAM Guide brakes start to fade – Codes would be the better choice.

The climb is only a means to an end, the ROSE prefers going downhill!

If you want to enjoy all of the downhill fun, you’ll have to get to the top first. You also need to grow and harvest the grapes before you can enjoy a glass of fine Cabernet. For our test rider with relatively short legs and a height of 180 cm, even the slack setting (Mid/Slack) made for a fairly centred and balanced riding position on the size large frame. Our long-legged riders however felt like they were pedalling from behind. The PROGEO system allows you to solve this issue by simply steepening the seat angle by one degree. On up-hills this setting works well for any type of rider and makes climbing much more effective. We noticed a slight bob in the rear end when pedalling with irregular cadence. However, this is still totally within reason and can be suppressed using the compression lever on the shock.

Conclusion

The ROSE PIKES PEAK is like a good bottle of wine. The bike has a strong and unique character, it’s powerful on the way down and fluid on the way up. The handling is not for everyone, but connoisseurs will appreciate its full potential.