The Juliana Roubion CC in Review – A steadfast companion wherever you venture

We didn’t go easy on the Juliana Roubion CC! It had to prove itself on demanding alpine trails in Europe, on the legendary North Shore trails of Vancouver, during long days in the saddle in Squamish and on jumps at the Coast Gravity Park. Now that Antonia is on her third set of brake pads and second set of tires, she has a good impression of what the Rubion is capable of.

Before buying a new bike, it’s important to think carefully about what you want to do with it and what your expectations of it are. As a woman who likes riding fast and enjoys leaving men and women alike behind me in a cloud of dust, the requirements of my new bike were clear to me from the start: it had to be composed and confidence-inspiring, the suspension had to perform well and it had to climb relatively well too. For me, the latter is only a means to an end but it shouldn’t be something I have to give much thought to. The bike also had to be fun to ride on all kinds of terrain, from flow trails to demanding downhill tracks.

Juliana understand what bikes are all about, even for smaller riders

Finding the right bike is never easy – especially if you’re only 160 cm tall, like me. Sure, I could easily resort to a unisex bike, but even then my choices are limited. A pivotal problem: with most bikes the seat tube is either too long or the seat post can’t be fully inserted due to a kinked seat tube or a suspension pivot. Whichever it is, it often limits my dropper post travel to just 100 mm. However, a long travel dropper post is essential, especially if you ride a lot of steep trails but this is a challenge that a lot of bike brands haven’t yet stepped up to even on women’s specific bikes. The Juliana Roubion is different and a size S comes with a 125 mm dropper as standard – thumbs up! The bike’s geometry is equally well-suited to my height. The top tube is kept low and the reach is long enough to give me plenty of freedom of movement while also accommodating a water bottle. I could go on, but rather than endlessly trawl through geometry tables, what’s most important is that I feel comfortable on the bike – and I do!

Spot on – the Juliana Roubion’s componentry

Sure, for a bike priced at a whopping € 8,599, it would be sad if the componentry weren’t spot on. However, since a lot of manufacturers like speccing lightweight brakes or thin-walled tires on women’s bikes, it is all the more pleasing to see that the Juliana Rubion comes with a set of SRAM CODE RSC brakes (unfortunately, the two entry levels models still come with the Guide T model) as well as MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHR tires. As previously mentioned, the RockShox Reverb dropper post offers 125 mm travel and the bars are comfortably wide at 780 mm. Of course, you can always cut them down if you need to. For the 2019 model, Juliana rely on a FOX 36 fork with the GRIP2 damper. It performs perfectly, but the damping circuit makes a bit of a sucking noise when the fork is active and its set-up requires some know-how and patience. However, the 2020 Roubion will be fitted with a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate instead. If you’re in the position to even think about upgrading to the carbon fibre Santa Cruz Reserve wheels, you are very lucky indeed! Whether the additional € 1,200 is really justifiable is hard to say, but the fact is that the wheels perform great: they’re lightweight, not too stiff and they look very good to boot. The lifetime warranty also gives you peace of mind if anything should happen to go wrong. Our only point of criticism is the 32 t chainring of the X01 Eagle drivetrain. It might suit some riders, but I would personally have liked a smaller gear to make those steep climbs a little easier. I upgraded the bike with an 32 t oval chainring, which is equivalent to a regular 30 t chainring.

The JULIANA Roubion CC in detail

Fork FOX 36 Performance Elite Grip2 160 mm
Shock RockShox Super Deluxe RCT 150 mm
Brakes SRAM Code RSC 180/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle 12-speed
Wheels Santa Cruz Reserve / DT Swiss 350 27.5″
Seatpost RockShox Reverb 125 mm
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHR 2.5/2.4”
Handlebar Santa Cruz AM Carbon 780 mm
Stem Race Face Aeffect 50 mm

Get on and go! The Roubion can do it all!

At 160 cm tall, I went for an S frame. For even smaller riders and kids, Juliana also have an XS model which should suit riders from about 142 cm. Before hitting the trails, you’ll have to set up the suspension. Besides the complexity of the FOX 36 GRIP2 fork, the design of the frame makes setting up the suspension a bit trickier than it needs to be. You have to look very closely at the shock to see the sag indicator. However, once set up, you can forget about it and just have fun. The riding position is super comfortable and very central, which makes it ideal for long days in the saddle. Even on steep climbs, the front wheel remains planted on the ground and I rarely had to use the climb switch on the shock as there’s hardly any pedal bob to speak of. When the climbing gets technical and winding, the Roubion’s handling is very precise, allowing you to master even the most challenging ascents.

Speaking of demanding, the bike also had to prove itself on the descents. I spent three weeks in Canada with it, tackled several trails in the Alps and also spent a few days in various bike parks. The Roubion proved itself in every situation. It instilled me with confidence without feeling lazy or boring. You have a lot of freedom of movement and the bike remains composed no matter how steep things get. When hitting lips or drops, lifting the front wheel is easy and getting the bike airborne is a lot of fun thanks to its poppy nature. You can easily generate a lot of speed on flow trails, but that’s not to say it doesn’t soak up roots and other obstacles. The Juliana willingly changes direction, offering direct and good-natured handling. The riding position is nicely balanced, allowing you to weight both wheels equally through technical terrain as well as open corners.

Hitting roots at full speed – the excellent suspension lets you do it!

Juliana Strega/Santa Cruz Nomad or Roubion?

This is a question I, and I’m sure a lot of other riders, have asked themselves many times before. Since I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden both the Juliana Strega (the women’s specific Santa Cruz Nomad) and the Roubion extensively, I can say that if I had the choice, it would have to be the Santa Cruz Nomad. Juliana no longer make the Strega, but the identical Nomad is now available in XS. I have found that the suspension of the Strega/Nomad was a bit plusher and offered more reserves when things got rough, without being noticeably more sluggish or boring on easy trails. It also offered enough mid-stroke support to generate a lot of speed by pumping it through rollers. Likewise, both bikes performed similarly on the climbs. Our heavier test riders appreciate the increased pop and agility offered by the Bronson (men’s Roubion equivalent) when compared to the Nomad, but as a smaller rider, I was less able to take advantage of these benefits.

Conclusion

The Juliana Roubion CC is a terrific trail companion, excelling on easy as well as demanding trails. It climbs very efficiently and performs even better on the descents. It balances agility and composure excellently. The componentry leaves nothing to be desired and coupled with the lifetime warranty, this is a dream bike that will put a smile on your face for a long time to come, wherever you ride!

Tops

• very versatile on the descents
• climbs willingly
• very quiet and high-quality workmanship
• top-notch componentry
• lifetime warranty on the frame, bearings and wheels

Flops

• tricky to set-up
• expensive, especially with the carbon wheel upgrade

For more info head to: julianabicycles.com