Juliana Bikes have updated two of their best selling models – the aggressive, Enduro smashing Roubion and the adventure seeking short travel Furtado, named after the brand’s founder.
The bikes have seen a major rework – highlights being shorter standover, slacker head tube angles and a new layout for the Santa Cruz VPP (virtual pivot point) suspension.
The Roubion II is modelled on the Santa Cruz Bronson – it is the race favourite of the women in the Juliana-SRAM pro team and has been updated to better suit the demands of the Enduro World Series races.
The head angle has been agressified (new word – means made slacker) to 66-degrees, creating a more stable ride when descending at speed. The top tube length has been increased, whilst the stem size has been decreased – for quicker handling, and the chainstays are 6mm shorter to make tight turns on twisty descents easier.
The seat tube has also seen a tweak, making it one-degree steeper, to put the rider above the bottom bracket – giving the rider more control and traction on the climbs.
The travel – at 150mm – remains the same, but the suspension links are entirely different. The lower link hides from view, in a space just above the bottom bracket, and the upper link sits on the top tube. This layout helps protect against damage from rocks and roots, and also enhances stiffness. The new system means that the shock rate on the rear is softer at the top end – Juliana tell us that with this new layout, little bumps will have less impact on the rider and bigger roots and rocks will be easier to negotiate at speed.
The wheels are also now lighter, compared to the Santa Crus Bronson, making the bike easier to handle for lighter women.
The adventure loving Furtardo II, similar to the Santa Cruz 5010, has also seen the same adjustments to the design of the VVP suspension, and has a lower standover height to previous models, as well as a longer top tube and shorter stem, for more responsive handling.
The head tube has once again been slackened – by one degree, and the chainstays are 8mm shorter – all this creates a more alert, lively feeling ride and snappier handling that can deal with quick turns when challenged.
Both bikes have also benefited from internal cable routing, which help to keep cables working smoothly for longer – good news since the best bike in the world is no good if the shifters aren’t clicking as you want them too.
They’ve also had a slight upgrade, with new side swing front derailleurs, and 31.6mm seat posts, which can take 150mm Reverb dropper posts, and 125mm on smaller sizes.
Both bikes are due to be available from September 14, worldwide – down to a size Small, which caters for a woman of around 5 ft 1. The Furtardo will also be available in X Small from 2016.
UK pricing is yet to be released, but the US pricing has both frames at $2999, with build models starting at $3599.
