If you’ve ever heard of Spot Brand before–and there’s a good chance you haven’t–you probably associate the name with hardtails, chromoly and maybe belt drive.Those were our associations until we saw the Rollik–a carbon, 140-millimeter-travel, 27.5-wheeled machine that looks like something made by a brand with years of experience.
Just looking at the recently redesigned Balance will tell you pretty much all you need to know about it.In fact, you might not even need to keep reading. Just keep looking at it. Its lines are as mean and evocative as those of a DH bike. Every gusset, every pivot and every piece of hardware appears to be bracing for war.
Juliana Bicycles debuted the Joplin when the brand launched in 2013 and, until now, it hadn’t changed. That’s practically eons given the rapid pace of mountain bike technology this decade. The short-travel 29er was well overdue for an overhaul and Juliana spared no trend in contemporizing the Joplin.
Throughout the course of its existence, Rocky Mountain’s Instinct has smudged the line between XC race and backcountry trail performance. In this latest guise, with 130 millimeters of travel and 29-inch wheels, it would be easy to pass it off as a burly all - mountain 29er and be done with it.
If you’ve ever heard of Spot Brand before–and there’s a good chance you haven’t–you probably associate the name with hardtails, chromoly and maybe belt drive.Those were our associations until we saw the Rollik–a carbon, 140-millimeter-travel, 27.5-wheeled machine that looks like something made by a brand with years of experience.
Just looking at the recently redesigned Balance will tell you pretty much all you need to know about it.In fact, you might not even need to keep reading. Just keep looking at it. Its lines are as mean and evocative as those of a DH bike. Every gusset, every pivot and every piece of hardware appears to be bracing for war.