I’ll be the first to tell you, I don’t know how to talk about the mechanics of what makes a certain bike better than others. Yes, I’m that mountain biker, so I’ll let Dan explain those aspects of why the Revel Rail is our choice for big mountain riding all over the country. What I do know is that if I had a dime for every time someone stopped to talk to me about the color of my Rail, I’d be making several dollars a week. The Tang-colored frame sparkles, shines, and shimmers no matter where you lean it, which makes it just flashy enough to draw attention to the Rail’s elegant, understated design that makes this bike an absolute ripper. 

I made the switch to a Revel after my biggest bike wreck to date, which is when I dislocated my right elbow and fractured by left humerus. I should point out that the crash was the result of user error, not the bike I was riding, so my confidence and gumption took a major hit. And hey, sometimes you just need to start with a clean slate and hope that a different bike clears out the bad juju. During the several weeks of recovery, Dan suggested I make a change from the medium frame 29er I was on to a long-travel 27.5. I also took the frame size down a notch, so at about five-foot-six, I’m riding a small Rail. The difference has been eye-opening, but it’s best summed up by the fact that I can’t be frustrated by post-injury holdups when I’m on a bike that’s this comfortable and fun to ride. The smaller frame combined with the 165/170 mm of suspension and CBF design is what I always wanted out of a bike and just didn’t know it until now. That being said, I’m excited to jump on Revel’s Ranger to give the 29er another go on a proper cross-country setup.

I'll have Dan take over from here.

I have different reasons for choosing the brand Revel in general, and the Rail specifically. I started out by testing the Revel Rascal a couple of years ago on a trail I am very familiar with alongside some other bikes. The Rascal instantly paired best with what I want and need out of a mountain bike, so it didn’t take me long to build one up right after that. I rode it for a year and loved every minute of it. Thanks to a relationship with Revel, I was fortunate enough to add a Rail to my quiver as well. Racing Big Mountain Enduros and other EWS-style events had me longing for more bike, so the Rail has easily become my mountain slayer. I run mine as a mullet, so I can have a 29” wheel up front that lets me hammer a little harder into rock gardens and makes me feel more in control on the steeps. I’ve been running my Rail hard for a year now and I can’t find an excuse to replace it.

There are a couple of reasons the Rail checks all the boxes for me. Firstly, the geometry is aggressive without being silly. I like a bike that can be maneuvered as much as it can be smashed. Secondly, the Canfield Balance Formula that drives the rear suspension is impressive. I have many pet peeves when it comes to suspension design and find most bikes aren’t progressive enough. I don’t like using high-speed compression to keep my bike from bottoming out. I also hate the feel of bikes with too much anti-squat because they feel “locked-out” under pedal power. Revel + CBF has neither of these characteristics. And before you ask, how does it climb? You might not love my answer, but barring severe geometry limitations, my answer will always be: 25-pound bikes climb great and 30-pound bikes climb like 30-pound bikes. The Rail climbs just fine.

Cheers, Dan & Zu