Rose have been pumping bikes into Germany and other parts of Europe for some time now. Their range features some good value top-end bikes, which all have clean, simple lines, proven geometry and decent graphics.
The Beefcake is the longest-travel bike available. It comes in a coil-sprung, twin crown downhill spec, or this lighter air-sprung, single crown freeride build.
Ride & handling: Great value rig with effective four-bar suspension
Our size large had a roomy 24in effective top tube length and a healthy 46.25in wheelbase and 66-degree head angle. This gave a stable ride at speed and on the steep stuff, but wasn’t so slack that low-speed performance suffered.
As with all long-travel air-sprung bikes, getting the setup just right takes time, but once the fork bedded in and overcame its initial stiction, the Beefcake felt very balanced. It had a surprisingly active feel with a linear stroke that ramped up slightly towards the end. The bike took heavy landings well and, despite its 17.2kg (38lb) weight, was impressively agile.
Setting up the rear shock is key to getting the most from this bike – we found running a touch more than 25 percent sag worked best, but that at around 33 percent the Beef Cake was a little wallowy. The back end is stiff, has virtually no stiction and barely any pedal-induced feedback, brake-induced dive or jacking.
Frame: Simple design with good features like neat internal cable routing
The frame is made from 6000 series aluminium and uses a simple four-bar design, with a few nice features to set it apart from others. Up front is a machined 1.5in head tube with ports for internal cable routing. Some people see this as a pain in the arse, but its sleek looks and tidy appearance win our vote.
A dropped top tube offers lots of clearance and meets with the full-length seat tube. A swing link with needle bearings on the main pivot joins the seatstays to the Fox DHX 5.0 Air rear shock, providing 180mm (7in) of travel at the rear wheel. The machined bottom bracket shell holds an ISCG 05 mount for chainguides or a SRAM HammerSchmidt and uses the new BB30 bottom bracket sizing.
Equipment: Decent standard spec, or you can pick your own
There are various builds available on the Beefcake, and there are also custom options on top of that, giving different choices for your fork, wheels, brakes – virtually anything. So finding the best build for you is a fairly easy affair. Bikes with the custom service take no longer to be delivered than other models and, like the rest of the range, have a full back-up aftermarket service from the UK agents.
Our bike used a RockShox Totem Solo Air fork – which took a bit of bedding in – and a Fox DHX 5.0 Air shock, and rolled on DT FR2350 wheels with Continental tyres and a Shimano XTR and Saint drivetrain. We chose the white and orange colourscheme – gloss black with gold decals is also available.