Ragley's first full-suspension bikes were unveiled at this summer's Eurobike show where they attracted lots of attention due to their bold looks and 'mismatched' front and rear suspension. We were able to get a closer look at this week's Hotlines dealer show in Bristol, along with details of specs and pricing.
There are three machines in the 2012 line-up – the Ten Four, with 100mm of rear travel and a 140mm fork; its big (wheeled) brother the Big Ten Four 29er; and the G Six, with 130mm of rear travel and a 160mm fork. All use the same dual-link, floating shock suspension design, feature Ragley's trademark slack angles and come with tapered head tubes, ISCG05 mounts and screw-through axles at the rear.
Ten Four
The Ten Four will be available as a frameset and two complete bikes. The model shown here is the cheaper build, which comes with a RockShox Sektor R fork and Monarch R shock, SRAM X5 shifting kit, Avid Elixir 3 brakes (not the 5s shown here) and Maxxis High Roller tyres on Fulcrum Red Power XL wheels, for £1,699.99 (all Ragley pricing in this article is provisional). For an extra £300 (£1,999.99) you can upgrade to a RockShox Revelation RL fork, SRAM X9 and Avid Elixir 5s. Frame-only price is TBC.
Big Ten Four
The 29er version of the Ten Four has a higher-end spec, with a RockShox Revelation RL fork and Monarch RT shock, SRAM X9, Avid Elixir 7 brakes and a 1x10 drivetrain with Truvativ Descendant cranks and an X0 chain guide. Mavic X716 rims on X9 hubs are shod with Maxxis Ardent tyres. RRP is £2,199.99.
G Six
As you'd expect, the longer-travel G Six comes with some bigger-hitting kit, including a RockShox Lyrik RC fork and Fulcrum Red Zone wheels (not the Red Metals shown here). It uses the same 1x10 drivetrain and Elixir 7 brakes as the Big Ten Four. RRP is £2,199.99.
NS Bikes
Also on display at the Hotlines show were the latest models from Polish dirt jump/slopestyle brand NS. The prototype Soda full-suspension frames they brought to last year's trade shows have now gone into production – there's a singlespeed slopestyle variant with a concentric bottom bracket pivot and the geared all-mountain version shown here which has a coil shock and a higher pivot point for better pedalling. Both complete bikes cost £1,999.99.
Elsewhere in the range there have been geometry tweaks and new colour options added. Hotlines tell us NS are about to launch a new alloy version of their flagship steel Majesty frame in response to demand from riders who prefer the material's stiffer feel and lighter weight. UK dirt jump star Sam Pilgrim will continue to use the steel version, though.
Nuke Proof
Finally, Nuke Proof's new range of 'Critical' body armour was on display, developed with the ChainReactionCycles.com/Nukeproof World Cup downhill team. The jacket (£164.99) and vest (£99.99) use the same SaS-Tec foam found on protection from O'Neal, attached to a breathable, wicking base layer.
A standalone back protector is also available (£69.99). All are compatible with Leatt neck braces. SaS-Tec is also found in the elbow pads (£44.99), while the knee (£44.99) and knee/shin (£54.99) pads rely on plastic cups and a Kevlar covering. For more details, visit www.nukeproof.com.
