Revel Rascal V2 Review: A Dirt Jumpers Trail Bike? 

I custom built up a V1 frame and love it! I won't be buying new bikes at these inflated prices for a long time.

A Marin? Not even close other than way cheaper…basicly that one is a 4 bar Horst link.

​@@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5 But they have the same goal don't they? At least that is what this video is implying: "A Dirt Jumpers Trail Bike" and Marin is like "the Rifty is Made For Fun". They also have similar travel and geometry (not too far) numbers. I agree that the suspension and price are wildly different which begs the question, is it worth the price?

I think that it makes it so that your input are less direct. Less twitchy feeling as if your hands are sitting further away from the wheel instead of right on top

Revel's Rail is probably exactly what you want. Similar to the Rascal just with beefier suspension, the new Rail is 170 front/155 rear I think. I test rode the previous version Rail and it's very comparable to the Switchblade and Ripmo.

Transition smuggler is supposed to be the best descending “trail” bike available right now, without too much sacrifice on climbing/agility. Haven’t ridden one though, that’s just based on reviews I’ve read and opinions of friends that have tried it.

The Rail would be a great choice as stated, I haven't ridden the SB140 but the Instinct is very good and likely more capable. I owned a V1 Rascal for two seasons and really enjoyed it. The CBF suspension is magical but the short length of the bike becomes apparent at speed. Depending where you ride this could be a perfectly capable bike, for Matt in Squamish I definitely see how he finds it under gunned. I rode mine in Sedona, Pisgah, and all over the eastern sea board and rarely wished for more bike. Last year I upgraded to a Deviate Highlander 150 and am in love with it, but the Rascal pedals better, is easier to pop around, and has better small bump compliance (the small bump of the CBF when set up correctly is unbelievable). The Highlander eats chunder with composure that is down right intoxicating and suits my "plow and pray" style of riding better. For my local riding the Rascal was probably a better bike but I like the extra capability when travelling to places like Quebec, Vermont, and NH.

thank yall for the solid replies!

The CBF platform punches above its weight class and I would call the rascal a solid trail bike moreso than a light trail bike. I took my V1 Rascal with a Pike down Portal/mag7 in moab and only felt underbiked in maybe 2 spots. Check out the canfield bikes if you're looking for a more dedicated enduro. But I have to say, coming from a Ripmo the Rascal feels just as capable on the downs, while feeling like a much more capable climber.

That really depends. Long limbs and a short torso work pretty well in this combo, at least for me. I’m more sensitive to stack, STA/HTA, and wheelbase in this regard. Long reaches are good up to a point for me, they can limit your dynamic ROM though. 470-480 reaches are my jam.

I’m not so tall but the reach numbers on the medium Rail is one of the reasons I like it.. I don’t want longe…my old HD5 was about exact numbers and glad to find same.

It’s already happened, I just bought a Revel Rail frame for like 2000, could have bought complete for 3800

It’s kind of the industry norm price. The frameset being $3500 is pretty decent.

​​@@ethanrevitchyou can literally buy the entire gx Ripley AF for less than this frame costs..... That is not the norm

Strong agree, I was shocked when I saw the new Rascal price come out. I'm sure it's still very popular, it's a great bike but out of my personal price range.

@@chadmanigan the Riply AF and Rascal aren’t even comparable bikes. One brand has been pumping out the bike for years while the other is taking care and detail to design their bikes. It’s on of the best suspension designs ever created in terms of pedaling.

Ripley and Ranger are probably a closer comparison. I went from a Ripmo to a Rascal and much prefer the CBF platform. BTW the XX build Rascal is $10,500 and the XX build Ripley is $10,800, and the XX build Ripmo is $11,000; all bike prices are stupid these days, and we are all better off just riding what we've got.