Alongside the likes of Canyon and YT Industries, Rose is a large direct-to-consumer bicycle brand based in Germany. Unlike many of its web-based competitors however, Rose has been around for nearly as long as the bicycle, having first established roots back in 1907, when owner Heinrich Rose opened up a bike shop in Bocholt, Germany.
It’s safe to say that the Rose of today looks a little different though. Since those humble beginnings, Rose has grown into a fully-fledged bike brand with quite an enormous range of road, triathlon, cyclocross, urban and mountain bikes. With a focus on providing products and service direct to the consumer without any middlemen, Rose Bikes are only available to purchase online from the company website, where you can also purchase accessories, components and spare parts. It is quite the online emporium.
For brands like Rose, showcasing a range of bikes to the public at events like the London Bike Show is absolutely essential. Because Rose Bikes aren’t available in local bike shops, consumers don’t have quite the same opportunities to touch and feel the product. It was also a good opportunity for us to pop our heads into the Rose booth to get a look in at some of the latest full suspension mountain bikes from the German brand.
“The trail is rough and challenging. You know that you can rely on your bike. Everything that gets under your 29-inch wheels suddenly seems small. Your ROOT MILLER quickly absorbs bumps and gives you full control. The trail is flowing, you feel like a surfer, you celebrate the profile of the track, you enjoy every corner, every drop. This bike is your fun bike – even more potent than before. For this we have upgraded the travel to 140 mm in front and rear, lengthened the top tube and slackened the head angle. In this way, we could further improve the bike’s downhill performance and increase riding pleasure. The new Boost standard and the option to ride 27,5 plus size tyres also promises a boost in performance. Even more possibilities, even more action – the ROOT MILLER offers you the full range” – Rose Bikes.
Rose Root Miller 1 Specifications
- AL 7005 alloy frame
- 29in wheels w/Boost hub spacing
- Designed to accommodate 27.5+ tyres as well
- 140mm rear travel
- RockShox Deluxe RT3 Metric rear shock
- RockShox Revelation RL Solo Air Fork w/140mm travel
- 67° head angle
- 435mm chainstay length
- Shimano SLX 2×11 drivetrain
- Shimano SLX disc brakes
- Race Face cockpit
- Upgrade options available
- Sizes: Small, Medium, Large & X-Large
- RRP: €2149
The Root Miller is a relatively new model for Rose, though it’s received some updates for the 2017 model year to bring its performance up another level. It’s a 29in full suspension trail bike that features 140mm of travel at both ends, and geometry that’s geared towards comfort and stability.
The rear wheel tracks on the seatstay assembly as part of a four-bar linkage design. There’s a Horst link style pivot just forward and below the rear axle, which helps to isolate braking forces from the suspension action. The rear axle has been updated to 148x12mm spacing, with the drivetrain featuring a matching Boost offset to help maximise tyre clearance.
To maintain chassis rigidity, the upper seatstay tubes are welded together by a small brace. This helps to keep the seatstays driving the rear shock in a smooth and stable fashion, with less twisting through the rear end.
A skeletal-looking rocker link connects the upper seatstay pivot to the base of the rear shock. Aside from adding rigidity to the back end, the path of this link also dictates the rear shock’s leverage curve. Speaking of, Rose has spec’d a new Metric sized RockShox Deluxe rear shock for the Root Miller, with a sealed cartridge bearing at the lower eyelet allowing for smooth rotation throughout the 140mm of travel.
Up front is a zero-stack headset to keep the front end down low, and bolt-on ports that guide the cables inside the downtube.
All up, it’s a whole lotta bike for just over €2100. As with every Rose model, the Root Miller can be upgraded in pretty much anyway you see fit. There are options to upgrade the fork, rear shock, wheels, and group set. Want to upgrade to an XT cassette? You can do that. Keen on a bit of bling with an anodized stem? Rose allows you to upgrade that too – and all with the click of button before you even receive the bike.
“Suddenly you can do it all: the steep climb, fast corners, the crux. Everything seems to be easy, controlled, safe. Your GRANITE CHIEF quickly responds to your actions, it feels as if it was a part of your body. And even though a rear travel of 150 mm and a front travel of 150 mm ensure a lot of reserves, the bike offers great pedal efficiency and acceleration. The GRANITE CHIEF does not fit into any category, its range of use is enormous. It is the tour guide, a confident leader on the trail, head of cross country – a versatile and reliable tool with a lot of well-developed details. The clever cable inlets come in a new design, they eliminate annoying rattling noises. Moreover, the GRANITE CHIEF now features an effective down tube protection.” – Rose Bikes.
Rose Granite Chief 2 Specifications
- AL 7005 alloy frame
- 27.5in wheels w/Boost hub spacing
- 150mm rear travel
- RockShox Deluxe RT3 Metric rear shock
- RockShox Pike RC Solo Air Fork w/150mm travel
- 66.6° head angle
- 431mm chainstay length
- Shimano Deore XT 2×11 drivetrain
- Shimano Deore XT disc brakes
- Race Face cockpit & RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post
- Upgrade options available
- Sizes: Small, Medium, Large & X-Large
- RRP: €2999
Like the Root Miller, the Granite Chief is an alloy full suspension trail bike, though the Granite Chief shrinks the wheels to a 27.5in diameter, while growing the travel by 10mm at both ends to make it 150mm. Geometry also shifts a touch, with a slacker 66.6° head angle combined with a steeper 74.9° seat tube angle.
The rear suspension design employs the same general four-bar layout, with the RockShox Deluxe rear shock being driven by an alloy rocker link. Like the Root Miller, the Granite Chief will fit a bottle cage inside the main triangle, and it’s also compatible with front derailleurs for the die-hard 2x fans out there.
One detail hiding in the Granite Chief’s rear suspension linkage is an additional strut that ties the ends of the seat stay pivot together in the middle. The brace essentially turns the seat stay clevis pivots into the one junction, which should help to boost stiffness for smoother tracking.
Speaking of stiffness, a large diameter alloy pivot shaft locks down the main pivot, which sits just above the bottom bracket shell. As the frame is compatible with 2x drivetrain systems, this main pivot sits smack-bang in between the two chainrings.
Cables run inside the downtube, with the stealth dropper post line popping out at the base of the downtube, before re-entering the seat tube a little further up. This helps to achieve a smoother curve to the hose/cable.
“It’s not without reason that enduro is booming, as this discipline perfectly represents the basic idea of mountain biking. Climbing the mountain with pleasure and comfort, shooting downhill – a downhill bike in disguise in a touring bike’s clothing. UNCLE JIMBO offers all of these characteristics and can do even more. Equipped with a forgiving travel of 165 mm at the rear, it even irons out extremely demanding trails; the rear stay sensitively scans any bump on the ground. 27,5” wheels offer a lot of grip and great roll-over characteristics – for even more potential. It’s a declaration of war against boredom on the trail – robust, reliable and with endurance. The favourite uncle impresses with a lot of love of detail and a huge range of uses – it’s nice to do something with such a member of the family” – Rose Bikes.
Rose Uncle Jimbo 3 Specifications
- AL 7005 alloy frame
- 27.5in wheels w/Boost hub spacing
- 165mm rear travel
- Fox Float X Factory Series rear shock
- Fox 36 Float RC2 Fork w/160mm travel
- 66° head angle
- 431mm chainstay length
- SRAM X0-1 1×11 drivetrain
- SRAM Guide RSC disc brakes
- Race Face Atlas cockpit
- Upgrade options available
- Sizes: Small, Medium, Large & X-Large
- RRP: €3799
Stepping up the gnar-levels is the Uncle Jimbo from Rose Bikes. Pitched as a rowdy enduro-ready full suspension bike, the Uncle Jimbo platform squeezes more travel out of the four-bar suspension platform, with 165mm of rock-gobbling activity at the rear wheel.
The tubes get bigger and burlier, though the overall aesthetic is similar to the Granite Chief and Root Miller. The same rocker link design is used to drive the rear shock, which in the case of this model is a slippery gold Fox Float X damper.
A chunky chainstay yoke uses a hollow welded strut to join both sides together just forward of the rear tyre. We also quite fancy the blue anodized pivot hardware for the matching paint job.
Unlike the new Root Miller and Granite Chief, the latest Uncle Jimbo sticks with a 142x12mm thru-axle on the back. DT Swiss throws its RWS lever into the mix, and post mount tabs provide a direct-mount option when paired to a 180mm rotor.
Ok, so you’ve probably seen this already, but we couldn’t help ourselves from snapping a few more photos – this thing is ridonkulous!
It’s a custom built full suspension tandem that’s been crafted by Rose UK main man, Fin, and one of his welding buddies. Apparently this is what happens when you’ve got way too much time in the middle of winter…
So what you’re looking at here are three Uncle Jimbo frames that have been butchered into one full suspension tandem bike that is quite possibly the perfect post-Zombie Apocalypse mountain bike. Just think – you could be riding on the front of the bike while your riding partner on the back uses the crossbow – perfect!
Upgrades to the bike to make this beast ready for the weight of two human-sized riders include a downhill shock courtesy of RockShox. According to Fin, that Vivid Air is basically packed with as much pressure as it will possibly take.
There’s extra beef in the wheelset too, which is ENVE’s strongest downhill carbon rim, while the brakes have also been amped up with 203mm diameter rotors to provide the necessary stopping force to handle the extra rider weight.
A very simple, but effective tensioning device for the central drivetrain. Clever!
Want to get a closer look at the Jumbo Jimbo freak-bike? Then get your peepers on the video below from our trip to the Rose booth at the London Bike Show – this thing has to be seen to be believed!
Oh, and if you’d like anymore information on the Rose range, then get cracking to the Rose Bikes website.
