2021 Juliana Furtado | First Ride Review

The 2021 Juliana Furtado has seen some significant changes. Pitched as being a very capable trail steed, we’ve sent one of our favourite Van Girls out to play on the Juliana Furtado CC X01 RSV build.

What’s new?

The first thing you’ll notice on the new Juliana Furtado is the blindingly obvious change in rear suspension. The Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) has been given a shakeup and is now a lower system, which differs from the Furtado’s predecessors and is a lot more common in the MTB world these days. Placing the VPP at a lower point in the frame allows for a lower centre of gravity which gives the rider a better tuned and controlled experience. This also means that there is vastly improved small bump compliance which leads to a more predictable feel. Additionally, the tried and tested lower linkage encourages a greater weight transfer when braking harshly which proves to keep the bike more level and should greatly reduce your (albeit great) impression of being shot out of a cannon.

By opening up the shock tunnelling, the new Juliana Furtado gives us the opportunity to fit any shock, air or coil, that is currently on the market. This is a bold statement but it’s a great example of Santa Cruz and Juliana’s determined ingenuity in this design.

Within the lower VPP link, there’s a little flip-chip. This is nothing new to Juliana bikes, but it allows for a range of adjustment within the rear suspension. With the flip-chip in the low position the bike is 0.3 degrees slacker than the high position and it also results in shortening the reach by 3mm. This makes the bike more downhill orientated, but it didn’t seem to compromise the pedalling ability. 

Moving the flip-chip to the high setting allows the bike to go from a 65.7 degree head angle to 65.4 and you’ll also regain that 3mm of reach. The idea is that this makes the Furtado a little comfier for those longer days spent in the saddle peddling, but of course you do end up sacrificing the quality of descent by reducing the head angle. Personally, I noticed little to no different but appreciate that there are some out there who really enjoy the level of geekery. The flip-chip is nice and simple to shift around, simply undo the bolt with a 6mm hex, flip the chip, and tighten the bolt back up. Easy. Peasy.

Another new feature to look at is the increased travel in the forks. Previous models have utilised 130mm of fork travel, but in this design we’re looking at an increase of 10mm, rounding us out to a cushy 140mm of bounce. Although not a drastic change, the extra play gently nudges us further into the realms of a mid travel mountain bike, which of course enables the rider to attack features that bit harder and that bit faster. 

I was super happy to be trialing the 2021 SRAM X01 Eagle that came on my build kit. This included the new SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger. To engineer a derailleur hanger that is compatible with all drivetrains is an undeniable step into the future of mountain bike technology.

SRAM have also made a move towards solving the dreaded issue of a snapping derailleur hanger by designing the SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger to rotate in the frame to make an effort to absorb some of the shock which would normally result in mangling up your mech, spokes and will to live.

True to tradition, Juliana continue to offer a huge range of builds and kits, you can take a look at the full range here.

Backpacks are becoming less of a requirement as frame pack design progresses, which in my opinion is bloody good news seeing as I’m prone to a horrendously sweaty back. I’m a bit of an over-packer and like to be able to resolve most issues whilst out on the trail. Whilst this bodes well for myself and my under-equipped/lazy pals, it leaves my bike looking a bit full up and clumsy. After I got a hold of the Juliana Furtado CC X01 RSV in a small I was super keen to see what I could squeeze into the frame. My frame strap managed to hold one inner tube, two C02 canisters and my wildly thin multitool. I also wedged in my 650ml water bottle, so overall not bad in the slightest. If I was after a little more storage, I could substitute the frame strap for a small frame bag, but that completely eradicated my bottle space. With particular products and a lot of squeezing, the small frame will do the donkey work just fine. However, going a size down to the extra small will encounter some hurdles. I guess it’s just something that you have to sacrifice and work around if you want a correctly fitting bike. [We could have edited this paragraph down, but we felt Emma’s fans would like to know how seriously she considers her snack capacity – Ed]

First Ride Review:

Some people can happily sit, look at figures and statistics and decide how much that bike will suit them. My old maths teacher will tell you that I am not one of those people. To me, nothing will ever compare to being able to take a running jump onto the saddle (not recommended if you want to be able to reproduce) and having a blast about. 

I’m pretty short (160cm) but I’m made up of roughly 91.7% leg so I have to spend quite a lot of time working out the best position for my saddle, dropper posts and bars. When I first plonked myself on the size small Furtado, my reaction wasn’t great. It felt tiny beneath me and was way off what I was used to. After tinkering for a while I managed to make the bike work for me and immediately saw the results. 

The first climb on this machine was an absolute slog that took us out of Todmorden. My initial comfort was ripped away as I began to feel super cramped and had to pull over to have another fettle and really get the most from the bike. I rolled the bars forward and slid the saddle back a touch further to open up and extend my reach, this really helped my body unfold and relax into the climb. Moments like these really are a matter of trial and error, it’s an extremely personal thing that will take a lot of figuring out, but as soon as you do, it’ll be like riding a cloud.

Although I never quite managed to tune it to absolute perfection, I didn’t do too badly. I think I would have benefitted from going a size up for climbing, but I’m not sure I’d be quite so keen to give up the playfulness and ease of movement I got from the smaller size. 

Onto the descending! I made sure to really push this bike past its trail centre appropriate label. I hit drops the size of me (I know that’s not hard, but still), pinned jumps that made me pee a little and tore through rock gardens. The first thing that hit was just how playful and agile this bike is. It reminded me of an old 26” downhill bike that had been told it has to shift a few extra pounds of Christmas weight. I normally ride with 170mm up front and 160mm in the rear, so I was a little apprehensive about riding the larger jumps and drops with this reduced travel. Turns out I really had nothing to worry about, the geometry and lower VPP work together in harmony to avoid any nasty bottoming out. Hitting up Stainburn in Yorkshire saw it pop and float over some fairly sizable rock, roots and boulders. 

I’m a fairly mobile and energetic rider, I really like the feeling of complete control I get from throwing the bike around underneath me. Being a little smaller than most means that I have to ride a fairly light bike in order for me to feel that level of comfort. The small Furtado gave me the biggest grin on everything it attacked. I easily fell into a real unity with this bike and can 100% say that I would be as chuffed to take this bike on a pedal-ly xc loop as I would taking it to the infamous Golfie in the Scottish Borders. I would even go as far to say that I would happily take this steed to a round of the British Enduro. It’s not a 29” speed machine, but it’s a nimble, fun and smooth bike that can take a fantastic amount of good natured abuse.

For those a little less energetic on the bike, you might find it isn’t quite as forgiving as something with a little more travel, however I’m sure that after a short amount of time it’ll fill you to the brim with confidence and really push you to become a more active and styled rider.

Overall First Impressions

We’ve seen that the new Juliana Furtado shares very little with its older siblings. A shift in suspension linkage gives us stability as well as an incredible versatile and playful experience. A lot of thought and ingenuity has gone into this model to give us something that can more than stand up to typical British mountain biking, plus a little more depending on your ability. As I’ve mentioned, don’t get baffled or too involved with the figures surrounding this bike, get yourself on it and take it for a spin to get your questions answered. This is a confidence and skill boosting machine that will have you hopping, skipping and jumping over everything that you come across. 

2021 Juliana Furtado CC X01 RSV

Frame // Carbon CC 27.5” 130mm VPP Travel
Fork // RockShox Pike Ultimate, 140mm
Shock // RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
Hubs // DT Swiss 350 15×110, 28h front, DT Swiss 350 12×148 XD 28h rear
Rims // Santa Cruz Reserve 30 27.5” Carbon
Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHR II 2.4”
Crankset // SRAM X1 Eagle Carbon 148 DUB
Rear Mech // SRAM X01 Eagle, 12-speed
Shifters // SRAM X01 Eagle, 12-speed
Cassette // SRAM XG1295 Eagle, 12-speed 10-52T
Brakes // SRAM G2 RSC
Stem // Burgtec Enduro Mk2
Bars // Santa Cruz Carbon Riser
Grips // Juliana
Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle // Juliana Primiero
Size Tested // S
Sizes available // XS, S, M
Weight // TBC

Review Info