Introducing Rose Bikes

This week I met up with Andy Mayne from Rose UK, who popped along with a van load of bikes and kit from their 2010 range. Most people here in the UK may not have heard of Rose, but in 2010 they are making a big push onto the UK scene with their own-brand mountain bikes.

A German brand, Rose have a massive presence in their homeland where they sell thousands of parts, clothing and other cycling bits through their mail order/web business and Biketown store as well as designing their own mountain bikes and Red Bull branded road and cross-country models. Rose have a huge range of bikes, covering everything from the downhill/freeride market to the coss-country race scene so there's likely to be something to suit every rider. Their 2010 lineup also includes some tasty looking women's models.

After checking out the range of bikes, it was time to join Andy for a quick lap of our local XC trail. I decided to take the Rose Granite Chief with me. It was obvious that Rose's designers had paid a great deal of attention to detail. The internal cable routing creates a super clean look and also helps keep the cables clear of any mud and water. Once on the trail the rear suspension action felt very smooth thanks to the high quality pivot bearings, which includes a needle bearing in the main pivot. With a spacious top tube and a short stem the Granite handled very well on the tight and twisty descents, but also left me room to stretch my legs out for the long climbs on the fireroad.

Rose Granite Chief 2 - £1,799

Following some lunch and a more in-depth discussion about the Rose Brand with Andy, it was time to get the camera out and look at the other bikes in a bit more detail. Here's a look at some of the highlights of the range:

Rose The Bruce 8 - £1,699

Rose Beefcake DH - £3,059

Rose Uncle Jimbo 2 - £1,799

Red Bull Tusk 600 - £2,099

I was left feeling very impressed with the quality and huge range of bikes Rose has to offer the UK scene, with great specs and competitive prices they are well worth checking out. If you fancy testing one yourself, Andy will be travelling up and down the country appearing at the Bike Demo days throughout 2010.

To find out more about the Rose range visit: www.rosebikes.co.uk