Juliana Joplin Carbon R Mountain Bike - Women's

Not a one-hit wonder, the Juliana Joplin Carbon R Complete Mountain Bike takes on hits way bigger than we'd ever throw at the first several generations of wagon-wheel bikes. That's because, like the queen of rock for which it's named, the Joplin effectively revolutionized its genre. It proved that 29ers aren't limited to cross country riding on smooth ribbons of serene hardpack. The latest model is even more aggressive, leading into terrain with a slacker head tube and the increased efficiency and tracking of Boost axles. It's built here with a kit that encourages aggression: SRAM's NX Eagle drivetrain combines the Eagle line's ultimate bailout gear to the workhorse, fear-no-trail-furniture functionality of NX. Boost spacing, a slacker profile, enduro-inspired suspension links, and the protean flip chip are some of the modern features that cap off its developmental arc, following that of the Tallboy. The key difference between the Joplin and the Tallboy is in the shock tune, with the former lightening up a bit for lighter riders. Juliana calculates that typical women cyclists are around 30lb lighter than men, so the Joplin's lighter shock tune allows lighter riders to take full advantage of the bike's 4. 5in of VPP travel. In the end, it's a tale of suspension and geometry that's dramatic enough to rival the biography of fast-living young rock stars. Compared to the previous Joplins, the newest model takes just a bit off the top of the head tube, dropping 2. 2 degrees to fall from the standard 70. 2 to a moderately slack 68 degrees. The Virtual Pivot Point travel has also taken a turn for the crunchier, gaining an additional 10mm, which aligns the Joplin perfectly with the emerging crop of 4. 5in, do-it-all 29ers. The VPP design is a carry-over from Santa Cruz's re-worked frames like the Bronson 2. 0 and 5010 2. 0. It's inspired by the enduro-minded Nomad, and the result is that the links stay out of the way, which lets the Joplin accommodate a piggyback shock'...