Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Revel Thread

189K views 1K replies 85 participants last post by  Donkoko 
#1 ·
A thread for the discussion of the Revels, 0's to 4's to 29ers. Modifications, maintenance and information in general.

I picked up my '13 Revel 3 during black Friday, was trying to get a '12 for cheaper but it just didnt work out. Really liked the white/silver/red and went for it, however saw a silver Revel 1 last week and thought it was pretty sharp too/

Changing out the handlebar/stem for Easton ec70, and not sure what stem yet. Tires/Saddle/Post are the next mods, and then start saving for a full suspension bike.

So far iv put close to 40 miles of green/blue trails on it with me being the limiting factor.

Here she is.
 
See less See more
1
#659 ·
I have been riding a 2013 Revel 0 29er the last 5 months.
I have been reading some about wheel and fork upgrades. Everyone says the Raidon is better than the stock fork, but since I have only ridden the one fork, I don't know. Anyone know how they compare in weight?
As far as the wheels go, I have a set of sxc2 wheels on another bike in my garage, does anyone know how they compare to the cr70 wheels on my bike? I might borrow them.
 
#667 ·
I kept the levers, cables and housing when I put on BB5's it's just a bolt on application. Raidon fork is going to be much better than the factory fork, actually performing like a shock absorber should instead of a pogo stick. If you run half paved I suggest including lockout as a necessity. ericgautier should be able to advise on his. MY RS Tora has a remote pop-lock to help save my back. Also, go with the SXC3 wheels. They shouldn't make a huge difference in weight but I believe they are stronger and will last much longer.
 
#676 ·
The stem length yields two differences. One affects the angle of your riding position, meaning how far you are stretched out or hunched over to connect with the grips. Becasue of this it can be used as a quick fix when people buy the incorrect frame for their size. The other thing it does is affects how far the bars actually need to swing to turn the front wheel. Think of it this way, on old school mtb's the bars were mounted virtually directly above the fork tube/headset but a stem extends those bars away making the sweep larger from side to side to turn. A shorter stem is often the preferrd method for 29ers bc of their general lack of nimble turming. I stuck with the factory one only because my Cateye is mounted on it and I'm not sure I could fit it on a smaller stem.

The rise is just that, how much it will left the bars up and away from the frame. IMO this is purely about comfort.
 
#675 ·
Eric, how's all the bike parts after riding them for a little bit? I sold my 29er yesterday so I'm either upgrading the revel or saving for another month or so and getting an anthem or trance. It's such a hard decision. Recently something cracked in the bottom bracket. Any other crankset you wish you would have chosen?
 
#678 ·
The bike acts and behaves like a totally different bike. So far so good, everything is still smooth. Have about 50 miles on the new parts. Knowing what I know now, I would go a different route with the chainguide. The ISCG adpater + chainguide was a pita to setup and I had to use an extra spacer to push the drive side crank out a little to clear the guide. That or try and use flat heads on the bolts so it does not interfere with the small chain bosses on the crank.

Actually, I installed my stock crankset/bb on my friends bike and if I would have known this earlier, I would have just kept that crankset/bb combo and just put a single speed chain ring on it. The drive side crank doesn't have the bosses inside and could probably be much more chainguide friendly.

Overall though, I am really happy with how the bike turned out. Pretty much set and just plan to ride it until parts break.

My next upgrade will be a Full Suspension bike.
 
#682 ·
Their ride crankset is what I am most likely going to end up getting once mine is completely toast. It's got a crack in one of the cups and it makes a popping noise but its rideable. I'm gonna end up ordering those "heavy" wheels. The ones on my bike now are that heavy and they are tough. I just need a new mtb set and then throw on some commuting tires on the crappy wheelset.
 
#684 ·
Technology Lens Cameras & optics Photography Optical instrument
I just installed some shimano m540 pedals and man are they awesome! I had the crank brothers egg beaters before the shimanos and the shimanos are waaaaayy better. much faster and easier to clip in and out and they feel more comfortable for extended standing and the cleats seem to be better quality . wish I had got them before the egg beaters. I'll probably end up selling the egg beaters for super cheap.
 
#686 ·
View attachment 809672 I just installed some shimano m540 pedals and man are they awesome! I had the crank brothers egg beaters before the shimanos and the shimanos are waaaaayy better. much faster and easier to clip in and out and they feel more comfortable for extended standing and the cleats seem to be better quality . wish I had got them before the egg beaters. I'll probably end up selling the egg beaters for super cheap.
I have the same pedals sitting in the shelf. I'm using the Candy 1's for now but I am having a hard time clipping my right foot. Left is easy. I might have to adjust the cleats (I think the right foot is slightly lower than the left).
 
#691 ·
Any suggestions on an 8 speed cassette for less than $40 with good durability and not super heavy? And the tool to install it?

Joe, for a new upgraded fork look at the suntour customer program. There's a link to a post about it within the past couple of pages. With it you can get a pretty good air for for $160 or so.
 
#697 ·
The installation looks simple. But on the lock ring remover I have seen multiple designs. Maybe for older model cassettes? Just don't want to order the wrong one.

My rd and shifter are 8 speed. I'd prefer not to buy new parts as mine work fine. I've been looking at the sram pg 850(I think that's its name). I have no idea if its good or bad. I'd prefer the best(durability and lightweight) cassette I could get for $30-$40.
 
#699 ·
I'm getting a new wheelset and putting a new cassette on it. My current one is my second cassette on the original wheelset. It seemed like the first one wore out really quickly. It was replaced back in march or April I think and now its already skipping gears and slipping. I won't really use this wheelset much but it seems like it hasn't lasted very long at all. It was also replaced with the chain and I have washed and lubed it after every ride.

Edit:
I just took off my wheel to see if I could find a model number on my current cassette and all it said was sram. I looked at my original one sitting in a bag and all it said was sram. The original one was a
Cassette SRAM PG830 11x32, 8-Speed
According to the giant database. The bike shop replaced it with one several months ago. I don't think it's the same model because it made my bike feel lighter.
 
#704 ·
Well I bought a full suspension tonight.

2011 Scott Spark 60
Found it on craigslist and included a fox helmet, a very nicelight, bottle cage, and shock pump. It's got some shimano mx80 pedals which were a huge bonus. Compared to my revel its amazing. I love it! Can't wait to ride some real trails. It feels great on my backyard trails.

And it fits on my hitch rack!
 
#708 ·
Wow yeah that thing is super smooth. The hidden cables is a very clean feature and his crank/bash setup and stem/bar combo pull the whole bike together. I'm wondering how much he saved going X-fusion for his suspension. Back in the first few pages of this thread I almost went X-Fusion with RL instead of RS but a takeoff fell into my lap for cheaper. Also it's a 140mm so I'm sure it wasn't dirt cheap. Really good looking bike though and I'm sure it can mash.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top