Fast, agile, and top-of-the-line, the Revel Racal was designed to be the best full suspension mountain bike, ever. Amongst the full suspension Revel line-up, we’d certainly say it’s in the running.

Revel was founded in 2016 by Adam Miller, who had the intention of creating the best full suspension mountain bike in the world. He enlisted the help of a handful of experienced industry leaders to set up shop in Carbondale, Colorado, and work began on their first mountain bikes.

Part of their original line-up was the Revel Rascal, more of a mid-range mountain bike with full suspension and plenty of travel.

The Revel Rascall is well-rounded and comfortable for all sorts of mountain bikers.

We’ll be looking at the level Rascal GX. Time to find out why it stands out from the rest of the mountain biker market, and who it’s designed for.

Contents

Main Specifications
Other Models
Sizing
Final Verdict
Revel Rascal GX
Pros
Cons

Main Specifications

The Revel Rascal GX is designed for both climbing and descending, meant to be comfortable on the trails whether you’re climbing a steep grade or shredding berms on the way down.

The Rascal’s overall geometry makes it the ideal trail bike for semi-experienced mountain bikers as well as beginners.

Expert downhill riders will probably want to take it up a notch with the Revel Rail. For most mountain bikers, the Rascal is the perfect fit as a bike that is well-balanced, comfortable, and capable.

See More: Full Review of Revel Bikes

Revel uses internal cable routing and fully carbon tubes molded into a single piece inside the carbon fiber frames. You can route cables through the entire bike in around a minute, according to Revel.

Each frame also uses an integrated Revel chain guide which is unique to their frames. Their specific design helps keep the chain in place, even over the roughest terrain. It’s easy to adjust and optimize around SRAM DUB cranks and bottom brackets.

The highlight of the Revel Rascal GX, and a highlight of any Revel frame, is its Canfield Balance Formula (CBF™). This trademarked system decouples the suspension system from the drivetrain. It is not utilized on any other mountain bike, making the Revel lineup truly unique.

The CBF system is said to maximize pedaling efficiency regardless of the terrain. It’s a standout feature of the Revel Rascal GX.

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Frame

Revel uses Japanese Toray T700 and T800 carbon fiber to build their frames, including the Revel Rascal 29” 130mm Travel frame.

Using 30/60-degree fibers, the carbon in these bikes is optimized for strength and stiffness whilst also using less material.

Revel Bikes is an environmentally-conscious company and prides itself on recycling and avoiding the unnecessary use of plastics.

The geometry of the Revel Rascal GX is described by Revel Bikes as, “long and not too low, slack and stable”. So, what does that translate to? This bike is fast both uphill and downhill. It’s long enough to be stable on descents and tall enough to feel comfortable climbing.

Specifically, the Revel Rascal GX has an effective top tube length of 633mm, a seat tube angle of 75 degrees, a head tube angle of 66 degrees, and a wheelbase of 1220mm. Compared to other full-suspension mountain bikes, and especially Revel’s other models, the Revel Rascal GX is a bit longer than others, and slightly shorter on top to give you the best balance between handling and stability.

Suspension

The Revel Rascal GX is a full-suspension mountain bike with 140mm front suspension and 130mm rear travel.

Firstly, the GX Eagle kit on the Revel Rascal includes a RockShox Pike Select fork with 140mm of travel. That is more than on the Revel Ranger which is more of a beginner’s full suspension mountain bike meant for casual trail riding.

The rear shock is a RockShox Super Deluxe Select with 130mm of travel, which utilizes the CBF system that decouples the suspension and drivetrain, providing the best pedaling efficiency both uphill and downhill.

At $5,899, the Revel Rascal GX Eagle kit is the cheapest model available and is the lowest of the four spec options offered for the Rascal.

Components

The Revel Rascal GX is outfitted with solid but affordable components. They are on the low level of what is offered by Revel. SRAM GX Eagle shift levers fit the name of this bike, along with the SRAM GX Eagle rear derailleur. SRAM GX Eagle allows DUB 170mm crankset and SRAM GX Eagle 10-52 cassette.

While these are the cheapest components on offer for the Revel Rascal, the components themselves are far from cheap.

You have crisp shifting with the SRAM GX Eagle derailleur and shifters. There’s plenty of gearing to choose from with the 10-52t cassette.

Providing the stopping power are 180mm Avid Centerline brake rotors and SRAM G2 R brakes.

The Revel Rascal GX’s wheels are Industry 9 Enduro alloys that measure 29”, covered in Maxxis Minion DHF 29” x 2.5” (front) and Maxxis Aggressor 29” x 2.3” (rear) tires.

For a bike at this price range, this is a solid wheel/tire combination. It’s still far from the top-of-the-line XX1 Eagle AXS kit which comes with RW30 Industry 9 Hydra carbon fiber wheels.

Again, the GX Eagle kit is the lowest of the four spec levels offered with the Revel Rascal, the other three being the Shimano XT, X01 Eagle, and XX1 Eagle AXS. Without further ado, let’s tell you more about those models.

Other Models

The Revel Rascal is offered in four different kit options. The GX Eagle kit is the lowest level of the four, not surprisingly, it’s also the most affordable. Here are the other models available for the Revel Rascal:

Shimano XT – At $7,199, the Shimano XT model is a significant step up from the GX Eagle model of the Rascal Revel. It comes with an upgraded suspension system – Fox Float 36 Factory Series 140mm front fork, a Fox Float X Factory Series rear shock – and a Shimano XT drivetrain system.
X01 Eagle – The third tier of the Revel Rascal models is the X01 Eagle kit. It comes with a $7,999 price tag with RockShox Pike Ultimate RCT3 fork and RockShox Super Deluxe rear shock. The X01 Eagle drivetrain is a step up from the Shimano XT kit. The X01 Eagle model also comes with carbon fiber wheels in the RW30 Industry 9’s.
XX1 Eagle AXS – The top-of-the-line Revel Rascal model is the XX1 Eagle AXS kit which will cost you a hefty $10,999. It represents the biggest price increase from the previous models. Of course, the XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain is the biggest contribution to the price. Not surprisingly, the model includes the same front and rear suspension as the X01 Eagle kit. It comes with an upgraded wheelset in the carbon fiber RW30 Industry 9 Hydra wheels.

Didn’t find what you were looking for? See our list of the best mountain bike brands to find more options.

Sizing

Revel offers four sizes for the Rascal, covering a rider height range of 5’1” to 6’7”. Each size has different measurements for the top tube length, wheelbase, head tube length, and more, so check out Revel’s sizing chart on here for more information.

Revel Rascal GX sizes:

S: 5’1” – 5’7”
M: 5’6” – 5’10”
L: 5’9” – 6’2”
XL: 6’1” – 6’7”

Final Verdict

When Revel Bikes set out to build the best full suspension mountain bikers (ever!) they had a tall task at hand.

Their team combines decades of experience with first-hand testing at their company’s base in Carbondale, Colorado. Therefore, in just a few years they have produced some of the best full suspension mountain bikes.

The Revel Rascal is quick and agile, responsive and forgiving, and designed for all levels of mountain bikers who want to hit the trail, climb, and shred descents.

This model is the most affordable setup from the Rascal models, but that doesn’t mean it skimps on quality.

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