PROPAIN RAGE CF DOWNHILL BIKE REVIEW

Feb 10, 2024

Propain Bikes out of Germany has been in the downhill game for around 15 years with various versions of the Rage. Many bikes have been added to their repertoire over the years, but the Rage has stood the test of time in Propain’s lineup. Like with most of their full-suspension bikes, the Pro10 suspension system is the center point of the Rage’s design and has been refined to be the top-notch platform it is today. Ridden by a wide variety of freeriders and World Cup racers, the Rage CF has made a name for itself in the industry.

Propain uses their Blend Carbon layup, which they claim increases the strength, stiffness and flexibility of the frame. Adjustability is the name of the game in modern mountain bikes, and the Rage CF has plenty to customize. A straight 1.5-inch head tube allows the use of reach adjusters and angle kits. A flip chip in the rear linkage mount on the swingarm makes the frame compatible with a 27.5-inch rear wheel so you can run the bike with a mixed-wheel setup. The bike comes with the rear dropout in the short configuration, giving the bike a 445mm chainstay length that can be changed to 460mm by flipping another chip located at the dropouts. The Rage has a relatively short reach of 465mm on our size large and a 63-degree head tube angle.

There are three build options available with the Rage SF. Our test bike is a mix of Propain’s Performance- and High End-level builds. The normal Performance build will have GX components instead of XO1.

SRAM components roll deep on our test Rage CF with Code RSC brakes, an X01 7-speed drivetrain and a 165mm X01 carbon crankset. Being that this is a downhill bike, the brake rotors are slightly larger than on your normal MTB with a 200mm SRAM G2 rotor up front and a 200mm rotor gracing the back. The cockpit consists of a host of SIXPACK items, including Millenium 805 bars, Millenium DRM 35 stem, Kamikaze saddle and seatpost. For the wheels, Propain specs Newmen Evolution E.H.30 DHs with a Schwalbe Magic Mary mounted up front and Big Betty Super DH in the rear, both with the soft compound.

Propain has used their PRO10 suspension system since the inception of the Rage. This system utilizes a floating shock design, which they say allows heightened small-bump sensitivity but ramps up with a 38-percent progression rate as the suspension compresses. On previous versions of the Rage, the shock was mounted behind the seat tube. It is now mounted in front of the seat tube for better weight distribution. This system provides 215mm of rear wheel travel with the aid of a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate but is also designed for use with an air shock.

The fork on this build is RockShox’s Boxxer Ultimate with 200mm of travel. This fork is equipped with RockShox Charger 2 damper with high- and low-speed compression adjustments.

ON THE RIDER Fly Racing Werx-R Carbon Helmet ($500), Zone Goggle ($40), Kinetic Fuel Jersey ($40), Radium Pants ($120),Pro Lite Gloves ($30); Five Ten Kestrel Pro Boa shoes ($220)

Even on less steep flow-style trails, the Rage CF performs well. Even though the suspension is supple, it’s supportive enough to encourage aggressive pumping where pedaling isn’t an option. We were surprised by the sharp, quick handling around tight berms at high-speed considering how big the bike is. When we wanted to get up to speed quickly, it didn’t take much pedaling effort to do so, even on flatter trails. When standing to pedal, the Rage felt strangely like an enduro bike and was surprisingly responsive. We were also surprised by how easy it was to manual this bike, especially in the short chainstay setting. We spent many a flat section riding the back wheel on our way to the next steep chute or flow trail.

As the features get larger and the trail faster, the Rage CF truly finds its footing, and rider confidence soars. This bike eats large jumps for breakfast and the fear of landing flat or coming up short is greatly lessened, thanks to the progressive-feeling rear suspension. On some DH bikes we’ve found ourselves struggling with pop-off lips due to exorbitant travel numbers and soft suspension, but the Rage suspension ramps up so well that we had no issues with that.

Steep and technical trails are where we’d expect a racing-bred bike like this to perform best. There was one specific trail we rode in our test that has a lot of rough high-speed sections broken up by quick turns into steep chutes full of loose rock gardens and rutted-out corners. Our first run or two at this trail was full of hesitation, as we felt out the abilities of the bike, but then we gained some confidence and let off the brakes a bit. Once we finally trusted the bike, the lines opened up, and we started going faster and faster, even clearing some gaps we never looked at before.

We loved its sharp handling and nimble attitude, especially when it came to jump lines. The bike was a blast to throw around in the air and felt amazing in tight berms. We also loved the forgiveness it gave when over-jumping something to flat or casing without bucking us off.

This is not a quiet bike. Rock gardens, brake bumps and heavy landings were hard to get through without the bike making some sort of rattling. We don’t know if it was the cables in the frame, the chain or what may have been causing it, but it was loud. The saddle was hard to get low enough without buzzing the tire on harsh bottom-outs, of which we had a few, and as a result, found the saddle to be regularly in the way, specifically when throwing shapes while jumping.

Downhill bikes are an elite type of bike that is only really useful at lift-assist bike parks; however, we can’t put aside how much fun they are to ride. Propain has done a great job of making a downhill bike that can transform into just about anything you want it to be, which we think is important in this modern era of downhill bike use. It can’t just be all racing or all freeride; it has to be adaptable, and with the adjustments that can be made on the Rage CF, we think that has been achieved.

www.propain-bikes.com

CATEGORY: Downhill

WHEEL SIZE: 29″

SUSPENSION: 200mm (front), 215mm (rear)

Price: $6029

Weight: 37.5 pounds (without pedals)

Sizes: M, L (tested), XL

Head tube angle: 63°

Effective seat tube angle: 79°

Reach: 465mm (18.3”)

Bottom bracket height: 340mm (13.4”)

Chainstay length: 445mm (17.5”) short, 460mm (18.1”) long