Rose downhill bikes

Facts

The Rose Soul Fire DH is the downhill MTB from Rose par excellence and convinces on fast downhill tracks by absolute riding fun as well as in the bike park. The frame is made of aluminum as with the other Soul Fire models. Due to high loads at maximum speed down the mountain you have no time to worry about safety. That's why you need full confidence in your bike. 

Rose promises an extremely robust frame for all Soul Fire models which also guarantees maximum safety on demanding surfaces that nothing stands in the way of an unbridled adrenaline rush. The Soul Fire DH has a front suspension travel of 200 mm while the Soul Fire 1, 2 and 3 each have a 180 mm suspension travel. 

Those who would like to compare the Rose downhill MTB with products from the competition can do this very well with the similar models from Santa Cruz, Commencal or YT Industries.

In addition to the Soul Fire bikes Rose has other mountain bikes to choose from in their MTB division: like cross-country bike, trail / enduro MTB, and dirt bike. If you are not a fan of mountain bikes Rose has other categories in their range: road bikes, gravel bikes, bikes for fitness, e-bikes, trekking bikes as well as travel and urban bikes. The bikes come in different frame sizes with Rose mostly using size M in the product descriptions.

History

The foundation of Rose was laid as early as 1907 although at that time they sold not only bicycles. In the 1980s Rose was one of the first to start mail order on a large scale. They imported and sold bicycles from Japan and also introduced the Canadian bicycle brand Red Bull to the German market.

One of the ways they did this was through successful marketing and their own mail order catalog. At that time the catalog was the magazine par excellence for bicycle enthusiasts until the Internet took. But Rose has always been at the forefront there too. While the online store, introduced at the end of the 90s, only accounted for just under one percent of sales at the time this has now risen to a proud 80%.

In 2005 they opened the Rose Biketown in Bocholt where you can examine a variety of Rose bikes. You can get advice there, do test rides and also get measured for the right frame size. With so many options nothing can actually go wrong with the next bike purchase. Since over the years it has been increasingly established that the differences between men and women are less than expected, you can classify the the Rose bikes without any problems as unisex bikes. Thus Female downhill riders don't need to be deterred by the lack of a women's section. 

Furthermore Rose also offers bike leasing so that you can change your bike seasonally if necessary. You don't have to commit to one model nor do you need several mountain bikes at the same time. If you want you can pick up your new bike directly at the Biketown. When you pick up your bike you can enjoy a coffee and admire the older Rose bikes. Despite over a hundred years of company history it surprisingly took until 2011 before the first Rose bikes hit the market.

• Rose Soul Fire DH

• Rose Soul Fire

Best components for the high loads downhill

When selecting the components they have left nothing to chance and ensured that the riders feel comfortable in every situation. This applies equally to reliability as well as safety. There are well-known manufacturers such as SRAM, Shimano, RockShox, Fox, Sunringlé, Reverse, Race Face, Selle San Marco, Schwalbe or DT Swiss to use. There are very few in-house developments from Rose so far but we are excited about the future. After all we've seen firsthand how quickly they've established themselves with their bikes.

Groupsets

• Shimano and SRAM are the preferred suppliers of the individual components for the groupsets. Among them are the Shimano XTR, Shimano XT, Shimano SLX, SRAM GX, SRAM SX or even the SRAM NX. For the crank they rely on the Truvativ Descendant. The groupsets are so solidly built that even light blows and bumps do not affect them. This occurs quite often especially in extreme downhill rides with massive stress.

Brakes

• Shimano and SRAM are also at the forefront when it comes to brakes as is the Formula Cura brake. The older models were equipped with the brakes from Magura which are no less powerful. All of the newer downhill bikes from Rose are equipped with the more efficient disc brakes. You will find rim brakes only on older models from Rose. Disc brakes convince in every situation with the best braking performance and can also be excellently dosed.

Shock

• RockShox suspensions have been tested in competitions for years and are quite easy to use to adjust the suspension travel. The downhill bikes have a damper on the suspension fork as well as on the rear triangle which absorb powerful shocks playfully for pure riding fun. Among others the Marzocchi Bomber CR, RockShox Boxxer Select RC, RockShox Yari or the Fox 39 Float damper are used.

Saddle / Seatpost / Handlebar & Stem

• The bikes are equipped with the Selle San Marco GND Start Up saddle in black and the Level Nine Race seatpost. For handlebars and stem they rely on Race Face or Reverse components. Among them is the Race Face Chester series, the Reverse E-Element handlebar and the Reverse Black One stem. In the correct setting of these components including saddle and seatpost the riders achieve the best seating position.

Wheels / Tires

• When it comes to the wheel the Sunringlé Düroc SD37 Comp, Reverse Black One as well as the DT Swiss FR1950 Classic wheelset are used among others. For tires they prefer to use the high-quality products from Schwalbe: Schwalbe Big Betty Evolution, Schwalbe Magic Mary Evolution or even the Schwalbe Big Betty Performance.

Additional equipment

• A helmet and protectors are a must for every sensible downhill biker. Among the helmets the Uvex Downhill helmets are very suitable. In addition to the Uvex downhill helmets Uvex also offers products for winter sports enthusiasts such as ski goggles, protectors and other accessories. If you already have ski goggles at home you can also use them for biking. MTB goggles are similar to ski goggles in appearance and purpose and both are available with anti-fog coating. In a pinch it is better to put on the ski goggles than to use no goggles at all.

Which of the Soul Fire downhill bikes will you buy in the end

If none of the Rose freeride or downhill bikes meet your needs, there are still a number of other mountain bikes from Rose to buy. As cross-country bikes you have the Rose Count Solo and Rose Psycho Path to choose from. In the enduro / trail bikes are excellent bikes on hand with the Rose Ground Control, Root Miller and Bonero models. The trail / enduro MTBs are available as hardtail and full suspension mountain bikes. For those who prefer to ride a dirt bike the Rose The Bruce is ideal. 

Gravel bikes are the best of both worlds. You can use them as a road bike on pavement and you don't have to hide from offroad either. With the fitness bikes you can let off steam after work and the bikes for traveling can be packed with all kinds of bags. Furthermore Rose has trekking and urban bikes on offer. 

The trekking bikes are somewhat sportier in design and are well suited for longer tours. The city bike on the other hand has a slim design to maneuver through the urban jungle in the best possible way. The e-bikes include the Rose Tour, Rose Xtra Watt Evo+ Comfort and the Rose Xtra Watt Evo+ Unisex.

For BMX lovers there is nothing available in the current repertoire of Rose. You are welcome to look around on our site to see if the right BMX from another manufacturer is on sale. If you need help just contact us from buycyle and one of our staff will get in touch with you. We are happy to provide information as well as advise on all topics and to clear up any ambiguities. For more details you can also check out our blog or YouTube channel.