The brand new ROCKRIDER 900 and 900 S that we saw with the new Decathlon team

Yesterday the ROCKRIDER UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM was presented, the UCI professional team with which Decathlon will compete both in the XCO World Cup and in other top level races. But in this presentation, in addition to the members of the team led by Stephane Tempier, we were able to see the mountain bikes with which they will race. Two bikes never seen before, the new ROCKRIDER XC 900s FC and 900 S 2022.

New ROCKRIDER XC 900 and 900 S 2022

The first thing that caught our eye is the attractive aesthetic finish in terms of the new logo and colour scheme. The "Rockrider" branding now has a new typeface and looks more impressive and elegant than ever on the diagonal tube of both models. In addition, the team's bikes are a beautiful turquoise green colour that reminded many of the defunct Bianchi team that Tempier led for several seasons.

Rockrider XC 900s FC: a brand new hardtail

Getting into the subject, the big novelty was the Rockrider hardtail model, a completely renovated model that Decathlon has not yet presented in its catalogue but that the team has been developing for months. It will be called Rockrider XC 900s FC and in fact we were able to see Lucas Dubau compete with it in the last World Cup in Albstadt.

We don't have any information on geometry, weight and frame characteristics yet, but at first glance it looks like a very light bike that has managed to adopt all the current trends in the modality. In addition, the lines of the frame have a lot of personality and fit perfectly with the most current preferences.

 

New Rockrider XC 900s full suspension

Full suspension mountain bikes dominate almost the entire World Cup circuit and this will be the model with which we will see most of the members of the ROCKRIDER UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM competing. This is the Rockrider XC 900s that Decathlon has had in its catalogue for several seasons, but for 2022 it has a great new feature that changes everything: a new rear swingarm made of carbon.

This model, which we saw at the team's presentation, is also not yet on sale and represents a great leap in quality by replacing the aluminium rear triangle with a carbon one, which will considerably reduce the weight of the set while gaining in stiffness.

 

Competition assembly

In both models, the assembly is practically the same. A selection of components that is a bit different from what we are used to seeing in the World Cup.

At the drivetrain we see a SRAM Eagle XX1 AXS wireless groupset that does its part to clear the handlebars of cables. French brand Mavic takes care of wheels and hubs with a Mavic Crossmax SL Ultimate where riders can choose whether they prefer a 25mm or 30mm internal width.

The SRAM XX1 cranks are accompanied by the Look X-Race Carbon Ti pedals, one of the favourite models of many French cyclists and one of the best reviewed by the fans.

Suspension is a 120 mm Manitou R7 Pro fork with the characteristic rear arc and a Manitou Mara shock.

Regarding the TRP brakes, Tektro Racing Products, which we have seen in the images, we could be looking at a new model of the brand, an evolution of the current SLATE.

In both the hardtail and full suspension models, the team mounts a Bike Yoke Divine SL dropper seat post, and on it we see the Fizik Versus Evo R3 Adaptive saddle.

Another brand that is not usual to see in XCO World Cup is the handlebar, a straight Protaper Hyperlite made of carbon. This brand specialises in motocross components although it has a specific mountain bike range.

As we said, we don't know if these Rockrider Team Edition models will be available for sale, but we found them to be a very original high-end set-up that goes beyond the typical choice of components we see on most racing bikes.