Product Full Name: Rose Uncle Jimbo

Retail Price: £3164.65 (2016 model)

Available From: Rose Bikes UK

Direct sale Enduro rig from the German giant

Rose Bikes are an enormous German brand who make everything from kids bikes to high tech carbon fibre triathlon bikes. Unlike other major brands who operate via a distributor and bike dealer network, Rose has two enormous Bike Town stores in Germany and ships direct to customers globally.

You might think Rose are relative newcomers, but they have been around since 1907. And they have been making mountain bikes since the mid-90’s, when they enlisted Canadian designer Maurice Lavoie to produce their first mountain bikes. Those early models were manufactured in Vancouver.

In the MTB range are two very capable 27.5in wheeled trail bikes – the popular 150mm travel Granite Chief, and the 165mm Uncle Jimbo. We opted for the heavier duty Uncle Jimbo. Read on for our Rose Bikes Uncle Jimbo review.

The Uncle Jimbo features 165mm of travel and has a neat and tidy frame design. Although this model has the standard build, you can spec the bike as you like and have it delivered to your door. Photo | Joe Hayhow

Although the Jimbo has more travel than it’s counterpart, it doesn’t weigh much more – making it a prime choice in the ever expanding Enduro category. 2016 models are available from as little as £1545, with decent well thought-out specification.

We tested the 2015 Uncle Jimbo 3 – which although has slightly different forks, wheels and cable routing – remains fundamentally the same as the 2016 model. If you’re quick, there are some great bargains here on 2015 stock.

One thing that is different on the 2016 model (right) is the internal cable routing. Although it’s very clean on the 2015 model (left), the bike is susceptible to cable rattle. The new model has a neat entry point that holds the cables, eliminating noise. Photo | Joe Hayhow

The Details

Made from 7005 series aluminium, the Uncle Jimbo frame has a very clean shape to it. It’s not far off a Santa Cruz Bronson at a glance, with it’s low slung top tube, seat tube mounted linkage and shock mounted under the top tube.

The Jimbo certainly has nice lines, and comes in either polished aluminium – or this classy black/green/blue finish.

The blue/black and green paint job looks classy, although a bare metal look anodised finish is also available. Photo | Joe Hayhow

Geometry of the Jimbo is fairly aggressive – a 66degree head angle up front means business and the 75degree seat angle is fairly steep for a good climbing position.

The wheelbase on our size XL measured 1203mm which is pretty roomy, although with the 431mm chain stay length it meant the front end was a touch on the short side for an XL. A 620mm horizontal top tube is some way shorter than other similar sized bikes – which meant a 70mm stem was necessary for my 6’3″ frame, despite it coming with a 50mm unit.

Although our size XL came with a 50mm stem, it just wasn’t long enough for the 6’3″ tester. We fitted a 70mm stem to get the cockpit roomy enough to move around on. Photo | Joe Hayhow

The suspension platform is a classic four bar linkage design with a low main pivot; chainstay mounted linkage and seat tube mounted swing-link to drive the shock. This offers a very supple performance off the top, with a lot of grip and small bump compliance (even without the new EVOL sleeve). Throughout the travel it ramps up quite a lot – offering a firm bottom out resistance and a good ride feel.

The pivots are all quality bearings, and the rear end accepts a 12 x 142mm axle.

Our Uncle Jimbo 3 came with an amazing spec list for the money. Mavic Crossmax Enduro WTS wheels, E13 TRS cracks, SRAM 1×11 and a Fox Float X CTD shock. Photo | Joe Hayhow

Our test bike was the standard 2015 model, which comes with a great selection of SRAM, Race, Face, E13, Mavic, Rockshox and Fox components. Rose offer three models, but also the option to spec a frame yourself.When you order a bike from Rose you get the full warranty and customer service you need – provided in the UK by their service team. The bike is delivered to you directly from Germany, but any issues are dealt with via the UK team.

Undeniably, you get a hell of a lot of bike for your money – and if bikes like the Uncle Jimbo tick the boxes for you, there’s no reason you shouldn’t buy one. But you should still support your local bike shops, just as you should independent butchers, bakers and greengrocers. Bike shops are crucial in the MTB community that meshes us together.

Besides, wouldn’t the cycling world be boring if there were only online retailers and Argos-style showrooms?

Even though the XL was a bit short for us, it was a hell of a lot of fun! The Uncle Jimbo loves jumping around on the trail – if you want a bike to plough through stuff the bigger travel Soul Fire is your bike. Photo | Joe Hayhow

Out on the Trail

As touched on earlier, the wheelbase is nice and roomy – but the cockpit was too short really on the XL, so I had to stick a bit of a tiller on the front end to get the cockpit feeling right. This is more of a problem for taller riders, as shorter riders have the ability to size up to gain length. It’s not good though, when us lofty folk can only get a fit ‘correct’ by dusting off a long stem and risking ruining the handling. Long stems and slack head angles never feel great.

But that said, the Uncle Jimbo is a bike with really good ride attributes. It does have a balanced poise on the trail, and the suspension works excellently. The supple initial movement gives loads of grip, and makes for a comfortable ride.

We tried both 30 and 32T chain rings on the Jimbo. Although pedal feedback was never an issue, the Jimbo does bob a little on the flat and when climbing. The Float X shock counters this well in the two firmer settings though, and makes the 165mm bike climb adequately. On the steeper, rougher climbs where you work the bike – the mid setting on the shock worked best for minimal bob and increased support.

Photo | Joe Hayhow

Downhill is where the Jimbo comes to life though. It’s stiff, agile, responsive and a lot of fun – although it’s not the sort of bike to plough through the rough stuff. The Uncle Jimbo wants to pop off roots and hip jump every bank in site – it’s a stiff platform built for fun. And the progressive feel of the rear end is great when you over jump, or run out of skill – it definitely saved my bacon at the press camp in Kitsbuhl on more than one occasion.

Our size XL weighed 29.03lbs/13.40kg with pedals on there – a decent weight for an aluminium bike with over 6in of travel front and rear. This made it feel nimble out on the trails. Photo | Joe Hayhow

The Uncle Jimbo bike has a lot going for it, but if you’re over 6ft you might struggle to make it work as well as it should.

I’d love to see a true XL version, with the front end stretched out to truly accommodate a shorter stem. 40mm is nearer the magic number for the way bikes of this calibre are being ridden these days. Having spoken to shorter riders, I’ve not heard a bad word about this frame in the smaller sizes.

We say

You can’t deny that the Rose Uncle Jimbo offers very good value for money. It has a sturdy frame with a proven suspension platform, and the geometry is generally very good.

Our size XL was a little on the short side, but provided the sizing suits you – the Uncle Jimbo is a great performing bike at an amazing price. With the UK office, you shouldn’t run in to issues down the line either – by all accounts buying direct with Rose seems a sound option.

The neat thing about Rose Bikes is how you buy them. You simply select the model you like from the existing ranges, or use the Bike Configurator on the website to custom spec the frame you want, with the components that suit your needs -and wallet.

What do you think of direct buy bikes? 

Amazing value, or the potential for issues down the line? 

Let us know below…

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