After a lap of the trails it was back to the expo to grab another bike from Foundry. This time around I went for their road bike, the Ratchet.
The Ratchet has the tight angles and average height head tube you would associate with a racing bike but once I started riding it I realized it had a character that goes far beyond that. If I had to compare it to anything I have ridden before I would have to say its most like the ride of the Time Edge Tanslink I used to own. Time bikes are well known for their extremely supple ride quality. The Ratchet had that same feel. Make no mistake though, while many bikes that are designed for comfort often fall short on performance the Ratchet does not. Whipping up and down the paved switchbacks the Ratchet delivers. Neutral handling inspires confidence descending while the bottom bracket stiffness and short chain stays respond to out of the saddle climbing nicely. For a pure race bike I’ll stick with my Caad10 but this bike does tempt me. For someone looking for a fast, race-able bike, that still wants to hit some gran fondos and other endurance events this would be the perfect bike for the job.
When I returned to the Foundry booth I arrived at the perfect time to grab their third and final demo bike. The Router is their take on the full carbon 29” mountain bike. Where the Ratchet and Router and billed as jack of all trades the Router has on purpose and one purpose alone. Race ready hard tail. For this reason this bike is not for everyone and unfortunately, not this rider. The Router has steep angles, super short chain stays, and a VERY stiff rear triangle. This yields a bike that handles fast and accelerates like no other trail bike I have ever tried. Out of the saddle efforts are greeted with instant response as the Router lurches forward into action. Changing lines is met with zero resistance thanks to ultra quick steering. While these attributes are certainly fantastic they come with a price that riders like myself are less than likely willing to pay for. The stiff rear triangle also makes for zero vertical compliance on the trail which played havoc on my lower back. Being a road rider primarily I found the quick steering a bit of a handicap. With my lack of razor sharp reflexes on the trail more stable and predictable handling characteristics are preferred. That being said I could see a few changes to the spec on the bike making a big difference in the overall ride. The zero setback seat postt seemed to be lacking in any flex so switching to something like Cannondale’s SAVEseat post with it’s 15mm of deflection would most likely make a HUGE difference. The Hutchinson tires did not seem tobelbeRalph tires set up tubeless at a nice pressure in the low 20s. However, if you are looking for light weight and a super fast platform with zero compromises for your next 29er then this is it.
