Take6 days ago
Van Rysel's first mountain bike is aero, built for 32in wheels
Van Rysel, Decathlon's bike brand, has launched the RCR-XC, its first mountain bike, built around 32-inch wheels with an aerodynamic design developed in the wind tunnel. The frame is 230g lighter than the 29-inch Rockrider currently raced by Decathlon Ford, and the aero shaping saves 15.5 watts at 35km/h versus that bike. It is not yet for sale — Decathlon Ford riders will use it to gather feedback before a 2027 market release.
What this means
Decathlon Ford has switched from the RockRider Race 940 S platform it raced for three seasons to the RCR-XC ahead of its 2027 release.
Development started with an analysis of XC race data collected since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The bike was designed from the ground up around the larger 32-inch wheel rather than adapted from an existing 29-inch platform, and was built in a dedicated mountain bike operation and R&D team Van Rysel has spent the past few months setting up in the French Alps. It runs a RockShox Sid fork sized for 32-inch wheels, a flex-stay suspension platform, deep-section Zipp rims, Vittoria Peyote and Mezcal tyres, and a one-piece aero handlebar-and-stem combo. Van Rysel says the bike was "built to win the biggest XC races... designed with the same methodology used to develop its successful road-going frames... analysis of race scenarios, stints in the wind tunnel, and advice from top-level riders". From 2027 it will be raced by Decathlon Ford, including Luca Martin, Samara Maxwell and Savilia Blunk, and a matching clothing range goes on sale in Europe the same year.
Sources
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