Specialized Rhyme FSR Expert Carbon Womens 650b Mountain Bike 2016 - Full Suspension MTB
The new Specialized Rhyme Expert Carbon is a serious long-travel trail bike for taking on aggressive runs and dominating your local trail centre. Women specific bikes in this category are limited by suspension travel and often alloy frames. It’s good to see Specialized offering a carbon frame with 150mm travel.
It took 3 years to develop but the Rhyme is an ideal all-rounder that’s nimble and controlled. Geometry has been specifically tailored to the 650b wheel size. A slack head angle, short chainstays and 150mm travel are efficient on the climbs and stable going downhill.
You can buy the women’s specific Rhyme Expert Carbon through a 0% interest Tredz Finance package with flexible deposit scheme. Carve up the trails.
Frame
At the heart of the Rhyme Expert Carbon is a FACT 9m front triangle with an M5 alloy rear. The carbon front is very stiff (where it needs to be), light and strong. This mix of materials create a lightning fast, nimble and comfortable ride.
To make use of the 27.5” wheels, the Rhyme comes with a 67 degree head angle (66.5 degree on the XS frame size). You’ll remain stable when carrying speed for a confidence boost as you’re tearing down your favourite trail.
420mm chainstays are fairly short for a trail bike, and when combined with a low bottom bracket height make for a nimble back-end. Handling through the corners is expertly controlled.
The Rhyme Expert Carbon has a lower standover height than her brother (the new Stumpy), and a shorter toptube length catering for smaller riders. Frame sizes go down to XS which would fit a rider of 4ft 10”. Sizes go up to medium, so larger riders should consider the 2016 Stumpjumper. It has exactly the same frame and angles, just with unisex spec and a slightly modified shock.
Specialized have carefully thought about utility. An innovative storage solution called SWAT door is built into the downtube. This space can hold your essentials such as an inner tube, pump, CO2 cartridges and even nutrition. Frame integrity hasn’t been compromised and there is no rattling as you ride.
On shorter hacks you may not even need a pack. The SWAT door combines with a bottle cage. Moving kit from a backpack and into the frame lowers your centre of gravity. It feels liberating.
Internal cable routing improves the frame’s appearance, and means you’ll need to do less maintenance. A 12mm bolt thru axle on the rear keeps the back-end nice and stiff, while a 15mm bolt thru up-front helps with stiffness and improves steering precision.
An IRcc Command Dropper post with 100mm of saddle adjustment (size M, 75mm on XS, S) allows for on the fly adjustment. Choose the optimal setup for the section you’re riding.
Suspension
Equipped is a 150mm travel RockShox Pike RC fork. This fork is stiff, light and plush with excellent small and big hit performance. The Pike is one of the best performing forks on the market.
Rear suspension is courtesy of the Factory version FOX Float CTD. This is the same shock found on the S-Works Stumpjumper. When the trails get rowdy there is a boost valve to improve performance and a Kashima coating is super smooth.
The shock comes with women’s RX trail tune which takes into account the lower average weight of a female rider. It has been tuned with a larger volume to make it easier for lighter riders to make use of the maximum travel. This is not something you get from every manufacturer.
Key to this bike’s trail performance is the FSR suspension system. The 4 bar linkage with a second pivot point next to the rear axle allows the rear wheel to move in a linear path. Suspension is full active and works independently from braking and pedalling forces.
It is simply one of the most efficient susspension systems you can find on an MTB. There is no impact on chain tension, no pedal kickback or pedal induced bob. Keeping everything smooth are sealed cartridge bearings on all pivot points. This set-up means you can fly up the climbs and shred downhill.
Components
The Rhyme Expert Carbon comes with a 1x11 SRAM X1 drivetrain that gives you plenty of gearing in a light and uber reliable package. It’s a performance set-up that will give you the most out of your ride.
Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes are powerful with a great feel and excellent modulation. Ice Tech pads are a bonus by providing the best cooling on longer descents.
Roval Traverse wheels with a 29mm wide rim are designed for aggressive trail riding and are at home on technical sections. You get the full Roval Traverse wheelset including hubs. They’re tubeless ready for a smoother, faster and easier ride - and no pinch flats.
Contact points are all optimised for women riders with a narrower 720mm bar (750mm on the Stumpy) and Myth saddle and size specific cranks providing extra comfort and confidence as you ride.
The Specialized Rhyme Expert Carbon is in a class of its own. This women’s specific long-travel trail bike is a trail hungry machine for fun descents and technical traverses, but still efficient on the climbs.
Key Features :
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The FACT 9m carbon fibre Trail Chassis with a Rhyme FSR M5 alloy rear end blends stiffness with light weight to reach the pinnacle of efficiency, while fully enclosed cable routing and an integrated SWAT Door create exceptional handling and zero-hassle storage. The frame also features our Trail 650b Geometry that adds to confidence, fit, and performance.
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Connected with our FSR 6-Pack Linkage, a custom FOX Float Factory rear shock features AUTOSAG for easy setup and 150mm of plush, adjustable suspension, while our Women's Rx Tune provides a more supple, responsive, and efficient feel for climbing up and descending down the trail.
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Roval Traverse 650b rims have an ultra-wide 29mm internal width for more stability and speed when pointed down the trail.
- Every component and touch point of the bike, from the handlebars to saddle to the crankarm length, is tailored for both women and rider size.
The Specialized Rhyme FSR Expert Carbon Womens 650b 2016 Features are:
Frame: FACT 9m carbon, Trail 650b Geometry, FACT IS construction, M5 alloy rear end, SWAT Door integration, fully enclosed internal cable routing
Rear Shock: Custom FOX FLOAT Factory CTD, AUTOSAG, Women|s Rx Trail Tune, Boost Valve, Kashima coating, 197x47.6mm
Fork: RockShox Pike RC 650b, Solo Air spring, 150mm travel, compression adjust, rebound adjust, tapered steerer, 42mm offset, 15mm Maxle Ultimate thru-axle
Headset: Hella Flush, 1-1/8" and 1-1/2" threadless, Campy style upper w/ 1-1/2" lower, cartridge bearings
Stem: Specialized XC, 3D forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise
Speed: 11
Rear Mech: SRAM X1, 11-speed, alloy cage
Shifters: SRAM X1, 11-speed, trigger
Chainset: Custom SRAM S-2200, carbon, PF30 spindle, 30T, 94mm BCD spider
Bottom Bracket: SRAM, PF30, OS press-in bearings, sealed cartridge
Cassette: SRAM XG-1180, 11-speed, 10-42t
Chain: SRAM PC-X1, 11-speed
Front Brake: Shimano Deore XT, Ice-Tech metallic pads
Rear Brake: Shimano Deore XT, Ice-Tech metallic pads
Rims: Roval Traverse 650b, alloy, disc, 29mm inner width, 24/28h
Front Hub: Roval Traverse, 15/20mm thru-axle, 24h
Rear Hub: Roval Traverse 142+, SRAM XX1 driver body, 12mm thru-axle, 28h
Tyres: Specialized Butcher Control, 60TPI, 2Bliss Ready, folding bead, 650bx2.3" Front Specialized Purgatory Control, 60TPI, 2Bliss Ready, folding bead, 650bx2.3" Rear
Seatpost: Command Post IRcc, cruiser control technology, micro-adjust height adjustable, alien head design, bottom mount cable routing, remote adjust SRL lever, 30.9mm, XS/S: 75mm travel, M: 100mm travel
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