Revel Ritual
Wheel Sizes:
- Sizes S–M: 29’’ front / 27.5’’ rear
- Sizes L–XL: 29’’
Suspension Travel:
- Frame: 165 mm
- Fork: 170 mm (180 mm compatible)
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 64°
- Reach (size Large): 480 mm
- Chainstay length: 438 mm
Frame Material: Carbon fiber
Price:
- Complete bikes: $4,299 to $6,999 USD
- Frame only: $3,099 USD including RockShox Vivid Ultimate rear shock
Blister’s Measured Weight: 34.2 lbs / 15.5 kg (size Large, X0 Transmission build, tubeless)
Test Locations: Colorado
Reviewer: 5’10.5″, 160 lbs / 179 cm, 72.5 kg
Test Duration: 2 months
Intro
Dylan Wood (5’10.5″, 160 lbs / 179 cm, 72.5 kg): A few seasons ago, the late Eric Freson and I reviewed the Revel Rail 29, Revel’s 29”-wheeled Enduro bike at the time. The Ritual is essentially the continuation of the Rail 29, taking its place as Revel’s longest-travel 29”-wheeled bike, designed with Enduro riding and racing in mind. I’ve spent the last couple of months aboard the Ritual, and here are my on-trail impressions.
[For more on the design details and specs of the Ritual and its electrified sibling, the ReRun, check out our First Look on the pair.]
Fit & Sizing
Revel recommends the Large Ritual for folks 5’9” to 6’2” (175-188 cm); and at 5’10.5” (179 cm), I’m on the shorter side for the Large, but still comfortably inside of their recommended sizing. With a reach of 480 mm for the Large Ritual, this bike is sized almost exactly how I’d prefer it to be, as I’ve found 480 mm to be my sweet spot for reach measurements. Upon hopping on the Ritual for the first time, I found a comfortable and familiar fit with this bike.
The Large Ritual’s stack height sits at 635 mm, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary for its class, but perhaps a bit on the lower side. Still, I like a low stack height, especially on a bike with the Ritual’s short chainstays, and I ended up running the handlebars with a 10 mm spacer between the stem and the headset.
With my preferred seat height of 765 mm, I had quite a bit of room between the bottom of the 185 mm Bike Yoke Revive dropper post that was specced on our test bike and the seat collar of the Ritual. I don’t have much to complain about here, as this allows folks with shorter legs to hop on a Large Ritual, but if I hung onto this bike any longer, I’d likely put a longer 200 mm dropper on it.
Climbing
With 165 mm of rear suspension travel, the Ritual is, at least on paper, certainly on the more downhill-focused end of the spectrum. But, this is truly one of the best-climbing Enduro bikes I’ve ever been on. With efficient suspension and a somewhat aggressive seated pedaling position, the Ritual is a great Enduro rig for folks who like to gain a lot of vert on their rides.
Every bike with CBF (Canfield Balance Formula) suspension I’ve been on has been really great at pedaling, and the Ritual is no exception. This bike comes in at a pretty average weight for an Enduro bike (34.2 lbs / 15.5 kg), but its suspension platform is truly excellent for putting some power into the cranks while still maintaining respectable traction. The Ritual rewards aggressive pedaling efforts with efficiency, and is also perfectly happy to spend the climb with the rider seated and grinding away. Switching its RockShox Vivid Air shock’s climb switch to the “closed” position only makes the Ritual’s pedaling platform feel even more supportive, and I found myself using it often on smooth roads and singletrack.
While the Ritual’s suspension isn’t quite as traction-rich as some category leaders (the Norco Range comes to mind), I found it to have enough traction to tackle just about anything, albeit with a bit more precision than the most plush Enduro bikes out there. Still, the Ritual’s pedaling performance is quite consistent throughout its travel, making for predictable pedal strokes on chunky uphills.
Descending
The Ritual has a capable yet playful personality on the way down. With well-sorted geometry, supportive suspension, and a touch of nimbleness, this Enduro bike is no one-trick pony — it feels at home on a variety of trails and gets along with a few different riding styles.
The Ritual also has an efficient, responsive personality on the way down. Relative to other bikes with similar travel, the Ritual’s suspension feels more rewarding when pumping terrain to generate speed. It also has relatively short chainstays at 438 mm for the Large, giving the Ritual a nice touch of maneuverability. Getting the Ritual airborne is relatively easy, and this nimble bike also corners quite well. While other Enduro bikes, particularly the most downhill-capable ones, can feel sluggish and out of place on mellower trails, the Ritual feels engaging and versatile.
Don’t get me wrong — this is still a very capable Enduro bike. With 165 mm of travel in the rear paired with a 170 mm fork, the Ritual has plenty of available squish that is also well-sorted. The CBF suspension platform on this bike continues to impress me with its traction under braking. Additionally, the Ritual’s suspension feels smooth and consistent throughout its travel, ramping up predictably with no surprises through its 165 mm of travel. Pair that with a 480 mm reach and 64º headtube angle, and the Ritual’s handling complements its suspension with a stable feel. The Ritual has a large sweet spot and accommodates both a more aggressive, forward riding position as well as a more balanced, centered one. Its short chainstays do limit how far back you can ride on the Ritual, though, as getting too far over the back wheel limits the front wheel traction.
The Ritual isn’t the most stable and plush Enduro bike I’ve ever been on, but it is among the most playful and versatile. While it makes some sacrifices in the realm of traction, it’s one of the most nimble and playful bikes in its class. With other Enduro bikes, I often found myself saying, “No, I don’t want to ride that trail on this bike, I’d be way too overbiked.” On the Ritual, however, I found myself comfortable on anything from mellow XC trails to steep, technical descents with large jumps and drops.
The Build
Personally, I wouldn’t change anything about the SRAM X0 Transmission build kit, and at $6,999 USD, this is a pretty competitively-priced bike. I continue to be a huge fan of Transmission, with crisp, consistent shifting, even under load. The SRAM Maven Silver brakes are also a highlight here, and while they did need a bleed out of the box (something we’ve seen a lot lately with Mavens), they were powerful and consistent after removing all the air bubbles in the mineral oil.
The RockShox suspension also impressed me on the Ritual. The ZEB Ultimate fork felt stiff and precise, with both low- and high-speed compression damping (as well as low-speed rebound damping) to help dial in the feel. It was also my first time on RockShox’s latest Vivid Air shock, which complemented the Ritual nicely. The Vivid Air Ultimate also had plenty of adjustability and offered a plush feel off the top that got more supportive later in the suspension travel.
Another highlight was the Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Carbon wheels. These wheels offered a smooth ride, and while they didn’t feel like the most precise carbon wheels I’ve ever ridden, they did offer more precision than most alloy wheels I’ve tested. They stayed true and tensioned throughout my test period. I also want to applaud Revel for putting some true Enduro tires on their bike, with the Ritual X0 Transmission coming with Continental Kryptotal tires in the Enduro casing. I enjoyed being able to run lower pressures, without tire inserts, and without worrying about flatting, which never happened.
I’m also always a fan of in-frame storage, and I appreciated the Ritual’s downtube storage compartment. It’s not the best I’ve used, though; it’s a little hard to open, and the storage potential isn’t as great as other bikes I’ve tested. Additionally, I found you need more than a few things in its handy pouch to prevent the whole lot from bouncing around in the frame and causing some noise. Despite these minor flaws, I was happy to be able to store things in the bike, and will always take imperfect in-frame storage over nothing at all.
Who’s It For?
Folks who mostly focus on riding steep, demanding trails, but don’t want their Enduro bike to feel out of place in mellower terrain. The range of trails the Ritual feels at home on is very impressive, with this bike tackling everything from lift-assisted bike park trails to traversing XC-style rides. There are more plush and capable Enduro bikes out there, but those bikes often feel sluggish and out of place when they’re taken away from the steep and gnarly, which the Ritual most certainly does not.
Bottom Line
The Ritual is one of the most versatile bikes I’ve ever tested, regardless of categories. It’s quite rare for a bike to feel enjoyable and suitable on such a wide variety of trail styles, all while handling its main priority — Enduro riding and racing — very well.
Deep Dive Comparisons
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Deep Dive: Revel Ritual
We compare the Revel Ritual to the Revel Rail 19, Canfield Lithium, Canfield One.2 Super Enduro, Santa Cruz Megatower 2, Intense Tracer 279, Transition Spire, Ibis Ripmo v3, Santa Cruz Hightower 4, Santa Cruz Bronson 5, and Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Evo.
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