Propain Rage 3 R CF
Wheel Sizes:
- 29’’ front and rear
- 29’’ front / 27.5’’ rear
Suspension Travel:
- Frame: 215 mm
- Fork: 200 – 203 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 63°
- Reach (size Large): 465 mm
- Chainstay length: 445 mm (Short), 460 mm (Long)
Frame Material: Carbon fiber
Price: Complete bikes starting at $3,999 USD (details in Builds section below)
Intro
Downhill bikes don’t have the mass market appeal of modern Trail and Enduro bikes, but anyone who has spent meaningful time on one knows just how impressive such a specialized tool can be in the right conditions. While I don’t have one in my garage at the moment, a single day on a modern DH bike in the bike park is enough to make me think about reconsidering that choice — they’re just too damn fun (and fast). Given their unbridled focus on descending speed, it’s always exciting to see what new approaches brands have taken toward that singular goal.
While companies like Pivot have recently announced wholesale revisions of their Downhill bike, Propain has a measured approach with their new Rage 3 R CF, keeping the same geometry and suspension design while tinkering with the carbon layup and finishing features. It takes a close look to see some of those smaller tweaks, so let’s dig in.
The Frame
At first glance, the new Rage 3 R CF looks…exactly the same as the prior Rage 3 CF. The frame still uses Propain’s signature PRO10 suspension design, a dual-link layout with a floating shock to deliver 215 mm of rear travel. Propain doesn’t list the kinematics for the old one, but some back-of-the-envelope math based on the new one’s kinematics shows the same (rather high) 38% progression through the leverage curve. That seems to point at Propain having stuck with the same kinematics. Charts on the leverage ratio, anti-rise, and axle path are as follows:
The Rage 3 R CF also retains the ability to run either full 29’’ wheels or a mixed wheel setup, with geometry preserved between both configurations thanks to a flip chip in the upper link. The rear wheel size can be selected when configuring the bike for purchase on Propain’s website, with Propain suggesting 29’’ wheels for greater rollover performance while the mixed wheel setup promises more maneuverability.
Turning to where Propain has made some tweaks, let’s start with the carbon fiber layup. The Rage 3 R CF still uses Propain’s Blend carbon construction and has an ASTM 5-rated frame, but Propain says they’ve revised the layup to further balance areas of high stiffness and areas with more flex. Frame stiffness can have a huge impact on handling and tracking, but it’ll take a proper test of the Rage 3 R CF to see just how those construction changes feel.
Propain’s other focus was on reducing noise. The frame gets new TPR rubber details to quiet chain noise, and Propain fully revised the Rage 3 R CF’s cable routing with new cable clamps and smaller diameter inner guide tubes to reduce the chances of rattling.
Three new colors are available too — Carbon Raw, which has a matte clear coat finish to show off the raw carbon underneath, Whipping White, and a (much) flashier Propain Positive Replica Edition.
Fit & Geometry
Looking at the geometry of the Rage 3 R CF shows that Propain was happy with what they had created for the prior model — all figures are identical to the outgoing Rage. The size Large, for example, has a 465 mm reach, 638 mm stack, and 63° head tube angle. Adjustable chainstays allow for 445 mm or 460 mm configurations, and swapping between a full 29’’ setup and a mixed wheel one preserves all of those geometry figures thanks to the aforementioned flip chip.
It’s worth noting that Propain only offers three sizes for the Rage, and particularly tall or short riders may struggle to find a size that suits them. The Medium has a 440 mm reach while the XL maxes out at 495 mm; for comparison, a Small Santa Cruz V10 offers a minimum reach of 412 mm on a Small, and a maximum of 508 mm on an XL. It would have been great to see Propain employ a reach adjust headset to expand the flexibility of each frame size.
Geometry is as follows:
The Builds
In classic Propain fashion, the Rage 3 R CF paints a compelling value picture across the range of build options. The Base ($3,999 USD) and Ultimate ($5,679 USD) builds both offer full SRAM builds, with RockShox suspension and SRAM brakes and 7-speed drivetrains. The Factory ($7,389 USD) build keeps the SRAM drivetrain but switches to Magura brakes and Fox Factory-level suspension, while the Swedish Gold ($6,379 USD) build pairs Shimano Saint brakes and drivetrain with Öhlins suspension. The Propain Positive Replica Edition ($6,499 USD) offers many of the same build highlights as the Swedish Gold build, but with some slightly different finishing parts, following the build that Propain’s World Cup team uses.
Propain provides quite a bit of customization opportunity as well, with multiple handlebar, saddle, and tire options to choose from during checkout. Additionally, Propain offers the OChain Active Spider as a standard option, though it’s not entirely clear whether it is available on all builds or a limited subset.
Full build details are as follows, but overall Propain has done an excellent job of creating rather nice builds at very fair prices.
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX 7-speed
- Brakes: SRAM DB8
- Fork: RockShox Boxxer Base (200 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Vivid Coil Base
- Wheels: Newmen Performance 30 DH
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX 7-speed
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC
- Fork: RockShox Boxxer Ultimate (200 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Vivid Coil Ultimate
- Wheels: Newmen Beskar 30 DH
- Drivetrain: Shimano Saint 10-speed
- Brakes: Shimano Saint M820
- Fork: Öhlins RXF DH 38
- Shock: Öhlins TTX22M.2
- Wheels: Newmen Beskar 30 DH
- Drivetrain: Shimano Saint 10-speed
- Brakes: Shimano Saint M820
- Fork: Öhlins RXF DH 38
- Shock: Öhlins TTX22M.2
- Wheels: Newmen Beskar 30 DH
- Drivetrain: SRAM X0 7-speed
- Brakes: Magura MT7
- Fork: Fox 40 Factory Grip X2
- Shock: Fox DHX2
- Wheels: DT Swiss FR1500 DH
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Propain has stuck with the same geometry and suspension design, so how much do the changes to the carbon layup influence the Rage 3 R CF’s performance relative to the old one?
(2) How does the Rage 3 R CF compare to other popular Downhill bikes on the market, and where does it fall on the spectrum of race-focused versus bike park oriented?
Bottom Line (For Now)
The Propain Rage 3 R CF makes a bunch of small tweaks aimed at making it a quieter, more refined version of the Rage platform. Given the seemingly high attention to detail and solid value proposition, the Rage 3 R CF could be a high bang-for-buck option — but of course, we need to see how it rides first. We will see if we can make that happen once the bike parks reopen in 2025.