JULIANA QUINCY CC RIVAL
£3599 Adventure seekers who can pay, can play...
Juliana is the sister brand to Santa Cruz, more usually known for its mountain bikes, and the Quincy is based around a unisex carbon frame that’s shared with the Stigmata. The Quincy is all about adventure, whether that’s long road miles, bike packing, gravel grinding or off-roading, and is therefore ideal if you like to be able to ride all of the above without having a shed full of bikes.
The CC in the name indicates that this model is built from Juliana’s premium CC carbon, and internal cable routing gives it a sleek, neat look. It has the longest reach and wheelbase of the bikes on test at 380mm and 1015mm respectively (52cm), which gives the bike a very stable base for rough riding and long descents. Chunky chainstays and down tube help give the Quincy a stiff base for more efficient power transfer, while slightly dropped seatstays combined with compliance built into the carbon frame make it one of the comfiest bikes here.
The driveside chainstay also features an integrated protector to help soften chainslap noise and avoid frame damage, which comes into its own on off-road jaunts. Its adventurous DNA comes up in elements such as bottle cage bosses, which allow two to be fitted within the frame and a third underneath the down tube. It’s also good to see mudguard mounts and plenty of clearance for when it gets really mucky, making this bike well equipped to deal with winter.
There aren’t masses of bosses to allow luggage to be attached, so if bikepacking is your main focus you’ll need to be happy with strapping bags on rather than bolting on racks. Juliana offers a lifetime frame warranty for the original owner, plus a no-fault replacement guarantee for nonwarranty replacements.
This model sits at the bottom of the Quincy range, and features a SRAM Rival 1 groupset with
“In action, it’s supremely comfortable and confident on rough, gravel roads and even off-road trails ”
Easton crankset and Cane Creek headset. One area where the groupset noticeably lets the bike down is the brakes, or rather the cheaper Avid Centerline 160mm brake rotors that have been used to help bring the cost down. While fine for the majority of road riding, they hold the bike back on long or technical descents, lacking the power to really set the bike loose and let it live up to its potential. These are, of course, upgradeable if you wanted to invest further down the line, and higher models, which feature SRAM CLX 160mm rotors are less likely to have this issue.
Don’t let the 1x11 groupset put you off. The 40t chainring combined with a wide 11-42t cassette gives more than enough range for conquering steep climbs, though it is lacking gears on the low end for putting down power for sprints.
Finishing kit comes in the form of Easton EA50 handlebar (AX), stem and seatpost, plus women’s specific Ergon SR10 Sport Gel saddle, which was nicely comfortable over long distances.
DT Swiss 370 wheels are one area where money has been saved on this build, and another where future upgrades would shave weight. The Maxxis Ravager EXO 700x40c tyres they’re paired with provided plenty of grip on muddy trails and loose gravel but were unsurprisingly draggy on tarmac; swap for something slicker for road riding.
That said, the 40c tyres do help dampen down road chatter, which further adds to the already impressive comfort of this bike. The build tested was towards the adventure end of the Quincy spectrum. Slap on slicker tyres and you’ve got a bike that will happily eat up road miles and make short work of rough surfaces. If you want to go full gravel, or want extra clearance in muddy winter months, the Quincy frame has masses of clearance and the option to spec with 650b wheels, with the smaller wheel size meaning you have the option to fit even wider tyres for more grip. In action, the bike is supremely comfortable and confidenceinspiring on rough roads, gravel roads and even off-road trails with only the brake-power holding it back on rough descents.
It’s not a cheap option, but if you’ve got the cash to splash this bike will see you through the roughest of off-road gravelling and give you smooth and long road miles.