MONDRAKER FOXY CARBON R (2018)
£3,799 Progressive geometry but poor value for money
Mondraker have been doing their ‘Forward Geometry’ – combining a long front-centre with a super-short stem – for years. Other brands are only just starting to catch up, and the Spanish company still have the edge on most of them in terms of comfort and stability. With this particular model, though, it seems like they’ve been resting on their laurels.
The frame The full-carbon frame delivers 150mm of travel via Mondraker’s twin-link ‘Zero’ suspension system. As well as having a dramatic e ect on the handling, their signature stretched-out geometry allows the mainframe to swallow a full-sized water bottle.
The kit We can only describe the Foxy’s components as disappointing for the cash. RockShox’s Revelation fork is noticeably harsher than the Pike you generally get at this price point. The dropper post is from Mondraker’s in-house brand Ono and its 125mm stroke is frustratingly short when the going gets steep. Not only are the own-brand MDK wheels weighty, but they need taping up before they can be run tubeless. On the plus side, the SRAM NX gearing works fine with the SunRace 11-46t cassette, which o ers extra gearing range over SRAM’s own 11-42t block. And, while the nonseries Shimano brakes feel slightly underpowered, they displayed none of the bite-point inconsistency we’ve experienced with some of the brand’s pricier stoppers.
The ride Taller riders will love the roomy reach, which measures in at a whopping 520mm on the XL size tested. It gives a comfortable position when pedalling out of the saddle and, combined with the short (30mm) stem, makes it easy to tackle steep, rocky terrain, without having to shift your weight so far back. This boosts stability and confidence at speed, and also makes long descents less tiring. But it’s also surprisingly agile, thanks to the short stem and not-so-slack head angle (66.4 degrees) quickening its steering response in tight turns. Despite the long wheelbase, the ride is more lively than lazy.
You can adjust the chainstay length between 425mm and 435mm. For taller riders, we’d strongly recommend the longer setting, as it helps the front wheel to bite in the turns. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the bar high enough or the saddle low enough for our liking, which seriously undermined descending confidence when riding steep terrain, unless we stopped to manually lower the seatpost further. The low-profile Maxxis Ardent tyres limit the Foxy’s capabilities too, so we soon swapped them for some gripper Maxxis Minion DHF rubber. In rough sections, there was a lot of chain slap noise. The Revelation fork delivered a fairly harsh ride, and the Deluxe rear shock could be tuned a little lighter too. Overall, it felt like there was a little less than 150mm of travel on tap.
The Foxy pedals well, but its seat angle holds it back on climbs. At 75.5 degrees (e ective), it’s relatively steep, but not su ciently so to compensate for the extra reach. Even with the saddle slammed forwards, it felt too far back and too far away from the bar. Ultimately, it’s the Foxy’s value for money that lets it down though, with the budget components making it ride like a much cheaper bike. SEB STOTT www.silverfish-uk.com