RAM Bikes might not be well known to many riders but if their plans work out you'll be hearing a lot more about them in the future. Based in Bulgaria, their new bikes are designed in-house at their Sofia factory. As with a huge percentage of bikes they’re welded in Taiwan and then assembled at the house factory. RAM's factory in downtown Sofia is a place Pinkbike has come to know well in recent years when we’ve been racing in the country for trips always seem to start and end there with a lot of waiting around.
Over the past eighteen months the company have shown keen plans to expand, with revised designs, sharp paint schemes and a promotional push into new markets. Here we take a brief look at four of their bikes but we’ll be doing some in depth testing post Eurobike so we’ll have more info and ride impressions soon.
DHX2 Having raced in Bulgaria a few times with the RAM bikes guys since 2010 we've been kept up to date with the development of their successor to the succesful DHX which they had in their range for a number of years. Several development mules were created which took cues from several bikes but the final production DHX2 is a pretty unique looking bike and one which we're keen to get more than a quick spin on. Currently being ridden by UK Elite Rob Smith at select World Cup races it's already got pedigree which RAM will be hoping to build on.
There's plenty of inbuilt adjustment options on the DHX2. Wheelbase can be set via offset chips and the shock can be mounted in one of two holes to provide a change in progression of the spring curve.
Nduro.29 Enduro is a big market, after all it's what the majority of riders actually ride if they had to be pigeon-holed into one genre. RAM offer two bikes in this area, the 125mm travel Nduro and the 150mm AMTwo. Here we see the Nduro in it's 29" iteration although 26" wheeled builds are also available. As with the downhill DHX2 above the range features a 4-bar rear end with a chainstay pivot. Taper headtube is so standard on this type o bike now that it's barely worth mentioning but 142mm dropouts most certainly are for they massively increase stiffness over any bike that would have used a traditional quick-release back end in the past. ISCG chain device tabs and a 67.5 degree head angle (on the 26" frame) hint at the agressive riding that these bikes are aimed squarely at.
AM.Two The AM.Two is essentially the Nduro.26's bigger brother. Similar frame architecture means that they're visually almost identical, with 142mm Maxle dropouts and ISCG mounts. The 0mm BB height is low for stability which combines with the 66.5 degree head angle well and should make it an ideal companion for aggressive all mountain riding and Enduro racing which seems to be kicking off the world over at the moment. A direct mount front derailleur tab and the ISCG mounting gives riders the option to either go single or double.
FourX This 6061 aluminium FourX frame has been in development for a while, and was developed with the help of UK 4x and BMW racer Martin 'Oggy' Ogden. Despite the demise of World Cup 4x racing, the resultant Pro-Tour and numerous national series still shows demand for both the races and the necessary bikes. Although light at a claimed 1.6kg, this frame from RAM is tough and in it for the long haul. It will easily build up for a wider range of uses than just 4x by starting either with a frame only or one of the full builds offered.
4130 The last bike we'll cover here is the 2.4kg 4130 steel frame for the dirt jump, slopestyle and street market. Currently being ridden by Toby Ware at numerous Comps it's been performing well. A removable derailleur hanger is incorporated into the chain tensioners on the horizontal dropouts so you have the option to swing that way if that's what you want.
Keep an eye out for RAM on Pinkbike over the coming months as we get some of their bikes to test. With proven 4-bar technology we'll let you know how they perform.
RAM Bikes 
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