3 Bike Checks From Round 1 of the Raon L'Etape Enduro Series

May 25, 2018 at 17:40
by Richard Bord  

French Enduro Series bike check
Levy Batista's
Rocky Mountain Slayer

French Enduro Series bike check

French Enduro Series bike check


Levy Batista is a French rider from Nancy, 45 minutes from Raon l'Etape in the east of France. He's 27 years old and used to race motorbikes at a high level - he was even French Champion in the MX1 category. He started racing mountain bikes in 2015, and already has a solid sponsorship this year with the Tribe Sport Group who let him ride a Rocky Mountain Slayer.

"It's a real downhill machine, it's really a big bike but I like it. I had the choice between the Slayer and the Altitude, but this one is easier to ride and keeps you on the track when you make mistakes, so it was the right choice for me now while I try to improve my riding skills," says Batista.

Levy finished on the podium last weekend in Sainte Marie Aux Mines during the Cannondale Enduro Tour, taking 5th place behind top athletes like Nico Lau, Martin Maes and Pierre-Charles Georges... Not too bad for a "beginner."

French Enduro Series bike check
His suspension is serviced by Magic Racing, a motorbike specialist.
Rocky Mountain Slayer
Size : M
Drive Train : Shimano XT
Rear shock : Fox DPX2
Fork : Fox 36
Brakes : Magura MT7
Wheels : Rocky Mountain
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 27.5 x 2.5 WT 3C / Maxxis Aggressor
Weight : 31.7 lb / 14.4 kg (verified)


French Enduro Series bike check
Levy made his own graphics for his Slicy mud guard.

French Enduro Series bike check
Riding with a Maxxis Aggressor in the Vosges forest is a bit optimistic, but for once the sun is out here so the dirt is drier than usual. "I like these tires and I know them really well so there will be no surprise for me riding the Aggressor on the rear wheel."



French Enduro Series bike check
Morgane Charre's
Bergamont Encore Team

Morgane Charre announced earlier this year than she is ending her downhill career, so here we are with another DH champion racing enduro. Still riding for Bergamont, she switched from the Strailine to the Encore Team. Her bike is race read, equipped with Manitou suspension, a SRAM Eagle X0 driveetrain, Mavic Deemax wheels, Magura MT5 brakes, Maxxis tires, and flat pedals.

Rider: Morgane Charre
Age : 27
High : 5' 4" / 1.63m
Home town : Entremont (close to La Clusaz)
Instagram : @morganecharre

Bike: Bergamont Encore Team (165mm)
Size : S
Drive Train : SRAM Eagle X0
Crankset : Truvativ Descendant 30T
Rear shock : Custom Manitou Swinger
Fork : Manitou Matoc 170 mm
Brakes : Magura MT5
Wheels : Mavic Deemax
Tires : Maxxis High Roller II 27.5 x 2.40 3C DH Casing
Weight : 32.2 lb / 14.6 Kg (verified)

French Enduro Series bike check

French Enduro Series bike check
Her Manitou Swinger shock looks like the old version on the outside, but Morgane's shock has been custom tuned, with different internals than the stock version.
French Enduro Series bike check
Morgane rides with the Encore it in the slackest position, which lowers the bottom bracket and puts the head angle at 65°.

French Enduro Series bike check
A 170 mm Manitou Matoc and some Magura MT5 brakes.
French Enduro Series bike check
Truvativ Descendant carbon crankset with a 30-tooth chainring.


French Enduro Series bike check
Morgane can choose any tire on the market as she deals with Cycle Tires, a tire shop specialist. For this race she decided to run the classic Maxxis DH High Roller II.

French Enduro Series bike check
Don't trust this photo, Morgane rides with a 760mm wide bar.


French Enduro Series bike check
Morgane Jonnier's
Peugeot M01 FS

The 2016 French Enduro Cup overall winner, Morgane Jonnier, has been riding for Peugeot since last year (yes, it's the same company that makes cars), and her race bike is the 145mm M01 FS. Morgane also has a deal with SR Suntour for the suspension, which is prepped for her by Two Wheels. She rides with a Shimano XT 11-speed drivetrain, XT brakes and XT wheels mounted with Michelin tires.

Rider: Morgane Jonnier
Age : 28
Home Town : Strasbourg
Instagram : @morganejonnier

Bike: Peugeot M01 FS
Size M
Transmission : Shimano XT
Wheels : Shimano XT
Brakes : Shimano XT
Fork : SR Suntour Auron 170 mm
Rear Shock : SR Suntour Tri Air
Tires : Michelin Wild Enduro / Wild Grip'r Advanced
Weigh : 31.4 lb / 14.26 Kg (verified)
French Enduro Series bike check

French Enduro Series bike check
French Enduro Series bike check
A new Michelin Wild Enduro 2.40 up front and a Wild Grip'R Advanced in the back should work well here in the Vosges forest


French Enduro Series bike check
Morgane's running a SR Suntour Tri Air shock

French Enduro Series bike check
Single-sided frames seem to be all the rage these days.


Author Info:
richardbord avatar

Member since Jun 21, 2011
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99 Comments
  • 71 0
 Mondraker impregnated the Peugeot and gave it a baby-bump I think.
  • 8 17
flag endurocat (May 26, 2018 at 19:46) (Below Threshold)
 27.5 Represent!
  • 8 0
 Starting to feel good about my 29.1lbs 6X6 rig.
  • 8 5
 I see no good idea to expose the shock stanchion so much
  • 8 1
 Mondraker + Specialized Demo
  • 21 1
 just a generic astro frame
  • 11 0
 Imagine that Peugeot frame with the new Lefty? FUNKY
  • 8 1
 Astro bikes Wink
  • 2 1
 i tought it was a mondraker..
  • 2 0
 @mtbjelle: Google Asstro frame manufacturing company
  • 1 3
 Let’s reserve ourselves to saying: we were unfair to talk so bad of ARBR
  • 51 0
 Peugeot, they make one hell of a pepper mill.
  • 4 0
 That and a 208 t16, 800 plus hp and the all time record for Pikes Peak, But I still don't care for the look of there bike.
  • 1 2
 hipster enduro bike!!
  • 1 0
 @lake-st: Also the 908 and Onyx. Wish the Onyx would be a reality though.
  • 1 0
 @mtbikeaddict: And my favorite,the Oxia.
  • 46 2
 I've been riding the 29" Dacia Sandero for 2 years now and radio still works!
  • 37 2
 Peugot’s history making bikes goes back to 1882.
  • 8 0
 @mattwragg: isn't it hard to claim continuation when the rights to the name have been sold so many times?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycles_Peugeot#Factory_and_production_changes
  • 3 1
 I would be afraid to even show up with a Dacia. I need atleast a big SUV with my 2 pimped out Yetis on the bike rack.... dress to impress.
  • 13 0
 FYI Dacia = Renault, not Peugeot.
  • 2 0
 @NotNamed: Just like Mr. Tonka on YouTube.
  • 2 0
 @mattwragg: Cool, but Astro Engineering's goes to 1991.
  • 21 1
 Rocky Mountain is probably one of the nicest bikes I've ever seen, saw one at the bike shop in Revelstoke British Columbia.
  • 4 1
 Agree, they look so sweet. I'm surprised you don't see more of them around.
  • 3 0
 @KennyWatson: the hidden pivots design is super clean. I wish more companies would copy that idea. Single sided frame, internal routing and single sided pivots would look very organic.
  • 5 4
 You dont get out much eh?
  • 5 0
 And it holds a water bottle.
  • 2 1
 @jaame:I totally agree it looks nice but from an engineering point of view it’s not as good as a double shear bearing setup.
  • 12 2
 Wow, all over 31lbs! Bikes got hefty last couple years.
  • 14 1
 Dh'ish tires are heavy.
  • 2 0
 @jaydawg69: I dunno, many bikes with reg tires like 2.35MM/dhf are up there now...guessing the mass return to threaded bb is helping and big 12 speed dishes.
  • 2 0
 @jrocksdh: I think @jaydawg69 has a point about the tyres considering those bikes have carbon frames and top components.

Out of curiosity I just weighed my and my wife's bikes (Norco Sight and Giant Trance) and both weigh in the same ballpark as the bikes in this article (14.5 kg and 14.2 kg). We have alu frames and gx/slx level components, basic alu wheels, but non-DH tyres (2.35 MM front/NN rear snakeskin on both bikes).

It seems that the weight the pros' bikes have lost compared to our joe blow ones by going full carbon top spec has been regained by the DH tyres, exactly as jaydawg suggested.

I agree though that especially mid-travel trail bikes have become a bit heavier since everyone wants to ride them more aggressively. Our bikes are a step below the ones here in terms of travel and still weigh the same because right now e.g. a Sight will have pretty much the same major components (wheels, fork) as a Range, just different travel and geo.

[edit] Just noticed the Bergamont is actually alu, which makes its weight pretty good in comparison.
  • 1 0
 @bananowy: ya, and also many probably have inserts. That said, most carbon 29 bikes are avout 30lbs now with 12 speed.
  • 1 0
 @jrocksdh: My Santa Cruz Bronson with 2.5 DHF front and 2.5 Aggressor rear is under 30 lbs. It looks like a lot of these bikes are running fairly heavy components, like XT and GX eagle cassettes, and yes I would guess have tire inserts. My bike is not build light by any means either with X01 Eagle, an X2 rear shock, and the burly tires, but no tire inserts and carbon basically everything.
  • 10 1
 So people are literally getting their butts kicked by a Nancy-boy? Nice! I’ve been waiting for this since junior high...
  • 9 0
 That Peugeot is the same frame as carbon Romet prototype that Marcin Motyka has ridden. goo.gl/images/nLtA3p
  • 9 0
 Surely just a new Taiwanese catalog frame from MK , kinesis or aprotech or astromate
  • 1 0
 suspicious
  • 1 0
 @sethius: Not even that new, been in Astro's catalogue for a while.
  • 4 0
 I hope Manitou MTB can develop the Swinger into a top all mountain shock, as a match for the Mattoc forks which are awesome. I'm currently running a DVO Topaz which looks remarkably like Suntour Tri Air.
  • 6 1
 Peugeot still exists?
And hopefully that swinger means Manitou is working on a piggyback shock?
  • 3 1
 Swinger been out for years though
  • 2 0
 @poah: I mean a new piggyback shock, one not so... dated?
  • 6 0
 Is that Sabrinas younger sis?
  • 1 0
 Sure looks a lot like Sabrina...
  • 6 0
 Yes.
  • 5 0
 Suntour tri shock aka DVO Topaz
  • 5 0
 Suntour Triair shock aka DVO Topaz aka Monarch Plus
  • 13 0
 @tacubaya: Suntour Triair shock aka DVO Topaz aka Monarch Plus aka Trek Session
  • 3 2
 got an IFP rather than a bladder though
  • 4 0
 Would be helpful to know if the Rocky was weighed with the full water bottle in the picture
  • 4 0
 Water bottle was off the bike Smile
  • 1 0
 @lbatista: Thanks Smile
  • 3 0
 That Peugeot makes me think Ducati.
  • 3 1
 Its awfully pretty, hopefully it doesn't break?
  • 3 0
 At least a right hand front brake allows cleaner hose routing...
  • 3 2
 the proper way
  • 3 0
 @applepie: the moto way
  • 1 0
 don't think morgane is entirely retired from dh, she will not race all round of UCI DH worldcup and will not focus on the dh championship
  • 1 0
 A Peugeot-Citroën discussion on Pinkbike..... Holy Knob!!! Excited to see Lada releasing a mountain bike so that the Russians invit themselves to the discussion :-D
  • 1 3
 Batista may have been MX1 French champion in 2014 but not in the Elite category which is the equivalent of the AMA Nationals (not in term of level nor prestige), Sébastien Pourcel (Christophe's older brother) was. Batista does have some really serious kills in Motocross but he was ranked 29th on the 2014 season with 11 points.

www.elite-motocross.fr/resultatsftp/2014/005-Thomer%20la%20Sogne/MX1/Classement%20Championnat%20de%20France/classement/MX1%20Situation%20championnat%20de%20France.pdf
  • 3 0
 True, but I only made one race of the Elite Championship, so 29th is not my spot! Would not won the Elite but I could make my way better.
  • 1 0
 @lbatista: You were really good so yes I guess. I saw some vids of you in the past, pretty good at about everything you touch ala Shaun Palmer. The article stated MX1 French champ which can lead people to believe you've been Elite champ and I used to follow MX a lot (and still does) and I never heard about you being national champ. What championship (different category?) are we talking about?
  • 1 0
 Polygon called, asked to return their colors: www.kamplc.net/pic/536-collosus-dh1.png
  • 2 0
 Peugeot...your bikes look nicer than your cars
  • 2 0
 "Morgane Jonnier" has serious DH mash up name cred!
  • 2 0
 lol @ "transmission" instead of "drivetrain" on the Peugeot specs
  • 2 0
 Bike weights! Thank you! Slayer is dope.
  • 2 1
 Can we get some more info on the Peugeot bike? Looks very interesting.
  • 2 1
 cycles.peugeot.com/mountain/mountain/m01-fs-cadre-montage-carte
  • 8 0
 www.pinkbike.com/news/24-bikes-and-frames-taipei-cycle-show-2016.html
-> Astro
  • 2 0
 @pp37: and it looks like Astro also manufactures frames for Mondraker
  • 2 0
 @Dallasdownunder:

Peugeot: "Make the bike of your dreams by combining this high-end hardtail frame with carefully chosen components..."
  • 1 0
 @Dallasdownunder: So the name is hiding in plain sight 'A La Carte' in other words, they picked from the bike frame design menu the front end of a Mondraker, the mid of a Spesh, and the rear of that Diamondback
  • 2 0
 @Dallasdownunder: And Transition too...
  • 3 2
 @Kramz too bad the geometry is crap
  • 1 0
 Half agree. The head angle is not that slack - 67,5° - compared to the nowadays standards but it`s probably more responsive and sharp in switchbacks without losing confidence at high speeds. I have the same head angle on my old-but-awesome RM Slayer SXC with a 170mm RS Lyric, and it is so playful!
  • 1 0
 @Franzzz: Yep! I can still get rowdy on my 67.5 ha.. Still super responsive and climbs beautifully!
  • 1 0
 @Franzzz: The head angle on the current RM Slayer is 65 degrees
  • 1 0
 @ukr77: I talked about my old-school Slayer, the SXC 2.0, not about the latest version ;-)
Of course the new version has got a 65° head angle, and BTW Rocky Mountain: when you want for the aluminium version of that new Slayer!!!
  • 1 0
 Does the Peugeot come in the Fred Salmon colourway? Big Grin
  • 1 0
 I really like that Peugeot bike and it's nice to see SR Suntour on it.
  • 1 0
 peugeot and michelin. o.z. wheels should start making bike wheels then
  • 1 0
 Single sided frames look like shit.
  • 1 0
 Does anyone know the brake rotors on Batista's Rocky Mountain?
  • 1 0
 I really like that Peugeot frame
  • 1 0
 The Peugeot bikes is branded Beast Bikes Hunter.
  • 1 1
 That Mondraker sure does has a funky rear end. Wait...Peugeot???
  • 2 2
 XT 8000 FTW
  • 1 3
 Peugeot is the French Mercedes!
  • 4 0
 Citroen is the luxury car maker not Peugeot.
  • 3 0
 @EnduroriderPL: The old C6 beats any Merc or Audi any day, on looks and comfort at least...
  • 6 0
 @Red-Rims525: and depreciationWink
  • 1 0
 @Red-Rims525: Not sure about the looks...
  • 1 0
 @Red-Rims525: true! Car made of glass and wood Wink
  • 1 0
 @applepie: you pay depreciation in advance in overpriced products
  • 1 0
 @EnduroriderPL: ok so the 1979 Peugeot 604 was labeled the "French Mercedes". Peugeot also referred to a bunch of other models the same way. Dang I am old that I know this unless information
  • 2 0
 @Krzymndyd: beat Citroen DX and SM and C6 with any Peugeot models please Wink







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