Never heard of the Ra Bergsra? Time to change that, because the charismatic steel enduro fully is more than just a beautiful piece of metalwork. Company founder Ralph Richardson has a downhill racing background and a preference for bikes that last a long time - even when ridden hard.
The frame builder lives in the mountains of North Yorkshire and likes to let it fly on his mountain bike. As he was constantly destroying other bikes and having to painstakingly repair them, he came up with the idea of building his own steel frames.
The racer taught himself welding, 3D printing and CNC milling. In 2013, he tested his first downhill fully in a race. Richardson has been a full-time frame builder since 2017. The Ra Bikes Bergsra is his latest creation and is "very British".
The Ra Bikes Bergsra in detail
- Area of application: Enduro
- Suspension travel: 170-200 / 165 mm
- Wheel size: 29" / Mullet
- Frame material: steel
- Weight: approx. 18 kg
- Price frameset: from 4000 GBP
- Special features: made in Britain, flip chips for geometry and progression adjustment, removable ISCG mount, interchangeable dropouts, optional floating brake mount, rear main bearing according to headset standard, double bridge fork compatible, custom paint possible
Headset as rear suspension bearing
The Bergsra is of course welded from British steel. The top tube was originally developed for the Maserati 250F racing car. For Ra Bikes, however, steel has no nostalgic value, but clear advantages in terms of the riding characteristics and durability of a mountain bike. Ra Bikes therefore offers its customers a lifetime guarantee and uses weather-resistant stainless steel in critical areas. Nine prototypes were used to develop the Bergsra over a period of five years. With 165 millimetres of suspension travel at the rear and up to 200 at the front, the Enduro is designed to take on really demanding terrain. The extra-reinforced head tube is compatible with double bridge forks. If you want to go all out, you can convert the Bergsra to a floating brake mount to experiment with the interaction between deceleration and suspension.
Interchangeable dropouts, together with a kinematics and geometry flipchip, enable customisation to the respective terrain. The progression of the rear triangle can be adjusted in four steps. The fully is compatible with either a 29-inch or a 27.5-inch rear wheel. In the standard setting and in frame size L, the chainstays measure 435 millimetres and the reach is 485 millimetres long. The head angle is 63.5 degrees slack and the seat angle is 79 degrees steep. Ra Bikes did not want to compromise on the durability of the main bearing on the rear triangle and chose bearings based on the IS41 headset standard with a huge diameter. Other details include a bolted bottom bracket, an external cable guide and a detachable ISCG mount for the chain guide. Prices for the Ra Bikes Bergsra frame start from 4000 British pounds.
Conclusion
Wow! With the Ra Bergsra, the connoisseur immediately realises that this is a bike by bikers for bikers. It's amazing that the maker behind it is self-taught. The exotic steel enduro offers an ingenious platform for customisation and still doesn't skimp on British charm and Highland craftsmanship. For racers in particular, a customised steel base could bring many years of pleasure. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Jan Timmermann
Editor
