Trail Cat with Big Paws
Droppin’ in: The Wildcat came alive when the trails pointed down. This bike is far from a lightweight superbike, but it’s more than willing to send it off all of our test riders’ favorite jumps and drops.
Rubber Side Down (RSD) was established in 2012 and is based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company has been known for building trail-ripping hardtails and snow-trekking fat bikes until just recently when it released the Wildcat—a plus sized, full-suspension trailbike. Building a bike that is fun to ride is no easy feat and, when that bike is a full-suspension mountain bike, the difficulties multiply. Thankfully, RSD wasn’t afraid to take on a new challenge, and thus the Wildcat was born. Considering that the Wildcat is RSD’s first-ever full-suspension mountain bike, our test riders didn’t quite know what to expect, so they opened their minds and tossed a leg over this new machine to see for themselves what the Wildcat was all about.
Ready to shred: The RockShox Pike provided our testers with top-notch performance, and the Wildcat’s plus-sized tires increased our riders’ confidence and control when shredding our local trails.
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
RSD sells its bikes directly to consumers; however, unlike other consumer-direct brands, its bikes come 50 percent assembled. This means a rider won’t need special tools to build his RSD, since the bottom bracket and cranks come pre-installed, the headset cups are pressed in and the fork’s steer tube is cut to length, but some mechanical know-how will be required. The builder should have a good pair of Allens, a T25 wrench and about 30 minutes of time to completely assemble the Wildcat. Riders unfamiliar with building bikes may want to bring theirs to a local shop.
The Wildcat is designed for aggressive trail riders searching for modern features that allow them to push harder on the descents. This RSD has Boost hub spacing, which provides ample clearance for plus-sized tires, and is equipped with 150 millimeters of travel up front and 120 millimeters in the rear. The Wildcat is also designed with a modern, long, slack and low geometry, giving riders the ability to attack trails at full speed.
RSD’s first full suspension: The Wildcat is RSD’s first full-suspension mountain bike. This bike has a Horst Link suspension design with 120 millimeters of travel.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
There are numerous suspension designs on the market today, but RSD decided to use the proven Horst Link design for its first full-suspension bike. RSD paired the rear suspension with a RockShox Monarch RT shock and spec’d a RockShox Pike up front. The Wildcat’s frame is constructed from aluminum and features an aggressive geometry with a 66.5-degree head tube angle, a 24.7-inch top tube and 17.5-inch chainstays. This bike can accommodate up to 3.8-inch-wide tires. It has external cable routing and has a threaded bottom bracket. The Wildcat can be purchased in the green color we tested here, or in a raw aluminum color with a protective clear coat.
Built for steep trails: RSD designed the Wildcat with a geometry that can easily tackle steep trails due to its slack head tube, leaned-back seat tube and a long-travel front end.
WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
The Wildcat offers a solid build kit aimed at delivering the best bang for the buck. Its RockShox suspension is designed to provide the utmost performance, whether the bike is pointed up or down the mountain, and its Shimano drivetrain has ample gearing, allowing riders of all fitness levels to charge up their favorite climbs. The Wildcat’s aluminum frame is a bit on the heavy side, weighing around 8 pounds for a size medium, but this bike is chock-full of high-performance parts and sells for just $3400. An equivalent set of components on a different frame would come at a much steeper price.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
Setting sag: The Wildcat has 150 millimeters of travel up front and 120 millimeters in the rear, which caused a few of our test riders to scratch their heads when trying to achieve a balanced feel. We first set up the bike with 20-percent sag in both the fork and the shock, but found the rear end was quickly blowing through its travel. We drastically increased the air pressure in the shock above what our test riders would normally run and found a balanced feel with about 15-percent sag in the shock. Our rebound was run five clicks from open in the front and four clicks from open in the rear. We then turned the low-speed compression on our fork up a few clicks to prevent the bike from diving in corners or under heavy braking efforts.
Moving out: Once a rider sets up the Wildcat’s suspension and figures out which air pressures work best in the plus-sized tires, the bike quickly comes alive. We found 15 psi in the front and 16 psi in the rear to be our magic number. Its easy to see that the Wildcat is made for fast and steep descents just by looking at the bike’s geometry. The Wildcat has a rearward-biased feel due to its leaned-back, 69-degree seat tube angle and its long-travel, slacked-out front end, which soaks up the trails with ease. This bike also features a long top tube paired with a short stem and wide handlebars so riders can attack rough terrain.
Good advice: The Wildcat’s chainstay has a friendly reminder telling its riders to keep it rubber side down.
Climbing: The Wildcat is a bit on the heavy side and requires a patient rider who likes to climb in a seated position. The RSD doesn’t have a problem conquering steep climbs; it simply goes at its own pace. The Wildcat is built for the person who climbs up the trail, straps on his gear and prepares to blast back down.
Cornering: This bike has a quick and nimble feel once it has gravity on its side. The Wildcat charges through corners with authority, and its plus-sized tires allowed our riders to confidently drift loose turns. Our testers found the 760-millimeter handlebars and 50-millimeter stem complemented the riding characteristics of this frame well and provided them with confidence when pushing the Wildcat on twisty trails.
Going up: The Wildcat provides its rider with low-range gearing and great traction while riding up the trails.
Descending: The Wildcat is built to shred down anything from flow trails to super-aggressive trails. It’s not a long-travel machine that floats over big obstacles; it’s a playful bike that likes to hop around and jump its way to the bottom of the mountain. Its geometry is well suited for steep trails that require a rider to lean off the back and just let it rip; however, it’s playful enough to be fun on flowy jump trails due to its short-travel rear end.
Braking: RSD spec’d a pair of Shimano XT brakes on the Wildcat to help keep its speed in check. Our test riders found the bike had more than enough stopping power, and the RockShox Pike fork provided a supported feel when they got on the brakes hard. When it came time to slow the Wildcat down, our test riders had no complaints about its ability to manage speed.
Shimano 11-speed: The Wildcat has a Shimano drivetrain with an 11-42 tooth cassette and a Race Face crankset featuring a 30-tooth chainring. The gearing gave our test pilots the ability to spin the cranks up steep climbs, but topped out quickly when pedaling hard.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
Riders unfamiliar with suspension setup may want to skip doing it themselves and have a local shop help them out. Individually, these suspension components are very user-friendly, but the Wildcat’s mixed travel can make it hard to dial in a balanced feel. Next, we recommend Wildcat owners purchase a pair of tubeless valves and sealant so they can set their bikes up tubeless. The bike comes with tubes, so simply save those as emergency spares.
Whip it good: The Wildcat is built for a rider who would rather shred trails than spend a day on a racecourse.
BUYING ADVICE
The Wildcat is RSD’s first full-suspension bike, and we were quite surprised with how well it performed. It has an approachable price, a great list of components and a geometry suited for aggressive trail and all-mountain riders. Those who are more mechanically inclined will also enjoy building up their own bike, knowing everything is tight and torqued to spec. Others may want to bring their new RSD to a local shop. Regardless, RSD proved that it, too, can make a full-suspension rig capable of hanging with all the others.
