With all the fanfare showered on marquee bikes from Juliana Bicycles in recent years, it can be easy to overlook the rest of the line. I’m as guilty as the next blinded-by-bling rider of getting swept up by the headliners and missing out on the opening band.
I chose the Juliana Furtado as my dream bike in 2013 and raved about the Roubion in this year’s Bible of Bike Tests, but until now I glossed right over the Juno. The practical, 5-inch-travel trail bike is as capable and fun as its flashier counterparts, and it knocks $800 to $1,000 off the ‘R’ Furtado build.
The Juno’s geometry is nearly identical to that of the Furtado with its
playful combination of a 68-degree headtube angle, 27.5-inch wheels and
17.1-inch chainstays, but it incorporates a simpler, singlepivot suspension
instead of Santa Cruz’s VPP. Also, the two complete Juno builds only come in an
aluminum frame with a 2x10 drivetrain.
At face value, I assumed the bike would feel clunky on climbs and
overwhelmed on descents, but on each ride I grew impressed with its abilities,
particularly when it came to suspension and traction. The 130-mil RockShox
Sektor fork felt confident on fast, rock-garden descents and the Fox Float
Evolution CTD followed suit–the trail seemed to get smoother the more speed I
gained. Smaller, low-speed bumps, proved to be a slightly rougher ride. The
Maxxis High Roller 2.3-inch front tire and Ardent rear tire mated to WTB
Frequency i19 tubeless rims never slipped a single time on a relentless
singletrack climb with god-awful-steep 25-percent pitches. The tires also
stayed dutifully gripped to the ground on uphill rock ledges and boulders that
required hard, out of the saddle efforts to clean.
But, there is a price to pay for affordability and Juliana skimped in a
few noticeable places. The lack of a dropper post stands out and will be an
upgrade-must for most. Also, some people might miss a second bottle-cage mount.
Thankfully, the Juno comes with parts that matter more like a 720-mil handlebar,
142x12 rear axle hub and a 15 millimeter front through-axle. And it could
easily be upgraded over time with fancier bits. Or buy the frame and fork for
$1,300 and start from scratch. Either way, Juno has potential to be the star of
the show.
PRICE 2800$
