Don’t let the name fool you: the Blue Ryno Carbon mountain bike isn’t heavy or clumsy on the trail. In fact, like an actual rhino, this bike is fast, tough, and enjoys playing in the mud every now and then. Named after Blue’s marketing manager Ryan “Ryno” Barnett, a Cat 1 racer who was severely injured after being hit by a car on a training ride, this FS carbon bike is any serious XC rider’s dream come true.

So what makes this bike so fast? For starters the Ryno Carbon is lightweight - a medium-size frame weighs well under 5 pounds with the rear shock. I actually got to hold a bare XL-size frame (2474 grams) and it was shocking just how light the thing felt, almost like plastic. On the trail that light weight translated into  an extra 4-6 inches of air off whoops and joyous, nearly effortless climbs.

Serious XC riders may still worry about pedal bob on FS mountain bikes but as a longtime hardtail rider I have to say the Ryno climbs like a champ. In fact, on a recent test ride at the IMBA Epic Bull Mountain trail system I easily cleaned the entire rooty, eroded climb on the Ryno, something I had never done on either of my hardtails. With 3″ of rear travel the Ryno kept my tires in constant contact with the trail even on nasty short and chunky climbs. The Ryno also includes a front-suspension lockout on the standard built to improve climbing efficiency even further.

Riding the Ryno Carbon fast over rooty, rocky trails was a blast. On the descents at Bull Mountain I barely had to pick my lines and the Ryno suspension kept my wheels glued to the trail. Landing medium height jumps off whoop-te-doos was a cinch and the bike recovered almost instantly each time to keep the flow. The geometry on the XL model I’ve been riding features an extra long cockpit which kept me low and comfortable mile after mile.

The Ryno Carbon features asymmetrical carbon chainstays which may look a little odd at first glance but are actually born out of high tech design. The upshot? Improved rear triangle stiffness and lower weight overall. The stiff rear triangle transfers pedal power more efficiently and helps reduce side-to-side wheel torsion for even more precise cornering.

Like the XC Carbon, the Ryno frame is optimized for vertical compliance and lateral stiffness. This means even without the rear shock you won’t feel every bump in the trail and cornering remains crisp and tight every time. The carbon fibers in this monocoque frame are manually layered which produces a high strength, accurate build every time.

Complete Ryno bikes feature SRAM X.9 components which I found to be smooth as butter throughout testing. The Elixir brakes and suspension set-up produced few stutters or shakes on quick stops while the X9 Trigger shifters were consistently accurate, even in muddy conditions. Mavic Cross Trail wheels, Rock Shox Reba Race 100mm fork, Rock Shox Monarch 4.2 rear shock, FSA V-Drive crank, and Aerus carbon bars round out the component mix.

The X9 build offered by Blue certainly isn’t the lightest possible but it offers a great mix of reliable, quality components. The only choice that seems a little odd is the tire selection: Hutchinson Piranha 2.0s. These skinny tires certainly offer lower rolling resistance than say a more popular 2.2 or 2.3 tire but in this day and age they feel a little undersized. Then again, you can’t argue with fast!

The Blue Ryno Carbon is one of those mountain bikes that’s so light and responsive you can ride it for days without getting tired or beat up. And if think a full carbon, dual suspension mountain bike is out of your price range, think again - the complete Ryno Carbon retails for just over $3,500 (bare frame is $1,500). Blue quickly sold out of the 2009 bikes earlier this year and it’s no surprise - this is an ultra-fast bike at a great value. XC racers, ultra marathon riders, and 24-hour zombies take note: this is the bike for you!

Mudhunny and I started getting curious about Blue Competition Cycles last summer after hearing about them from a friend and over the next several months we talked with people at the company about their mountain bikes. Everyone we spoke with at Blue told us they only make mountain bikes for pro-level athletes - in other words not us - but we were determined to see what their bikes were about. I finally got a chance to borrow a Blue XC Carbon mountain bike back in March and now I totally understand what makes this such a serious mountain bike.

Construction

The Blue XC Carbon frame is lightweight at just 1330 grams thanks to its lugged carbon fiber construction. While you may be able to find carbon mountain bike frames that weigh a few grams less, Blue has designed the XC frame to stand up to serious abuse on the trail. Besides keeping you safe, that extra strength means your Blue bike will last for years and they even offer a limited lifetime warranty to back it up.

In terms of aesthetics, it’s hard to find a better looking mountain bike than the Carbon XC. If you’re new to the carbon fiber scene you’ll notice there are no welds at the tube connections and the frame is completely smooth. The XC Carbon is built up using carbon tubes and aluminum lugs, giving the joints a flared appearance around the connections. (Look for an upcoming article to discuss the basics of carbon frame construction.)

Performance

Performance is what really matters when it comes to serious competition mountain bikes and the Blue XC delivers it in spades. With carbon fiber, bike builders can optimize the stiffness of the frame along different dimensions (vertical, lateral, etc.) and the XC Carbon is designed to be as laterally stiff as possible. Lateral stiffness means that the energy from each pedal stroke is translated directly into moving the bike forward rather than bending the frame.

In practice this means the Blue XC Carbon is super responsive on the trail. My first test ride was on the 1996 Olympic MTB course with Ricardo, a younger guy who is much faster than me. Around tight corners the XC Carbon surprised me by holding its line better than any bike I’ve ever ridden. On the exposed granite sections the bike accelerated instantly with virtually zero power loss. Frame stiffness does come with a price and halfway around the course I let some air out of the tires for a little relief from the pounding. I can’t blame the bike though - this machine is designed for riding fast, not for making your butt feel nice.

On a follow-up ride I took the XC Carbon out to Yellow River to see how it handled on smooth, flowy dirt and again I was blown away by just how responsive the bike was. Initially I found myself brushing tree trunks because the bike turned more quickly than I expected. After a couple laps the bike felt like an extension of my arms and legs, responding instantly to every lean, hop, and pedal stroke. When riders talk about flow, this is what they mean!

The XC Carbon came out in 2005 and quickly earned its race cred with pro rider Seth Wealing, 2006 Xterra US Pro-Series Champion. Seth continues to ride for Blue and has been helping drive the development of a wildly popular new FS carbon bike called the Blue Ryno (hopefully I’ll have a chance to test one later this summer).

Components and Development

The Blue XC Carbon can be ordered as a frame only or with a full SRAM X-9 package. The bike I tested was a a non-standard, full XT build and the components performed as expected, though the wheels in particular were a little heavy. In 2010 the XC Carbon is getting a full makeover with a moncoque frame, increased head and down tube stiffness, and BB30 compatability.

Blue Competition Cycles is serious about building lightweight, stiff, and responsive mountain bikes for competitive riders. The only question is: can you keep up with the XC Carbon?