Designed and fabricated in North Yorkshire, the RC529 is the very latest, rather capable-looking steel hardtail to come out of the UK.
• Steel frame
• 29″ or MX wheels
• 140-150mm fork
• 64.5° head angle, 77° seat angle
• Reach: 478mm, 497mm or 521mm
• 430mm chainstays
• Frameset price: £789
• www.pacecycles.com
Frame Details
The front triangle is composed of a Reynolds 853 custom-butted tubeset, with gusset reinforcement at the downtube-headtube interface. The stays are custom chromoly, shaped to permit tire clearance up to 29″ x 2.5″ or 27.5″ x 2.8″. Cable routing runs external, with a port into the seat tube for stealth routing of a dropper seat post.
The rear-end has boost spacing, and the dropouts are modular. A sliding dropout option allows for chainstay length adjustment between 430mm and 443mm. The main reason for that is to allow for chain tension adjustment, especially for those who want to run it single-speed, though Pace do say that it can also be used to lengthen the wheelbase a touch for those who feel the handling could benefit. There’s a non-adjustable dropout option for the drive-side, for use with a custom hanger for mounting of a T-Type derailleur – the dropout itself is not a UDH, as it is on the RC429.
There are ISCG tabs for the mounting of a chain guide and bash guard, and eyelets on each end to accommodate fenders.
Geometry
The RC529 is available in medium, large and extra large, and can be run as a complete 29″ affair, or in an MX configuration. With a 150mm fork at sag, the bike has a pretty slack 64.5° head tube angle. Seat tubes are reasonably short, with some very, very generous reach figures (478mm on smallest option) delivering what I imagine will be a cavernous cockpit.
Though the rear-center is adjustable between 430mm and 443mm, Pace recommend keeping it short to give the bike the intended ride feel. Pace publish a reasonably steep seat tube angle of 77° for all sizes, based on a specified effective top tube length.
In addition to the £789 frameset, the RC529 is also available as a rolling chassis at £2165.34 with a 150mm Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate and a Hope Fortus 30 wheelset with PR0 5 hubs.
Complete builds start from £3369; that cash secures you a 140mm Rockshox Pike Ultimate, Shimano MT620 wheels with Maxxis Ardent tires, a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain and SRAM Guide G2 RS, finished with components from Hope and Burgtec.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
