As spring rolls into summer, this season’s new test bikes are rolling into the Dirt Rag World Headquarters at a feverish pace.  Allow me to introduce my trusty steed for the next few months: Gary Fisher’s new 140mm travel Roscoe Two.  For testing purposes, we settled on the middle-of-the-road Roscoe Two which retails for $3,850, slotting in between the $4,950 Roscoe Three and the $2,970 Roscoe One.  Frame is the same for all Roscoe models and they all use Fisher’s new Dual Rate Control Valve (DRCV) rear shock (RP23 on the Roscoe Three, RP2 on the Two and One models) which uses two air chambers to create a more linear spring rate.   Additionally, Trek’s ABP rear pivot has migrated over to the Roscoe.  Our Web Editor Karl Rosengarth attended the press launch of the Roscoe last summer, you can see his thoughts here.

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The Roscoe is an awfully good-looking bike with the extensive use of highly shaped hydroformed tubing.  This if one of the first bikes in a while that simply looks right to me.  Beefy swingarm and all of the tube shaping just looks like it is perfectly suited to the way each tube is loaded–at least according to my armchair engineering evaluation.

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After a handful of rides, I’m really starting to get the Roscoe’s suspension setup to my tastes and coming to terms with just how the Roscoe likes to be ridden.  The 140mm of travel on this bike is obviously quite capable, and is encouraging me to go faster, hit things harder, and leave the ground as much as possible.  Fortunately the best is yet to come, as now that I’m getting comfortable with the Roscoe its time to start pushing the limits…

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Stay tuned for further web updates and keep yoru eye out for the complete Roscoe review in an upcoming issue of Dirt Rag.  Check out the full spec for the Roscoe Two, and get all the tech info on the DRCV rear shock and ABP rear end on the Gary Fisher site.