Bike check: Hannah Simms’ ST6-winning Juliana Wilder

TransRockies is celebrating 20 years of hosting mountain bike stage races this year at the 2023 Singletrack 6. Ontario’s Hannah Simms had a string of celebrations of her own, winning five stages of the six-day cross country mountain bike race and taking the overall title.

Riding a Juliana Wilder, Simms was able to consistently take wins over Bozeman, Montana’s Chelsee Pummel. New Zealand’s Imogen Smith as the race roamed the Rockies from Fernie, B.C. to Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass.

Bike Check: Hannah Simms’ Juliana Wilder

Simms raced a lavender Juliana Wilder C all week. This race build shows you don’t necessarily need electronic bits and bobs to stand on top of a podium. A cable-actuated drivetrain, suspension-lockout and a fast set of aluminum wheels were the winning combination all week at TransRockes’ XC classic.

Juliana Wilder C

Fox 34 Step Cast

The Wilder's 115mm suspension is controlled by a Fox Float DPS shock

RockShox TwistLoc keeps Simms' bars clean while adding a lockout for the fork

Race Face Next SL bars and Simms' SingleTrack 6 race plate

Race Face ARC 25mm rims show alloy can still win races

SRAM XO Eagle mechanical 12-speed drivetrain

OneUp chain guide and a 30-tooth Blackspire Snaggletooth chainring

The OneUp chainguide can be adjusted for different chaining sizes

An extra tube tucked in with a Shimano strap from Voile

Simms set up the Wilder with Race Face ARC 25mm alloy rims and was running 2.25″ tan wall Racing Ralph tires from Schwalbe. A Cush Core insert hiding in the rear tire helped keep Simms rolling through fast trails and the steep, rocky interlude in Crowsnest Pass.

Fox supplied a 34 Step Cast Factory fork, with a RockShox TwistLoc remote lock-out to keep the bars clean, while a Fox Float DPS shock smoothed out the Wilder’s 115mm of rear-wheel travel. Up front, Race Face’s Next SL carbon fiber bars keep things light, with Race Face promising a better ride quality even at narrower XC widths than wide bars cut down.

Drivetrain is by SRAM, with a mechanical XO Eagle 12-speed group and two-piston brakes while Fox adds a Transfer dropper post. For extras, the Wilder is set up with a minimalist OneUp chain guide and a Shimano-branded Voile strap carries an extra tube since remote stage racing carried riders far from aid stations all week. A single, Bontrager RL bottle cage kept Simms hydrated.