Em's Juliana Maverick
The #whatweride series takes a look into the bikes, components and accessories that are used by Stif staff members, team riders and close affiliates.
We’re all keen riders and regardless of whether it’s racing, shredding laps for fun, heading out on big epic adventures, or pre-work power hours, we are constantly on the search for the optimum set up and performance from the best bikes, components and accessories.
Every product on our both our physical and digital shelves is meticulously handpicked for a reason. We only stock products we fully believe in and ultimately use ourselves on the trails. The #whatwerideseries is to show these products in application and explain why
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Who's Emma?
Emlass joined us after an elongated jaunt around Europe’s finest mountainous car parks in a camper van she built herself - with the aim of riding world class trails and dipping in the best alpine lakes it sounded like one hell of a time! After a spell of working in the corporate end of the outdoor industry she recently gave in to the power of bikes and joined the Stif webteam, and now takes care of the magical BTS bits that make this website tick! Away from bikes Emma enjoys dungarees, brownies, doggies, and exotic teas.
The Bike
When it came to new staff bike time Emma decided to step things up in terms of wheel size and suspension travel and build up the latest Juliana Maverick C S kit bike. The C S kit build takes the everything you want, and nothing you do not approach, but that does not mean self-expression through customisation can’t happen. Keep scrolling as we take a tour through Emma’s Maverick and explain some of the changes she has made to finetune the bikes performance to best suit her style and desired aesthetic.
After a little toing and froing with frame sizes, Emma selected to ride the size small Maverick fitted with a 50mm stem.
As with all Juliana models Emma’s Maverick benefits from a lighter rebound and compression tune inside the rear shock. Juliana riders, like Emma, provide real world feedback to the Engineers at Santa Cruz, RockShox and Fox to best tune the suspension feel and usability for the typical Juliana rider. Ultimately, it offers the best balance of traction and control in the widest variety of scenarios, and the result is what makes Juliana different.
Dealing with big impacts and keeping things supported up front is the 2021 Fox 36 Performance fork. Emma runs the fork with the one supplied volume spacer and with the Grip damper compression lever set in the middle, this keeps things supportive but remains comfy and still irons out fast chatter with efficiency.
There’s also a sick looking mudguard from HKT products keeping front wheel spray at bay and stopping the stanchions getting peppered with grime.
Pointing said fork in the desired direction is a bar and stem combo from our friends at Burgtec, and grips from DMR. For 2021 Santa Cruz and Juliana complete builds are getting Burgtec cockpits as standard, something we’re very pleased about at Stif! In this case it’s a 50mm MK3 enduro stem and 20mm rise bar cut to 770mm – previously Emma has experimented with 760 and 780mm bars but finds 770mm nails that perfect sweet spot.
Keeping things rolling, and one of the freshest component changes to Emma’s bike is this Hunt Endurowide V2 wheelset. As a Hunt supported rider it’s likely this isn’t the going to be the first set of Hunt hoops we see during one of Emma’s bike checks!
Lining the wheels and adding to the bike’s killer looks are a pair of Hutchinson Griffus Racing Lab tyres with eye pleasing tan sidewalls. Several Stif staff members have tried this rubber combination and have been impressed with the high levels of traction and sublime carcass feel. Tyre pressures are set to 24psi front and 28psi rear.
Current S kit bikes come equipped with Sram’s latest GX Eagle drivetrain. Alongside extra smoothness and refinement the most recent iteration features a huge 10-52t (520% range!) cassette meaning there’s a gear for even the steepest inclines.
A subtle Garmin mount above the stem provides the mounting point for Emma’s on board computer. As a self-confessed topographical disorient Emma relies on the maps feature of her Garmin to stay on the right trail – it’s also proving to be a wicked tool for exploring new singletrack zones.
Code brakes prove the Maverick means business. The bikes do-it-all attitude doesn’t shy away from gravity fuelled days out, and it’s here where Sram’s most powerful stoppers come into play. With tons of well-modulated power, they continue to fill you with confidence regardless of how sketchy the situation may be.
Emma rides a lot and is a fan of a spontaneous day out or last-minute evening ride (followed by a swim ofc!) so we’re excited to see where the rest of summer will take Emma and her Maverick.
Interested in a Maverick or unsure if it is the best bike option for you? Give us a shout on the phone at either of our stores, or drop an email to sales@stifmtb.com or to any of our inhouse experts on the Juliana Maverick web page - we’ll work alongside you to figure out which model will best suit you and your riding needs.
Like these bike checks? We’ve got a wide variety of bikes in the pipeline so make sure to tune back in for more additions of the #whatweride series!