Guest Article: Plush Rides, Australia

We have been importing Chumba frames into Australia since early 2005.  At that time, each frame was made-to-order, and welded and assembled by the same person who took your order, usually Ted.  What attracted me to the brand was how small the operation was, yet, how much inspiration and craftsmanship went into each frame.  I thought it was really cool I could call up the company, and talk to the person who designed and welded our frames.  

One of the first XCLs ever produced

I remember importing one of the first ten XCLs ever made.  I watched that frame go from production runs of 20 frames either assembled by Ted or Alan, and eventually into a frame that is now sold to hundreds of customers worldwide.  The frame has racked up glowing reviews from media both here in Australia and the US, this has been really exciting to watch.

Chumba’s products have only gotten better with time, and its nice knowing that your customer will come back with a smile after he or she throws a leg over the bike. The bikes have kept up with their racing heritage over here also. The bikes have racked up multiple championships both in DH and XC.  I vividly remember using CHUMBA's AM bike, the EVO, to help a sponsored rider compete with full-on downhill rigs and taking out an elite mens DH series and finishing top spot in 4 out of the 6 rounds.

We used this EVO to compete against many a DH rig

                                                     EVO in action!

Single speed CHUMBA!

                          A fun playbike.

I've also raced on many of CHUMBA's bikes.  Here's my latest machine:

Perfect for Super D

At only 26.2lbs (11.9kg) for a large-sized frame with pedals, tubes, and bottle cage this is a light and fast bike.  I've been able to modify the geometry with a 7.5" * 2.0" shock for a lower BB and slacker head angle - and I don't get any tire rub on full compression with a Maxxis Larson 2.0.

                                  Me, racing in Fontana with the CHUMBA team.

It's been a lot of fun watching the company evolve and grow alongside the sport and I'm happy to see a growing community of riders.  We look forward to continuing to working with CHUMBA in the future.  And if you are ever in Australia look us up for a ride!!!

Cheers!

Josh, Plush Rides