Ghost Bikes Cagua 6590 650B 2014
Reviews / Enduro Bikes
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At A Glance
Ghost are a German bike brand that has an eye for detail, function over form takes precedence and the result is a large range of bikes that perform.
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We got our hands on the Cagua 6590 650B, this is a straight up Enduro bike that matches 155mm of travel and 650B wheels, a potent and very current hotspot in the mountain biking market place right now.
Tech Heads
Ghost use heavily hydroformed aluminium to create the Cagua frameset. A full 1.5 head tube allows plenty of fork choice and angle set options. The BB shell and chainstay pivot point are integrated into a single shell which is then welded to the seat tube and down tube. The front derailleur is mounted on the chainstay, thus tracking the rear axle path to ensure things are keep inline. There is no internal cable routing but tabs are provided for dropper seat post routing.
Ghost use a four bar system that is tried and tested and quite simply works. They also base all their mountain bikes around the same geometry concept, that being a slack head tube angle, a steep seat tube angle and short chainstays. These things are relative, the seat and head tube angles are pretty much standard but Ghost have managed to keep the chainstays impressively short at 430mm.
The Cagua 6590 comes with a mixed bag of components, Ghost clearly decided to go with what they felt worked rather than throwing their lot in with one of the big providers.
Suspension comes in the form of Fox Talas 34 CTD Factory with Trail Adjust fork and a Fox BV CTD Factory with Trail Adjust rear shock. We have some gripes with the fork, it is difficult to get set up right and we feel that Fox have gone a touch too far in redressing the issues of last year.
Drivetrain is all SRAM XO 10 speed, which worked without fuss throughout, despite the front derailleur being exposed to large amounts of debris from the rear tyre. The 10x3 set up is perhaps a little overkill on a bike like this where 10x2 or 11x1 seems to be the gearing of choice these days.
Shimano Saint handles braking with a 180mm rotor matched to the directly mounted on the frame tabs rear caliper. At the front the 203mm disc boasts extra cooling by way of radiator fins. The performance of these brakes can only be described as outstanding.
Wheels are based around silent running XTR hubs; these are laced to Alex MD 23 rims, which offer reasonable weight, 500g, and good width.
A Rock Shox Reverb is topped with a Stella Italia SLR saddle and Ghost supply the 60mm stem and 740mm mid rise bars.
Ghost Cagua 6590 19
Seat tube 480mm
Effective top tube 600mm
Head tube 125mm
Chain stay 430mm
Front triangle 729mm
Wheel base 1159mm
BB drop -15mm
Head angle 67°
Seat angle 74°
Reach 420mm
Stack 625mm
Weight w/o pedals 31lbs
On The Trail
Out on the trails it quickly becomes apparent that Ghost has found a way to get this four bar system to pedal like a VPP.
There is very little bob at all in either ring and gaining height is surprisingly easy, it feels like you are riding a 120mm travel bike and we ended up scampering up climbs with energy to spare. By improving climbing efficiency some of the rear end traction can be lost, we offset this by running the rear at lower pressures which helped and made it supple over general trail chatter.
On twisty trails the Ghost was smooth and manoeuvrable, handling is neutral and composed yet a squirt on the pedals introduces an instant injection of pace. Get the Cagua out in the open and things get faster yet remain stable and calm, always capable and rarely flustered the Ghost has impeccable trail manners.
On descents the Ghost Cagua handles things well but on seriously steep terrain we felt that we would like a degree off the head tube angle but that would take away some of the easy handling traits elsewhere.
For
The Ghost Cagua is an efficient, capable bike that climbs superbly.
Some great kit, the Saint brakes are a highlight.
Against
The fork would benefit from some rider specific tuning when serviced.
Overall
Ghost have put together a very able bike in the Cagua, it is comfortable and stable yet carries a surprising amount of pace.
Weekend warrior rides, trail centre trips and that week away somewhere mountainous with your mates, are well within the bikes capabilities and there is the added bonus that you should be able to skin your mates on the climbs!
The Ghost Cagua 6590 650B is an enjoyable bike that offers top draw performance and kit at a price that puts some of the big boys in the shade.
Videos
This review was in Issue 27 of IMB.
For more information visit Ghost BikesRelated
By Chloe Griggs
Chloe Griggs is a ridiculously talented rider who puts the boys to shame when the going gets steep. She loves to spend the summers riding as many alpine trails as possible but is equally happy to be spinning the pedals on her local trails near home. She adds a touch of feminine class to the test team but that strictly depends on how many glasses of white wine she has had…
