Usually when we review a bike, we go over previous iterations, updates to geometry, or if it’s a new model, how it fits in with a brand’s existing offerings. In the case of the Revel Rail, however, the usual pfaffing is unnecessary because this is a brand-new bike from a brand-new company. That the Revel Rail held its own at the Bible was impressive, and that the brand pulled this off in their first year is quite frankly mind-boggling.

It would be easy to paint this bike as an underdog, but that’s not exactly the case. The Revel team, while small, packs a ton of industry expertise—and consequently everything on this bike feels well thought out. The geometry is what you’d expect for an aggressive 27.5-inch trail bike (75-degree seat tube, 65-degree head tube and 430-millimeter stays), and you get all the modern touches, like guided internal routing, refined layups and just one size of pivot bearings. The company even designed a clever integrated chain guide.

Still, the numbers only tell half the story. We were shocked by the immediate sense of confidence we got from this bike, pretty much from the minute we pulled it off the stand. It doesn’t feel like a small company’s first attempt; it feels like an established heavy-hitter.

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