This J.Laverack’s R J.ACK Disc titanium road bike has been given a one-off finish inspired by multi-time MotoGP World Champion turned racing driver Valentino Rossi, and we like it a lot – so let’s take a look.
> Check out our recent review of the J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc Classic
The R J.ACK in its rim brake form was a finalist in the road.cc Superbike of the Year way back in 2016/17 although, as you can see, this model is equipped with disc brakes. When we recently reviewed the J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc Classic, we called it an “excellent modern take on the classic titanium road bike, with a great ride quality and overall finish”.
We’ll come back to the R J.ACK Disc itself in a minute. What about that finish?
Even non-MotoGP fans know about Valentino Rossi, right? It’s fair to say that Italian Rossi is a bona fide motorcycling legend with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven in 500cc/MotoGP. Admittedly, road.cc is a bit out of its comfort zone when it comes to motorcycle racing, but, you know… Valentino Rossi.
You might expect a Rossi-inspired bike to focus on his nickname – The Doctor – or the number 46 race number he used throughout his race career. All kinds of merchandise out there follow those themes, but this J.Laverack’s R J.ACK Disc takes a different tack.
You’ll be forgiven for not recognising that this design is inspired by the custom livery of the Honda NSR500 that Rossi raced on the Mugello Circuit in Scarperia e San Piero, Florence, in 2001. No, us neither, but that’s not really the point, is it? Hardcore fans, like the chap called Carl who commissioned this J.Laverack’s R J.ACK Disc, might be more familiar with it. Rossi apparently has a love for Hawaii, hence the flower motif.
The outside of each fork leg is matte white while the inner face – closest to the front wheel – is matte blue, with the Hawaiian flower design over the top.
The flower theme continues on the carbon rims and the blue carries over to the Chris King R45D hubs. Although they might not look it in all the pictures, they’re midnight blue, as is the Chris King AeroSet headset.
What we particularly like about the finish is that if you don’t get the Valentino Rossi connection… no matter. It might or might not be to your taste, but you’re not going to miss this one, are you? We’ve covered flower-themed paint jobs plenty of times in the past; check out this custom Trek Madone from 2010, for example.
“We always encourage creativity using our ‘one of one’ design service, and allow the customer to use the bike as a canvas to express their own passion and interests,” says David Clow of J.Laverack Bicycles.
“This is arguably the boldest paint design we’ve ever done… and the paint shop has done an amazing job here. Although it was challenging, the execution is brilliant.”
The bike is built to a custom geometry based on the J.Laverack’s R J.ACK Disc Race. The R J.ACK Disc we reviewed recently was built to what J.Laverack calls a ‘Classic’ geometry, which puts you into a ride position that’s a little more relaxed – a shorter top tube, a longer head tube… you know the deal.
When reviewing the J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc Classic for road.cc, Stu Kerton said, “The J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc Classic is a well-designed all-round road bike with traditional values updated with a modern twist. The ride characteristics are excellent, as is its versatility thanks to the customisation on offer, which makes the R J.ACK an excellent choice if you want performance, quality and comfort.”
The frame you see pictured here has a hand-brushed finish with bead-blasted graphics. The head badge is engraved, and there’s more engraving on the bottom bracket and the rear dropout.
Enve’s In-Route system is used at the front end of the bike, meaning that the brake hoses are fully internal, and it gets an Enve carbon seatpost that’s topped with a Brooks Cambium C13 saddle.
> Read our review of the Brooks Cambium C13 saddle
The groupset is top-level SRAM Red AXS 2×12, although you can spec whatever you like.
> Check out our review of SRAM Red AXS
If you’re interested in a R J.ACK Disc for yourself, you can get in touch with J.Laverack and chat through any special design features – anything from a custom fork colour to a more elaborate finish like the Valentino Rossi-inspired finish shown here.
The J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc is available as a frame and forks from £3,650, with complete bikes priced from £4,950.
