The test laboratory
It would be so easy and would also save a lot of time, expertise and ultimately money. But even after 35 years of BIKE tests, we still take the hard road. Instead of simply accepting manufacturers' specifications, we prefer to form our own judgement. Disassembling, measuring, assessing and finally evaluating are therefore among our core competences. We will therefore continue to maintain our own test laboratory in the future.
Real data instead of guessing values!
Apart from BIKE, there is no other magazine or website in the world that relies so comprehensively on actual values instead of comparing and publishing manufacturers' specifications. Real weights, measured frame stiffness and wheel inertia as well as exact geometry data: You can only get all this from BIKE.
But why all the effort? Quite simply, desire and reality often drift further apart than you might think. A steering angle deviation of over two degrees, a reach that is up to 25 millimetres shorter and a deviation of more than half a kilo from the desired weight are not uncommon in everyday testing. Instead of groping in the dark when testing and relying solely on an individual's gut feeling, we stick to elaborate laboratory measurements, modernise and even redevelop. An immense effort to be able to evaluate bikes even better, keep pace with developments and set new impulses. In order to investigate the question of how much stiffness is actually necessary in the overall mountain bike system, we have made an unprecedented effort. With a total of seven specially prepared bikes and two different wheels, we got to the bottom of the issue in a gigantic blind test. The findings were fed directly into our brand new stiffness test rig, which now provides important data on riding characteristics.
The laboratory measurements at BIKE
School grades create transparency
What use is the most striking test judgement or the most flowery conclusion if you can't understand where the grade comes from in the first place? We therefore continue to focus on transparency and provide clear information about the strengths and weaknesses of a bike or other test products. Neither the composition of the test judgement nor the weighting of the individual criteria remains hidden from us. To make it even easier to categorise the test product in future, we are now switching to a school grading system, similar to Stiftung Warentest or our sister magazine TOUR. This will make it easier to categorise products even without knowing the specific grading system. In future, there will no longer be a maximum of 250 possible points for a complete bike. The "Super" test rating will also disappear from our ranking. Our new spectrum of grades ranges from "very good" to "poor" for all tests. The "very good" rating will therefore only be awarded to truly outstanding products.
The structure of the individual test criteria has also changed. Previously divided into uphill, downhill and other, in future we will be working with the three main criteria: Riding behaviour, laboratory and equipment. There is a separate individual score for each of these. Riding behaviour, which is determined by at least three experienced testers in the practical test, makes up the lion's share of the overall score. Across all full-suspension categories, 65 per cent of the final score is based on handling, which is divided into uphill and downhill performance. Depending on the category, more points are awarded for uphill or downhill. A further ten per cent comes from the laboratory and another 25 per cent comes from the features. Due to the additional determination of seating comfort for hardtails (Fig. 4), the influence of the laboratory score is greater for these bikes.
Warranty, ease of servicing and frame stiffness are other factors that help to decide whether to buy a bike, but are not included in the final score.
Valuation in detail
1 Driving behaviour: The most important point in the new evaluation system accounts for 65 per cent of the final score for fullys. We continue to differentiate between how well a bike can be ridden uphill and downhill and how the suspension works accordingly.
2 Laboratory values: In the fully categories, overall weight and wheel inertia are determined, which make up a total of ten per cent of the grade. For hardtails, the percentage increases because another laboratory value is added with the seat comfort measurement.
3 Equipment: With a total of 25 per cent, there are five different points in the equipment section. In addition to the quality of the components and add-on parts, we also rate things that create added value for the rider. This could be an integrated tool or a steering stop limiter, for example. We also honour the ability to attach a water bottle in the frame triangle. The retractability of the saddle and ultimately the quality and workmanship of the frame are also closely scrutinised and objectively assessed.
4 Warranty, ease of servicing, frame rigidityBIKE also meticulously analyses the warranty period in years, the serviceability of the bike and the frame stiffness. These are all important criteria that can be a decisive factor when buying a bike.
5 Overall grade: The three individual grades for handling, laboratory and equipment add up to the final score.
