Hot or not? Race bikes with dropper posts and wide tyres

Cross-country race bikes were long regarded as instruments of torture with star allure. Built for athletes with superhuman fitness and perfect riding technique, who could also tackle World Cup routes on a cyclocross bike if necessary. But modern race bikes are becoming more and more suitable for everyday use. Flatter steering angles are more forgiving, thanks to wide tyres and wide rims there is also plenty of grip and when things get steep, you simply lower the saddle. Great for weekend racers and kilometre-hungry long-distance bikers. But what do professional racers say about the technology trends? We used our big 2021 race bike test to find out from our pro testers Karl Platt and Pirmin Sigel.

Trend 1: Lowerable seat posts and remote controls

Karl Platt: "I ride a lot with a dropper post - a Rockshox Reverb AXS - and use an inconspicuous, wireless button remote (Sram AXS Blip) on the handlebars, right next to the grip. This is absolutely minimalist and saves me the cables. This means I can use the classic thumb levers for the suspension lockout. However, I use the lockout more sporadically: when attacking, in sprint finishes or on short, steep stretches to pedal hard."

Pirmin: "I ride without a dropper post and with a shared lockout for the fork and shock, but I only really use it on tarmac. A completely clean cockpit would be the dream, but there's no other way. The reason why I haven't fitted a dropper post is because I would hardly ever use it. In many racing situations, you simply can't reach round or take your hand off the handlebars. Especially not when you're already done and dusted by lap five. And it works quite well as it is."

Trend 2: Weight - hardtail versus fully?

Pirmin: "I'm not a weight freak. More important to me than the weight is that I feel comfortable on the bike, even if the bike is a few hundred grams heavier. That's why I immediately reach for a fully if I don't feel one hundred per cent comfortable on a route on a hardtail. Especially as the extra weight of my fullys is quite manageable at around one kilo, thanks to the conventional seat post."

Karl: "Thanks to the Vario seatpost, my fully weighs around 1.5 kilos more than my hardtail. That's why the hardtail would make good time on some climbs. And you can also go fast downhill on a hardtail, at least for a short time. The problem, however, is that you're always taking a huge risk. On the one hand, you risk getting a flat tyre or another defect. On the other hand, you could end up stuck to the nearest tree because of a riding mistake. That's why, for me, the heavier fully is usually the faster and better bike."

Trend 3: Wide tyres and rims - how much is too much?

Karl: "I've ridden with a lot of rims, including very wide ones. My opinion is that wide rims over 30 millimetres are too heavy and create an uneven tyre profile - which is bad for rolling resistance. I therefore ride with 25 to 28 millimetre inner rim widths but with 2.35 inch wide tyres. They don't look much wider than 2.25 inch tyres, but you can lower the pressure a little further and have more grip and more comfort."

Pirmin: "I'm currently riding with rims with an inner rim width of 25 millimetres and 2.25 inch wide tyres. I haven't had much opportunity to experiment with the tyre width. But I can imagine that 2.35 inch tyres will make even more sense in the long term."

Trend 4: System integration and handlebar-stem units

Pirmin: "Sure, the handlebar-stem units or a clean cable routing look great. Just like the Canyon, for example. Then there's the stiffness and weight advantage of handlebar-stem units. But it's no longer possible to quickly turn the handlebars a little. That's why: If you can try it out and get on well with it, it's ok. I would advise against it for the masses."

Karl: "I think system integration is super important - both visually and functionally. However, there are clear disadvantages, especially with the handlebar-stem units: Because the cockpit can then no longer be easily customised."

You can find these ten 2021 MTB hardtails and race fullys in the test:

• Canyon Exceed CFR Team
• Mondraker Podium Carbon RR
• Orbea Alma OMX M Team
• Scott Scale RC 900 WC
• Cannondale Scalpel Carbon LTD
• Merida Ninety-Six RC 9000
• Orbea Oiz M Team
• Simplon Cirex GX1 Eagle
• Specialised Epic Expert
• Trek Supercaliber 9.8 GX

You can download the complete comparison test of the ten race hardtails and marathon fullys from BIKE 3/2021 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 2.99 euros. Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. We guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in EMTB. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them - hundreds of thousands of euros every year.

Downloads:

Test race bikes: hardtails and fullys (pdf)