A bike tour is a journey through time and space, the longer it lasts and the further away it takes you from everyday life, the more enjoyable it becomes. If you add a third component to these two, namely the technical demands of riding, you will quickly end up with an all-mountain bike when looking for a suitable means of transport.
All Mountain - the name says it all. Not "Big Mountain", not "Flat Mountain", not "Only one Mountain" - bikes in this category should be able to conquer ALL mountains. Whether high or low, wooded or rocky. Uphill and downhill. We invited eleven test candidates with 27.5 inch wheels to show us whether they fulfil this requirement. The price range extends from € 2999 to € 3599, with the 2016 season mainly featuring aluminium models (exception: Giant and Radon with carbon frames) with suspension travel of 140 to 160 millimetres and mostly modern 22-speed drivetrains.
You can find these all-mountain fullys in the test:
- Bergamont Trailster 8.0
- Canyon Spectral AL 8.0
- Cube Stereo 140 HPA SL 27.5 (BIKE-TIP: specialised dealer)
- Ghost SL AMR X7
- Giant Trance Advanced 2
- Kreidler Straight 2.0
- Orbea Occam Am H10
- Radon Slide 140 Carbon 8.0 (BIKE-TIP: mail order company)
- Specialised Stumpjumper 650 Comp
- Stevens Whaka ES
- Votec VM Elite (BIKE TIP: Price/performance)
Some people will ask, why should I invest so much money in a new bike right now? What can these bikes do better than before? Do two more gears make such a big difference? The answer is clear: of course not. We know that thousands of bikers are happy with their 26-inch fullys, triple cranks and less travel than the one we're talking about in this test group. However, there are also enough bikers who are happy to receive buying advice because they have a concrete purchase intention at the moment. But it is also worthwhile for everyone else to read this test, because we have collected some interesting information for the regulars' table. Here we go:
First and foremost, the current vintage gives the impression that all-mountain bikes are mature. And the 27.5 inch wheel size has fully established itself. Sure, these bikes are relatively heavy, but they also perform better than before. Telescopic seat posts, stable frame constructions, stiffer forks and wheels leave their mark on the scales.
And yet the all-mountain category is changing in small steps. The best example at the moment is rim widths. Until recently, inner widths of 22.5 millimetres would have been classed as wide, but today some bikes have 2.35 or 2.4 inch wide tyres arching over rims with inner dimensions of 25, 27 or even 30 millimetres (Canyon). At first glance, you might think that the Canyon Spectral belongs in the plus category, that's how fat its wheels look. However, depending on the rider's weight, the advantages of a wider tyre are more or less noticeable. Light riders up to around 75 kilos, who can ride with low air pressure (1.3-1.5 bar), benefit more from this than heavier riders, who have to run significantly higher pressures to prevent punctures.
Another trend is short stems. Product management apparently considers 50 to 60 millimetres to be appropriate at the moment, but bikers with sporty aspirations (uphill) can go for 70-80 millimetres. The BIKE test team has different opinions on this. However, it is important to all our riders that the cockpit is not too high, because then you don't put enough weight on the front wheel on the downhill. Anyone who skis is familiar with the phenomenon: the turn initiation happens via the tips of the skis and you lose control when you're backwards. Applied to our sport, this means that the pressure on the front wheel combined with the steering angle steers the bike.
Now it's up to the tyre how well it implements the command. This leads on to the next point: many product managers are focussing on grippy rubber compounds at the front and fast-rolling rubber compounds at the rear. Schwalbe calls them Trail Star and Pace Star. But don't let the tyre whisperers put you off. The enduro racers in our test team certainly feel every single stud and every PSI of air pressure difference. Average bikers encounter completely different problems. For them, the rideability of a key section - hand on heart - depends more on self-confidence and riding ability. Even the second set of chunky tyres that Radon gives its Slide 8.0 for free on the journey to the customer (see test letter) are honestly only needed where it really rumbles.
The 2.25 inch narrow lightweight tyres fitted as standard are unsuitable for our classic Lake Garda tour, but they are perfect for low mountain trails. Nevertheless, we think Radon boss Chris Stahl's idea is clever - for the buyer, the additional free set of tyres is a gift that is gladly accepted.
At the beginning we talked about the number of gears. There are 11, 20 or 22 in this test group, but we think the 22 gears of the Shimano XT are currently the benchmark. The gear range is impressive, the small gradation on the crank (36/26 teeth) makes sense, and with the multi-release function in the right-hand gear lever (only on XT and XTR), you can change gears in a double pack.
With so much praise for Shimano, there is also some criticism. The problem child in this test was - once again this season - the new Shimano XT brakes*. On all the bikes fitted with them, the brakes exhibited pressure point wandering, which is the name given to the phenomenon where the lever moves from or to the handlebars when braking. This makes precise metering impossible, and pressure point wandering also distracts the rider's concentration from the trail. Because the Japanese company has not commented conclusively on the problem, we have devalued the XT brakes by three points in the points table. It is currently unclear whether this problem can be rectified or only affects early production batches. In any case, it is very annoying for the customer. Even more so for mail-order bikes, because dealing with a problem - even if it's just a simple bleeding of the brake - is more time-consuming than at a specialist dealer. To make this clear: Without having counted, we claim that the brakes on 90 per cent of all 2016 test bikes equipped with Shimano XT were problematic. Bergamont, Canyon, Ghost, Stevens and Votec suffer from the points deduction in the final points system and the evaluation.
TEST SUMMARY: All Mountains fully live up to their name. Apart from the weight, the 2016 model year impresses with reliable riding characteristics, solid equipment and riding fun. Clear favourites emerge from the eleven test bikes. Low weight, carbon frame and harmonious equipment make the Radon the test winner. Close behind are Votec, Canyon and Cube. Incidentally, we had the most fun downhill with the Specialized Stumpjumper - despite its low level of equipment.
* The statement about the Shimano XT brakes refers to the test bikes from BIKE 5/16. In the 2017 model year, we haven't noticed any problems with pressure point shifting so far.
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Used instead of new: the better choice?
Is it a good idea to spend the same amount on a previously much more expensive used bike instead of €3000 for a new one? Our test with a 2015 Trek Remedy provides the answer.
Where can you get more bike for your money for 3000 euros?
In a bike shop or second-hand?
We scoured the second-hand market for top models from the recent past. The result: Our favourite candidates such as the Cannondale Jekyll 1 or Stumpjumper FSR Carbon are not changing hands for around 3000 euros. The Trek Remedy 9 (4199 euros), on the other hand, is now being traded for 2800 euros. We cheated the used bike into the test field to see how it performs. First plus point: The bike has already been well set up by the previous owner and converted to tubeless. You can't feel any difference on the climbs of the test lap. Similar weight, just as good-natured uphill. Handling and geometry are up-to-date. However, the 2015 Remedy doesn't outperform the new bikes on rough downhill trails. The reason for this is that the fork is dry and the shock also urgently needs a service. You will certainly have to budget 250 euros for a service of the entire suspension. The rear tyre is also worn out. In this case, the outstanding repairs will make the used bike just as expensive as a new one. However, it would be smart to look around for a new 2015 discontinued model.
