The panniers were not supplied by the importer, so the practical test was not a multi-day adventure, but an extra-long test lap. The question of the rideability of the new concept with 2.8 inch wide tyres is to be answered on the sawtooth profile with countless roots. But first to the BIKE lab: the frame weighs just 2.5 kilos. Rocky combines the familiar Element carbon main frame with an aluminium rear end specially adapted to the tyre format. It's obvious that you can't conjure up a lightweight from these ingredients. The fork weighs 2.2 kilos and the complete wheels weigh five kilos. And these are characterised by 45 mm wide rims. We set the air pressure to around one bar. The tyres roll surprisingly well. Even uphill, you don't find yourself travelling backwards in time. Thanks to the good riding position and the centre bar of the tyres, the Sherpa feels faster than expected. Downhill you can remain totally uncreative: Hold on to the handlebars, iron over it. You can clearly feel the stabilising gyroscopic forces, the tyres roll confidently over root carpets. The tyres lack lateral grip when riding at an angle, but they float on sand or gravel. The extreme Q-factor (distance between the cranks) of 190 mm caused knee pain on tarmac sections. And: The Sherpa is very expensive fun.
CONCLUSION The Sherpa doesn't fit any mould. As an all-mountain bike, it rides amazingly well. As an adventure bike, equipped with the bag set, it is unstoppable in rough terrain.
PLUS Exciting concept (with the panniers), cool look, safe in technical terrain
MINUS High weight, somewhat sluggish, poorly equipped for the money
You can read this article or the entire issue of BIKE 8/2015 in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop reorder:
Stefan Frey
Editor
