As a Propain team rider, guest tester Marcus Klausmann had to stay out of the evaluation of the Hugene. Klausmann, the fifteen-time German downhill champion, helped us test the bike on his home trails in Freiburg. But the mail-order bike also impressed the rest of the test team. Admittedly: At 4445 euros, the German forge makes the most of our price limit of 4500 euros. An easy task, as the bikes can be customised on the homepage.
Nevertheless, we had to look twice at the test confirmation, because the suspension alone is two classes better than the competition: Fox Factory suspension combined with a 36 mm fork, which is usually only used on enduro bikes. A Fox Factory dropper post, powerful Magura MT7 brakes and X01 Eagle gears with carbon cranks round off the comprehensive equipment list. Prepared in this way, the Propain Hugene is one of the lighter bikes in the test and also has the lightest 29er wheels, even if the frame is relatively heavy for full carbon.
But is the equipment advantage also noticeable on the trail? Absolutely: downhill, the Hugene knows hardly any limits and exudes the most enduro charm. As soon as you have mastered the complex suspension setup, the mail-order bike offers the best control and still provides sufficient feedback from the ground, even at high speeds and in rough terrain. The Hugene doesn't come with an extremely slack head angle or a super long reach. Thanks to the longest chainstays in the test, it is still on the smooth side and needs to be actively manoeuvred. The Hugene doesn't have to hide on the climbs either, which increases its range of use. Relatively light wheels, good rolling tyres and a drive-neutral rear end allow the bike to climb well.
Test summary of the Propain Hugene CF Performance:
Thanks to superior equipment and the best riding characteristics, the Propain Hugene CF Performance confidently took the test victory. Thanks to the high-quality suspension, it sets the tone downhill. However, due to the long chainstays, there are more playful bikes in this comparison.
Propain Hugene CF Performance 29" - model year 2019
Price²
4445 Euro (mail order)
Frame material / sizes Carbon/ S / M / L / XL (47 cm)
Weight without pedals 13.79 kg
Frame weight without shock absorber 2822 g
Wheel size 29"
Weight of wheels 4864 g
Handlebar width 780 mm
Frame rigidity (absol. / STW) 62 N/mm / 32.65 N/mm/kg
Front suspension travel 152 mm
Rear suspension travel 139 mm
Fork Fox 36 Float Factory Grip 2
Damper Fox Float DPX2 Factory
Cranks Truvativ Descendant Carbon
Circuit Sram X01 Eagle / 1x12 gears
Translation / bandwidth 32; 10-50 / 500 %
Brake system / disc front / rear Magura MT7 / 203 mm / 180 mm
Telescopic seat post / stroke / diameter Fox Transfer / 150 mm / 31.6 mm
Impellers Propain hubs; NoTubes ZTR Flow MK3 rims
Tyres Schwalbe Hans Dampf Evo Addix Soft 29 x 2.35
Reach / Stack / BB-Offset 448 / 617 mm / -23 mm
BIKE judgement SUPER (205.5 points)¹
You can download the complete comparison test of ten MTB-All up to 4500 euros from BIKE 5/2019 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.99 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because
Quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them - hundreds of thousands of euros every year.
You can find these 2019 MTB all-mountain bikes in the test:
- Cannondale Jekyll CRB 3
- Felt Decree 3
- Focus Jam 8.9 Nine
- Norco Sight C3 29
- Propain Hugene CF Performance
- Scott Genius 930
- Simplon Rapcon 160
- Specialised Stumpjumper Comp Carbon 29
- Whyte S-150 C RS
- YT Jeffsy CF Pro 27
The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements and the subjective impression of the test riders. The BIKE judgement is independent of price.
BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.). ²Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, shipping and coordination.
