Nowhere do price differences between the bikes have such a strong effect as in this test group: a Trenga DE would have had a good chance of winning a BIKE tip in comparison with other bikes costing exactly € 999. However, compared to the bikes costing 1200 euros, it is only good enough for a rating of good. Unfair?
In this test, we didn't want to ignore the fact that you can get a lot more bike for your money for a few hundred euros more. Nowhere is it more important how skilfully money is saved than on entry-level bikes: on top-of-the-range bikes, a mistake rarely causes more than slightly poorer handling. The situation is different with bikes from 1000 to 1200 euros: a bike quickly no longer feels like a real mountain bike due to poor suspension, either bobbing stubbornly or hyperactively under its rider. Since the advent of full-suspension mountain bikes, 1000 euros has been the price of admission to the comfort club. This rule also applies this year. Many manufacturers do not even offer a fully for less than 1000 euros. Only above this threshold can they install suspension elements that deserve this designation. In addition to a successful riding position and balanced geometry - standards that have long since ceased to be a headache for experienced manufacturers - the suspension, consisting of fork and shock, plays the decisive role.
Read all about it in this test
- Suspension fork and shock: the soul of the full-suspension bike
- Suspension travel: a lot goes a long way
- Gearing: it can be Alivio sometimes
- Series dispersion: the plague in the 1000 euro class
- Tyre choice: last chance
- Different characters
The bikes in this test:
BMC SP 1 Desperado, Brainbox Criss Cross, Corratec Bowl, Cube XC Comp, Felt Speedy Sanchez, Ghost XM 5100, Giant XTC NRS 4, Hai Jump 03, Kona Kahuna, Lee Cougan Predator Team, Mongoose Wing Pro, Orbea Wild Feelin' Special, Poison Morphium, Radon ZR 3 RS, Specialised Rockhopper, Trenga DE TDF-3, Univega Alpina 3 SL, Wheeler Hornet 45
