There's hardly anything a modern all-mountain bike can't do - whether it's a trail bike or a lightweight enduro bike. It should pedal well and be suitable for touring, playful and ready for all sorts of fun on the descents, but also tough, stable and safe on fast and rough descents and yet not too heavy. Actually, such a bike is an egg-laying wool-milk sow, a mythical creature that will never exist. But the bike manufacturer Last now wants to create exactly that.
Smooth running, playfulness and efficiency: 29 inches should make it possible
And somehow we are very tempted to take their word for it. Completely unknown a few years ago, the Dortmund-based direct mail order company Last took the hearts of testers by storm with the Enduro Coal and the Clay trail bike. No wonder, after all, the bikes were kinematically very mature right from the start, well thought-out in their details, reasonably priced and blessed with a geometry that should simply put a grin on your face.
Geometry: slack head angle, steep seat angle
With the Last Glen, the Dortmund-based company is now presenting its first 29-inch bike, which is designed to do everything a little better than its smaller brothers and is also aimed specifically at taller riders. Overall, however, Last remains true to its successful concept. The chainstays are short at 431 millimetres in frame size L, especially for a 29er, the head angle is fairly slack at 64.4 degrees, the reach is modern at 457 millimetres in L, and the effective seat angle is nice and steep at over 75 degrees to keep the grin on your face on the climbs.
And the weight of 12.5 to just over 14 kilograms in the downhill-oriented Glen Race model with steel spring shock and heavy tyres is also okay for a 29er. Despite the carbon frame, some of the competition can't do any better. But the good news doesn't end there.
Growing geometry and sizes up to XXL
The 140 millimetres of travel at the rear of the Glen are managed by progressive kinematics, which are already familiar from the Clay and Coal. "Very sensitive with high progression" was the praising verdict of the testers on the Clay. Smoothness, comfort and playfulness should therefore not be a contradiction in terms on the new Glen either. What is new, however, is the geometry that grows with the rider. Especially in XL and the new XXL size for riders around two metres tall, the reach and chainstays have grown considerably. The effective seat angle is also steeper to ensure the same central position on the bike when climbing.
Equipment and prices
Last doesn't do things by halves when it comes to equipment either: Every complete bike comes with a Sram Eagle groupset (GX to X01) and high-quality Rockshox suspension (Pike and Deluxe to Super Deluxe and Coil). Durable stainless steel bearings from Enduro Bearings in the standard size available worldwide are in every model.
It starts with the 13.5-kilo Last Glen Ride for 3499 euros, the upper end of the scale is reached with the 12.5-kilo, 5499-euro Glen SL.
All information on the new Last Glen can also be found on the Website of the manufacturer.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
