There are bikes that don't fit into any mould: The MTB Cycletech "Opium 6" is one such bike. It has the suspension travel of an enduro bike. The "6" in the type designation stands for six inches, i.e. 15 centimetres. It is as light as an all-mountain bike. It is supposed to ride like a marathon fully. But what can it really do?
The visual appearance is like the innocence of the countryside: the virginal pearly white look with the minimalist decor is very appealing. Style instead of flashy, a reassuringly far cry from neon techno overkill.
The next thing that catches the eye are the mighty tubes, the top tube is hydroformed and is as thick as Paris Hilton's upper arm. The measured values: The chassis weight of 2.9 kilos (incl. shock) is okay, the stiffness is mid-range (52 Nm/degree, STW 17.8). MTB Cycletech offers three frame sizes in which only the head and top tube lengths change. The seat tube always remains at 48 centimetres. The seat height is adjusted using a long, 34.9 millimetre Syntace seat post.
So sit up: The seating position is pleasantly upright and not too sporty. Suitable for long distances - yes. Aggressive marathon racing - no! The long suspension travel is not noticeable during work - the platform position on the shock does a good job. But the Swiss can't avoid the difficult pitfalls of the suspension design. The long suspension travel results in a very high bottom bracket, which guarantees ground clearance in trial sections, but causes a high centre of gravity. There is pedal kickback in the small chainring. The seat angle is very slack and makes climbing difficult. On steep ramps, you have to slide all the way forwards on the saddle nose and move the fork to the 100-millimetre position.
Once again, we really like the three-way adjustable Fox "Talas" fork. The steering behaviour can also be actively influenced via the fork height: 100 millimetres for uphill, trails and asphalt, 120 millimetres for normal terrain and position 140 for downhill. Downhill, the almost 150 millimetres at the rear suit the fork very well. With the "Opium" you can have fun on Lake Garda and on technically difficult trail and trial passages. It belongs in the "All Mountain Sport" category, it is not a real marathon racer.
CONCLUSION: Individuality written in capital letters: The "Opium 6" is a special all-mountain bike with a wide range of uses.
Photo: Markus Greber
