Bulls Machete: Gravel bike for fast after-work laps

Timo Dillenberger

· 30.05.2024

Photo: Matthias Borchers

Bulls Machete

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The Bulls Machete is designed for sporty riding. It scores well in terms of acceleration and agility, but there is room for improvement in terms of comfort. A bike for fast laps.

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You would expect mass conformity from the parent company ZEG rather than the Machete. The bike goes to extremes in its class in some respects and is certainly no all-rounder among gravel bikes. Although the top tube is not particularly short, the stack-to-reach values are far on the comfortable side and the weight tends to be on the rear wheel, both of which could be explained by the slack seat tube angle. But the bike doesn't feel like that at all! The riding impression is better suited to the data of a Conway, sporty, almost aggressive and with a lot of traction on the front wheel. And because the in-house wheels are even a little lighter and the frame a little more torsionally stiff, acceleration and tight corners are a little more agile than on the Conway GRV 9.0.

No other rear wheel protrudes as far into the frame as the Machete. The angled struts allow the stiff carbon fibre of the rear triangle to bounce minimally.

Photo: Matthias BorchersNo other rear wheel protrudes as far into the frame as the Machete. The angled struts allow the stiff carbon fibre of the rear triangle to bounce minimally.

The disadvantage is the comfort. On the rear triangle, the horizontal attachments on the main frame and the long, slightly flatter seatpost can still compensate for the hard carbon to some extent, but on the handlebars it's a good idea to keep your arms bent, otherwise bumps will hit you hard. The hyper-agile handling and this fact speak more to riders with some experience, who will also get along better with the shifting concept of the new SRAM Apex 12-speed. Their setup offers the lowest possible top speed in comparison, almost a pity for such a bike, but easy to change. It's also a shame about the many beautiful threaded eyelets, especially the handlebar position is too extreme for really big laps and bike tours over hill and dale.

Due to its short frame, low front end and too small gears, the bike loses many of its all-round qualities. However, the super-stiff Machete is one of our favourites for letting off steam in the forest at full speed for two hours after work.