Have you heard the rumour about how you can supposedly blow up the internet? You just have to type "Google" into Google and the whole virtual clutter will hang up. That's what happened to us during this test. A rainbow wheel appeared in our heads and spun and spun in all its rainbow splendour - with no end in sight. The trigger was the first test ride. We rattled down the downhill piste at the Spicak bike park together and interviewed each other at the bottom of the lift. "And how's your bike?" "Awesome, and yours?" "Also awesome! "And yours?" "Very cool!" We test riders were on the verge of a system crash - after almost 600 bikes tested in 10 years of FREERIDE. We had carted five big-budget bikes into the bike park and now realised that we had to set our popometer to the most sensitive level in order to find any differences. But that alone was not enough. We also hired our race secret weapon Johannes Fischbach. As a World Cup racer and newly crowned German Downhill Champion, his job was to assess the World Cup bikes even more accurately. Fischi didn't take long. The man from the Upper Palatinate is always keen to test the competition's race files and see what poison darts his opponents have in their quiver.
You can find these big bikes in the test:
- Mondraker Summum Carbon Pro
- Scott Gambler 710
- Specialized Demo 8 S-Works (FREERIDE Tip: Top Score)
- Trek Session 9.9 DH (FREERIDE tip: top score)
- YT Tues CF Pro (FREERIDE tip: price/performance)
Trend: Downhill racing
At the moment, manufacturers around the world seem to be in race fever. Freeride was yesterday, now everyone wants downhill
bikes in their portfolio, preferably with an associated World Cup team. However, these unconventional speciality bikes are not everyone's cup of tea. Only very few of us amateur big bikers have the skills and speed to ride these bikes properly. Radon designer Bodo Probst - himself competing with the Worlcup team - also warns: "Everyone wants to race now, but the normal rider can't get round the bends on such a modern race downhiller. Super-slack steering angles and extra-long wheelbases can put the brakes on fun for bike park freeriders". He suspects that the current race trend will soon moderate again. Fischi also amazes us with his statement: "I can't really test here!" Fischi is referring to the downhill trails in Bischofsmais and Spicak. "World Cup tracks are designed for full throttle, as are the bikes - I need a different track than these slow, winding old-school courses!" The technology of these downhill bikes is therefore uncompromisingly designed for full throttle. Normal bikers, on the other hand, rarely reach these speeds.
Speed check: the Bozi Dar baller track
Race bikes need a speed check. Fischi carries this out in Bozi Dar in the Czech Republic. Here he knows every root knot by name. Specialized and Trek score particularly well on this route, closely followed by Mondraker, Scott and, bringing up the rear, YT. However, you shouldn't take this criterion too seriously if you're looking for a big bike that doesn't chase seconds. "The YT wasn't the fastest bike and was a bit more unstable than the competition at high speeds, but it's a fun machine. The best bike for fun
in the park," says Fischi.
The bikes
Although these were the manufacturers' top models, the differences were surprising. Scott was the only aluminium bike with an impressive weight. Almost 3 kilos separated it from the super-light Mondraker. There were also huge differences in the prices. Over 8000 euros for Trek, Specialized and Mondraker - while the YT with its high-end equipment barely scrapes the 4000 euro mark. We jumped on the Specialized with its steel suspension elements after a quick set-up, while other bikes, especially the Mondraker, required more intensive preparation before we felt comfortable. Frighteningly, after just a few days of testing, spokes came loose and the wheels became dented (Specialized) or fork defects appeared (Specialized).
CONCLUSIONS: All the bikes scored very well, but their characters are quite different. From pure race bikes to fun park big bikes. We were all fastest and safest on Specialized and Trek. The YT scored with a high fun factor at a killer price.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
