I fly with the seat of my trousers," said test pilot Chuck Yeager when asked about the secret of his testing. The US aviation hero tested hundreds of jet fighters and was the first person to break the sound barrier in the legendary X-1 rocket plane. As bike testers, we have also developed a feeling in our trousers over the years. The so-called popometer. This sensor only activates with increasing experience and after countless comparison rides. If you have ridden a lot of bikes, your senses sharpen. Our team consists of experienced test riders. And to make the comparison as objective as possible, we set out in a pack. Five testers, nine bikes, four days at full throttle. The scene of the crime: the trails of Finale Ligure. We know them from many test rides - a kind of natural laboratory. Later, the bikes are chased up slopes and pedalled 50 kilometres through the countryside. And so that we can concentrate fully on the bikes, we fitted standard tyres. This time: the tried and tested "Hans Dampf" enduro tyre from Schwalbe.
Superenduro: What exactly is it?
Everyone knows Enduro: good up, better down. However, even the manufacturers struggle with the definition of "super enduro". That's why we shared what we mean by it: maximum riding fun downhill, bike park compatible and suitable for touring. In short: ONE bike for everything, without having to make too many compromises. As we've often heard criticism in the past that a comparison between mail-order and retail bikes is unfair (price advantage of mail-order bikes), this time we only tested direct sales bikes: nine bikes from Germany for a maximum of 3500 euros. Only Propain went slightly over the top - we turned a blind eye to that. In the super enduro test a year ago, our specification was: suspension travel from 160 millimetres. This meant that very stiff bikes with little parking suitability were mixed into the test field. In order not to compare apples with oranges, we demanded in this test: a 170 millimetre fork is the minimum. The only exception: the RockShox "Pike". This new 160-millimetre fork works so well that it doesn't even have to shy away from comparison with the large-stroke competition.
Wheel sizes: Is 27.5 inches a must?
How do the 26-inch wheels compare to the new 650B wheels that are infecting the bike market like a flu virus? We were curious ourselves and were pleased to see a mixed test field. With the Propain, there was even a candidate that rolled on 27.5 inch wheels at the front and 26 at the rear. At the end of the test rides, the unanimous verdict of the testers was: "We don't feel any difference." Really not! At least when comparing different bikes. 650B - a sales coup from the marketing department after all?
Equipment: all there?
In the past, we were annoyed by test bikes that risked losing points due to shortcomings in the equipment. Now the manufacturers have done their homework: wide handlebars, dropper post, powerful brakes, sensible tyres - for the most part, everything is in place. Many equip their bikes with 1x11-speed drivetrains. A trend that has spilled over from enduro racing. Advantage: It saves weight and looks tidy, but requires a little more pedal pressure when going steeply uphill. Our verdict: great! The strong chain pull even makes an extra chain guide superfluous.
The test results of these mail-order super enduros can be found below as a PDF download:
- Alutech Fanes 4.0 V2
- Canyon Torque EX Trailflow
- Nox EDF 6.7 SL Expert
- Propain Tyee XX1
- Radon Swoop 175 9.0
- Rose Soul Fire 2
- Solid Magix XO1
- Votec VE 160 Elite
- YT Capra Comp I
Downloads:
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
