Why can't it be like in Hollywood? Duels are a clear thing there. It goes something like this: Dramatic music plays, nasty looks from narrowed eyes (usually watery blue) pierce the air, leather boots scrape the dusty earth and coat laps are slowly, very slowly pushed behind gun holsters. Showdown - the shots ring out! Both are still standing until one of them (the creep, of course) flinches and slumps to the ground. The end. Super! That's what I want for this bike duel. But of course it turned out quite differently.
The Radon inevitably attracts attention. The Bonn-based company reached deep into the designer box and gave the bike a futuristic look. With its massive head tube, forked struts, corners and edges - all matt black - the Jab almost looks like a secret military project. In contrast, the Rose looks rather sweet with its elegantly curved shapes. Both bikes are made entirely from the black wonder material - all carbon, even the rear triangle. Radon offers three models of the Jab, from 3600 to 5000 euros. The enduro model of the Pikes Peak starts at 3400 euros; the top model costs 4800 euros - however, the customer can customise the equipment at Rose thanks to the so-called configurator and thus also the price. According to our online survey, you are most interested in bikes for around € 3500 - and since your wish is our command, we chased the models in this price range through the test trail. It's noticeable that while the Rose already has the high-quality Rockshox Lyrik fork with Charger 2 cartridge, the Radon has the affordable Yari suspension - both with 160 millimetres of travel, both in Boost standard. Rose has also installed the more powerful rear shock than Radon with the Super Deluxe RC3 with reservoir. The rest of the equipment is similar and worked well. The Rose may have slightly wider handlebars (800 mm) for even more control downhill, but the Radon has the more powerful brakes (Magura MT-5), while the Rose has to make do with the Sram Guide, which has caused us problems on long descents in the past. Very effective: the 1x12 Eagle drivetrain from Sram with its strong climbing gear ratio. It makes both bikes fully suitable for touring, even on the steepest terrain.
Both bikes have a flip chip to change the geometry. This is easier and more effective with the Rose. Here you can not only vary the steering angle and bottom bracket height (steep/high and flat/low), but also the progression of the rear triangle by adjusting the shock at different angles. With the Radon, you have to fiddle more and can only change the steering angle by half a degree. We rode both bikes in the slackest setting. The geometry data of the bikes is almost identical: wheelbase, chainstays, reach, seat angle - and yet the bikes couldn't be more different. This is noticeable from the first few metres and especially on our undulating trails along the Isar. Here, the Radon literally dances over the trail. Just twitch your wrists and the Jab stands on its short chainstays and surfs along in manual mode. You want to jet-turn through every bend so that the end of the handlebars almost scrapes the ground, and no bump goes unscathed - the Radon fires itself into the air for a bunny hop with plenty of pop. Personally, I want an enduro bike with exactly this kind of handling! In the past, I've criticised Radon for making their enduro bikes ever racier and trimming their "longer, slacker, lower" geometries so smoothly that any playfulness is lost. Jab designer Bodo Probst has apparently taken this to heart. "I just shifted the riding position back a little," explains Bodo Probst. Wow, if that's enough to breathe so much life into a bike, then we say: yes, please! The Rose, on the other hand, reminded us a little of the very racy Radon Swoop. In medium, it seemed almost a size bigger to us testers. As a result, it rushes through the trail more sedately and requires more physical effort when changing corners quickly. But the Rose also develops a lot of pop - nevertheless: the trail rating clearly goes to Radon!
However, the cards were reshuffled on our high-speed descent in Latsch. This is where the Rose showed its full potential - and that lies in its superior suspension with the potent Lyrik fork and the plush 165 mm rear end. The Rose gives up its travel willingly and utilises it well. It reacts sensitively to small bumps, but doesn't get rattled by hard hits either. Even at high speeds, the bike sits quietly on the trail, your fingers dozing idly on the brake levers. The extra-wide cockpit does the rest, and the Radon has to pant down into the valley in a cloud of dust. The poorer fork and firmer rear end prevent the Radon from reaching top speed. In rough sections at high speed, it gets nervous much faster, forcing the rider to inevitably push over the rear and forcing them to reach for the powerful MT-5 brakes earlier. Even the voluminous, well-guided
Magic Mary front tyre on the wide rim doesn't change anything. We allegedly rode a pre-production shock in the Radon, whose three-stage compression damping (open, trail, closed) worked well, but which offered too little room for manoeuvre in the rebound damping. Our tip: If you want more downhill potential, you should go for the € 600 more expensive Jab 9.0 HD. Here you get the Lyrik fork and the heat-resistant Super Deluxe shock.
Back to the duel: victory in the important downhill classification - and here we award two points - goes to the Rose. To summarise: Trail suitability: Radon 1:0. Downhill (2 points): 1:2 Rose. Weight: Radon 2:2. Suspension/features: 2:3 Rose. Uphill: undecided - both bikes hardly bob at all. And there we have the salad! This is not how a duel should end. Lots of powder smoke and yet only a narrow winner. But this isn't Hollywood.
Conclusion:
The bikes couldn't be more different in character - the Radon is playful and lively, while the Rose is smooth-running and race-loving. Both are very good enduro bikes. In our downhill-heavy test, however, the Rose scored more points with its more potent suspension and thus won the duel.
Technical data Radon Jab 9.0
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution Radon Bikes, www.Radon-bikes.com
Material / Sizes Carbon / S, M, L, XL
Price / weight without pedals 3599 Euro / 12.9 kg
MEASURED VALUES
Front / rear suspension travel 160 mm / 160 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
Fork / damper RS Yari RC / RS DeLuxe Debon Air Trunnion
Cranks / gears Sram Descendant Eagle / Sram GX Eagle
Brake system Magura MT-5
Impellers Newman Evolution SL A.30 system wheelset
Tyres Schwalbe Magic Mary Evo 2.35 / Hans Dampf EVo 2.35
Reach 449 mm
Stack 599 mm
BB-Drop -14 mm
PERFORMANCE
TRAIL 6 out of 6 points
DH 4 out of 6 points
Technical data Rose Pikes Peak 1 EN 27.5" Custom
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution Rose, www.roseBikes.de
Material / Sizes Carbon / S, M, L
Price / weight without pedals 3690 Euro / 13.5 kg
MEASURED VALUES
Front / rear suspension travel 160 mm / 165 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
Fork / damper RS Lyrik RC Debon Air / RS Superdeluxe RC3 Solo Air
Cranks / gears Sram GX / Sram GX Eagle
Brake system Sram Guide RSC
Impellers DT Swiss E 1900 Spline system wheelset
Tyres Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra Exo 2.3
Reach 444 mm
Stack 607 mm
BB-Drop -18 mm
PERFORMANCE
TRAIL 4 out of 6 points
DH 6 out of 6 points
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
