Who can keep track of the bike categories these days? We don't. When is an enduro bike an enduro bike and when is it a freerider? Nobody knows! So it's good that there are still bikes like this one. It says freeride on it, it has freeride in it. Well, almost, because only the Spindrift from the Lake Constance mail order company Propain is really consistent. The Bonn-based distributor Radon labels its successful Swoop model as: "Enduro for freeride use". So somehow also freeride. Which of the bikes is the most fun?
Radon presented its new Swoop in the middle of the year. It's not just the wheel size that has changed: Instead of standing up, the shock now works horizontally. The geo has become more downhill orientated. The slack 63.3° steering angle can be steepened by 1.5° with a little effort. Radon has also given its Swoop a carbon fibre main frame. We asked the second most expensive model for 4000 euros to do battle.
On the brand new Freerider Spindrift, the shock now works in front of the seat tube and the geo has been modernised. This means that the head angle is slacker, the seat angle is significantly steeper (+1.5°), the reach is longer and the chainstays are shorter (yay!). When it comes to wheel sizes, you have a choice. For the test, we ordered a model for around 4000 euros and received a custom build for 4250 euros with 29-inch front, 27.5 rear (Mullet) and steel spring shocks.
You can download the duel between the Radon Swoop and Propain Spindrift from FREERIDE 4/2020 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.49 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in FREERIDE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
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Laurin Lehner
Editor
