You sit upright and rear-heavy on the aluminium hardtail - kind of stilted. The front wheel loses contact with the ground early on when climbing (slack seat angle). Downhill, the tough SR Suntour fork and slippery leather grips prevent confident cruising. We struggled down the test circuit on Lake Garda rather cramped, only being able to get half of the travel out of the Raidon fork. Plus points for the XT shifters with direct shifting commands and short lever travel. The lack of a quick-release saddle, the second bottle cage and the lack of warranty beyond the statutory warranty cost valuable points.
ConclusionThe Dice Big 7.0 is aimed at occasional bikers with its geometry and equipment. It is less convincing off-road.
PLUS Shimano XT crank, XT shift lever
MINUS Slippery grips, tough suspension fork, cheap tyres, awkward riding position
