ZEG (Zweirad Einkaufs Genossenschaft) is an association of almost 1000 specialist bicycle dealers in Germany with several brands of its own - in the MTB segment with the Bulls brand, which has been an established name in the bike landscape for years. At the ZEG in-house exhibition in Cologne, Bulls presented its new products for 2015 - all under the motto of model maintenance, but also with more or less surprising new launches.
Even though no prices will be communicated before the Eurobike, you can be sure that Bulls has also focussed on an excellent price/performance ratio for the 2015 bikes.
RS-1 turns Black Adder and Wild Edge on their heads:
The Bulls marathon bikes, the Black Adder carbon hardtail and the Wild Edge carbon full suspension bike, are all fitted with the new Rock Shox RS-1 upside-down suspension fork. "Although the fork is slightly heavier than a SID WC, it has such great suspension performance that we see it as a real gain for the rider ... and the RS-1 looks simply stunning on the bike," says Hans Härtel, Product Manager at Bulls.
Bulls is entering the class of bikes equipped with RS-1 with the Black Adder. The carbon hardtail with a complete Shimano XT groupset and an announced weight of 9.9 kg starts the coming season with an unchanged frame. The top model "Black Adder Team" saves a further 0.6 kg with its mechanical 2x11 XTR complete groupset. This is also good news for smaller riders: The Black Adder 29er is available from a frame size of 41 cm.
The frame of the Wild Edge full-suspension marathon bike is also entering its third season unchanged and, with the 2x11 XTR equipment of the team version, aims to come very close to the magical 10kg limit ... "at an exceptionally good price", as we were told.
The XT-equipped "Wild Edge" shares the identical efficiency-trimmed full carbon frame with 100 mm travel, but is equipped with the XT complete groupset and the RS-1 suspension fork. The weight is also sporty and well-trained at 11.4 kg.
Bulls launches Fatbike Monster
With its finger on the pulse of the times, Bulls is also presenting its first fat bikes in the range for 2015. In keeping with the newly introduced category, the two fat bike models bear the name Monster - either with a Rock Shox Bluto suspension fork (100 mm) as the Monster S or with a slim, specially developed aluminium rigid fork as the Monster. The frames have a very high-quality finish and, thanks to their elaborate design, have a pleasing appearance and low standover height.
In line with the current trend, the fat bikes come with an axle width of 150 mm at the front and 170 mm at the rear, which means that they are not suitable for the super-fat 4.8" tyres, but with the equally new Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.1 on in-house 82 mm rims, they still have good tyre clearance.
With the exception of the forks, both models are equipped identically with a 2x10 gear mix of Shimano XT and Deore as well as an FSA crank (22/36 teeth).
The Monster is said to weigh around 15 kg, while the Monster S with suspension fork weighs around 1 kg more. In addition to the two models powered solely by muscle power, two fatbike pedelecs with the simple addition of the name E, i.e. Monster S E and Monster E", will be launched in parallel.
New Bulls pedelecs with Brose drives:
In addition to a whole host of e-hardtails and fullys with Bosch drive, Bulls also presented two high-end pedelecs with a battery integrated into the down tube and the Brose motor. The two bikes under the series name E-Stream were only completed just before the start of the trade fair and were therefore still unrideable samples - but our experience with the Brose drive so far shows that the renowned automotive supplier has created a drive concept that is fully on a par with the competition both visually and in terms of function - with the same rated output of 250 W additional drive and up to 1 kg less weight. A very positive option for the sporty MTB use of the Brose drive: It is compatible with multiple chainrings, such as on the E-Stream hardtail, where a 24/38 chainring combination is specified.
The E-Stream aluminium hardtail comes in a 29-inch format, again with a Rock Shox RS-1 suspension fork and Shimano XT equipment with 2x10 gears. It should weigh less than 20 kg and be available from specialist dealers from the end of the year.
The 650B full suspension bike E-Stream FS Enduro offers a full 160 mm of travel. A powerful Rock Shox Pike RTC3 at the front and a Rock Shox Monarch RC3 shock at the rear. A Shimano 1x10-speed XT drivetrain (with e13 chain guard), powerful Shimano Saint brakes with Ice-Tech technology and the Rock Shox Reverb Stealth dropper post complete the MTB pedelec, which only reveals its additional drive at second glance. The weight of the bike is stated as approx. 22 kg for frame size 43. Further models with Brose drive are to follow.
Bulls Nova Team Race - very high quality children's bike:
Anyone who says that 26" is dead is wrong - it's just that what used to be the only MTB wheel format is increasingly moving into the youth bike segment. And Bulls has a particularly sporty treat for 2015 in the form of the Nova Team Race 26. The deliberately very small 26" frame (32 cm frame height) leads the Bulls Nova Team range and is already very close to a sporty adult MTB in terms of equipment. A triple-butted aluminium frame, Rock Shox Reba RL suspension fork (100 mm), Shimano XT drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes speak for themselves. However, the total weight is said to be a low 10.6 kg.
New attractive Sabre and Machete wheels will soon be available to buy separately:
Bulls is also bringing something new in the field of aftermarket wheels. The Sabre wheels with a rim width of 20 mm are designed for fast XC and marathon use, while the Machete model with a rim width of 25 mm is designed for all-mountain and enduro - of course always equipped with various adapters and therefore easy to convert for all common axle standards.
With Sapim D-Light spokes, aluminium nipples, lightweight Centerlock hubs and tubeless-ready rim profiles, the wheels are available in both 27.5" and 29er formats. They are also extremely light - 1805 g for the Machete 29er Enduro wheelset and 1550 g for the Sabre 29er XC wheels - or 1730 g and 1430 g in 27.5 format.
Even if the two wheels look very restrained and are hardly noticeable on the bike, the attractiveness of these aftermarket wheels lies in their outstanding price-performance ratio, given that they each sell for well under 400 euros.
Bulls goes Gravity - Wild Core
Of course, the Bulls DH team's new 27.5" workhorse, the Wild Core and Wild Core Team with its characteristically high pivot point and chain deflection for the best possible decoupling of drive and braking forces, was also on display at the stand.
