It's the unusual riding position on the Poison Atropin that immediately catches the eye: steep head and seat angles (74°/75°), plus a seatpost without offset, place the rider in the centre between the massive 29er wheels, with a significant part of the body weight resting on the wide handlebars. This centred position tames the extremely smooth, almost nervous steering of the Atropin. However, the front wheel with its mudguard can get too close to large feet on the pedals. But this gives the Rohloff tourer a playful light-footedness that is fun to ride.
This changes again when loaded with luggage: only the rear load causes the bike to lurch quite early when cornering, probably an effect of the thin-walled frame tubes. However, if you also use the lowrider, the ride calms down and the Atropin shows its qualities as a lively tourer: it remains sensitive to steering even under full load and elegantly manoeuvres around bends, making it a joy to ride. The frame is beautifully finished, details such as the direct contact fork or the eccentric bottom bracket show that a good deal of brainpower has gone into the design.
The wheels are very solid thanks to the angled spoke holes in the rim, but also heavy: the front wheel weighs 2753 grams! As a result, the acceleration is tough and the steering forces are high when the front wheel is rotating - but this compensates to a certain extent for the light-footedness described at the beginning. As a touring bike, the bike is certainly a likeable character!
Plus:
- Beautiful, lightweight frame with useful details
Minus:
- Heavy wheels
- little foot clearance to the front wheel
The history of the model:
The Atropin has already gone through three incarnations: it started life as a pure sports bike in 2006 - Poison focussed exclusively on racing bikes and mountain bikes at the time. In 2009, a trekking version with Rohloff gears suitable for everyday use was launched, and in 2016 the bike with the poisonous name matured into a touring/travel bike. The versatile Atropin range includes 26- and 29-inch models with continuously modernised, sporty frames. Future plans include slider dropouts to make it compatible with all drive systems.
