Paul pushes hard on the pedals. In front of the bakery, he swings round to the left to set the pace in the narrow trellis of fences and house walls. He has grabbed the 8.2-kilo hardtail. The reference to our mountain bike fullys in this test.
Paul Oberrauch is one of the 170 racers from the Sunshine Mountain Bike Club in Nals. And Paul is happy to show us the cross-country race track there. Located not far from Bolzano, it's the perfect location to enjoy snow-free trails and a few rays of sunshine in February. With nine fast bikes in tow, all hungry for fast lap times. The prices ranged from 6300 to 8999 euros. This time, the mid-priced Lapierre XR 629 race bike for 3299 euros and the Specialized Epic hardtail for 7499 euros were included as a comparison to the absolute top class.
You can find this Race-Fully in the test:
- Cannondale Scalpel-Si Race (BIKE tip: test winner)
- Centurion Numinis Carbon XC Team.29
- Focus O1E Team
- Kona Hei Hei Race Supreme
- KTM Scarp 29 Prestige 12S
- Lapierre XR 629 with E:i Shock
- Scott Spark RC 900 Ultimate (BIKE Tip: Race)
- Simplon Cirex 120 X01 Eagle
Paul manoeuvres the S-Works hardtail around the first tight hairpin bend of the Nachtigall Uphill with ease. No wonder, as a local he knows every centimetre of the racetrack with its crisp 200 metres of elevation gain per lap. His knowledge of the track, the shorter wheelbase of the hardtail and a weight advantage of at least 1.5 kilos over the lightest full-suspension bike generate envious glances on this steep uphill. Anyone not in the first third of the field after the introductory lap would have a real problem at the annual C1 race in Nals. Because overtaking on this narrow serpentine climb is only possible with the consent of the rider in front.
Lined up like a string of pearls, we follow Paul with burning thighs. Although there is no snow, the route is covered in masses of leaves, often only giving a hint of the surface. After the first hairpin bend, the following straight bends towards the sky. At the steepest point, a stone field slumbers under the layer of leaves. Now you have to compensate for the rising front end without losing traction. This is where most fullys excel and are clearly superior to the hardtail. However, not all test candidates are able to fully utilise the potential advantage of the suspended rear triangle. Simplon and the inexpensive Lapierre are stingy with traction due to their insensitive rear suspension, forcing the rider to choose their lines meticulously on technical climbs. KTM also fails in this section, but not because the suspension is too insensitive, but because of the spartan semi-slick tyres.
Paul continues to press on the accelerator. Serpentine after serpentine, we spiral steeply upwards. Due to the special nature of the route with its many tight bends, two things stand out: seat position and wheelbase have a huge influence. The trend is towards ever steeper seat angles. In our test field, the values are between 73.9 and 75.5 degrees. This is a blessing on really nasty ramps, because you can simply stay much more relaxed in the saddle without having to actively shift your weight far forwards. The 9.7-kilo Centurion Numinis with its 75.5 seat tube angle climbs perfectly in the switchbacks. On the other hand, the cranked seatposts of the Cannondale and KTM have a negative impact at this point. On slacker sections, however, the forward riding position doesn't only bring advantages despite the long reach. Overall, you sit shorter and more upright, sometimes even squat. In addition, the rear seat (value of how far the saddle tip is behind the bottom bracket in the horizontal plane) is often less than 40 millimetres, which can lead to knee problems under certain circumstances.
The highest point of the route is just a few metres away. So far, there has been little need to change the suspension mode. Without exception, all fullys have a remote lever on the handlebars that can be used to tighten the fork and shock simultaneously. Half of the field relies on the hydraulic Fullsprint lever from Rockshox, which only has one open and one closed stage. To open the suspension, the somewhat stiff lever must be pressed. If the lever is poorly vented, the system does not open fully. This is a problem that occurs from time to time in practice, as with the Focus O1E. On the other hand, the Fox suspension is controlled via a Bowden cable and still has a useful centre position for technical uphills. Interesting: None of the bikes with Fox suspension also rely on the Fox remote lever.
Simplon and Centurion use a DT lever, while Scott uses their own Twinloc lever. A short whirring noise at the start of the descent reminds us of the cheaper reference bike from Lapierre with E:i-Shock suspension. The automatic mode allows the rider to concentrate purely on riding. On the long climbs, the automatic system kept the shock completely closed. It even punished the rock gardens with disregard. At the start of the downhill, the small indicator lamp finally lights up green. And on the short, crisp counter-climbs, the automatic system switches quickly and reliably, without the need for constant thumb exercises. Impeccable.
Paul also sets the ideal line through the carpet of leaves on the descent. Hardtail or not. He manoeuvres nimbly through the trees and turns the rear end into a "Schurter-Whip" at the small drop. As winding as it is uphill, the route is just as winding downhill. You won't find any really fast sections with rough terrain where a fully suspension is clearly superior in Nals. In addition, the limiting factor for many of the test bikes was the choice of tyres. On the still slightly damp track, the Schwalbe Thunder Burt, Continental Race King and Maxxis Pace tyres reached their limits much sooner than the full suspension would have liked. The hardtail was therefore certainly a good choice for the track in Nals, but on the majority of cross-country trails this comparison would turn out differently.
CONCLUSION from Peter Nilges, BIKE Test Director:
Cannondale Scalpel and Scott Spark RC are the winners in this test. They mark the top of the 2017 racefullys. However, customers will have to invest 8499 and 7599 euros respectively. In third place is the very light and slightly cheaper Centurion Numinis, which only just misses out on the top rating of "super".
How does the Specialized Epic hardtail fare against the MTB fullys?
Hardtail or fully? To answer the crucial question, we took the Specialized Epic S-Works to the test. For 7499 euros, the hardtail is in a similar price range.
At just 8.23 kilos without pedals, the Epic S-Works is currently the top 29er hardtail produced in large series. In size M, the frame weighs just 869 grams. Compared to the lightest fullys in this test, this means a weight saving of 1227 grams for the frame or 1460 grams for the total weight. On the climbs, the Epic impresses with its direct, unfiltered responsiveness. Every muscle twitch is converted into propulsion. However, the weight advantage of 1.46 kilos over the Centurion is less noticeable than expected because the rotating mass (wheels, cranks, etc.) is roughly the same. On technical climbs, the fullys can make up ground with an active shock and score points with more traction. On rough descents anyway. The longer the route, the more the fully plays its comfort trump card and demonstrably reduces rider fatigue.
DETAILS OF THE TEST BIKES
We particularly noticed these details in the practical test. Some of them have a major influence on driving behaviour and can be optimised with little effort.
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