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Sharp gusts of wind whip the drizzle around our ears. Teeth chattering, we pull our spare clothes out of our pockets to arm ourselves against the morning chill on the Ettelsberg in Willingen Upland with the help of the onion principle. "Smile, boys! Otherwise we'll be wet and in a bad mood to boot," jokes Maik. Together with two other BIKE readers, Jan and Anton, he is joining our test crew today.
"What a clunker!" groans Jan, who normally pushes lightweight marathon bikes around race courses, as he sees the Giant Trance X2 out of the BIKE transporter. With a total weight of 15.3 kilos, the up-and-coming racer from Boppard has certainly not picked the lightest candidate. There are a total of six models in the load compartment. Two duel partners each from the Down Country, Trail and All Mountain categories. This naturally raises the question: What do these bikes have in common that they have to compete against each other in our readers' test?
Quite simply. On the websites of many manufacturers, every single one of these categories is advertised as having all-round qualities. All-mountain bikes are supposed to literally take you over all mountains. Trail bikes, according to their advertising promises, can master any terrain, from the home circuit to crossing the Alps. And the down-country faction? The 120-millimetre bikes are based on marathon fullys, are usually lighter than trail bikes and therefore have an advantage, especially on long climbs. Thanks to robust components, however, they should also be able to hold their own against classic trail bikes downhill. The cross-comparison between the categories should help our readers to filter out the true all-rounder from the wealth of options.
Three of the bikes are priced between 2999 euros and 3199 euros. This corresponds to the entry-level range in the world of off-road fullys. In order to clarify whether it is worth spending a little more money, we ordered the duel partners 700 to 1000 euros more expensive. Rose, Canyon, Radon and Last have the best prerequisites for a top price-performance ratio. This is because the business model of the so-called mail order companies is based on the customer choosing their bike online and having it delivered to their door by post. This eliminates costs for the retailer, its sales area and advisory staff. This leaves more budget for installing better components or even higher-quality materials such as carbon fibre. The offers from Radon and Canyon sound particularly tempting: the Bonn-based company offers a carbon main frame and a Rockshox Pike Ultimate fork for just 3199 euros. For 800 euros more, the product managers in Koblenz even add carbon wheels on top. At 4149 euros, the Last marks the upper end of the scale. In return, you get lightweight wheels, a mid-range GX drivetrain from Sram and Rockshox suspension from the mass-market Select+ series.
Cube comes out on top in the price-performance test
Sounds reasonable so far. However, we know from past tests that you can expect a carbon frame and first-class suspension from Rockshox's Ultimate series, especially on mail-order bikes over € 4000. Fox fans should make sure that at least suspension elements from the Performance Elite or even the Factory series are used. If you're aiming for the 3000 euro mark, you'll usually have to settle for an aluminium frame. In terms of equipment, manufacturers with a fair price-performance ratio fit either SLX or XT components from Shimano or Sram's GX groupset. The significantly cheaper SX drivetrain and the heavy Rockshox 35 fork on the Giant are therefore well below average. With Cube, on the other hand, you get surprisingly much for your money. Lots of carbon, classy wheels and a first-class chassis - the specialist retail giant makes even the mail order companies look old.
Back to the Ettelsberg. From our base at the mountain station car park, the first part of the test lap takes us down a winding flow trail through the bike park towards Willingen. Still shivering slightly, we turn into the descent. Lots of built berms, tame jumps and small pump track segments - perfect for getting the body up to operating temperature. This part of the test track does not place high demands on the suspension. However, the guest testers get an even better feel for the handling behaviour of the bikes.
The differences between the all-mountain bikes with 150 millimetres of crumple zone and the down-country and trail bikes with 120 to 140 millimetres of travel become clear within the first few metres. The geometry data also confirms our impression. Contrary to the trend of building bikes flatter and flatter for maximum smoothness, the trail and down-country bikes rely on moderate values: the steering angles all measure between 66 and 67 degrees - the golden mean between smoothness and manoeuvrability, so to speak. When riding the all-mountain bikes, the happiness hormones only simmer on a low flame.
The rain clouds have now cleared and the sun's rays are turning the residual moisture on the trails into water vapour. Fortunately, because the second part of the test lap has much more challenging single trails in store for us. Wet conditions would only unnecessarily exacerbate the technical demands here.
Single trail manoeuvres: all-mountain bikes provide safety
Chains slap, brakes squeal and the tyres rumble dully over roots and knee-high rocky outcrops. The original scepticism towards all-mountain bikes seems to have been forgotten for a short time, at least by Anton and Maik. The grippy tyres, generous suspension travel and smooth-running geometries encourage the two of them to explore their limits, even with less mature riding technique. Descending on the trail bikes is also no problem, but the willingness to take risks is limited. The only real difficulties are caused by the Rose: the tame profile of the tyres and the somewhat limited freedom of action due to the sporty riding position demand maximum concentration. For racer Jan, on the other hand, the short-stroke bikes seem to be perfect. The 16-year-old skips tricky passages skilfully in a bunny hop. He vehemently crushes root carpets even with the taut Rose. "I could ride even faster on the all-mountain bikes, but with so much suspension travel, I lose the appeal of technical terrain," says Jan, explaining his new-found love for down-country bikes.
The showdown of the comparison test takes place on the climb back to the summit of the Ettelsberg. The Giant and Last wring the first beads of sweat from the testers after just a few metres of climbing. "Awesome, the chunky tyres roll like a bag of nuts," comments Maik on the tough rolling behaviour of the grippy Maxxis slippers. Anton and Jan think the Giant and Last bikes are simply too heavy for long tours. This means that the all-mountain bikes no longer play a role in the battle for the all-round title. Anton and Maik decide in favour of the trail bikes. They offer the two of them the necessary safety downhill and hardly have any weaknesses uphill. Jan would opt for the Rose. "The sporty character suits me best for my home trails and long tours. Thanks to the firm suspension, the terrain retains its technical challenge," he explains his decision. Readers put the riding characteristics of the Cube on a par with trail bikes. With its confident suspension, comfortable riding position and decent uphill performance, the down-country bike is in the same league as Canyon and Radon.
Empty of energy, we knead the last few metres over the crest of the Ettelsberg back to the base in a team of five. Despite our exhaustion, the mood barometer is high - and not just because we followed Maik's advice and didn't let the initial rain spoil our mood. No, the thought that our cross-comparison has been successful and that everyone can now see a little more clearly in which category they will find their next dream bike is more satisfying.
Conclusion from Max Fuchs, BIKE test editor:
Less is more? It seems so. Our testers Anton and Maik both demonstrate average riding technique. Jan, on the other hand, can confidently be described as a gifted biker. Nevertheless, they all want to have fun on the trail first and foremost - none of the readers would reach for the massive all-mountain bikes. After all, long tours or rides on your home trails also require good climbing characteristics. The trail bikes are therefore the most popular in this comparison.
You can download the complete comparison test with all data and grades as a PDF here:
>> Reader test 2022 from BIKE 8/2022
We compared these MTB categories in the test:
The testers noticed this:
It's not just fussy BIKE editors who appreciate attention to detail. Anton, Maik and Jan also enjoy clever detailed solutions and know exactly what makes a coherent overall package for them.
We tested these bikes in the various categories:
- Down-country bikes: Cube Stereo 120 HPC EX 29 vs Rose Ground Control 3
- Trail bikes: Canyon Neuron CF 9.0 vs Radon Skeen Trail 10.0
- All-mountain bikes: Last Glen against Giante Trance X2
Max Fuchs
Editor
