What do pubescent teenagers and the latest marathon bikes have in common? They want to distance themselves from the supposedly staid generation of their parents through their extreme behaviour. Because while some adolescents are defying the principles of their elders with freaky clothes, rebellious behaviour and rebellious music, flat geometries, more suspension travel and downhill-heavy components are calling the values of classic marathon bikes into question. More and more manufacturers are saying farewell to pure gram-foxing, narrow tyres and stretched seating positions. And rightly so? Or are conventional marathon bikes once again relegating their reluctant descendants to the ranks in practice?
To answer this question, we ordered four marathon bikes and met up with guest tester and marathon world champion Adreas Seewald in the Fürth city forest. Two fullys and two hardtails - modern and classic - are pitted against each other in a duel. With the Scarp Exonic, KTM represents the old-school faction in the full-suspension comparison. The bike was recently upgraded with a few tweaks for the new season, but the key data differs only minimally from its predecessor from 2017. 100 millimetres of travel at the rear and front were considered the ultimate on the racetrack not so long ago - as were the 68.6 degree steep head angle, the low front and the fixed seatpost. Lightweight wheels (3558 grams) with narrow tyres reduce the weight to a feather-light 9.5 kilos. Its rival is none other than the world champion bike of cross-country icon Nino Schurter. With a 120-millimetre fork, Vario seat post, 2.4-inch tyres and wide rims, the Scott Spark embodies the punk faction in the race segment.
In the hardtail category, the brand new Cannondale Scalpel HT Carbon and the Cube Elite C:68X SL face each other. Just like KTM, the candidate from Waldershof follows in the footsteps of its ancestors in terms of geometry, suspension travel and equipment, even in the latest version: 100-millimetre fork, steep angles and an extremely stiff frame - "easy to raise" is how parents' guides would probably classify the Cube. The latest addition to the American range, however, is currently going through a phase of self-discovery. The steering angle measures an extremely slack 66.9 degrees - no manufacturer has ever dared to do that on a race hardtail. For comparison: with this value, the Scalpel HT plays in the same league as trail bikes with 130 millimetres of travel. Added to this are the slightly longer suspension fork, wide handlebars and a flexing seatpost. As a result, the attributes of classic hardtails, such as liveliness and maximum forward thrust, give way in favour of more comfort and downhill potential.
But why should the steep head angle on the Cube or the rear suspension with 90 millimetres of travel on the KTM suddenly no longer be enough to win races? And why should the weight advantage of the classic bikes no longer play a role? After all, young and old are separated by an average of 1.2 kilos in our duel. If you take a look at the tracks of the last ten years, especially in cross-country racing, the answer is easy: stone fields, jumps and nasty steep sections place higher demands on riders and equipment year after year. It is logical that the manufacturers have responded to the extreme demands with their bikes. Even if marathons do not experience this development quite as clearly, long-distance enthusiasts can still benefit from this trend. "Extremely light bikes often make you believe you are incredibly fast when pedalling. All in all, a slightly heavier bike with better downhill characteristics and more comfort is often the faster choice, especially over long distances," reveals guest tester and reigning marathon world champion Adreas Seewald.
PDF-Download
The complete comparison test "Hot marathon duels: Scott vs KTM - Cube vs Cannondale" from BIKE 03/2022 can be conveniently downloaded as a PDF below the article.
Contents:
- Test duel 1: Scott Spark RC Worldcup AXS vs. KTM Scarp Exonic
- Test duel 2: Cube Elite C:68X SI vs. Cannondale Scalpel HT Carbon
Downloads:
Max Fuchs
Editor
