DISTANCE 1920 kilometres | 33,400 vertical metres
Some people tend to think of me as a road cyclist who only uses my mountain bike on the way to work. That's not entirely true, of course, because I regularly and happily reach for my MTB, especially when it's too cold or the car drivers are just too annoying. My focus is on efficient and fast bikes. Just like the Rose Thrill Hill marathon fully. In addition to the excursions in the foothills of the Alps, my endurance test bike knows every stone and every root on the 30 kilometres of Isar trails between the BIKE editorial office and my home.
However, the short 70 mm stem had to make way for a 110 millimetre stem to achieve the optimum, balanced riding position. I couldn't really warm up to the original saddle either and swapped it for a Fizik Arione. Over the course of time, both brakes (Formula RX with 180 mm discs) kept making themselves heard with an annoying, squeaking noise, despite repeated adjustments. And not at all when braking, but when travelling freely. Apparently, the brake disc was touching the pads slightly and vibrating, causing the noise. However, a quick pull on the brake lever immediately silenced the noise before it started up again after a short time. The only way to keep it quiet for longer was to grind down the brake pads, clean them with brake cleaner, activate the pistons and adjust the brake fluid level.
The suspension set-up also took some time. As the Fox damper showed little differentiation in the three stages, I had to select a fairly high damper pressure of 250 PSI for a firm suspension. But even with this setting, the suspension still worked harder than it should in platform mode. And the unusual wheel size for a marathon fully? The 27.5-inch wheels are a little more manoeuvrable than their larger brothers, but they don't make the bike any faster.
CONCLUSIONDespite salt and mud bombardment followed by steam cleaner sessions, the Rose has remained unimpressed. Only the headset is now a little stiff.
DEFECTS / MAINTENANCE
TUNING
- 90 km - seat position optimised: The 70 mm stem made the riding position too upright. A 110 millimetre stem was used for more length.
- 310 km - saddle replacement: As standard, the Thrill Hill came with a Rose saddle. For more comfort, I fitted a Fizik Arione to the bike.
- 1050 km - tyres renewed: The original Continental Race King tyres were a perfect match for the intended use. After the tread was worn down, I switched to Maxxis Ikon tyres for testing purposes.
RELATIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
Mini-Transalp
Together with his brother and five boys aged between ten and 14, they travelled from the front door to the Alpbachtal valley in the Zillertal. Despite the early August date, the rain, which lasted for three days, was a real test.
Functionality 3 out of 6 points
Durability 5 out of 6 points
THE TESTER
Christoph AllwangBIKE laboratory manager, 47 years old
Size / Weight 1.78 m / 77 kg
Driver profile Mainly cross country and marathon, with occasional racing
Favourite areas Isar trails, Alpine foothills region, Tuscany (Maremma)
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