Anyone who puts a good 3000 euros on the table for a marathon full-suspension bike with 100 millimetres of travel wants a serious piece of sports equipment with precise function, convincing equipment and a low weight. We tested eight fast bikes of this type on the cross-country course and in the lab. In addition to well-known names such as Bergamont, Lapierre, Orbea, Tomac and Votec, we also tested exotic bikes such as Conway, Pronghorn and Turner.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF 1000 EUROS?
In direct comparison to the
Marathon-Fully test in Bike 4/09
the current test bikes are a good 1000 euros more expensive. But what can you expect for this price difference? First and foremost, the higher price is reflected in a lower weight. On average, our test bikes were 600 grams lighter at 11.7 kilograms including pedals. This is more a result of the higher quality equipment and add-on parts than a lower frame weight. In this price range, you can expect equipment at Shimano XT to XTR or Sram X.9 to X.0 level, including small outliers at the top and bottom.
You can find the entire test report as a PDF download below.
