The name Rockstar says it all at Haibike: in any case, the bike from Schweinfurt boasts the most extravagant frame in the test field. The top tube and down tube have many sleek radii, are curved and multi-butted. The four-bar rear triangle is rather angular and connects to the main frame with a massive forged section. The centrepiece is the large Fox DHX Air damper with reservoir. The whole thing is garnished with robust Truvativ parts from the Hussefelt line. As a counterpart to the high-quality DHX shock, the affordable (heavy) Rock Shox Domain steel suspension fork works at the front.
The rather heavy bike also exhibits rock star behaviour on the test trails: the suspension sags relatively heavily on climbs due to chain pull, which leads to an unpleasant jackknife effect. At the same time, the fork doesn't want to respond very sensitively. If you pump more air into the shock, the response behaviour deteriorates. Added to this is the rather high overall weight on the climbs. The fork adjustment via the U-turn system is nice. Compared to the competition, downhill riding is less fun. The stubborn fork makes the bike ride quite unbalanced and bumpy. A pity, because the geometry and riding position would actually be a good fit.
Unfortunately, equipment details such as the spongy foam rubber handles are also less good. The workmanship also leaves room for improvement: The seat post, for example, was completely scratched after being pulled out twice. Apparently, the seat tube of our test bike was not carefully rubbed out on the inside.
CONCLUSION: Visually extravagant enduro at a favourable price with weaknesses in the chassis and workmanship.
+ Robust attachments
+ High-quality damper
- Unbalanced chassis
- Simple fork model
Web: www.haibike.de
