The bike label from the Westerwald is new to the enduro business, but is a veteran of the bike sport. The mechanical engineer Bernd Müsing was already building mountain bikes in the 1980s. In order to build up a powerful enduro fleet, Müsing hired ex-Rose designer Andreas Heimerdinger. In the "Petrol 7", the genetic soup of "Beef Cake" sloshes around - you can clearly see that in the bike. The riding characteristics of the "Petrol" are also very reminiscent of the "Beef Cake". The bike with its pleasantly wide cockpit rides safely and quickly downhill. The excellent Fox fork with 170 millimetres of travel works reliably and never loses its nonchalance, even when the trail turns into a quarry. The long rear triangle (longest chainstays in the test) brings composure to the suspension. The high front end is particularly pleasant on very steep trails, but it makes it harder to get pressure on the front wheel. The handling is more reminiscent of a freerider - compared to the manoeuvrable bikes from Kona, Giant or Rose, the Müsing is less playful from one turn to the next. The reason for the lack of liveliness is the rear suspension. Although it responds comfortably with the compression damping open, it then gives up its travel too readily. The end progression is missing. The degressive character leads to the "Petrol" bottoming out on big drops, bobbing in corners and generally feeling a bit sluggish. We therefore preferred to ride the shock with the compression stage half-closed. Tip: reduce the air chamber of the shock. In short: The Müsing delivered a solid performance, but was not one of our favourites.
ConclusionA chic, well-equipped enduro bike that gives you a lot of confidence on the descents and confidently ticks off the specification - without standing out. On trail rides, it feels rather inhibited and not very playful.
STRENGTHS Fork, weight, finish
WEAKNESSES Rear end dives away (tuning required)
Manufacturer information
Distribution Müsing GmbH www.muesing-bikes.de
Material/sizes Aluminium/S, M, L
Price/weight without pedals* 4690 Euro/13.6 kg
Measurement data
Front/rear suspension travel 170 mm/165 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
Equipment
Fork/damper Fox 36 Float RC2/Fox Float X CTD
Cranks/gears SRAM XX1/SRAM XX1
Brake system Shimano XT
Impellers DT-Swiss EX 1501 Spline system wheelset, Continental Trail-King 2.4 tyres
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
