For three years, the Propain Tyee inspired many enduro bikers. The fully from the German mail-order company also regularly scored highly in BIKE's enduro tests. For 2023, the Upper Swabia - next to a range of children's MTBs - is now bringing a worthy successor to the trails. Thanks to a new frame, it should now be even lighter, more powerful and simply better than the outgoing successful model. In order to make hobby enduro riders and World Cup racers equally happy, the developers have put a lot of work into the chassis and geometry of the new enduro flagship. In contrast to many other manufacturers, weight was not a secondary consideration for Propain in the Enduro segment. On the contrary: both the carbon and aluminium frames are now lighter. Numerous small improvements are intended to further enhance the riding experience. We have all the details on the new Propain Tyee 2023 enduro bike!
You will find these topics below:
And what does Propain itself say? The interview with Tyee developer Robert Krauss can be found here.
Details on the new Propain Tyee
- Pricefrom 2999 Euro
- Spring travel160 millimetres (rear triangle) / 160-170 millimetres (fork)
- Wheel size: 27.5 inch (XS, S, M) / Mullet (M, L, XL), 29 inch (M, L, XL)
- Field of applicationEnduro : Enduro
- Frame materialCarbon or aluminium
- Rear suspension systemPropain Pro10
- Four equipment variants per frame material plus configurator
- InnovationsGeometry, kinematics, rear triangle, cable routing, frame protection, bearings, Sram UDH, colours, frame size XS
- Weight saving compared to predecessorapprox. 100 grams (carbon) / approx. 200 grams (aluminium)
The Propain Enduro is getting lighter
For Propain, an enduro bike must not only excel on the downhill, but also be fun all day long on the way to the summit. That's why the development goal was to reduce the weight of the frame right from the start. The aluminium frame in particular was to be slimmed down to bring its ride feel closer to that of the carbon version. By completely redeveloping the frame, it was possible to save between 200 and almost 300 grams on the aluminium version, depending on the frame size. According to Propain, the aluminium frame in size M weighs around 3.4 kilos. Meanwhile, the now stiffer carbon frame has gained around 100 grams and now weighs 2.9 kilograms (size M, manufacturer's specification) - still a good value compared to the competition.
Propain relies on blended carbon and blended aluminium. Depending on the requirements of a frame part, different blends of the material are used. Not all areas of a frame have to fulfil the same requirements in terms of stiffness, flex, impact protection, weight, strength and load direction. A mix of different carbon and aluminium variants is therefore used in the construction of the new Propain Tyee frame. The frame of the Tyee AL consists of at least three different types of aluminium, which are also used for the fuselage and wings of aircraft. Propain is the only company to offer this in this form.
New kinematics of the Propain Tyee
Propain remains true to the Pro10 rear suspension system, but adapts the kinematics in favour of suspension performance. The new rear triangle of the Tyee now has a new gear ratio as well as a modified wheel lift curve and offers less pedal kickback. As before, it provides 160 millimetres of suspension travel. A reduced anti-squat (113 per cent in SAG) and a slightly lower end progression are intended to elicit more reserves from the rear triangle and still keep the bike agile and efficient. Propain hopes that the revision will result in more sensitive response behaviour as well as optimum grip and support when using both air and coil shocks.
New geometry of the Propain Tyee
At the front, the Tyee can be ridden with either 160 or 170 millimetres of travel. Brand new for 2023 is the XS frame size, which should also make enduro riders of smaller stature happy. In sizes XS and S, the Tyee comes exclusively with 27.5-inch wheels. For frame size M, customers can choose between 27.5 and 29 inch wheels. Sizes L and XL come with 29-inch wheels ex works. Thanks to a flip chip in the shock rocker, a mullet setup (MX tyres) is also possible for sizes M to XL. This does not change the geometry.
Compared to its predecessor, the head angle of the new Propain Tyee is now 0.5 degrees slacker at 64.5 degrees. The reach has been extended by five millimetres for all frame sizes, so that it is now 480 millimetres in size L. At the same time, the seat tube has been shortened by one centimetre (now 450 millimetres in size L). The chainstays measure 430 millimetres in sizes XS and S. For sizes M to XL, it is 445 millimetres. At 77.5 degrees, the seat angle is steep.
New details on the Propain Tyee
The new rear triangle of the Propain Tyee places post mount brake callipers lower in the frame. In addition to the aesthetic improvement, this design also transmits the resulting braking forces better to the frame. Brake discs with a diameter of 180 and 200 millimetres no longer require an additional adapter. Overall, Propain claims a ten per cent improvement in rear triangle stiffness for both material types. It also offers more frame clearance and a Sram UDH derailleur hanger. This means that the Propain Tyee 2023 is also compatible with the new Sram Eagle AXS Transmission drivetrain.
All cables on the new Tyee mountain bike now run through the headset into the frame. Propain invested a lot of development time in this detail together with component manufacturer Sixpack. The topmost spacer, including the cable inlets, is elegantly flush with the German CNC-machined stem. The stem does not have to be completely removed to adjust the height of the cockpit. Instead, the two-part spacers can simply be clipped in. The result should be optimised cable routing with less noise. Both the new aluminium and carbon frames offer a bottle cage mount on the down tube and a tool mount under the top tube. Of course, the new bike also comes in fresh colours.
Longer biking thanks to durable bearings
To make the new Tyee as durable as possible, even in tough enduro use, Propain relies on rust-free bearings from Acros throughout. These are double-sealed thanks to Propain Dirt Shield technology and should provide long-lasting pleasure. A frequently mentioned point of criticism of the cable routing through the headset is the susceptibility to moisture ingress at this sensitive point. In addition, changing the headset bearings in this system involves disconnecting all the cables. To spare bikers this process, Propain also relies on stainless steel bearings from Acros for the headset. A sealed seat clamp from Sixpack is designed to prevent water from entering the seat tube.
New protectors on the seat stays and down tube are now designed to protect the frame even better. Propain has installed a softer chainstay protector to prevent noise from chain slap. In order to guarantee the high stability of the enduro frame, the Swabians test it on the in-house testing machines at the company headquarters in Vogt, Baden-Württemberg. The Tyee withstood over 500,000 load cycles without any problems. Propain grants unrestricted bike park approval and classifies the Tyee Enduro MTB according to level 5.
Equipment and prices
As usual with Propain, the online configurator is the centrepiece of the new Tyee. For both the Tyee AL and the Tyee CF, Propain offers four pre-configured equipment variants in different price categories, which can still be customised in the configurator. Customisation includes not only the frame colour and decals, but also all parts from the chassis to the cockpit, brakes and gears through to the wheelset. This allows enduro bikers to adapt their personal Tyee to their own needs and, for example, choose between a fork with 160 or 170 millimetres of suspension travel. When it comes to suspension forks and shocks, there is a choice of models from Fox, Rockshox and Formula. Steel spring shocks can also be configured.
Prices start at € 2999 for the Propain Tyee AL and € 3599 for the Tyee AL. The pre-configured build kits are recommendations from the Propain team:
- Price2Ride (AL: 3599 euros / CF: 4199 euros): Formula suspension and brakes, Newmen Performance 30 wheelset, BikeYoke Devine seatpost
- SHRED² (AL: 4484 Euro / CF: 5084 Euro): Rockshox ZEB Ultimate and Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil shocks, Sram GX Eagle drivetrain, Newmen EG30 wheelset
- Phantom (AL: 6109 euros / CF 6709 euros): Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 and Super Deluxe Ultimate Air, Sram Code RSC brakes and Sram AXS X0 transmission groupset
- Goldrush (AL: 7644 euros / CF: 8,244 euros): Magura MT7, Crankbrothers Synthesis Carbon wheelset, Sram AXS XX Transmission groupset
Test: How the new Propain Tyee rides
Propain has given its Enduro Tyee a proper facelift: longer, flatter, lighter. And better too? We have already tested the enduro bike in detail and revealed how the Propain Tyee rides. In our enduro special, the Tyee had to compete with models from other manufacturers in a large enduro comparison test. These included the Prime Thunderflash, Cube Stereo One77, Bold Unplugged and Giant Reign.
Ride report Propain Tyee
On the trail, the Tyee remains true to its previous character and presents itself more as a classic enduro bike than an EWS bruiser. It rides very agilely and makes it as easy as possible for the rider to actively corner through the terrain. The geometry is successful and requires no familiarisation. With its rather steep steering angle, the Tyee steers directly and cuts through corners like a carpet knife, despite the long chainstays. Not all testers liked the cockpit; a shorter stem provided a remedy. If the trail drops and starts to take hits, the Propain can handle less speed. Although we tuned the bike gradually softer and thus tickled more comfort out of the suspension, the test competition (see Enduro Special in FREERIDE 2/23) still seemed bigger than the Propain. "The Tyee rides like a potent all-mountain bike," was the verdict of one tester. On tours, the Propain MTB pedals comfortably up the mountain. The rear suspension only bobs minimally and can also be stabilised using the compression lever - unfortunately, this is difficult to reach while riding.
Conclusion
The new Propain Tyee is not a full-throttle baller. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. After all, I don't want to hurtle down the EWS tracks at Vmax, I want lively handling and the widest possible range of use. The Propain was fast enough for me. However, the chainstays should be shorter. - Dimitri Lehner, Editor-in-Chief FREERIDE
Interview with Propain developer Robert Krauss
Robert Krauss is CEO at Propain Bicycles GmbH and has headed the company since 2012. As Chief Developer, the graduate engineer is also responsible for the relaunch of the Propain Tyee 2023.
BIKE: What were the main goals in the development of the Propain Tyee?
ROBERT KRAUSS: We not only wanted to revise the geometry and suspension, but also make the bike lighter overall - especially the aluminium version. We also wanted to incorporate many important details into the new development, such as a quieter chainstay protector and optimised cable routing. The predecessor still won many tests in 2023, was voted Enduro Bike of the Year 2022 and won the EWS in the U21 classification, so it wasn't a bad bike. However, over the three years since its launch, we have collected details that we wanted to improve.
Was the development effort greater for the carbon or the aluminium version?
We put a similar amount of work into both frames. Because the old aluminium frame was too heavy for us, we had a higher target for this one in terms of weight reduction. Previously, the weight difference between aluminium and carbon was too great for us, as we were already doing very well with the latter. You can clearly tell that the aluminium frame is now 200 to 250 grams lighter when riding. Of course, we are also happy about the lighter carbon frame, because saving weight is always a good thing. Both frames now have a similar ride feel.
Why does the new Propain Enduro come with integrated cable routing, but not with a storage compartment or an integrated tool solution??
In general, such gimmicks are a good idea, but we didn't consider them when developing the new Tyee. There are many simple aftermarket solutions for integrating a tool. A storage compartment requires a large down tube, but we opted for a slimmer and sportier design.
Why do you mainly use suspension forks with 36 or 35 millimetre stanchions for the Tyee?
With Hugene, Tyee and Spindrift, we have three different products in the downhill segment. If you want a fork with 38 millimetre stanchions, you can of course opt for the Spindrift. The Tyee is also available with an optional 170 millimetre Rockshox ZEB. Otherwise, however, we favour Fox 36 and Rockshox Lyrik, as we consider these to be the right forks for the enduro segment. Recently, this segment has been expanding towards downhill. Many bikes are mini downhillers, so to speak. For us, however, enduro means both uphill and downhill. With the Tyee, enduro riders can get up the mountain all day long and still have a potent bike on the downhill.
Who is the Propain Tyee the right bike for?
For hobby enduro riders and racers alike. We definitely want to make the average customer happy with the bike, but also design it in such a way that it enables the professional to win the EWS. Of course, we could always develop something more uncompromising in one direction or the other. But it was important for us to be broadly positioned and to appeal to both target groups. I think we have succeeded in doing this with the new Tyee. With the help of the configurator, the bike can also be customised to suit your own needs. From morning to night in the saddle - the Tyee is the right bike for that. It is just as popular as the Hugene. The Spindrift is also still a bestseller, as there is much less competition in the freeride sector. But of course we sell more Tyees as we offer them in aluminium and carbon.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
