According to the manufacturer, the newly developed Kuro is the right choice for enduro adventures. We liked the robust aluminium frame with its distinctive hydroformed tubes and the low top tube for plenty of legroom. Striking: the massive bearings in the carbon swingarm and the smart internally routed cables. However, the geometry data of the medium bike surprised us. The Kuro is small: shortest reach, shortest top tube, short wheelbase. Even the long 60 mm stem doesn't change anything, the riding position on the Simplon is rather cramped. Steeper steering angle, rather stiff suspension, higher bottom bracket - this means that the manoeuvrable Simplon feels more at home on slow, technical sections. The high-speed bolting of our test track over nasty rock slabs and boulders drove beads of sweat onto the Austrian's forehead. It reached its limits early on in this rodeo ride and had to let all the competition in the test field go. We had already replaced the narrow 740 handlebars for more control. If you step directly from the Simplon onto the Radon, the extremes become clear: full on race, long main frame, short rear end on the one side (Radon), short, tall, rather oldschool on the other (Simplon). Nevertheless, the Simplon delivers a solid performance and pleases with agile, direct handling. At 13.8 kilos, it is the heaviest bike in the test, but it climbs very well and develops a lot of propulsion, supported by RockShox's dropper post. Tip: The classic medium rider should go for the large with the Kuro; the bike runs small.
ConclusionThe Simplon gets nervous earlier at high speeds. The manoeuvrable Austrian's range of use is therefore more towards all-mountain. There are much more powerful bikes for rough terrain.
STRENGTHS Direct, manoeuvrable, all-round use
WEAKNESSES Quickly nervous, narrow handlebars, geometry
Manufacturer information
Distribution Simplon Bikes, www.simplon.com
Material/sizes Aluminium/S, M, L, XL
Price/weight without pedals 5124 €/13.8 kg
Measurement data
Front/rear suspension travel 160 mm/160 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
Equipment
Fork/damper RockShox Pike RC/RockShox Monarch Plus RC3
Cranks/gears SRAM XO/SRAM XO1
Brake system Shimano XT
Impellers DT Swiss XM 1501 Spline system wheelset,
Tyres Schwalbe Hans Dampf Evo Trailstar 2.35
Performance
Uphill 4 out of 6 points
Downhill 3 out of 6 points
FREERIDE judgement 8 out of 10 points
FREERIDE RANKING: The number (maximum 10 points) reflects the overall impression of the testers and is not an addition of downhill and uphill points. 10 = Test winner, it couldn't be better. 9 = Very good. Recommended purchase. 8 = Solid performance. 7 = Below average. The product has weaknesses. 1 to 6 = We can only warn against this!
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
