Test rider Laurin Lehner is fiddling with the poles of his one-man tent when the gust of wind turns the tarpaulin inside out for the second time. We can already make one statement before the first test lap with the nine trail bikes in the boot of our bus: Spending the night in a hotel would have been easier and, above all, much more comfortable. Nevertheless, three single rooms with half board were not an option for this trail bike test. As with mountain biking, sleeping in a tent means consciously disconnecting from normal life between the alarm clock and the news. We have therefore reduced ourselves, at least temporarily, to sleeping bag, tent and insulating mat in order to focus our attention on the essential factors for mountain bikers: fresh air, nature and fun on the single trail. All that remains to be answered is the crucial question: Which touring fully for under 2700 euros will let you enjoy your time in the great outdoors best?
Our tents are now pitched on the banks of the Vltava reservoir. Lipno lies in the Bohemian Forest, around 40 kilometres from Passau. Yellowed restaurant adverts and missing plaster on the walls of the buildings still bear witness to the failures of the former Soviet government. New hotels and the marina on the picturesque lakeshore are supposed to symbolise a new era, but they interest us just as little as the crumbling relics of the past. We are here because trail artist Tomáš Kvasnicka, builder of the legendary Pod Smrkem trail centre, has also immortalised himself with single trails in this forest. A small bike park including the surrounding "Floutrejl" attracted us. The bobsleigh track-like trails with countless berms, small jumps and bumpy passages make the 200 metre high hills of the Šumava a paradise for mountain bikers. Ideal test conditions for our trail bikes with 120 to 140 millimetres of suspension travel.
The entire article on these nine trial bikes with all the test results including points tables, technical data and grades is available as a PDF in the download area below:
- Canyon Neuron CF 8.0
- Cube Stereo 120 TM
- Focus Jam 6.8 Nine
- Giant Trance 29 2
- Kona Satori
- Marin Hawk Hill 3 27.5
- Norco Fluid FS 1
- Rock Machine Blizzard TRL90-29
- Rose Root Miller 3
You can find the complete comparison test including all data, points tables and the score overview in BIKE 7/2019. The comparison test costs € 1.99 as a PDF. Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, hundreds of thousands of euros every year.
You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
