Aggressive trail riding - ever heard of it? No? It's the bike industry's latest thought fart, you might think, that's how much the term sounds like marketing blah-blah. But on closer inspection, the idea is not stupid. After all, freeriders block very differently on the trails than touring bikers. Instead of chain right and stretching, freeriders want to jump, surf through dips in the ground in manual mode, hop over tree trunks and push through bends - and that's exactly what aggressive trail bikes are designed for. The geometry provides the necessary aggressiveness: slack steering angle, short chainstays, low bottom bracket - this is what distinguishes a freeride trail bike from a cross-country file. The suspension travel is of secondary importance. The manufacturers are also not yet agreed on the right wheel size. "29 inches is the right choice," believes YT designer Stefan Willared, while others find the large wheels too bulky and even offer 26-inch wheels. That's why we pitted the 29-inch Jeffsy from YT made of carbon against the Banshee Spitfire in 27.5 inches. A concept comparison!
Trail bikes have to be convincing on the trail, so we rode both bikes over our home track, the Isar trails. For the rather tame, undulating trail, you need firstly: a lot of propulsion. And secondly: a playful bike. After all, we want to take every little stunt and jump in our stride. We tested whether the trail bikes can also cope with rougher terrain on the Fleckalm trail in Kirchberg, which is bumpy in places.
ConclusionOur winner is the YT Jeffsy. This is our idea of a trail bike for freeriders. It's light, lively and wants to play. The Spitfire, on the other hand, prefers to speed downhill. It suffers from its extra weight and the equipment. This makes it a little unwieldy.
Duelist 1: YT Jeffsy CF Pro - Model 2017
The look of Jeffsy is stylish, the set-up is child's play, the equipment is first-class and the price is correspondingly high - the CF Pro is the top model in the Jeffsy range. The carbon wheels alone cost € 2000 and conceal the normally higher flywheel mass of the 29-inch bikes. The Fox suspension works excellently and, thanks to its efficient platform, is easy to stabilise on pedalling sections; nothing rocks. The rear suspension has a flip chip. If you want, you can use it to trim the head angle and lower the bottom bracket. We want to! You sit in the Jeffsy instead of on it - that feels good and gives you confidence. A look at the data sheet proves it: The BB drop is a whopping minus 35 millimetres. So we roar through the Isar trails on the bike, pull it loosely onto the rear wheel, let the rear end sway in turns, bunny hop over tree trunks, jump over dirt hills - everything works and we come to the conclusion that this 29er bike has freeride in its blood. We know the arguments of the 29-inch haters: too sluggish in fast corner changes, stand-up forces in berms, problems with backflips - okay, if you use your trail bike as a slopestyler, you should actually ride small wheels.
Change of location: Fleckalm trail in Kirchberg; enduro terrain. This is where the Jeffsy plays its 29er trump card. The good roll-over behaviour of the large wheels paired with a powerful chassis give it enduro qualities. It is fast, safe and smooth. The bike is easy to rock from one turn to the next when changing corners quickly. We don't feel any upright forces. Only in hairpin bends does it feel a little bulkier and when doing flash drops over terrain steps, you have to make sure that your bum doesn't get too close to the rear wheel.
Manufacturer information
Distribution YT Industries, www.yt-industries.com
Material/sizes Carbon/S,ML,XL
Price/weight without pedals 4499 Euro/12.1 kg
Measurement data
Front/rear suspension travel 140 mm/140 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
Equipment
Fork/damper Fox Float /Fox Float DPS
Cranks/gears Race Face Next SL/SRAM XO1
Brake system SRAM Guide Ultimate
Impellers DT Swiss XMC 1200 29 system wheelset
Tyres Onza Ibex 29x2.4 FRC
TRAIL 6 out of 6 points
DOWNHILL 4 out of 6 points
Performance: The performance points relate exclusively to the respective duel. They are not comparable with other duels.
Duellist 2: Banshee Spitfire
Banshee is a Canadian brand from the heart of British Columbia - the birthplace of freeriding. If anyone knows what "aggressive trail riding" is, it's these guys. The Canadians call their bike the Spitfire - that sounds pretty damn aggressive. However, we were surprised that the Spitfire was equipped with a thick 160 millimetre fork. It almost turns the bike into an enduro bike and also puts pressure on the weight. In fact, the Spitfire weighs 1.4 kilos more than the Jeffsy, which already puts it at a disadvantage going into the duel. A pity really. Trail bikes in particular need to be light, powerful and lively - and every gram counts. The Banshee also has a flip chip to adjust the geo. Steering angle, seat angle, chainstay length, etc. We rode the two most extreme settings. The low front end and flat handlebars put a lot of pressure on the front wheel. Banshee calls its bike the downhiller among trail bikes - you can feel it. It looks long and manuals only work with a lot of arm pull due to the generous chainstays, bunny hops are exhausting. "Low and long" puts pressure on the play instinct. Our rival Jeffsy comes closer to our idea of an aggressive trail bike.
The Spitfire only really starts to spit fire on the full throttle sections in Kirchberg. It sits well on the trail and its slack head angle makes for a very composed ride, supported by the comfortable MRP fork. Only the double barrel inline shock remains surprisingly lifeless, even though we set it up rather quickly. Our concept comparison: large wheels versus small wheels was torpedoed by the unequal weight and the Enduro fork of the Banshee. A second attempt is needed.
Manufacturer information
Distribution Everyday26, www.everyday26.de
Material/sizes Aluminium/S,ML,XL
Price/weight without pedals 4999 Euro/13.5 kg
Measurement data
Front/rear suspension travel 160 mm/140 mm
Rear suspension system KS Link
Equipment
Fork/damper MRP Stage 160/Cane Creek Double Barrel Inline
Cranks/gears Race Face Next SL/SRAM X01
Brake system SRAM Guide RS
Impellers Spank Oozy 295 Trail system wheelset
Tyres Maxxis High Roller Exo 2.4
TRAIL 3 out of 6 points
DOWNHILL 4 out of 6 points
Performance: The performance points relate exclusively to the respective duel. They are not comparable with other duels.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
