A Rockshox Pike fork from the Ultimate series, a flawless Sram GX groupset and a solid brake system from Magura - what the Bonn-based company packs into the shipping box for 3199 euros is exceptional. With this equipment, the Radon Skeen Trail can even stand up to some of its more expensive competitors. The aluminium frame, on the other hand, has been skimped on. At 3898 grams, it brings up the rear in the weight ranking. Not least due to the inexpensive wheels and the bulky aluminium parts, the Radon ends up with a total weight of 14.9 kilos.
Nevertheless, the Radon bike climbs well. The 77-degree seat angle and the short top tube place the rider comfortably on the Skeen Trail. On asphalt climbs or gravel, you benefit from the low rolling resistance of the tame Maxxis tyres. The low front end also gives you a lot of control over the front wheel. On the other hand, the Radon Skeen Trail has weaknesses in terms of suspension efficiency: especially when pedalling out of the saddle, the rear end noticeably buckles with every turn of the cranks. In addition, the shock is reluctant to deal with small bumps under chain tension. This robs the bike of traction on technical climbs.
Downhill, the price banger joins the playful representatives of trail bikes. Thanks to the steep steering angle and a lot of pressure on the front, the Radon Skeen in its trail edition can be steered very precisely through the terrain. The short chainstays keep the fun factor high even in tight bends. The suspension fork does an excellent job and offers versatile rebound and compression adjustment - an absolutely unique selling point in this price range. The rear suspension, on the other hand, chokes on even small bumps and quickly reaches its limit on rough descents.
Florentin Vesenbeckh, test editor:
Apart from the rear suspension, the Radon Skeen Trail is competitive despite its price disadvantage. The healthy balance of uphill and downhill qualities fulfils the requirements of a trail bike.
Technical data and notes on the Radon Skeen Trail AL 8.0
Manufacturer information
- Price: 3199 Euro²
- Available from the sender
- Frame material: aluminium
- Frame size: 16, 18,20, 22"(tested size 20, 46 cm)
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 14.9 kg
- Frame weight without shock: 3898 g
- Weight of wheels: 4843 g
- Handlebar width: 780 mm
Equipment
- Fork: Rockshox Pike Ultimate Charger 3
- Shock: Rockshox Deluxe Select+
- Front / rear suspension travel: 129 / 121 mm
- Crank: Sram X1 1000 Eagle
- Gear system: Sram GX Eagle 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 10-52 / 520 %
- Brake system / Disc (front / rear): Magura MT Trail Sport / 180 mm / 180 mm
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: Radon Competition Dropper / 150 mm / 31.6 mm
- Wheels: Sunringlé Düroc 30
- Tyres: Maxxis Forekaster; Exo Protection TR 29 x 2.35
- Ease of maintenance: weak
BIKE test rating¹: good - 174.8 out of 250 points
¹Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
²The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements (BIKE laboratory measurement) and the subjective impression of the test riders.
The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.).
Max Fuchs
Editor
