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Trail bikes offer the almost perfect balance of uphill and downhill qualities. This opens up an almost limitless area of use. At least on paper. We compared current fullys from Canyon, Cube, Focus, Giant, Müsing and Radon in the 2900-3200 euro price range - all with 120 to 140 millimetres of suspension travel. Which of the six models in our test has the widest horizon - and will take us further?
This is because the efficiency of the human body itself is disastrous. According to a scientific study, we mechanically transfer just 21 to 24 per cent of the energy we eat to the pedals. The rest? Dissipates as heat, like heating air through an open window. In view of this balance, it is no wonder that we quickly harbour a desire for a climbing aid.
But it doesn't have to have its own motor. Even with such a miserable starting position, man is capable of great things - thanks to the ingenious bicycle. Cranking up 18,000 metres of altitude in 24 hours or pedalling at 296 km/h with your own muscle power in the slipstream of a dragster - such achievements put the meagre energy balance into perspective. The prerequisite for this is, of course, that the material is right. And this is precisely where our test field comes in.
With six fullys from the Trail bike category is made up exclusively of candidates that, on paper at least, know hardly any limits. Bikes that can withstand almost any terrain and cover all types of our sport, from the home circuit to challenging descents in the Alps and the occasional marathon. With 120 to 140 millimetres of suspension travel, they lie in the golden mean and are just as happy riding uphill as downhill.
So bikes for people who can't make up their minds? You could say that now. Or for bikers who don't want to be restricted in their range of movement. With an almost balanced weighting of uphill and downhill qualities, we also take this all-rounder claim into account in our points system. A maximum of 105 points uphill and 115 points downhill can be scored in the practical evaluation.
You can conveniently download the complete comparison test of the six trail bikes from BIKE 01/2022 as a PDF below the article. The test report costs 1.99 euros.
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 charge for them, but the opposite is the case: we do charge for them - tens of thousands of euros every year.
- Canyon Neuron CF8
- Cube Stereo 120 HPC TM29
- Focus Throne 6.9
- Giant Trance 29 1
- Müsing Petrol 4C 3.2
- Radon Skeen Trail 10.0
