Mountain Bike: Seven bikes costing 1199 euros in Test

Once upon a time they were the stars of the scene: when our sport was in its infancy, all bikes were equipped with a rigid rear stay.
The rear sprung? Music of the future! No matter if this side or this side of the big pond, the young MTB scene was hopping everywhere in the woods. Tough but with a heart. When iprimthe integrals appeared in the late 80s / primn the 90s, they not only looked like spaceships, but also functioned at a modest level.
A few more years would pass, until the mid-90s, primuntil the full-suspension MTB turned the sector upside down. At the same time, bikes increasingly offered suspension travel and new categories such as all-mountain, enduro and freeride emerged.
The sections ridden by riders have become more extreme. Not because courage has only grown: Fullys have played a major role in suddenly making difficult descents, high jumps and long jumps possible without breaking your neck or frame.

An online survey of Hard's 2020 readerstrail Magazine shows that 70 percent predominantly use a full suspension bike.
When purchasing a new bike, 79 percent even look at full suspension.

Trail enduro bike trail

Let's dedicate a broad topic specialand to the hardtail. Why?

Because a hardtail is still beautiful and for many the perfect bike! On the one hand there are emotional reasons. No other type of bicycle reflects the essence of mountain biking in such an unfiltered way. But there are also rational reasons in favor of the suspension rigid rear: a hardtail will always be lighter, cheaper, less carefree and requires less maintenance than a comparable full house. The logo that isn't there (you suspend rear) weighs nothing, costs nothing and does not break.

Great: new categories are emerging, the hardtail world is becoming more and more diverse. This also shows the popularity. Therefore, we will cover three categories in this review. Exciting: in each of them we experiencerimyou will enter the charm of hardtail bike differently!
There are the ascetic racing hardtails that convert every twitch muscle in propulsion. Or all-around hardtails that strike the balance between efficiency and comfort, while weighing and costing significantly less than comparable touring bikes. Finally, there are the hardtails trail, which really hit the trail with flat geos and sturdy parts. Due to the situation current with enormous delivery difficulties in the bicycle industry, we were only able to test three bicycles per category, but we selected them in such a way that they also show a wide range within the category. Finally, we will also present you with nine other alternatives.

They all have one thing in common: they sharpen the senses! Concentration is needed and foresight on entrenched or blocked passages. Hardtails naturally don't forgive big mistakes. What could be interpreted as a handicap is also an advantage: hardtails are a cradle of riding technique and not just for beginners. Even for experienced riders with full suspension experience, it's worth getting a hardtail to your riding skills or as an alternative for adverse conditions.
And your wallet will rinse yougrazia when you have to change the wearing parts on the suit or the mandatory damper service at a later time. Anyway: try a hardtail! You'll be amazed at how much fun these tough guys are on the field.

 

MOUNTAIN BIKE

Mountain bike bicycle

All about propulsion: Racing hardtails are true super athletes and chase seconds. With their steep geometry, lightweight accessories and, above all, very light frames, race hardtails come almost straight from the starting block. So much high-tech has its price: well-equipped and race-ready bikes start at around 3000 euros, the top models are close to 9000 euros, but then conjure up fabulous weights of less than eight kilograms. In the cross-country circus, however, racing models have somewhat disappeared from the scene: due to increasingly difficult courses, pros are more often on full-suspension bikes, but marathon pros still like to grab a hardtail.


THE MOUNTAIN BIKES TESTED:

Arc8 involves

arc8 involves mountain biking

The young Swiss brand is launching new sales in Germany in 2021: Arc8 is equipped with a smart carbon frame that includes internal cable routing, price from 3899 euros (custom bike) or 1599 euros (frame). Price from €3899 / direct trade e specialized.


Centurion Backfire Carbon

Centurion Backfire Carbon mountain bike

The Backfire is a Marat legend fast: with its geometry classica, is synonymous with pure propulsion, it is suitable for daily use despite its construction lightweight and approved for heavy runners up to 135 pounds. It also offers good comfort in the back. Price from €2649


Ghost Lector SF

Ghost Lector SF Mountain bike

Developed in the World Cup with the women's team, the Lector is completely oriented towards propulsion. Fantastic: the unusually long "Superfit" geometry and the fully integrated eight-pin vario support. 100 mm fork, from size M 120 mm. Price from €2399


All-round hardtails: the all-rounders


Canyon grand canyon 8

Canyon grand Canyon 8 Mountain bike

Whether it's funtimento on the track, a lively tour after work or a tour Extended: All-round hardtails cut a strong figure everywhere. Especially for beginners in MTB sport, these rigid rear bikes offer great potential: they are economical and, grazie due to their direct nature, they train driving technique. And the mostly robust additional parts forgive risks of falls and cycling in horrible weather conditions and the wearing parts are more convenient. Large quantities allow for many different frame sizes, and all-round hardtails are often approved for high rider weights.

The choice is varied. There are many models"classici", propulsive oriented with 100 mm suspension fork and lightweight aluminum frame, but also more and more bicycles with practical telescopic and travel forks of 120 mm, so that the real diver can be borntimento of trail.


THREE ALTERNATIVE BIKES:

Trek Procaliber

Trek procaliber mountain bike

This hardtail can give comfort: grazie an elastomer in the transition between the saddle and the top tube, the Procaliber dampens vibrations and shocks. It is suitable for forks with up to 110mm of travel, but is quite lightweight in design. Price from €1899


Giant XTC

Giant xtc mountain bike

On the XTC SLR, Giant combines a lightweight, high-quality aluminum frame with well-thought-out parts and a rather conservative touring geography. The wheels and suspension fork come from Giant's brand. Price from €1199

 

Bull Bushmaster

Bull Bushmaster mountain bike

The Bush seriesmaster has already convinced us in several tests with the best quality-price ratio. The latest addition to ZEG's own brand features a carbon frame approved for riders weighing up to 115 kilos. Price from €1649

When you look at the price, the new Cannondale is surprisingly attractive. The top model Jekyll 1 costs 6.499 euros. In exchange, the enduro rider gets a high-quality Fox frame with a factory 38 fork and a factory X2 shock. Carbon wheels are not included in the price, the Americans also carefully mix the gears to create an attractive package. Almost cheap by Cannondale standards is the Jekyll 2 for 4599 euros, which is equipped with a fork Rock Shox Zeb Select and a Fox DPX2 shock. The frame kit with painting specialand is 3499 euros.



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