Downhill bike group test 2021 The best bikes in the test – our conclusion

We pitted four popular, World Cup proven downhill race bikes against each other. But which model was able to convince our test crew the most? We give you tips and draw comparisons between the test candidates Trek Session, Canyon Sender, Cube Two15 and Propain Rage!

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Downhill bikes are still really exotic - one-dimensional racing cars for a very narrow range of use and a correspondingly small clientele. Fortunately, however, there are still manufacturers – some of them real heavyweights – who see the sport for the figurehead and attention-getter that it is. In addition, nowhere can new ideas and concepts be developed as efficiently and put to the test as brutally as in the Downhill World Cup. There has been something similar in motorsport for a long time, but the ingenious thing compared to Formula 1, WRC and Co. is that you can buy and ride downhill bikes yourself! We had four current models from the Downhill World Cup compete against each other.

The best downhill bike in the test

As with our last downhill group test, we didn't set a price limit for the manufacturers. Details and savings on the chassis or the brakes can often have a big effect on downhill bikes in particular, which are so heavily optimized for a single purpose. However, we wanted to know what each frame really does. However, there was one condition: all bikes were sent to us with 29″ wheels. This is the preferred wheel configuration of our testers and also had the advantage that all models are actually available in the same way.

It's always amazing how different the different concepts are, even in a discipline like downhill, where it's all about getting from top to bottom as quickly as possible. Each of the four candidates can convince in their own way in certain situations - the jack of all trades that can do everything does not exist in 2021 either.

However, we were looking for the best downhill race bike and not the best park machine - and the Trek Session meets these requirements extremely well! The aluminum bike is the only representative of the high-pivot group in the test field and glides in a controlled and gentle way through rocky areas and root passages. At the same time, the Americans didn't overdo it: The Session is a bit sluggish when accelerating, but it doesn't suffer from extreme geometry changes and stays actively on the brakes. This is our downhill race tip for all speed fanatics!

The Canyon Sender is as successful as the Trek in the World Cup, but feels much tighter. With an active riding style and a little pressure, however, the large carbon wheel plows through rough terrain with almost the same control and, despite its length, proves to be livelier and surprisingly manoeuvrable. In addition, there is top equipment and the lowest price in the test field - no question that it will be our tip for value for money!

The youngest bike in the test is the Propain Rage CF, which was only introduced in mid-June. The massive carbon bike has the revised Pro10 rear end and really sticks to the track. Anyone who likes to dive into bombed-out segments is well advised to use the Propain! The Cube Two15, which is only made of carbon on the main frame but is extremely light, was completely different. Danny Hart's race bike looks fast when stationary and rockets forward, but sometimes feels like a scalpel when you want a machete. If you are fit and can keep a precise line, you can ride extremely fast with the Two15!

Downhill race tip: Trek Session

The aim of this test was to find the fastest downhill bike for races from the iXS Cup to the World Cup - and the Trek Session fulfills this requirement almost to perfection. The aluminum bike shines above all in extremely rough passages and almost floats over roots and stone fields. Steep sections and deep holes don't throw the Session off course, nor do bumps in the brakes or corners without any resistance. In addition, there is a balanced geometry that ensures a real feel-good factor and many adjustment options. For us, the Trek Session more than earned the downhill race tip!

Full article: Trek Session review

With the current Trek Session, the Americans have made a big hit. The downhill bike impresses with an incredible smoothness and tons of grip and control in the toughest conditions. The preference is clearly on technical, demanding routes with a lot of gradients. However, once it's in motion, the Session can impress anywhere and is a good choice for almost all racetracks thanks to its high level of adaptability.

Tip value for money: Canyon transmitter

Top equipment for little money is one thing - but in the end the performance on the downhill route has to be right. The Canyon Sender offers both: It is the cheapest bike in the test, has no weaknesses in terms of equipment, shines with its low weight and is convincing in practical use. If you want to get the best performance in downhill racing without sponsors, the best thing to do is to use the Canyon transmitter - our tip for value for money!

Full article: Canyon Sender review

With the Canyon Sender CFR, the Koblenz-based mail-order company has once again succeeded in creating an all-round capable downhill bike with racing genes. Assuming an active riding style, the carbon bike accelerates quickly and takes a lot of speed and control through technical and rough passages. Only the rear could be a bit more sensitive!

Propain Rage

The new Propain Rage is already convincing from a purely visual point of view. It drives just as powerful and brute as it looks! The youngest bike in the test likes to stick to the ground and absorbs fine bumps with its 215 mm travel at the rear, but sometimes uses its travel a little too generously. If you value comfort on bombed-out routes and would like to customize your setup, the Propain Rage is a good choice!

Full article: Propain Rage review

With its bulky frame shape, the Propain Rage practically screams to be moved through the toughest terrain into the valley at record speed. In fact, the downhill bike has no problem with a more moderate pace and convinces with an extremely sensitive rear triangle that easily absorbs light to rough impacts and provides a lot of comfort. The downside is that sprints aren’t necessarily one of the Rages’ strengths, and when going hard with the corresponding compressions, it’s a bit too generous with its travel and can get restless.

Cube Two15

Cube has been getting serious about the Downhill World Cup for a number of years and with the Two15 they have a really sharp racing machine in their line-up. The extremely stiff and progressive carbon bike can be accelerated like an XC file, but needs a technically experienced and fit rider in rough terrain! Anyone who has done their homework in winter and likes a very direct and firm driving experience will reach for the Cube.

Full article: Cube Two15 review

If you sit on the Cube Two15 HPC SLT, you quickly have the feeling of sitting on Danny Hart's or Max Hartenstern's actual race bike. The carbon bike accelerates excellently and is a master at flying over fast motorway sections. Fine vibrations are filtered out by the very progressive rear, but large impacts are almost completely passed on to the driver. This leads to extreme fatigue and places high demands on driving technique. If you want to win races with your bike, you have to spend at least as much time in the gym as you do on your bike!

The personal favorites of the testers

What makes a good downhill bike?

Rarely has the market been so rich in powerful freeride bikes that promise a lot of fun on airtime-heavy bike park routes and can sometimes even be pedaled comfortably up again. For us, this requirement has finally been removed from the specifications of a downhill bike: We want speed! Large wheels, at least 200 mm of travel, double bridge forks, endless grip and yet an active chassis that offers plenty of support for aggressive riding manoeuvres.

Of course, with a modern downhiller you should be able to turn onto the jump trail, provided it has enough gradient! Because more than a short intermediate sprint is not possible with such a race bike - the geometry and chassis are too much geared towards the descent. This includes reach values ​​that have increased significantly in recent years - even if they often do not reach the dimensions of powerful trail or enduro bikes -, very slack steering angles of 62-63.5°, long chainstays and a correspondingly massive wheelbase . The stack is also at a considerable height - on the one hand because of the long suspension forks, on the other hand to be in the center of the bike even on steep descents.

Downhill sport often serves as a test pool for chassis developers - the variance here is correspondingly large. In our test field, two bikes rely on the most common four-link rear suspension, one offers a virtual pivot point with a floating shock absorber and one bike throws a version of a single-pivot rear suspension with a high pivot point and chain deflection into the balance.

However, the requirements are the same everywhere: Fine vibrations should be filtered out, as should hard impacts or really big chunks. However, the 200+ mm should not be used too lavishly: some key points cannot be mastered with spring travel alone - technical sophistication is required! This requires sufficient support to move the bolide into the air or to have enough reserves and control for the following technical passages even after a hard landing.

If it's all downhill anyway, you can neglect the weight, right? We wouldn't make it that easy for ourselves. Some carbon downhills weigh just over 15 kg - after all, unlike enduro bikes, there are no dropper posts or high-bandwidth cassettes. While light weight can increase agility, at some point it comes at the expense of smoothness. Anyone who has ever heard of mass inertia is not particularly surprised. A downhill race bike shouldn't be too heavy, but if in doubt we would give priority to a powerful chassis and a comfortable and durable chassis.

Which brings us to the final point – durability! Watching the World Cup drivers mercilessly thrash their tools through the forest, you'd think they were indestructible tanks. The sad truth is: Even if modern downhill bikes can withstand a lot, you are at least as busy with screws as with riding. A creaking here, a cracking there, a dented rim or a hole in the tire - there is almost always something. However, it is important that such incidents are as rare as possible - and if they do occur, then please make them easy to rectify.

In a nutshell, the following properties remain:

How did we test the downhill bikes?

For our downhill group test, we rode the four test candidates for several days in the Czech trail park in Klinovec near the German border. The park should be known to many race fans from the new federal states, especially for the extremely fast and rough downhill track. This has not only been the location of an iXS Cup stop for several years, but also the training course of many German professional drivers such as Max Hartenstern or Johannes Fischbach.

In addition, a meanwhile legalized and heavily developed root route runs parallel. Their character could hardly be any different: instead of jumps, berms full of holes and many, many deep edges, damp root fields, tight curves and rather low speeds dominate here. Only the many artificial and often very rough stone fields share the two routes. Since you can also change between the routes at several points on the slope, the Trailpark Klinovec is the ideal test place for downhill race bikes!

If you want to take it a little easier, choose one of the three "bike park" routes on the Klinovec. While "Azur" and "Rubin" are aimed more at beginners and trail bikers, the freeride track "Baron" is suitable for putting the park properties of a downhill bike to the test. Here, tables and berms line up for kilometers with significantly less gradient and braking holes that are not quite as deep.

In addition to Gregor, our main downhill tester, we brought in the racer expertise of Lucas Rham. The Thuringian now runs his own guiding company, Trailwerk, with which you can even drive underground in an old mine, but he has also been at the start of World Cup races and EDC Super Finals. Both testers are around 1.80 m tall and so fit comfortably on the L-frames sent to us. The slight weight differences (70-76 kg) and sometimes different preferences in the cockpit height were solved by appropriate chassis adjustments and different handlebar and stem combinations.

While we relied on the settings provided by the frame or chassis manufacturer for the first rides, various changes were made to the damping setup, air pressure or spring rate and the number of tokens over the course of the multi-day test. Each driver was able to work out a suitable setup over several runs and, if in doubt, drive different models back-to-back against each other.

Which of the four models is your favorite on the downhill route?

You can find all the other articles in our downhill bike group test here: