2023 Propain

Spindrift CF 29 Performance

In a world where excess is increasingly frowned upon, it’s easy to find reasons to be more conservative and play things safe. Propain’s Spindrift takes that ethos and throws it straight out of the fictional window, boasting a whopping 180mm at both ends, and even turbo-charging the DH attitude with a dual crown fork if you want to push things even further. Despite the Cat 5 chassis rating and the brand’s athletes chucking it down cliffs and drops in last year’s Red Bull Rampage, this is not just a pure downhill bike. On the contrary, what makes the Spindrift such a stand out from the best enduro mountain bikes is how versatile it is, even with all that travel and toughness. – Short of time? Click here to skip to the verdict – Propain Spindrift need to know Latest generation of Propain’s 180mm travel freeride bike Near £8K build features SRAM’s XX Transmission drivetrain and RockShox Ultimate suspension with Magura MT7 DH-spec brakes Available in carbon fibre or aluminium with a snappier, more bike park attitude in aluminium Refined frame now has internal storage and cleaner lines Built to order purchase process allows complete personalisation Propain’s Spindthrift can be both a Rampage bike and a fall-line DH shredder, but still not send you to sleep on less lairy trails. This magic is thanks to the distinctive PRO10 suspension. I’ve tested the Spindrift previously and found, even with all the travel, it pedalled and accelerated like it had no right to. And that’s with 29in wheels front and back, a coil shock and a 10mm longer (190mm) Zeb fork. This latest carbon version has been tweaked, rather than completely overhauled, presumably because Propain felt it had already nailed the suspension feel. It still has the German brand’s distinct look defined by that wrap-round link and asymmetric front triangle, but the frame is much sleeker and better integrated. It now comes with a flip-chip built into the rocker to swap between 29in or MX set up too. It wouldn’t be 2024 either without a new downtube glove box to stash your stuff, so the latest carbon Spindrift also ticks the internal frame storage box. Frame and geometry Whoever said freeride is dead clearly didn’t factor in Propain reaching a fifth Spindrift generation. Slimmer and more angular than before, with a couple of stylised kinks at the head and seat tubes, the new frame is still a beefcake. But with Propain’s complicated-looking scissoring link design it’s more of a toned and purposeful hunk. Alongside this carbon version, there’s a cheaper aluminium option that differs slightly by having shorter chainstay and reach per size as well as a higher stack, presumably for a more bike park and jumpy focus. The carbon frame uses a tuned layup mixing high modulus fibres in places to save weight, packs the internal storage mentioned (with two separate stash bags) and has numerous practical mounting options for bottle and tools. There’s an oval flip chip to swap wheel size, …Continue reading »

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