Bicycles

On test: FRW Junkers XT 2011

Details

Parent Category: Bicycles

Category: FRW

Published on Monday, 08 November 2010 06:00

Written by Luca Salvatelli

A bike that demonstrates the validity of the aluminum frames

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One of the new bike is the 2011 FRW for Junkers model proposed in the XT version and only one bike as assembled. Junkers frame is made of aluminum hydroformed S. Light, the series of steering by 1 inch and 1/8, while the top tube has a particular profile, which should improve ride comfort. The seat tube accommodates seatpost from classical measurement of 31.6 millimeters. The rearstay pipes has the good section. The bike is built with the 3x10 Shimano XT, 24/32/42 with the new crankset and sprocket set 11/34. The brakes are Hayes Prime Pro, with the possibility to adjust the lever distance from the grip and the ability to adjust the amount of oil in the circuit, so as to make the command more powerful or more flexible control. The fork is a Manitou R7 Pro, with handlebar lockout. Stem, handlebar and seatpost are Ritchey Pro, the saddle is a Selle Italia SL XC flow white. The wheels are Mavic Mavic Crosstrail disc, which come complete with tires Geax Mezcal XC 2.1 TNT. Standard series bottle cage, water bottle and Shimano pedals PDM 520 White. So assembled, the bike weighs 11 kg without pedals, as observed with our instrumentation.

The road test

Junkers model is very personal in its graphics, the only available one you see in the picture. Ben made the frame, is available in a single assembly and is not available in kit form. Good finishing and assembly, but we would rather they were taken the brakes XT, though well replaced by Hayes. These have the advantage of easy adjustment lever distance from the handlebar and the possibility of adiust the force of brake application, the privileged or the maximum power modulation. Good components Ritchey and saddle, the seatpost has always been an excellent opportunity to adjust the tilt of the saddle itself millimeter. Always good Mavic wheels, not very light, but good for training and also for use in the race, when you have no ambitions of winning. The Mezcal, are very smooth, losing ground in the corners and grounds moved or muddy, as usual in mountain bike, the tires should be selected according to the type of route. The ergonomics of comands is always good and perfect is the operation of the Shimano XT. The Hayes brakes have replaced the well-Shimano XT brakes are more powerful but less adaptable. You can also privileged the scalability, but then you have to act with greater force on the levers, excellent resistance to fading and constant performance with mud and rain. The overall weight of the bike is quite low, and very competitive category. On the move you can appreciate the good rigidity of the chassis, which is closer to the best high-end aluminum products and, in some respects, it is also higher than many carbon frames medium/low range. For this performance are good, with good speed on hard surfaces and compact, where Geax are at their best. In the toughest climbs has benefited from the weight, but you must make sure that the steering becomes light. You must move your weight forward to get a good direction. Good traction, only limited by the type of tires on funds moved from the ground. Excellent handling, cornering speed inputs and also quite accurate. Like other FRW is the handiness to prevail and make the bike faster on the slow and tortuous paths, where this model is very competitive. At high speeds, however, the steering is more sensitive and need extra attention in controlling the trajectory of the bike. You can always be faster, but we need more experience driving with competitors to stay more stable. Good fork for its stiffness and for the good sensitivity to adjustment. It's better to let it work well, without too much stiffen the hydraulic adjustment, this will improve stability and steering precision on the fast at the expense of speed corner entry, which is still higher than the average. Like all aluminum frame to its high rigidity enables outstanding performance, even compared to the purchase price, but makes the ride quality is only modest. A more noticeable if you look down from a mountain bike with carbon frame. However, in this respect, it behaves worse than others. In conclusion, a very competitive bike, a rigid frame and responsive. From the best on winding roads and technicians, but is also competing on fast, which only requires a greater driving experience.

Price
The bike test has a cost of about Euro 2199, a competitive price for performance emerged.