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Nov 30, 2023

Propain Spindrift Al MX Performance review

Does more travel equal more fun? This competition is now closed By Luke Marshall Published: July 27, 2023 at 5:00 pm Propain’s Spindrift AL MX Performance is the German direct-to-consumer brand’s

Does more travel equal more fun?

This competition is now closed

By Luke Marshall

Published: July 27, 2023 at 5:00 pm

Propain’s Spindrift AL MX Performance is the German direct-to-consumer brand’s freeride bike, and is designed to be more than just a huck machine. Sure, it can launch the biggest drops, but Propain wanted the Spindrift to thrive on the steepest descents, as well as mellow flow trails and everything in between.

If long-travel bikes float your boat, the Spindrift may be just what you want; it kicks out 180mm travel front and rear. This alloy-frame version gets geometry to suit its needs, albeit with a slightly outdated and steep head tube angle.

The Spindrift features a top-tier spec list that includes RockShox Ultimate suspension and SRAM AXS gears.

It may seem expensive compared to bikes such as the YT Capra MX Core 4 because you don’t get a carbon frame here. However, the good news is the price you pay on the Propain website now includes UK VAT and customs charges, as well as delivery.

This is Propain’s aluminium version of the Spindrift. There is also a carbon bike, which is claimed to save around 400g. That said, the alloy bike here isn’t hefty for its travel, weighing in at 15.71kg (size medium, without pedals).

The frame is made from Propain’s Blend Alloy, which employs at least three different alloys placed strategically through the frame depending on the strength, stiffness and weight requirements.

Propain uses high-strength 7075 T6 aluminium for the rockers and axles, the tubes are built from fatigue-resistant 6066 T6 aluminium, and the forged and milled parts use 6061 T6 aluminium.

Another frame feature is the asymmetrical rear triangle. This features a vertical strut on the non-driveside to increase stiffness.

Cable routing is internal through the down tube and external along the stays. Bearings get an added dirt shield cover intended to help them survive longer, but only on the outer-facing seals.

There’s decent frame protection, and the frames use Boost hub spacing and a threaded bottom bracket for easier maintenance. There’s plenty of space inside the front triangle for a bottle cage, too.

Propain’s PRO10 suspension platform dishes out 180mm rear travel from two counter-rotating links that sit the shock vertically in front of the seat tube.

The shock has been placed there to help balance the bike’s weight and improve agility.

Propain has also increased the anti-squat to a claimed 120 per cent. This should result in good pedalling traits.

The Spindrift is only available in limited sizes, from medium to extra-large. While the travel numbers push the limits of single-crown bikes, the sizing is less extreme. The medium Spindrift I tested has a reach of 450mm and playful 435mm chainstays.

The head tube angle is a somewhat conservative 64.5 degrees and the effective seat tube angle a steep 78 degrees. This provides a short 582mm effective top tube that should offer a relaxed and upright seated position.

The bike has a bottom bracket drop of 10mm from the rear axle and 23mm from the front. This isn’t wildly low; the Spindrift dishes out plenty of travel and will ride lower at sag than shorter-travel bikes.

The geometry looks to be more playful, rather than offering all-out stability, but that’s perhaps what’s best for a bike built to rip the bike park rather than be the fastest out there.

There’s not much to upgrade on the Propain, which features a full complement of quality components.

My test bike is based on the Spindrift Performance model, but with SRAM GX AXS gears rather than the stock SRAM X01 Eagle.

It also came with a BikeYoke Revive dropper and RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT air shock with medium compression and rebound tunes, rather than the RockShox Super Deluxe Coil, which uses a linear rebound tune and light compression tune.

I chose the air shock for ease of setup, and because I prefer the feel and ride characteristics. This adds £60 to the price.

Propain bikes come specced with a non-dropper post as standard, so adding a dropper increased the price by a further £275.

The rest of the components include a RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork with 180mm travel and SRAM Code RSC brakes with 200mm rotors.

The Spindrift rolls on Newmen Evolution E.G.30 wheels, fitted with Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 29×2.5in front and Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra Double Down 27.5×2.4in rear tyres.

The cockpit uses SIXPACK’s Millenium805 handlebar and stem, and the saddle is a SIXPACK Kamikaze. Overall, this is a high-spec build that doesn’t need any immediate changes.

I put the Propain to the test at Bike Park Wales and on trails in the Forest of Dean. These riding spots gave me a wide variety of tracks to push the bike’s comfort zone, from high-speed bike park trails with jumps, drops, rocks and heavy compressions, through to more natural trails with ruts, roots and steep tech lines.

I set up the bike with 162psi in the shock to give 30 per cent sag. With the shock’s medium firmness compression and rebound tune, I ran the compression and rebound damping adjustments fully open to get as much sensitivity from the shock as possible.

I ran the RockShox ZEB Ultimate at 58psi with two volume spacers to give just over 20 per cent sag.

High- and low-speed compression was left fully open for the most sensitivity, and I set the rebound to 15 clicks from closed out of 19.

The Spindrift will have you reconsidering your prejudices about long-travel bikes. I was sure this bike would be a chore on the climbs – I was happily proved wrong.

At 15.77kg, it’s not the heaviest of its type, plus the Maxxis tyres roll reasonably well.

This, combined with a good, seated pedalling position and supportive platform, made the Spindrift rival any enduro bike up the hill.

It really made me consider why enduro bikes don’t have more travel. For grinding up fire roads and the odd techy singletrack, it isn’t the travel that makes these bikes such a grind.

The steep 78-degree effective seat tube angle sat me in a strong position for pedalling and enabled me to have an efficient pedal stroke to plod up the climbs.

The shortish effective top tube meant I was comfortable for extended climbing and I didn’t need to shuffle around to minimise discomfort.

On steeper pitches, I needed to weight the front end with its 633mm stack height, but that’s the same for most bikes with a tall front end.

The decent support from the frame’s PRO10 linkage and shock meant I never had to close the climb switch on the shock. Pedal bob was minimal, especially when sitting down.

The Spindrift will easily rival most enduro bikes on the market when pointed uphill.

As for thrashing down the trails, I’ll start with a moan. This isn’t Propain’s fault, but SRAM Eagle AXS derailleurs are known to make a noise on rough trails, and this was the case on the Spindrift.

While the gears were perfectly functional and well set up, the derailleur pivoted too freely on its main b-bolt-to-hanger attachment, which caused a knocking sound and excessive chain slap when riding rough trails.

The RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate had a medium compression and rebound tune, which delivered both pros and cons. Hitting bike park laps, that firm rear suspension made carrying and generating speed easy.

Heavy landings, high-speed berms and big compressions were sucked up without unsettling the bike in any way.

The rear end will gobble up hard hits like a top-scoring Pacman, and the bike feels happy to keep charging forwards.

Where this firmness wasn’t so impressive was when dealing with small-chatter bumps and high-frequency hits. Here, the shock transferred some feedback to me and made the ride not as comfortable as you might expect from 180mm of travel.

Riding more natural trails, you could tell the bike had more to offer. A re-tuned shock would set you back around £150, but with this modification I’ve no doubt the Spindrift would tackle every type of trail with confidence-inspiring composure.

This might not be the case with the stock RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil.

Even with the firmer setup, the Spindrift gave me tons of confidence on the trails. And while it has a shorter wheelbase, I never felt a lack of stability as the speed picked up.

The geometry and firm support mean the Spindrift has a far livelier character than you might expect. There’s plenty of pop to the bike to keep it engaging on mellower trails, and it responds well to being thrown around tight corners and kinks on more awkward sections of trail.

One thing that stood out was that extra 10mm of travel. While not exactly an enormous difference, there were a few places where it offered a little more comfort and control over the Intense Tracer 279 and YT Capra MX I’ve also tested.

That little extra in reserve was a bonus on the descents, without feeling as if there was a penalty to pay on other sections of trail.

Both of these bikes offer plenty of support from their rear suspension and are great at carrying speed down rough trails with big compressions. This is one of their highlights.

The Propain’s spec is well ahead of the Intense’s, but the Intense has a very smart carbon frame. These two bikes are priced comparably, so it’ll come down to personal taste.

On the trail, the Propain inspired a little more confidence, perhaps because of the Maxxis MaxxGrip front tyre, as opposed to the Tracer’s Maxxis MaxxTerra.

The additional suspension travel meant there was a little more forgiveness on the trail, enabling me to push harder. At the same time, the sizing and geometry meant mellower trails were more engaging too.

However, don’t think the Intense isn’t a capable bike – it still scored extremely well. It just can’t quite outshine the Propain on the trail or in the spec department, despite its carbon frame. This is why Propain would get my money.

The Propain manages to deliver on a wide variety of trails.

Its suspension and geometry make flowing jump lines fun and engaging, while enabling the bike to tackle steep and tech lines.

The support from the shock tune better suits bike park trails than natural tech, but the Spindrift will hold its own in either situation.

The icing on the cake is its ability to get back up to the top of the hill with impressive efficiency.

The bikes here made up a long-travel, mixed-wheel bikes test. These bikes should excel in the bike park and on the steepest, roughest natural tech there is.

If gravity-fuelled action floats your boat, but you’re not riding the uplift every weekend, these bikes should still be able to get you to the top of the hill under your own power and provide a wide smile on the way back down.

Technical writer

Luke Marshall is a technical writer for BikeRadar and MBUK magazine. He's been working for both titles since 2018 and has over 20 years of mountain biking experience. Luke is a gravity-focused rider with a history of racing downhill, previously competing in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Educated to a degree level in engineering and with a penchant for full-throttle speed, Luke is more than qualified to put every bike and product through its paces to bring you informative and independent reviews. You'll most likely find him on a trail, enduro or downhill bike riding the off-piste tracks around south Wales and the south west of England. He often makes an appearance on BikeRadar's podcast and YouTube channel.