The bikes from the German direct mail order company Propain are not yet so well known in this country. But their mountain bikes are by no means wallflowers. A look at the portfolio reveals a variety of cool and classy-looking models. For the test, we picked out the Tyee "AM Carbon Race" with 145 millimeters of suspension travel. Race and all-mountain don't really go together, but it describes the classy and lightweight equipment. The bike with Sram's X01 Eagle groupset, six-pack cockpit, MT Trail brakes from Magura and Fox suspension elements weighs just 11.9 kilograms - in size M and ready to ride. The test bike is also equipped with an XMC-1200 wheelset from DT Swiss. It is sold with Propain's own Zelvy carbon AM wheels.

The blue matt painted carbon frame is designed for 27.5-inch wheels and makes a very high-quality impression. Cables and lines are neatly routed internally and clamped at the inputs and outputs. A real eye-catcher. However, the most striking feature of the Tyee AM is the Pro10 suspension system. Thanks to its virtual pivot point and the floating damper, the rear suspension should respond sensitively and be largely free from pedal influence. In practice, however, the last point rarely proves to be true.

Trail test laboratory

The only way to find out whether promises and reality are in line is to go out on the trail. The first impression is already positive, as the Tyee AM doesn't seem to take much time to get used to. The position is a good mix of sporty and comfortable - just as an all-mountain bike should be. You notice from the very first meter that there is not much weight to accelerate. The lightweight combination of DT's XMC-1200 wheels and the Canis tires from Onza are also responsible for this. This allows the bike to accelerate out of corners like a champ or sprint up steep ramps.

During sprints and hard acceleration, the shock remains relatively quiet in downhill mode and hardly bobs at all, even at high cadence. The manufacturer didn't promise too much here. Nevertheless, we also want to test the behavior in medium and firm mode, and this is where a quirk becomes noticeable. As striking as the suspension system is, the position of the shock is not optimal. The lever to switch from one mode to the other is not easy to reach while riding. The options are either to stop briefly or stretch out.

But back to the function of the two modes "Medium" and "Firm". Medium mode is very noticeable on the Tyee AM and the otherwise minimal pedal influence is practically eliminated. When climbing off-road, the bike can demonstrate its climbing abilities even better and provides you with plenty of traction and propulsion. Firm mode was only activated on asphalt roads during the test rides - only when riding in a sporty manner. Otherwise, we mostly rode the shock in open mode on any surface.
Propain's all-mountain bike is also fun on longer climbs. The riding position is very balanced and also easy on your strength.

What goes up must come down

No matter how long the tour is, descents are the main pleasure for almost all mountain bikers. Therefore, balanced downhill qualities are also to be expected from an all-mountain bike. The Tyee AM Carbon rides very smoothly on fast gravel roads. This is largely due to the steering angle of 66 degrees, which is rather slack for an all-mountain bike. The wheelbase of 1182 millimetres, with frame size M, also contributes to the smooth ride.

The bike's capabilities do not come to light on rough terrain for the time being. The Canis tires are good, but simply too weak and too fine for alpine terrain, and the carbon rims are covered with grippy and tubeless enduro tires. Although these increase the overall weight of the bike by a good 700 grams, the handling changes dramatically for the better. Now you can really let it rip with the Tyee AM Carbon, and the previously felt stability also comes into play at this moment. The Propain is a lot of fun and doesn't let up when things get flowy or you have to master quick changes of direction. It can always be maneuvered well and nimbly.

In rough terrain, the all-mountain bike can no longer improve, it remains good there. On very steep descents, however, the feeling of confidence on the bike diminishes somewhat. But that's complaining on a high level.

Regardless of the terrain, we gave the shock 30 percent negative travel to ensure that the suspension works optimally everywhere. This means that the rear suspension of the Tyee AM responds sensitively to small bumps, then behaves with a good amount of swallowing and then pushes against them with a late end progression.

Conclusion

With the Tyee "AM Carbon Race", Propain has created a very sporty all-mountain bike that can handle everything from sporty after-work laps to alpine day tours and is great fun to ride. It impresses with its smooth ride, clean workmanship, low weight and strong equipment. The fact that the tires have been changed is not a negative. Depending on the area of use and terrain, the lightweight rubber is perfect.

Specifications

Manufacturer: www.propain-bikes.com