The German bike supplier has not been known in Switzerland for long. In 2015, Radon included Swiss downhillers in its team for the first time and two years later sponsored Ralph Näf's cross-country team. The Bonn-based company develops its own bikes. The Slide Trail is the latest addition and is defined as a trail bike. It impresses at first glance with its bold color scheme and angular frame design.

"The equipment provides a fast and safe basis even at a harder pace, with which you can also take part in an enduro race. Despite the 29-inch wheels, the bike lacks nothing in terms of agility and maneuverability."

Equipment

The 9.0 model is the middle of the three in terms of price. The top models from Fox are used for the suspension, while the brakes and gears are solid and very popular products. Firstly, the powerful 4-piston MT5 brakes from Magura, and secondly the GX Eagle groupset from Sram. The M1700 wheelset is the best-selling from DT Swiss. Radon has thus equipped its Slide Trail with tried and tested parts and supplemented it with the exotic brand SDG and the cult brand Race Face. For the Schwalbe tires, the coarser models were chosen. No, it's not by chance that everything here is trimmed for robustness: The foundation for a tougher ride has been deliberately set.

Processing

The high-quality paint finish plays with gloss and matt effects. The head tube is solid and offers high steering precision. The cable routing is beautifully designed and the sleeves are perfectly cut to length. The specified torques are lasered onto all pivot points. A sturdy down tube protector ensures that stone chips leave no marks. Thanks to flip chips, the geometry can be adjusted to two positions. We only tested the low option.

On the flat

It sits and pedals comfortably and rather upright. The suspension hardly bobs at all, even when pedaling out of the saddle. The slight "excess weight" and the chunky tires are noticeable during propulsion.

The bike also masters steep ramps well as long as the ground is flat. On exposed trails, it needs a little pressure on the pedals and over the handlebars to overcome obstacles smoothly.

Downhill

This is where the Slide Trail is in its element and the robust equipment really comes into its own. It steers precisely around bends, is generally very directional and easy to control. You need a little time to set up the high-end suspension correctly. Light riders would do well to remove the volume spacer in the shock absorber. Then it provides good feedback from the ground and does not rush through the suspension travel, even though it releases a lot of it. Some comfort is lacking on medium, fast bumps, but it absorbs rough bumps well for a 140-millimeter bike.

Conclusion

Radon has achieved its goal and created a downhill-oriented trail bike that will give you pleasure for a long time thanks to its rock-solid equipment at a fair price. The high-quality suspension is particularly impressive.

Recommendation

Whether for an after-work ride or a shuttle weekend in Finale Ligure, this bike can do it all. The robust parts and high weight make a statement: The Slide Trail is more for downhill-oriented pilots.

Manufacturer/distributor

www.radon-bikes.de