There is a lot of know-how and thought behind the simple Austrian. If you read the white paper that served as the basis for the development, you suspect that the engineer must have had a few sleepless nights. To cut a long story short: the aim was to create an enduro bike that offers plenty of freedom of movement so that you can react quickly and safely to unforeseen obstacles on the trail. Unlike most manufacturers, each frame size was to be individually designed and not simply scaled.

We asked Simplon what makes the Rapcon stand out from other enduro bikes:

• Balanced Geometry: chainstays that grow with the rider for perfect wheel load distribution in every frame size. This offers plenty of freedom of movement, agility and stability as well as a smooth ride and results in energy-saving pedalling
• Seat angle adapted to the frame size: perfect riding position for every frame size
• Progression, anti-squat and anti-rise are adapted to every frame size
• Deep standover height and low seat tube: this provides plenty of freedom of movement and allows the installation of long, fully retractable seat posts
• High stack value: for more confidence on steep downhills and to make it easier to keep your head up, which ensures more speed

Statement by: Alexander Steurer, Strategic Relationships, Simplon Fahrrad GmbH

Special features

• Different chainstay lengths depending on frame size
• Different seat angles depending on frame size
• Double bearing of the main pivot points for more stiffness
• Increasing progression of the rear triangle with increasing frame size
• Storage box in the down tube
• Individually configurable equipment

On the flat

The riding position of the Rapcon is upright and comfortable. The bike is not a lightweight and, in combination with the robust tires, this inhibits propulsion. Once the bike gains momentum, it keeps it with good momentum. The directional stability is excellent, the bike is agile with a tendency towards playfulness.

Up the mountain

Despite a bit of flab on the ribs, the Simplon climbs with neutral drive and speed - especially on single trails. You don't notice that you have a lot of suspension travel under your butt on the climbs. On larger steps, the rear end pulls over nicely without sinking deep into the shock. If you need to maneuver through tight bends, this is no problem thanks to the well-balanced geometry.

Downhill

The makers of the Rapcon have deliberately created a high front end. Depending on your height, it is still worth removing spacers from under the stem. This provides a little more pressure on the front and correspondingly better control. After just a short descent, it becomes clear that more is possible here. Open the brakes, increase the speed and off you go through the middle. The bike awakens the play instinct and grabs almost every line. The progressive suspension absorbs reliably and always ensures optimum grip. The Rapcon scores just as well on technically demanding terrain and tight trails at low speeds as it does in the bike park. There it pulls confidently through berms at high speeds and is easy to push off jumps. Landings are made with a lot of support from the suspension and more hard than soft. The rear masters short successive braking bumps better than the suspension fork. When super steep sections are on the horizon, the high front end comes into its own again; such sections are mastered with a lot of confidence and without a rollover feeling.

Conclusion

The Simplon Rapcon is not a bike that you can just "get on and feel good". It takes some time to get used to the setup and the character of the bike. But then you benefit from an enduro bike that remains very confident, especially when going hard. It almost tempts you to take part in a Swiss Enduro Series race and test its limits. The only real point of criticism is the lack of drainage on the frame for the water that collects in the recess of the shock.

Recommendation

The installed Schwalbe tires in the Super Gravity version offer the best puncture protection, but spoil the riding impression due to their stiffness. A tire with a slightly more flexible carcass would provide a little more feedback from the ground.

Geometry

All data here: Link

Manufacturer

www.simplon.com