Recently I was invited along to Bedgebury Forest for the Pronghorn Racing Press Day to take a look and try-out some of the bikes from their range, which are distributed throughout the UK by Surf Sales Ltd.
Pronghorn will be a new name to many UK riders but at home in Denmark their range is very popular with enduro and marathon riders.
With a background in cross country racing the Danish company is devoted to making bikes that go fast, and recently they have just introduced some longer travel all mountain machines too.
Kenneth Dalsgaard (CEO) and Klaus Nielsen (Team Rider) had made the trip from Denmark to introduce us to the bikes and talk us through the benefits of their very unique suspension technology.
The first thing you may notice is the rear shock placement. I have to admit at first I wasn't so keen and had a few doubts regarding its position. My first concern was that when I stepped off the bike I might catch my manhood! This was soon put to rest when you realise you straddle the front of the top tube when stepping off the bike. The position of the shock also has a couple of extra benefits to riders; firstly the lockout on the shock is easier to reach, and secondly the clearance of the shock from any mud and water on the trails.
I decided to take out the Pronghorn Trail 1.3, a bike designed for the aggressive XC, trail and all-mountain rider. The Trail 1.3 has 150mm of rear travel delivered by a Fox RP2. Upfront travel duties were devotedly taken care of by a Rock Shox Lyric 2 step air. The rest of the spec was made up of top components by DT Swiss, Avid, Sram and Kore.
On the trail it became immediately apparent how supple the suspension system felt and those earlier concerns about the rear shock position were quickly forgotten. The position of the shock has helped to produce a very stiff frame and rear triangle, which feels like a hardtail on the climbs and a full-sus on the technical sections.
I also noticed how the light the bike feels for a 5-6inch full suspension bike and has to be one of the lightest I have ridden. Pronghorn's racing background really comes through in the Trail 1.3. Whether climbing, accelerating or descending, everything is done at speed.
There is a very geeky feel to the look of the Pronghorn range, which you either love or hate. The quality of the frames are there for every one to see, with internal routing for hoses, cables and cable mounts. The random numbers on the tubes are the tube lengths in millimetres and just add to the geek-appeal.
If you are a beginner or an experienced racer looking for something a bit different, the Pronghorn range is well worth a look. Their models range from ultra-light carbon hardtails to 150mm all mountain bikes, so there's likely to be something to suit every rider that wants lots of fun and many hours in the saddle.
Thanks again to Sean (Surf Sales) and Keith (Max Bikes PR) for organising a great day and introducing us to the Pronghorn range.
www.pronghornracing.dk
www.surf-sales.com
Article by:
MoreDirt
