LONG TERMERS
PB’S RADON RENDER 10.0
€5,499 / 29in / radon-bikes.de
MONTH 5: A fork swap offers a performance bump but PB’s still haunted by his Ghost
In my last update, I said I was going to swap the RockShox Pike on the Radon Render 10.0 for a Lyrik, just to see if it felt more balanced with the rear suspension. Well, I’ve only done a couple of rides with a borrowed Lyrik Ultimate (same 160mm travel/42mm offset) but the bike already feels better.
The Lyrik seems to have a slightly softer initial touch, which dovetails better with the active rear end on the Radon. The end result is the bike feels more stable, and because of that I can actually ride harder and faster. However, the Radon Render 10.0 still doesn’t feel as surefooted or as quick on the rough stuff as the Ghost Hybride ASX e-bike that I tested in the October issue. I know this, because I still have it sitting in my shed and I’m loath to send it back.
Looking at both bikes side by side, the Ghost doesn’t have a better fork, in fact, it has the entry-level RockShox 35. Nor does it have softer-compound tyres – I’m actually running a Minion DHF/Dissector tyre combo on both bikes for the purpose of this comparison. Both bikes also have the 4th Generation Bosch motor and have similar builds. The Ghost does weigh more, packing an extra three kilos
