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Pro Bike Check: Klausmann’s GHOST Path prototype

He’s not the first successful downhill rider to change discipline. But the 15 times German downhill champion stayed true to his downhill roots until now and you rarely saw him at enduro races. That’s set to change from 2016. Markus will continue to focus exclusively on downhill racing for the 2015 season but after that will shift toward enduro and adapt his training program accordingly. High time then to start preparing for the switch and develop an appropriate workhorse fitting to the high expectations of the seasoned DH racer. The last round of the Enduro World Series was a perfect chance to test the new Ghost Path on hard racecourses. Here’s an overview of the 150mm prototype enduro race machine.

15-facher Deutscher Downhillmeister Marcus Klausmann
15-times German downhill champion Marcus Klausmann
Der Prototyp ist aus Alu gefertigt, das Serienbike ist als Carbonversion geplant
The prototype is made of aluminium; the production bike will have a carbon frame
Seltener Anblick: Die Stahlfeder lässt die Vorlieben eines eingefleischten Downhill-Pros erkennen. Der Fox RC4.
Rare sight: the coil sprung shock clearly show the preferences of the veteran DH pro who is not prepared to do without the performance of the Fox RC4.
Kettenführung und unterer Bashgurad von e*thirteen halten die Kette an Ort und Stelle und schützen das Kettenblatt bem Aufsetzen
An e*thirteen chainguide and lower bashguard keep the chain where it belongs and protect the chainring from impacts
Lieber schnell Rollen statt viel Grip. Klausmann setzt auf Schwalbes Semi-Slicks "Rock Razor"
Better low rolling resistance than loads of grip. Marcus chooses Schwalbes semi-slick “Rock Razor”
Klausmann Signature-Lenker von Sixpack und Syntace Vorbau
780mm Klausmann signature- Sixpack bars combined with a 45mm Syntace stem
Noch mehr Signature: die Kong MK-Nabe von tune, zusammen mit Klausmann für den Downhilleinsatz entwickelt
Even more signature parts: a tune MK-hub. It’s normally a downhill-optimised Kong hub for Klausmann but for the Path prototype a Princess hub was necessary because of the 142mm rear end
Odi-Griffe neben Maguras neuen MT7 Bremshebeln, die werkzeuglose Verstellung von Druckpunkt und Hebelweite erlauben
Odi-grips next to Magura’s new MT7 brake levers which feature tool-free adjustment of the bite point as well as lever reach
Noch mehr edle Parts von tune, den Leichtbau Spezialisten aus dem Schwarzwald. Die "Würger" Sattelklemme
Even more high-end tune parts, the lightweight specialists from the Black Forest also supply the “Würger” seat post clamp
Eingeklickt nach Downhill-Art. Die Cranbrothers Mallet DH Pedale
Clicked in just like the DH riders like with the Cranbrothers Mallet DH pedals. The lower chainguide rollers have been left off to save weight and minimize friction
Am Path Prototypen ist eine serienmäßiger Carbon-Hinterbau der Riot Modelle verbaut
The Path prototype has a production carbon rear end from the Riot model range. Markus wasn’t prepared to do without the performance of the MT7 four cylinder brakes in-spite of their higher weight. Adapting to ride with less braking power than in downhill races would have been too great a change.
Funktionsmuster: beim Prototypen handelt es sich um eine reine Testversion, die noch auf optisches Feintuning verzichtet. Der Fokus liegt auf dem Testen der Funktion.
Functional sample: the prototype is just a test version and will undergo further visual fine-tuning. The focus here is clearly in testing function.

Words: Hannah Röther Photos: Manfred Schmitt

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