Pro Bike Check: Philip Walder’s Propain Tyee CF
Propain are turning the heat up! Not only did this young German brand launch a smoking hot new bike at Eurobike, but they also created a team that would do it justice. The Propain Factory Team includes Timo Pritzel and Philip Walder, so we’ve taken a closer look at Philip’s whip.
Who is Philip Walder?
A serious multi-talent, this 24-year-old from the South Tyrol region of Vinschgau isn’t just a damn quick rider, he’s also turned his hand to building many of the trails around Latsch. His season riding a Propain, he’s a former skier and still keeps up the snow sport as training over the winter months.
Philip’s race bike: the Propain Tyee CF
We keep hearing how pros have a tendency to go up a frame size when it comes to their racing steed, and how long frames and massive wheelbases are the in thing. But ignoring the trend, Philip retains his preferences for a more compact bike – even though smoothness and stability are surely two of the main ingredients for riding around Latsch. At 180 cm, he’ll be riding a Propain Tyee CF in a medium-sized frame with a reach of 425 mm. He’s added a 60 mm stem to give a bit more space on the bike too.
By checking out Propain’s online configurator, you can essentially customize and order the the Propain Tyee CF in exactly the same build that Philip has. As a basis there’s the brand new Tyee CF frame, which managed to more than satisfy the high standards of the Design & Innovation Award 2016 jury. A pretty moderate frame, the design features 445 mm chainstays and a slack 65.5° head angle.
The suspension on Philip’s Propain Tyee CF
Unlike the series bike, Philip has gone for RockShox Lyrik forks instead of the Pike model. With his weight at 72 kg, he rides with around 60 psi air pressure and one token in the air chamber. He has his rebound set at three clicks closed, but also adjusts on the fly depending on the trail. And the stock RockShox Monarch Plus rear shock is set around 200 psi.
The spec on Philip’s Propain Tyee CF
The rest of the parts are only marginally different to the series Tyee CF, with Philip opting for powerful Magura MT7 brakes, a Sixpack cockpit with 780 mm bars and the virtually faultless SRAM XX1 drivetrain. Schwalbe tyres dish up the grip he wants, and he’s teamed them with the Dean Easy double chamber tyre system on ZTR-FLOW EX rims – a set-up that’s handily explained in this article.
If you want to find out more about Philip, his workhorse and the upcoming season then it’s worth checking out his Facebook page and visiting the official Propain-Bikes.com.
Text & Bilder: Christoph Bayer