Propain Spindrift CF Mix – A rowdy bike park rig?

This is exactly what a bike park rig looks like! With its 190 mm fork, mixed wheel setup and a customised spec chosen from Propain’s extensive online configurator, the Spindrift CF Mix looks damn hot. But does lots of travel automatically translate into lots of reserves and is the bike still fun on flowing trails?

Get an overview of the grouptest here: The best bike park bike of 2021 – 6 models in review

Do you love rowdy bike park sessions? Looks like the Propain Spindrift was made just for you! With the most travel in the entire test field, a mixed wheel setup and individual specs available through Propain’s comprehensive configurator, the Spindrift is a real eye-catcher, not least because of the shiny black translucent finish that lets you glimpse the carbon fibres beneath. The burly carbon frame relies on Propain’s proprietary Pro10 rear suspension, which generates 180 mm travel. As a thoroughbred bike park animal, the € 6,069 Propain Spindrift CF Mix feels at home on steep freeride lines and big jumps that call for plenty of reserves. Accordingly, the spec and features of the Spindrift were chosen to take a serious beating during epic bike park sessions. To name just a few, the extensive and well-positioned down tube protector and dual-sealed bearings, which let you wash your bike with a high-pressure cleaner while holding a beer in the other hand. All cables are routed internally and clamped down at the ports with rubber inserts. However, these tend to get dislodged from the ports and slide down the cable, causing the cables to rattle against the frame. On our test bike, a couple of simple zip-ties did the trick to remedy this.

The custom spec of our Propain Spindrift CF Mix

Propain’s online configurator is one of the most comprehensive in the entire mountain bike sector and lets you configure your bike according to your own preferences and budget. Apart from the looks, you can choose the wheel size, suspension travel and several components on top of that. Our 15.8 kg test bike, which was put together by Propain specifically for this test, is specced with a 190 mm RockShox Zeb Ultimate fork and RockShox Super Deluxe RCT coil shock. If you opt for the coil setup, Propain’s configurator will give you the recommended spring rate for your weight. To set up the fork, we recommend using a digital shock pump because with the large negative air chamber, even a few PSI will hugely affect the behaviour of the fork. Our cockpit is made up entirely of aluminium components and consists of wide 805 mm SixPack Millenium handlebars with a matching 35 mm stem. We would love to see a narrower option in the configurator for small;er riders, as cutting down longer ones will make them extremely stiff. For the brakes, Propain rely on powerful SRAM Code RSC four-piston stoppers with 200 mm rotors – awesome! We were also impressed with the Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro carbon wheels built on Industry 9 hubs. Unlike many modern carbon wheels, they’re not overly stiff and offer a balanced level of compliance, ensuring a comfortable ride on rough descents. Moreover, the stiffness is tuned specifically for the front and rear. To avoid rim damage, we recommend using robust tires, especially on rough trails and bike park tracks. On our test bike, Propain have combined a 2.4″ Schwalbe Magic Mary at the front with a 2.4” Big Betty at the rear. Both tires come in the robust Super DH casing and super-soft ADDIX UltraSoft rubber compound, which together offer plenty of grip and good puncture resistance – awesome! Unfortunately, this setup (or any heavy-duty setup in fact) isn’t available in the configurator, which means that you’ll have to buy them separately – what a shame. Furthermore, Propain delivered our test bike with a SixPack Vertic chain guide with a bash guard, available through Propain’s configurator, and a generous portion of mastic tape on the chainstay protector – a simple yet highly effective way of preventing chain slap!

The geometry of the Propain Spindrift CF Mix with 190 mm travel

The Spindrift is available in three sizes: M–XL. On Propain’s web page, you’ll find helpful size charts and additional information about the bike’s handling characteristics. For our test riders measuring between 183 and 190 cm tall, the size L was a good fit. This has 470 mm reach and super high front (649 mm stack). At 460 mm, the seat tube is quite long, especially when considered in proportion to the reach. This restricts the freedom of movement in the attack position and contradicts Propain’s “free choice of sizes” philosophy. If you find yourself between sizes and decide to upsize, you’ll have to cope with the restricted legroom. Propain adapt the length of the chainstays to the respective wheel sizes. For the mullet setup, these are 435 mm.

Our favorite bike for big jumps and drops. The agile handling also encourages you to pull stylish tricks mid air.

Our riding impressions: This is how the Propain Spindrift CF Mix behaves at the bike park

The high front of the Spindrift makes for an upright position and requires you to actively weight the front wheel to prevent understeer, particularly on flat and flowing trails. The riding position of the Nukeproof Giga shifts your weight comparatively more towards the front of the bike, requiring a less refined riding technique and allowing the bike to follow steering input more intuitively, especially on easy trails. The suspension of the Propain responds sensitively yet still provides sufficient reserves. That being said, the rear suspension doesn’t provide enough support to generate propulsion and momentum through berms or to pump through compressions and rollers. At the apex of the berm, the lack of support causes the shock to sink deep into its travel and requires even more pressure on the front to avoid understeer. With big compressions, the derailleur slaps loudly back into placeevery time the rear suspension extends again. That said, this doesn’t affect the riding performance of the Propain at all.
The Propain Spindrift is in its element on really big jumps and massive berms. Here the high front and upright riding position inspire huge amounts of confidence and encourage you to fly over jumps at full pelt. The suspension offers endless reserves and handles bodged jumps and huck-to-flats without batting an eyelid. Like the Norco Shore, the Spindrift conveys huge amounts of confidence but feels even more playful in the air, encouraging you to go sideways whenever there’s a chance. The Spindrift takes your style and airtime to the next level!

On flat trails, you’ll have to actively weight the front of the Propain Spindrift CF to keep the front wheel tracking. On the other hand, pulling manuals is a piece of cake.

Tuning tip: secure the rubber plugs at the cable ports using zip ties

On technical terrain, the Propain feels a lot more balanced than the YT Capra, generating sufficient traction with its poppy rear end and huge reserves. While the high front prevents dreaded OTB moments, on very steep terrain you’ll have to actively weight the front wheel to allow steering inputs from the bars to be translated accurately onto the trail. The Propain rewards an active riding style and, more importantly, requires an experienced rider who knows how to shift their weight around for optimal traction. If you know what you’re doing, the Spindrift is an excellent, fast, yet nimble bike for technical trails – and is right up there with the Norco Shore. Only the Nukeproof Giga blasts past it with its enormous traction and intuitive handling.

Conclusion

Propain’s comprehensive configurator lets you choose the spec and look of the Spindrift CF Mix to suit your preferences, riding style and budget. With our test bike, the German direct-sales brand did everything right, delivering an elegant and robust bike for rowdy bike park sessions. The Spindrift feels at home on big jumps and fat drops but doesn’t shy away from technical trails either, provided you know what you’re doing. The high front inspires confidence but requires an active riding style and experienced rider, which can be a problem for beginners and on flat trails.

Tops

• inspires huge amounts of confidence on big jumps and tall berms
• sensitive suspension with lots of reserves
• configurator allows you to adapt the spec and look of the bike to suit your preferences and budget

Flops

• requires an active riding style
• background noise from rattling cables and rear derailleur
• perfect setup takes time

You can find out more about at propain-bikes.com

The testfield

Get an overview of the grouptest here: The best bike park bike of 2021 – 6 models in review

All Bikes in this group test: Canyon Torque:ON 9 (Click for review) | Norco Shore 1 (Click for review) | Nukeproof Giga 290 Carbon Factory (Click for review) | Propain Spindrift CF Mix | Specialized Status 160 (Click for review) | YT CAPRA 29 CORE 4 (Click for review)