Michael writes. This conclusion is based on a days riding both the Commencal Super 4 and Trek EX8 in the Surrey Hills, my usual bike is an Orange Patriot that has served me well for 9 years.

The bottom line. The Commy 4″ travel wasn’t really a problem although the front was set up too firm for me. Its a very agile bike, feels light when riding (if not when lifting) and climbs very well BUT has one major deal-breaker, its’ low bottom bracket causes pedal clang as soon as you get a bit aggressive. My Patriot doesn’t have this issue and so it was very apparent to both me and Rich and was very undesirable…as soon as we started to have fun we ran into this problem.

The Trek Fuel EX8 however is somewhat lacking in problems. It didn’t feel an obviously easier climber than my Patriot, but then nearing the top of drags I kind of realised somehow it was. It didn’t feel faster or more surefooted on quick singletrack either at first, but then it kind of crept up on me…it just wasn’t making a fuss. It was so utterly quietly composed and very ‘pushable’. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to really ride in anger on a suspension system this side of a decade old. I love the simplicity of the Patriot and have viewed the modern mangle of over-engineered rear setups with suspicion. Time for a rethink. The Trek left me feeling fresh as a daisy and with no back ache…in part due to it being a better fit for me than my own bike but really it just made riding easy, so easy. For me the question now is whether the Trek is such an exception among the current crop or if I can expect 98% of this performance from many other bikes. If I want that much performance, I’m not sure if the rear was too good…I think I prefer to feel the trail a little more. That means more test rides.

I got these two bikes on test from Head For The Hills and all credit to them for their policy on test riding ‘take 2 bikes and ride all day back to back‘. This allowed us to really understand the bikes and learn what we are looking for in a bike and also unearth issues that wouldn’t be immediately apparent.

It was good for all of us I think (apart from my 2 mates!) and particularly Gez ‘the pilot’ who as pictured now has altitude on the brain(so much better than nuts in the throat!).