Field Test: 2022 Propain Hugene - The Definition of Balanced
PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
Propain Hugene
Words by Alicia Leggett; photography by Tom Richards
Propain Hugene
Words by Alicia Leggett; photography by Tom Richards
Plenty of folks out there spend their lives looking for the one - the one bike, the one person, the one drug, whatever, that will finally solve it all. In the trail bike niche, versatility is the name of the game, and every bike-maker and their dog promises to have made the latest and greatest quiver-killer, the do-it-all holy grail of mountain biking. Will one of them finally do it? Well no, probably not, but the mission to get there has brought us some pretty incredible machines: trail bikes that descend better than ye olde DH sleds and enduro bikes that climb like they're filled with helium.
On its website, Propain boldly calls the Hugene the "one bike to rule them all." Has the German direct-to-consumer brand finally cracked the code? Should we all just go home now?
On its website, Propain boldly calls the Hugene the "one bike to rule them all." Has the German direct-to-consumer brand finally cracked the code? Should we all just go home now?
Propain Hugene Details
• Travel: 140mm rear / 150mm (geo chart) or 140mm fork (geo chart)
• Carbon frame
• Wheel size: 29"
• Head angle: 65.1° (65.5° with 140mm fork)
• Effective seat tube angle: 76.1°
• Reach: 476mm (L as tested)
• Chainstay length: 445mm (across all sizes)
• Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XL
• Weight: 31.25 lb / 14.17 kg
• Price: $6,737 USD as tested
• www.propain-bikes.com
• Travel: 140mm rear / 150mm (geo chart) or 140mm fork (geo chart)
• Carbon frame
• Wheel size: 29"
• Head angle: 65.1° (65.5° with 140mm fork)
• Effective seat tube angle: 76.1°
• Reach: 476mm (L as tested)
• Chainstay length: 445mm (across all sizes)
• Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XL
• Weight: 31.25 lb / 14.17 kg
• Price: $6,737 USD as tested
• www.propain-bikes.com
Propain offers three build kits for the Hugene, and they’re customizable, at least in Europe. (Those of us in the States will have to be content with the parts Propain has chosen for us, though Propain says it'll start to offer similar customization options in the US in 2022.) The base Start model starts at $4,199 USD and comes with RockShox Select suspension and a GX drivetrain. The mid Performance level starts at $5,273 and comes with RockShox Ultimate suspension and an XO1 drivetrain. The Highend build costs $6,737 and comes with top-end Fox suspension, G2 Ultimate Carbon brakes, and an XO1 drivetrain in the US, while it gets an AXS XX1 setup in Europe.
The Hugene is available with either a 140mm or a 150mm fork, so it's possible to build it up to emphasize its all-day pedaling ability or make it a little more capable. All in all, the bike has a thoughtful build, though we had a few minor gripes: First, the bike would benefit from a longer dropper post. The 160mm post just isn't enough for the large frame, and although there's a 185mm option in Europe, the US options top out at 160mm. Personally, I also wish the bike had a slightly higher bar than the 20mm rise one that came on the bike, but that's a preference based on how this particular bike fits with my particular proportions. We also wondered if the bike should come with Code brakes instead of G2s, but the 200mm rotors front and rear somewhat make up for the lighter-duty brake spec.
Aside from component preferences, the only true design flaw we could come up with was that the cable port plugs don't stay in place. While the idea is spot-on, the execution is lacking, and hopefully Propain figures out a better way to keep grit out of the frame in the future.
The highlights, however, far outweigh the negatives. To start, the Newmen Advanced SL A30 wheels were rock-solid and extremely quiet. Next, the Fox Factory 36 and Float X did their jobs flawlessly, balancing efficiency with traction nicely. Finally, the extras are well-thought-out: the frame bearings are protected by caps that keep water and dirt out, the bike comes with a downtube protector and a silencing chainstay cover, and the water bottle and tool mounts inside the front triangle are easily accessible with plenty of space. The bike ticks more boxes than most of the other trail bikes we tested.
Climbing
The Propain Hugene hits the mark in terms of maximizing pedaling performance without quite cutting into downcountry territory. The 76.1-degree seat tube angle isn't as steep as that of Propain's enduro model, but Propain says that's because the firm, supported pedaling platform on the Hugene doesn't let the bike sit back into its travel when weighted, and our experiences out on the trail seem to back that up. And while the bike doesn't sink back on its heels, the suspension is sensitive enough to keep plenty of traction on technical climbs.
At 31.25 lbs, the Hugene is also the lightest trail bike we tested, and the light weight combined with the efficient suspension platform translates nicely to snappy pedaling when the bike is pointed uphill.
Descending
The Propain Hugene is one of the bikes on test that most represents the trail category. Compared to the SCOR, the Propain is more balanced, with longer chainstays and a bit more stability at speed. Compared to the Raaw, it is a lighter, floatier ride that prefers to skip over the choppy sections rather than be pumped through all the holes.
The Propain feels like it's designed for 50% uphill and 50% downhill, while bikes like the Starling feel geared toward a 40% / 60% uphill / downhill split, and the Propain doesn't have quite the same stability, predictability, and dampened feel as the Starling, which was outstanding in those respects. The same characteristics that make the Hugene such a great climber also make it just a tiny bit chattery on rough descents, with more feedback from the suspension than some of the more supple designs.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed descending on the Hugene. It felt plenty stable and energetic enough to have tons of fun while still delivering a quiet, composed ride. This review is entirely to say that the Hugene is really, really balanced, plus it makes it tempting to pedal out of every corner.
Timed Testing
Our timed lap for the trail bikes was about three minutes long and was a mix of choppy, rooty sections and some fast flow. It started with an optional rock roll, a little drop, some fast corners, and a small double. As it serpentined its way down the hill, it included some steeps, a few root hops, and a few slight uphills. While none of the track was overly technical, the bikes that excelled on the test lap had to be capable on both fast, rough sections and in quick corners.
Don't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and fast doesn't always mean it's the best for everyone.
Alicia Leggett: "The Propain was my second fastest lap time, less than half a second behind the SCOR. Given that it was almost dark when I rode my timed lap on the Propain and I fully expected it to be a slow lap, I have to give that bike some credit."
We all have somewhat different bike preferences, of course, and Matt Beer, who is faster than all the rest of us, feels that the Hugene has such pedal-friendly suspension that it sacrifices some small bump performance - perhaps from too much antisquat as the bike moves into its travel - but I think the Hugene makes all the right trade-offs for a trail bike. It doesn't feel like an enduro bike, but it's not supposed to. It's not made to feel bottomless or to absorb massive hits; it's the right tool for many other jobs like high alpine adventures, daily driver laps, and the occasional shuttle day, all while having a blast.
While the 445mm chainstays don't scream playful, the bike does want to hop around; the light weight and easy handling make it a bike that we'd want to ride on the vast majority of trails.
Pros
+ Neutral, intuitive handling
+ Efficient climber
+ Lightweight
+ Lots of customization options in Europe
+ Sealed bearing covers
Cons
- Less small-bump sensitivity than some bikes we tested
- Ineffective frame port protection
- Few customization options in the US
The 2021 Fall Field Test is presented by Rapha and Bontrager. Thank you also to Maxxis, Schwalbe, and Garmin for control tires and equipment.
Author Info:
Member since Jun 19, 2015
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7IlEteyjy8
Those 2 together would be awesome.
Relax, don't get all pissy about it.
If you have a power meter on your pedals/ cranks you are effectively measuring the following: Rolling resistance, chain/ drivetrain efficiency & bike weight.
What you are NOT effectively measuring is the efficiency of the pedaling platform & rider positioning. Think about this, you could have an identical bike but with a super slack STA that would be hard as heck to pedal and would cause the bike to bob like crazy, but once the rider created 250 watts at the cranks, the bike would still go up the hill at the same speed, regardless of how hard it was for that rider to create those 250 watts.
This is because your power meter is at the cranks, and it doesn't measure how much energy the rider had to burn to create the specified power at the cranks.
This is the reason that multiple studies have tested bikes locked out & not locked out, and had nearly identical climbing times, even on much older very inefficient pedaling bikes. What these studies didn't measure is the energy it took for the rider to create those watts at the cranks.
What needs to be devised is an efficiency test that normalizes the rider's output before the cranks. Maybe just an all out sprint for 1 minute? HR is too inconsistent and lagging.
Anyways...
Cause 250 watts at the cranks is going to give the bike 250 watts of climbing power. Now you are just measuring rolling resistance, chain drag & weight. Not pedaling efficiency.
From the video it looks like Alicia climbs out of the saddle quite a lot. The difference in her COM vs. Henry's efficiency test, which I assume was seated, might account for the difference on trail feel vs. "measured" efficiency.
I'll admit, it's a half baked idea on my part, and I haven't considered it enough to work out the ideal Bro-Science efficiency test.
Maybe the same overall gear ratio, in one gear only (no shifting), and an all out sprint from standing still across a finish line with a radar gun in 10 seconds. Fastest speed wins? Must be seated. Short enough to be repeatable, and really a 10 second sprint nicely matches what I commonly do to jump up my speed and is where you really feel these differences, in my experience.
I'm open to a better test however. 30-60 second max power up a darn steep hill maybe? That's pretty repeatable.
I dunno.
Unless the test athlete is bouncing up and down on the saddle or moving their upper body around in weird ways, I think some very large % of the rider's total output is captured by the power meter, assuming suspension and saddle position are set up properly. If you got the ergonomics (saddle height, sizing, etc) completely wrong for one bike and not another then definitely perceived effort and metabolic cost could go up. But in the studies of suspension lockouts they're on the same bike for the locked/unlocked trials. And in the case of these bike vs bike sort of tests, I think it's reasonable to expect that these testers know where to put their saddle.
OTOH, during hard, non-steady-state efforts (sprints, hard accelerations to get over obstacles, etc) I think a lot of these conclusions become less valid as body weight starts moving around. I also don't know how to quantify the metabolic cost of compensating for harsh ride quality, but it certainly seems real.
Idk, it's definitely a complicated question.
Probably the real takeaway: if the signal is in the noise, it's not a very important signal to begin with!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGO2pu0JX_8&t=912s&ab_channel=PeakTorque
vo2master.com/product/analyzer
They have an elite level athlete tester, Matt Beer.
Hook Matt up to the metabolic tester and prove out a real efficiency test.
@brianpark make it happen.
+1 for the Cura 4s, I love them.
First, I have the Start model, which has Rockshox Select suspension, so it is worse compared to the high-end Fox suspension which came on the PB tested bike.
Still, I think this review is spot on, related to the rear suspension. I mounted a GoPro on the downtube and watched the suspension moving while going over small roots, by small I mean ~ 1/2 inch above ground and I could see the suspension didn't really "track"such small bumps. Did I feel them? VERY lightly, so lightly that I thought I will make a video just to prove myself this review is wrong... But after looking at the video, I have to agree with the review. I think it's also true that bigger bumps make the suspension work as one would expect. Also, no bottom outs so far, but I saw I just have a couple mm which are not used even with ~33% sag, so the suspension didn't blow through the travel easily.
Other than that, the frame is really nicely protected at the chain area, I could hear no chain slap whatsoever till now while on the middle or big cogs.
The bike was packaged perfectly, the bike came intact, not even one minor scratch.
The cable ports do move a little, but at least on my bike, I had to fix one or two, only once after 4 or 5 rides.
My bike is equipped with an 160mm bikeyoke revive dropper which I saw had very good reviews in Europe. No play so far, and it does work as expected.
The Newmen Evolution 30 SL wheels which came on my bike seem to be very nice (the Start model I bought should come with a lower Newmen Performance model, but Propain upgraded my bike since the lower model was not available, yaay), again reviews from European websites say they are light but pretty tough. The axles do move very smoothly so far, again as one would expect for a new set of wheels.
The SRAM GX drivetrain shifts well, but I think it's a tad less crisp compared to the Shimano XT I had on my previous bike. Shifting up and down on the extreme cogs is fast, but there is some lag when shifting to a smaller cog in the middle of the casette. I will try to play with it.
The SRAM G2 R brakes are good so far, but have a different feel (their bite point is closer to the handlebar) compared to Shimano SLX, which I was using before. I think I got used to this...
The Propain support was very good and responsive so far: my bike came with a loose rebound adjustment knob on the Pike fork. I noticed it, but I thought it might be just flimsy by design, so I didn't tighten it on day one. As a result, I lost it on the trail, after the first trail ride. The Propain support (Vic) reached out to SRAM multiple times and asked them to send me one, but SRAM didn't have that knob on stock, so in the end I have to order it at a SRAM dealer.
All in all I really like the bike.
Hopefully, this helps people thinking about this bike.
It's super reliable, and I like it.
I went in October 2021 in the Garda lake in Italy for the 'Bike Festival'.
I've made a track with my Hugene, recording it with my Garmin, dividing it with 3 segments, uphill road, uphill single track, downhill.
After that I've made the same track with:
Santa Cruz High Tower
Ghost Riot Enduro Full Party
Propain Spindrift
Canyon Spectral
The new Propain Hugene
Scott spark 910
The faster time in the uphill road have been made with the the new Hugene (20m34s against 22m37s).
Also the uphill single track and the downhill the new Hugene was faster than mine.
It's the only bike of my field test faster than my old Hugene.
That's a huge bike, and the configuration that I tried was a 4500 € one.
at the same time, one of my friends has a 2 year old cube stereo 150(150 with 160mm fork), that is below(a little below though) 14 kgs; he can ride it everywhere I ride my Giga as he is a much better rider so, now I'm wondering what the actual effin' is happening with these bike's weights?, my full enduro bro alu Sanction was 16.2 kgs. At first, when I measured the Giga, I could not belive it, I thought the scale was broken..but, sadly, it didn't.
RS had a batch with bushings that basically could not mode.
Had this issue on my Hugene, changed the bushings (www.huber-bushings.com), and it felt like a completly different bike!
For travel, you can get off a 2.5 spacer (there are 2 of them up to 55mm) in the Float X and add 7mm rear travel to obtain a 150/147mm bike.
I have a Tyee too and the Tyee is less fun in my opinion, but it delivers more and is more forgetting in steep and at the same time rocky sections.
This bike made me realise i was overbiked most of the time, now i only use the Tyee for big enduro against the clock.
I saw that the frame itself weighs 2.3kg in S according to Propain which IMHO is impressive for a capable 140/150mm bike that doesn't break the bank.
I don't think FSR or VPP or whatever should be a reason to buy or not buy a bike these days—the question is, did the designers tune the system correctly? In this case it seems like it.
Very true
Still makes little difference irrespective of rear suspension design, they all lock up to a degree on braking, a quick view of slowmos on Instagram will prove it !!
I’ve been itching to go back and ride there again, that place is so fun.
I’d almost like to see the reviews with the tires the manufacturer specd, since thats how you will get the bike.
Hunp
Seems about right. Wonder how it would ride with the fork bumped to 160.
That’s why I ended up with the Tallboy as well because for a short travel bike you can at least get the chainstay to 440
I dont think I've ever seen one under a racer of any age, or in the rad-dad demographic which describes most of my riding frineds and aquaintances.
I had the impression that they were mail order and reasonable mid range spec for a low price, but being hidden off the radar meant they were only for experienced riders "in the know".
$6700 implies I was incorrect.
What's the "rad dad" bike of choice in the UK. Around these parts Ibis Ripmo seems to be the sled of choice, though I could see Stumpy Evo make a push.
But also a number of Birds, Oranges, Stumpys (the carbon non-evo version, dont think I've ever seen an evo IRL), Canyons and YTs.
On a side note, a local shop recently became an Orange dealer and has a few bikes in stock. Really hope they start doing some demos, the bikes look rad!
I bought my 2021 Tyee CF with Ultimate, x01, code rsc etc for about €4500.
At that time you could get an alu one for less than €3000 with gx, code r and select level sus.
Combined, that’s good for about a pound over EXO f/r, I’d guess. Also, it doesn’t matter, does it? (My highlander is 38 in riding mode and is still fast as hell going up)
My only problem with the Hugene's CS is same length for all sizes - the 445 is only really ideal for size L.
I can see the Tilt has super short 425mm CS across all sizes so not sure how that would be any better as "the one bike" (assuming again that this one dimension makes or breaks a bike). It will probably be fine for size S.
It also has (probably because of that short CS mated to 29" wheels) a super slack seat angle (69 degrees, nice
The Smash has 440mm CS, again, across all sizes. That's very close to the Hugene although more biased towards size M than L (or size 2 for GG). 5mm makes the Smash a "one bike" and the Hugene not for all sizes in your opinion?
To sum up, all 3 brands are lazy with their same-length CS. No idea why any customer accepts that in 2021 when other bikes are available with CS adjusted for size. GG and Propain are so close in geo you can choose one based on looks, seriously. The Tilt frankly has a bit shit geo for a 29" trail bike. Would work better as a 27.5" more aimed at jumping and hooning around.