Simplon Kuro 275: The little black dress

Test: Enduro is currently the magic word when it comes to mountain bikes. Building a good enduro bike is not that easy. The demands that such a bike has to meet are too broad. It has to be agile, but also smooth-running. It has to be good at climbing, but above all it has to flex its muscles on the descents. The list could be extended indefinitely.

Simplon has also taken on this task. With the Kuro 275 the Austrians push a bike onto the trail that has definitely washed up.

equipment and practice

The little black dress from the Alps has very good features. srams XX1 not only looks good, but also convinces in use. In addition to the crisp shifting behavior, we were particularly impressed by the milling of the chain ring. Small lugs are attached to some teeth here, which effectively prevent the chain from jumping off even on rough passages and thus make the use of a chain guide obsolete.

The combination of the XX1-Shifting components with Shimanos XT-brakes. On the trail, however, these branch off quite bitingly and are generally easy to dose.

The remote lever is also located next to the left brake lever Lev Integra-variable seat post from KindShock. It is nice that Simplon also pays attention to an internally routed cable in the case of the seat post. This fits in with the concept of the frame, on which all long stretches in the frame are also guided.

With regard to the wheels, the Austrians rely on products that have meanwhile proven themselves in Enduro. That's how the DT Swiss are spline 1 Covered with Schwalbe's all-rounder, the hansdampf.

But so much for the components. After all, the heart of the Kuro 275 the frame. Its geometry is characterized by a short top tube, long, asymmetrical struts and a short top tube. This results in a very compact seating position, which is, however, quite comfortable. Surprisingly, the bike has very good handling despite the long stays. In combination with the low position of the handlebars, this loads Kuro 275 to attack on the trail.

The swing arm made of carbon grips a Rock Shox Monarch RT3-Damper that has 160 millimeters of travel. This is attached to the front with a Rock Shox Pike RC DP-Fork is combined. This can be traveled from 130 to 160 millimeters. Here, too, you notice the well thought-out concept, because the lower front clearly shows its advantages on steep climbs.

The Kuro 275 has good responsiveness. It's almost reminiscent of a 4X fully. When pedaling, the bike only bounces slightly. The suspension travel is well used, but offers little protection against bottoming out.

At low speeds, the handling is very good. In the high-speed range, however, it seems a bit nervous and restless, which is particularly noticeable on really rough trails. We were positively impressed by the very good flight characteristics. Here the bike seems predictable and invites you to let the gas stand again and again. However, the bulky rear end could be a bit stiffer.

Conclusion

The Simplon Kuro 275 is a light and playful trail bike with good enduro genes. It is well thought out and a real eye-catcher. If you like versatility on the trail, this bike will definitely suit you.