Test: The cross bike Bulls Cross Street from Cologne already bears its suitability in its name: MTB genes and technology suitable for everyday use combine to form a successful all-round mixture, which is also available at a reasonable price.
Sporty cycling is not only a question of form - it also depends on the material. Fast, experienced cyclists know this and also rely on light, well-equipped bikes such as the Bulls Cross Street for all-round use, which are functionally similar to their sports bikes. Light and fenders, maybe a luggage rack to hang a bag: This is how a cheap mountain bike or racing bike quickly becomes a bike suitable for everyday use.
If you don't do cycling in one form or another, but still want to use your daily routes to stay fit, you can benefit from this approach. The bike industry has long since eliminated the clear separation between sport and everyday life. And the Bulls Cross Street is a good example of this: The bike, freshly painted mint and white, combines classic MTB genes with those comfort and safety features that you no longer want to do without in everyday life and on tours.
Bulls Cross Street: The best of both worlds
The best of both worlds: part one consists of a triple drivetrain, which together with the nine-speed sprocket set ensures a huge range of gear ratios on Bulls Cross Street. With the non-slip Rapidfire levers, the sprockets and chainrings can be switched through quickly, just like on a mountain bike. Whereby: On the right off-road bike, "triple" is on the decline since there are cassettes with up to twelve rings.
The suspension fork, which offers around 60 mm of travel on Bulls Cross Street, has also spilled over from MTB to other types of bicycles. That doesn't sound like much considering what you drive off-road, but it's absolutely fine for many purposes - asphalt roads and forest paths anyway. The fork can be locked by pressing the lever – practical if you mainly ride the Cross Street on slippery roads.
Disc brakes have meanwhile rolled over the entire cycling world and have become indispensable for many cyclists - for us, by the way, so that we take their presence on Bulls Cross Street for granted. They are indispensable in places where it gets wet and dirty, and they make just as much sense in off-road use as they do in everyday life. Incidentally, the Tektro stoppers on Bulls Cross Street prove that even inexpensive discs can provide very good braking performance.
So much for the MTB technology on the Bulls, but what makes the bike interesting is its combination with parts that ensure suitability for everyday use - and the way in which they are integrated. When it comes to lighting, the Bulls Cross Street is of course equipped with a hub dynamo, which is hardly noticeable given the large front brake disc. The neatly bright 30 lux spotlight is nice and compact and is mounted directly on the fork bridge, so it hardly protrudes; the rear light, in turn, sits tightly on the rear stay. This means that the important safety feature "light" hardly affects the sporty look of the crosser.
There is another reason why Bulls has distanced itself from the classic technique of mounting the rear light on the mudguard: The SKS mudguards, which are attached to metal brackets that are screwed on, can be removed with very little effort - for example if the bike has had a dry summer should be used for sport. Of course, that wouldn't work with lights and power cables.
What looks sporty, of course, also gives cause for a little criticism: the rear protector is very short; if the road is wet, following cyclists should get a nice fountain.
A detail that is indispensable in everyday use is the side stand, which has its own socket on the frame on Bulls Cross Street - solid and nice to look at.
Bulls Cross Street: Saddle and grips with well thought-out ergonomics
Just as a sports car can have comfortable seats, a fast cross bike can also offer pleasant ergonomics. With a rather short front frame and comparatively high handlebars, both riders sit upright and securely on this bike. A good choice is the handlebar with slightly angled ends that are equipped with ergo grips. A seat post with a rearward offset would be desirable; that would relieve the arms and hands and make the sitting position even more comfortable. In any case, a good choice is the saddle with a wide longitudinal groove for pressure relief. So you can sit on the bike for hours, whether fast or at a moderate pace - after all, the Bulls Cross Street is made for both.
Alternatively, the Bulls Cross Street is also available in a more subtly colored men's version with a classic diamond frame. The trapeze frame is available in three sizes (44, 48 and 54 cm) and the men's frame in four (48, 54, 58, 61 cm).
