Test: Who doesn't feel like going on a bike tour from time to time? Even if it doesn't happen too often, it pays to have a solid bike ready. For example the Bulls Wildcross, inexpensive and perfect for occasional trips into nature.
Some frequent urban drivers don't even want to imagine it: there are people for whom cycling is only an occasional pastime - when it drives you outside when the weather is nice, but you don't want to go for a walk or drive anywhere in the car. For such cases there is a bicycle in the garage or in the shed; it is taken out, pumped up quickly and off you go.
High-end material is not worthwhile for such occasional use, but it should be versatile - and since we are talking about rides in nice weather, a cross bike is actually the first choice. A bike like the Bulls offer in the form of the Wildcross, which already has the intended use in the name: reasonably priced at just under 450 euros, available in two frame shapes (diamond/trapezium) and simply but functionally equipped with everything you would expect from a cyclist's equivalent of a walk so needs.
The occasional cyclist does not necessarily feel like driving on the road; Mountain bike technology is therefore ideal for use on forest and field paths: non-slip, slightly wider tires that can cope well with loose ground, a fairly wide range of gears for steep climbs, here with 3×7 gears, and a suspension fork, which offers a full 75 mm of travel on the Bulls and thus has enough reserves for occasional bumpy stretches. Decent brakes are also a must, of course - mechanical disc brakes do the job here, requiring only the occasional adjustment and, like the rest of the equipment, are easy to maintain.
A whole lot of technology for little money, which is also attractively packaged. The frame of the Wildcross is cleanly manufactured and beautifully painted; all cables run low-maintenance in continuous outer casings, which are tidily routed through eyelets on the frame. A modern, stiff Ahead handlebar stem is used as well as a finely adjustable seat post with yoke clamp. The range of sizes is also positive: the diamond frame is available in five frame heights, the trapezoid model in three. Threaded holes make it possible to retrofit accessories such as mudguards and luggage racks.
The leisure cyclist is well served with this package - the technology is of course rather simple, but completely sufficient for occasional use. And just in case one or the other urban cyclist pricks up his ears: as Wildcross Street, the fast cross bike with StVZO equipment is available as Wildcross Street for a hundred euros more and is therefore suitable for everyday use.
