For years, the Bulls Black Adder has been an integral part of the peloton in well-known cross-country and especially marathon races. After we briefly reviewed the current 2016 model Eurobike Demo Day tested, we were able to get a more detailed impression of the carbon bolide.
Bulls Black Adder Team Frame:
The Bulls Black Adder Team is only used with slight modifications in Team Bulls, one of the most successful German mountain bike teams in everyday racing. The team around marathon legend Karl Platt consists not only of marathon riders like Urs Huber but also of cross-country riders like Simon Stiebjahn or young talent Niklas Schehl. So much variability and so much experience is not only a blessing for the team, but also for Bulls themselves: During development, they worked hand in hand with the team riders, whose feedback had a direct effect on the construction.
First-hand professional material: The carbon frame is created by a monocoque construction, which enables a very stiff but also very light frame. The size L frame we tested weighs around 1000g. Of course, comfort should not be neglected in a race hardtail either - especially in view of the increasingly demanding routes in this area - thin seat stays with a flat cross-section are used on the Bulls Black Adder. You don't have to do without common standards either: A 12 mm thru-axle on the rear wheel ensures high rigidity, the cables are all routed in the frame and there is also space in the seat tube for a lowerable seat post or a Di2 retrofit - including the associated cables - and cable laying. The seat post diameter has also been increased to 31,6 mm to meet the dropper post trend and to offer a larger selection, as 27,2 mm dropper posts are more exotic.
Bulls Black Adder Team Geometry
The previous Black Adder geometries were rather long and designed for propulsion, but at the expense of downhill performance. However, the marathon and cross-country routes around the world are becoming more and more technical and spectacular, so that a modern XC bike should also offer enough reserves in technical passages downhill. The Bulls developers paid attention to this when developing the Black Adder and adapted the frame to these needs. On the one hand, the seating position is less stretched, but thanks to the correct ratio of reach and stack, you still sit sportily above the bottom bracket. The chainstays have shrunk by 2 cm to improve the bike's agility. In addition, the head tube and seat tube have been shortened to allow for a lower cockpit and lower standover height. In general, the geometry is rather compact, but still sporty in order to offer the best possible performance up and downhill.
Bulls Black Adder Team Equipment
For 4899 € you get a light carbon frame with princely equipment from Bulls. A highlight on the bike is the RS-1 upside-down fork with hydraulic lockout from Rock Shox: light and polarizing in the scene, but more on that later. Drive and deceleration are completely taken over by the solid, ergonomic and light Shimano XTR group. With the Black Adder Team, Bulls relies on a 2×11 drivetrain with 36 and 26 teeth on the crank and an 11-40 cassette, which has become almost rare in this class. No compromises are made when it comes to the wheels either, and light but also stable DT Swiss XR 1501 Spline with a special hub for the RS-1 fork are used. Shifter and brake are mounted on a clamp and the cockpit is very tidy. The stem and handlebars are made of carbon and come from the FSA K-Force series, although the handlebars are rather narrow at 690 mm. T-One silicone grips provide the necessary grip on the handlebars. The seat post is also from FSA and supports a Fizik Tundra M7 saddle. When it comes to tires, Bulls uses a 2,25 Rocket Ron at the front and a 2,25 Thunder Burt at the rear with lightweight Schwalbe Extralite tubes.
On the trail: Bull's Black Adder Team
Right from the first meters you notice the black snake wants to be accelerated and this is easily achieved due to the weight of 9,2 kg. Activate lockout and on the flat you almost get that racing bike feeling. Thanks to the wide range of gear ratios of the 2×11 XTR drive, nothing stands in the way of rushing at speed on flat and slightly sloping terrain. Even beyond 35 km/h you can still make progress with a good cadence. On the uphill, whether it's a steep ramp or a long ascent, the Black Adder climbs easily and doesn't show any weaknesses. You sit very compactly on the bike, but thanks to the 100 mm long stem and the handlebars, which are only 690 mm wide, it is still very sporty. Due to the compact seating position, the front wheel stays on the ground even on steep and sometimes very technical climbs, making the bike easy to maneuver and control. Of course, as always, we found a small hair in the ointment: The Schwalbe Thunderburt on the rear wheel is quickly overwhelmed in the wet and has to be ridden in a controlled manner.
The main goal of the new Black Adder frame was to improve the downhill performance of the bike - the developers have achieved this goal. The Geo isn't too long overall, generally compact with shorter chainstays. The bike is not necessarily playful, but it can be moved quickly and in a controlled manner on the ideal line, just as a race hardtail should be. The shorter chainstays also have a positive effect: the bike reacts quickly to changes of direction and is easy to maneuver around tight corners. The rear end and the seat post ensure sufficient comfort and absorb lighter impacts and waves, so that not every impact is immediately passed on to the rider's buttocks. The Black Adder is very solid on the trail, which is mainly due to the performance of the Rock Shox RS-1 upside-down fork. The fork responds sensitively, has good suspension travel and doesn't sag. The lightweight also puts away a few rough hits very progressively. Of course, you notice when stationary or on a straight stretch with quick steering movements that the RS-1 has to do more at the back in terms of lateral stiffness. However, we personally never noticed this lack of stiffness on the trail in “normal” use. On the contrary. In rough rocky passages, we noticed that the lack of rigidity means that fewer lateral impacts are transmitted to the handlebars or rider, which means that the bike appears much calmer in such passages. The only drawback to the fork: When installing and removing the front wheel, the fork tubes can twist. This can be very fiddly, especially in stressful racing situations, and cost valuable seconds. There are deductions in downhill because of the Schwalbe Thunder Burt tire at the rear, which offers less grip. We would also have liked a wider handlebar for more control from time to time. The silicone grips surprised us, as they offer enough grip even when wet and are very comfortable to hold.
Bulls Black Adder Team Conclusion:
With the Bulls Black Adder there are no more excuses: A real racer that also shows its strengths on downhills. A wider handlebar and a rear tire with more reserves would make the bike perfect. For € 4799 you get absolute professional material first-hand, which is nevertheless easy to master.
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