Test Bull's Desert Falcon Disc: With its sloping frame, the Desert Falcon looks like a comfort racer, but the handling and seating position are as sporty as the equipment is functional.
For decades, road bike weight was the measure of all things - probably for the simple reason that it was the only thing you could measure. Things like rigidity weren't much of a concern in the steel age; the lugged racing frame offered little leeway in this regard anyway. And apart from a few approaches (silk jerseys, fewer spokes), aerodynamics were only "invented" in the early 1990s.
In the meantime, the cycling industry has become wiser; the magic word of the present is “function”. And a bike like the Bulls Desert Falcon Disc has so much to offer in this respect that other aspects quickly seem secondary.
Bulls Desert Falcon Disc - Magic Word Function
Let's start with the geometry: At first glance, the Bulls Desert Falcon may appear to be a comfort racer, but that is deceptive. The head tube is not long on this bike, but the seat tube is short; the ratio of stack and reach (height and seat length) is in the range of sporty racing frames. However, the test bike in size 56 would be more like a 58 from other manufacturers – from Cervélo, for example, whose R series has an almost identical design. Assuming the right frame height, you sit moderately stretched and with a very balanced overhang. It's a posture that doesn't overwhelm beginners and doesn't bore experts, especially since you can use spacers or stem angles to get a few centimeters up or down.
The steering behavior is also sporty; for the first few meters, the Bulls Desert Falcon appears extremely manoeuvrable, almost nervous. The reason for this is probably the stem, which at 110 mm is quite short for the frame height. This is very pleasant, especially when pedaling out of the saddle; At the 25 percent mark at the start of the test lap, the bike happily prances back and forth under the rider when you get out of the saddle. On the following flat section, the smooth rolling behavior of the Schwalbe One with a width of 25 mm is noticeable. Not even the current model has been raised, but the slightly older slick variant. By the way, on the Mavic Aksium the tire is really XNUMX mm wide; the rims don't spread it as far as the wider profiles that many other vendors now favor.
The aluminum frame of the Bulls Desert Falcon never seems anything but stiff as a rock, but it is quite slim and equipped with delicate rear stays. It may also be due to them that the bike is not particularly hard – a carbon seat post was not even installed. So the comfort is right; if you want more, you can retrofit 28 and maybe even 30 tires – the fork and rear end offer plenty of space, as it should be for a disc racer. Which brings us back to the topic of "function": Traditionalists in particular miss the classic brake caliper on the fork and rear triangle, but disc brakes are clearly superior in terms of controllability and braking effect in the wet. We can see that on several steep descents, where winding village streets repeatedly require strong deceleration: you can feel your way to the tire grip limit at the front and rear without fear.
Bulls Desert Falcon – unbeatable: Shimano's Ultegra
The Ultegra group combined with the brake system is also hard to beat when it comes to function. When new, the chain runs smoothly and noiselessly over the sprockets and chainrings; gear changes are quick and quiet. Only at the front you have to be careful when pressing the trim level on the large disc - if you press the button too far, the chain will fall onto the small disc. Compact gradation and 11-28 cassette are sufficient for almost every purpose.
The look of the restrainedly painted frame benefits from the shift cables and brake lines routed in the down tube; all three are passed through a large hole on the left side of the tube without much fuss. The fact that the shift cables are completely routed in outer casings makes them dirt-resistant and ensures consistently good shifting behavior. The chainstay even has welded eyelets instead of plastic clips that keep the cable tight to the tube. The full carbon fork of the Desert Falcon Disc is narrow in terms of aerodynamics, but does not offer the visual luxury of an internal brake line. Also not luxurious and the only functional flaw on the Bulls is the hard-to-use thru-axle on the front wheel - there are much easier-to-use examples from DT Swiss.
Bulls Desert Falcon: Feature beats weight
We only found out what the Bulls Desert Falcon weighs when we returned - and were surprised by the light-footed, agile character of this aluminum racer: It's a total of nine kilos without pedals and bottle holders, but you don't feel that on the mountain or when accelerating. Saving potential is there, but it doesn't have to be used, because with the Bulls Desert Falcon, function clearly weighs more. Racing bikes that break new ground are way ahead of their ancestors.
