ERGONOMIC DOWNHILL
Test: Ergon has always been committed to the premise of ergonomics when biking. The guys from Koblenz have already proven this with a whole range of products for almost all types of cycling. What was missing until now was a line for downhill sports. In addition, the knowledge and wishes of their team riders were recorded, who are no lesser names than Fabien Barrel, Tahnée Seagrave, Richie Schley, Johannes Fischbach... just to name the best known.
When assembling...
The GD-1 Factory First of all, handles are long. With a handle length of 12 cm without inner stop and clamp, they are really above average. But it makes them suitable for every hand size and it is not uncomfortable even for smaller hands, the diameter fits. The second point that immediately catches your eye is that they are conical. They are thinner in the grip area, i.e. in the area of the thumb and forefinger, and then become thicker towards the outside. This is intended to enable an energy-saving but firm grip on the inside and to dampen the outer area of the hand more. The handle is only clamped with a clamp on the inside. This is dimensioned strong enough to prevent twisting on the handlebars. Behind the clamp there is a slim inner stop, which on the one hand makes it easier to find a grip and on the other hand gives a cool motocross look. The profile is ergonomically designed and grooved at key points for traction between hand and grip. The rubber compound is an in-house development by Ergon and is intended to offer the optimal compromise between cushioning and support. The handle is available in Regular and Slim diameters and in the colors Frozen Orange and Frozen Black.
The SMD2 Comp Gravity At first glance, the saddle looks like a mixture of a normal MTB saddle and a dirt jump saddle. But if you take a closer look, you can see that a few more ideas have already flowed into it. What is immediately noticeable when mounting is that you instinctively tilt it backwards. Since this is preferred in the gravity area to guarantee maximum freedom of movement, the shape was specially chosen. The nose slopes slightly forward so you don't get caught in your pants, while the rear is set back slightly to prevent slipping off during sitting phases. In addition, the SMD2 Comp and SMD2 Pro Titanium versions have an anti-slip surface. This was not used in the simple SMD2 model. The other differences between the three types are that the SMD2 and SMD2 Comp have CroMo Rails, with the SMD2 Pro Titanium using the lighter material titanium. The seat pans are carbon composite on the two better models, while nylon composite is on the cheaper model. Particular attention was paid to the flank area, which is pulled far down. In this area, thighs and saddle very often come into contact. This wide area makes it much more comfortable to guide the bike with the inside leg.
On the route…
When you're on a bike, the three points you associate with the bike are: pedals, saddle and grips. So I think these parts deserve a closer look. Here, the components simply have to fit the driver. And it fits well with the Ergon parts.
The conical shape of the handles takes a little getting used to at first, but once the short phase is over, the formula works. Due to the thinner diameter on the inside, you can grip firmly without getting tired quickly, and the slightly thicker diameter on the outside nevertheless protects your hand there. Up until now, you had to decide whether you preferred thin grips that were easier to grip or thicker ones that were gentle on the inside of the hand. Ergon has combined this neatly with the GD1 Factory. The ribbing offers a perfect grip as long as you wear gloves. Unfortunately, when riding without gloves, I found that the surface is too closed. A classic waffle surface is better here, as sweat can run off better. But that's the only point of criticism and most people prefer driving with gloves anyway.
Even if you stand most of the time downhill, the saddle is not unimportant. On the one hand there are short stretches on almost every route where you can sit down to relax, on the other hand you guide the bike with the inner leg in curves. The SMD2 Comp fulfills these two tasks perfectly. Since one likes to tilt the saddle slightly backwards when going downhill in order to allow maximum freedom of movement, when sitting on classic saddles one likes to have the feeling of slipping backwards. The Ergon guys recognized this and chose the shape of the saddle to counteract this. In addition, an anti-slip surface is used on the two expensive models. And it works. You sit very comfortably, despite the saddle tilted backwards. For me, the more decisive clou of the SMD2 are the broad flanks that are drawn far down. Since I ride the saddle relatively high and actively work with my inside leg in corners, I often had marks from the sharp edges of the saddle after a weekend. That was completely over with the SMD2.
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