mountain bikes: Test: Last Glen SL - Well thought-out aluminum fully for trail lovers

Test: With the Last Glen, the small direct mailer from the Ruhr area recently presented its latest MTB offspring. 140mm spring travel, 29 inch wheels, modern geometry and the proven rear triangle promise great all-round performance. Whether the aluminum bike can also convince in practice?

Last Glen SL: frame and geometry

With its aluminum frame, the Glen not only has a unique selling point in our test field, but also in the price range of the SL variant; almost all other manufacturers now use carbon frames for their bikes over 5.000 euros. But even if you leave out factors such as the better ecological footprint and the recyclability of aluminum, the boys and girls from Last show that the tried and tested frame material - used correctly - is on a par with carbon fiber. At 2,9kg, the frame of the Glen weighs only slightly more than comparable carbon bikes. Incidentally, the complete bike was one of the lightest representatives in our test field.

The attention to detail that Last shows in the frame of the Glen should be positively emphasized, with special attention paid to ease of maintenance and the greatest possible variability. examples? With exchangeable dropouts, an "old" 142mm hub can also be installed on the rear wheel - ideal if you still have a high-quality wheelset at home. Cables and cables run tidily on the down tube and are always easily accessible without being visually unattractive. Modular cable holders that can be placed in a variety of ways enable individual setups for different requirements. The attachment of the rocker arm to the seat tube also deserves a special mention: The bolt does not go through the tube here, so you can sink the seat post completely up to the stop. Last but not least, Last only uses one bearing size for the entire rear end, which also corresponds to standard dimensions - this means that replacements can be obtained anywhere without great effort and the buyer is not dependent on the frame manufacturer for spare parts.

The fact that the designers put a lot of brain power into the development of the Glen and did not shy away from more complex solutions is also evident in the geometry: The seat angle and the chain stays change here from frame size to frame size to ensure a balanced riding experience across the entire spectrum - from the smallest M frame to XXL - to maintain. The basic recipe is tried and tested and can be found on many modern mountain bikes: the long main frame, in combination with the slack steering angle, conveys a lot of smoothness on the trail, the steep seat angle places the rider in a central position and allows him to pedal efficiently. Due to the relatively short chainstays, the Glen remains agile despite the long main frame.

The rear triangle construction should already be known to load connoisseurs from the other fullies in the portfolio: the supported single pivot with its massive rocker arm should offer balanced and versatile kinematics over the 140mm spring travel. Plenty of support in the middle of the spring deflection and high anti-squat values ​​should reduce damper rockers to a minimum even with open compression and thanks to the progressive characteristic curve, steel spring dampers can also be used without any problems. The frame also offers enough space for large shocks with a piggyback - with the M frame, however, you have to decide between a piggyback and a bottle holder - there is no space for either of these in the frame triangle.

Last Glen SL: Features

The Last Glen SL has a special position in the complete bike portfolio of the 29er trail bikes from Last: On the one hand, it is the most expensive variant at 5.499 euros, on the other hand, the weight was deliberately kept in mind when putting it together, while the other equipment variants tend to be robustness is paramount. But wait a minute: That doesn't mean at all that you should roam the trail with the handbrake on with the Glen SL: With the exception of the DT Swiss XMC1200 carbon wheelset, all add-on parts meet the ASTM standard for enduro use and the wheels are also made for fast AM adventures best for.

When it comes to the chassis, the RockShox duo of Pike RCT3 with 150mm travel and Deluxe RT3 should give comfort and control to the rugged everyday trail life, while the gears are Srams X01 Eagle. With a bandwidth of 500%, the latter provides enough scope for a wide variety of applications and is by no means inferior to the top group XX1 in terms of performance. The Guide Ultimate Stoppers also come from Sram - thanks to the 200mm disc at the front, even heavier riders don't have to worry about fading here.

The BikeYoke Divine seat post is not only one of the lightest dropper posts on the market, but also convinces again and again with top performance and low maintenance. The triggy remote also fits perfectly into the ergonomic cockpit. Speaking of the cockpit: the Renthal carbon handlebar is held by a chic 77designz stem, the Kore Contour grips round off the successful overall impression at the front.

A highlight of the Last Glen SL are definitely the noble DT Swiss XMC1200 carbon wheels with wide 30mm rims, on which Schwalbe's all-rounder Nobby Nic sits front and rear. Enduro riders may turn up their noses a bit when choosing tires, but in practice the Schwalbe tire knows how to impress with a very good balance between rolling resistance and grip and is therefore a perfect match for a bike like the Glen SL.

Last Glen SL: On the trail

Before you start pedaling the Glen, it's nice to see it. The BikeYoke Divine seat post, the Renthal carbon handlebar and the 77designz stem give the bike a certain custom charm. Then, when you pedal in the saddle, the bike feels less exotic or special and moves forward willingly. First impression: Could also be a well-behaved touring bike! The rear doesn't teeter, the front wheel stays on the ground, so that you approach the summit very relaxed. The choice of a 30 chain ring is also pleasant here. In combination with the 50 teeth of the Sram XO cassette, each of our testers would be able to cope with long tours.

The Last is by no means last on the descents. It rides far ahead if the trail isn't too bumpy. The rear triangle and fork are quickly adjusted and provide good comfort and safety. In addition, the position on the bike is moderately sporty and allows corrections at any time. The Glen is not quite as hungry for vertical meters as other bikes in the test that are more geared towards Enduro, but it proves to be an excellent all-rounder. It reaches its limits a little earlier than the mini downhillers in the test field, but is still manageable and stays close to the descent specialists. A Lyrik instead of the built-in Pike would probably encourage even more speed downhill, but also increase the weight.

On the one hand, the built-in components include parts that also fit on an Alpine crosser, such as the light carbon wheels or the wide Renthal carbon handlebars, which also fit on a park bike. Everything works and harmonizes without attracting attention. This applies to the brakes, chassis and the well-chosen circuit. The seat post was already our test winner, we know and like it. The control lever is the best we know. Last places the Glen somewhere between enduro and trials bikes, and it’s in really good hands there. The low weight, the lovingly chosen, very well-functioning equipment and the versatile frame make the Last Glen SL a top all-rounder. If you want to make the Glen even more enduro-friendly, you can treat the bike to a more powerful 160 fork and gravity-heavy tires.