Test: The Radon Jealous AL 10.0 is the direct seller's top aluminum hardtail and surprises with interesting, high-quality equipment including a dropper post and powerful trail brakes. The test showed that the daring concept works.
Radon Jealous AL 10.0: frame and geometry
After the Jealous first saw the light of day a few years ago as a high-end carbon hardtail in Radon's portfolio and inherited the venerable Black Sin, the direct seller from the Rhineland just a short time later also pushed an aluminum counterpart with the Jealous AL. Apart from the frame material, the aluminum frame resembles its “big” brother made of carbon in many respects: apart from a few millimeters, the balanced geometry is identical, of course the Jealous AL also has a Boost thru-axle at the rear and the frame has also been given internally routed shift cables . At just under 1.700g, the aluminum frame is also relatively light without appearing fragile. While many other lightweight aluminum frames have the feel of a bike-shaped Coke can, the Jealous AL feels extremely stable.
When it comes to wheel sizes, the Jealous AL offers a choice between large 29ers and compact 650b wheels, depending on the equipment variant. Only the top model Jealous AL 10.0 that we tested is only available with large wheels. With Jealous AL 8.0 and 9.0 there is a so-called size split: The 16 inch frame is only available with 27,5″, the large 22 inch frame only with 29″. With the two intermediate sizes, the buyer is spoiled for choice.
Even if the Jealous AL has the racing genes of its carbon counterpart, the geometry shows that the hardtail should also work excellently as an all-rounder: With the 100mm suspension fork, it is not too steep at the front, the top tube is not too long: in other words, also Occasional riders shouldn't feel like they're on a stretching bench on the Radon Jealous AL - especially since the bike comes with a rather short 70mm stem for this bike category (80mm for XL).
Geometry Radon Jealous AL 10.0
18" | 20" | 22" | |
seat tube (in mm) | 440 | 485 | 525 |
Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 600 | 622 | 644 |
head tube (in mm) | 100 | 115 | 130 |
chainstay (in mm) | 432 | 432 | 432 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 1114 | 1137 | 1160 |
Steering angle (in °) | 69.4 | 69.4 | 69.4 |
Seat angle (in °) | 74.2 | 74.2 | 74.2 |
Standover height (in mm) | 770 | 805 | 835 |
Reach (mm) | 428 | 446 | 463 |
Stacks (in mm) | 615 | 629 | 642 |
Spectrum: Radon home visit – Visiting the Rhenish bicycle giant
Market: Radon should probably be known to most cyclists in this country - it was initially the outstanding price/performance ratio with which the direct seller from the Rhineland made the headlines, but with progressive in-house developments they are now one of the big players in the two-wheeler business in this country. We visited the 'holy halls' and the megastore. In a […]
Radon Jealous AL 10.0: Features
frame | Jealous AL |
suspension fork | RockShox SID RL |
Suspension shocks | - |
Wheels | DT Swiss X1700 Spline Two 25 |
Tire VR | Schwalbe Racing Ray Speedgrip 2,25 |
Tire HR | Schwalbe Racing Ralph Speedgrip 2,25 |
derailleur | Sram GX Eagle |
Gear levers | Sram GX Eagle |
Crank | Sram GX Eagle DUB 32t |
Front derailleur | ohne |
Brake | Magura MT Trail Custom |
Brake discs | Magura Storm HC 180/160 |
Seat post | SDG Tellis Dropper |
Saddle | Saddle Italia X3 |
Stem | Race Face Turbine Basic |
Links | Race Face Turbine 740mm |
With the Jealous AL 2.000, which costs almost 10.0 euros (or is cheap...), we tested the top version of the aluminum hardtail. Quite a proud price for an aluminum hardtail - but the Jealous AL 10.0 also comes with a great equipment including a high-quality dropper post. But let's start at the beginning - with the suspension fork. With the SID RL, RockShox's top model is in the tapered head tube, whose DebonAir air chamber provides 100mm of spring travel. The fork can also be conveniently blocked from the handlebars during long climbs via a lockout.
One-by fans can also look forward to the GX Eagle circuit from Sram on the AL 10.0, which with a bandwidth of 500% is hardly inferior to its 2-speed competition in terms of bandwidth. The Radon Hardtail is stopped with braking power from the Swabian Jura: The Magura MT Trail, with its brake caliper combination of 4-piston calipers at the front and two at the back, offers more than enough power without missing out on controllability. For the discs, Radon installed a 180mm Storm HC at the front and the small 160mm version at the rear.
A special highlight awaits in the seating area: Radon insisted on installing a dropper post on their aluminum top model. Wait - a dropper post? On a bike like that? Is that really necessary? We find: Yes! Every bike that sees a trail from time to time benefits enormously from a dropper post. The extra weight is always manageable if you don't pay attention to every gram. With the SDG Tellis, the Jealous is still quite new, but with an ergonomic remote and low operating forces, it is in no way inferior to the established competition.
Last but not least, a few words about the wheels and the tires: With the DT Swiss X1700 with a width of 25mm, the bike rolls on what is perhaps the perfect wheelset for the intended area of application. Quite robust, wide enough for 2,35 tires, but still quite light and with the durable toothed disc freewheel on the rear wheel. The tire combination of Racing Ralph at the rear and Racing Ray should also cut a fine figure on the trail with low rolling resistance. Nice: The wheelset-tire combination is tubeless-ready - so if you want to convert: Take out the tube, put in the tubeless valve and milk, done!
Radon Jealous AL 10.0: On the trail
The Radon Jealous AL 10.0 is one of those bikes that doesn't need any time to get used to. It doesn't matter whether you are an experienced frequent rider or a mountain bike newcomer: adjust the saddle height, sit up, it fits! The seating position is not too sporty, but still puts the driver in a slightly stretched seating position from which you can put a lot of pressure on the pedal. Speaking of pressure on the pedals: At first, we felt a little disillusioned when accelerating, because the bike didn’t respond to our crank revolutions quite as lively as we had hoped. Don't get me wrong - the Jealous AL is far from a sluggish bike, but given the lightweight, high-quality build, we would have liked a little more acceleration here.
We were all the more surprised - in a positive sense - by the tough qualities of the aluminum hardtail on the trails. The handling is lively, but at the same time impresses with an unexpected smoothness that is in no way inferior to modern carbon frames. In general, the comfort of the Jealous AL is outstanding - the frame seems to really absorb the bumps and always put a big grin on our faces. If the descent is really steep, all you have to do is gently press the remote of the SDG dropper post and you can easily shift your weight backwards. The excellent Ergon handles and the comfortable Selle Italia saddle also contribute to the feel-good factor.
If you then take it easy again and listen to something in the bike, you will notice the many small and large amenities of the high-quality equipment: The GX Eagle gearshift worked without any problems at all times and changed gears as crisply and precisely as usual. The Magura MT Trail brake has a lot of power and especially at the front, beginners should use it with a little caution - emergency braking could quickly end up being unexpectedly painful. After getting used to it, however, you know about the braking power and enjoy the large reserves during the descent.
On climbs, the Jealous AL proves itself to be an altitude eater: As on the flat, it's not a sprinter here either, but once you've found your rhythm, the mountains just melt away. The low weight, the high level of comfort and the comfortable seating position help enormously. However, we almost never activated the lockout for the fork, since the excellent compression damping of the SID completely suppresses bobbing in most cases, even when open.
There may be people who want to accuse the Radon Jealous AL 10.0 of being indecisive: An XC frame with dropper post and 4-piston brake system - does that make sense? Admittedly, we were also skeptical at first, but especially in times of ever smaller niches and more and more special bikes, it's refreshing when a bike doesn't give a damn about these drawers. Yes, there are lighter, livelier wheels. Yes, there are bikes that move even better on the trail. But very few out there want their own bike for every area of use. The Jealous 10.0 is the perfect bike for all those who are looking for a flexible, low-maintenance mountain bike that can handle everything from a sporty weekend tour to a trail excursion in the home area.
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