Test Bulls Urban Cologne: Sometimes it's not that far from a gravel bike to an everyday bike. The frame and fork of the Bulls Grinder, slightly modified, create a sporty city bike with user-friendly technology, plenty of comfort and beautiful details.
If you ask which types of bike are currently most popular with users, you will get the following unanimous answer: e-bikes of all kinds - and gravel bikes. With the former, the matter is clear: the emergence of leasing offers has lowered the financial hurdle to purchasing an electric bike and at the same time probably increased its average price. Today, around every second new bike is an e-bike, although the segment is of course divided into numerous sub-types from e-MTBs to cargo bikes.
And gravel bikes? Of course, they can't all be tarred with the same brush and come in numerous variations, from racing bikes to touring bikes. And gravel bikes are often purchased as sporty all-rounders that can be converted for everyday use. In addition, some manufacturers are inspired by their own gravel bikes to incorporate their sporty and versatile features into an urban bike, which is usually understood to be an unsprung touring bike where looks are also important. Bulls has done this with the new Urban Cologne and has significantly upgraded the already interesting city bike.
Bulls Urban Cologne: Even more beautiful with a new frame
Which brings us to the gravel bike's facilities - the 2023 Bulls Urban Cologne (or its users) can look forward to a completely new frame that is closely based on that of the current Bulls Grinder. At first glance, the differences are hardly noticeable - the threaded holes on the aluminum fork, the sloping top tube and the slightly lower seat stays come 1:1 from the gravel bike. But on the everyday bike, the rear triangle is significantly longer so that wider tires and mudguards can fit in; in addition, the two threaded holes on the top tube that are typical for gravel bikes are missing. Bulls has left the four holes underm Pipe to which a tensioning strap can be mounted - to which a rain jacket, for example, can then be attached.
The Urban Cologne also takes over the cables from the gravel bike, which are completely routed through the frame. The gear cable only appears at the very back, which makes the straight-lined urban bike even smoother. Only the front brake cable is on the outside of the fork. And finally, like the gravel bike, it is characterized by a rather long head tube and thus a comfortable sitting position. Which is good, because the cockpit of the Bulls does not allow for any adjustment options. The stem is not angle-adjustable, and the handlebars and stem are a firmly connected unit, which looks great and has no disadvantages given the balanced handlebar shape.
Active sitting posture and sporty character
Leaning slightly forward, you sit comfortably and actively on the Bulls Urban Cologne - just as you would expect from a moderately sporty everyday bike. And the equipment also matches this character. The ten-speed derailleur gears are wide-ranging with an 11-42 cassette and offer a 1:1 mountain gear as well as a long overdrive gear. Of course, there are disc brakes on board, with compact flat-mount brake calipers that sit close to the fork and chain stay. The Bulls is suitable for everyday use thanks to the solid metal mudguards, a compact rear carrier (which is still missing a tensioning strap or spring clamp), and the pleasantly bright 50 lux spotlight on the lighting system.
The Bulls lacks nothing to be a city bike; it also scores points with its extremely good handling characteristics. The bike is easy to steer and moves quickly; thanks to the 42 mm wide, soft-rolling tires, it feels very comfortable. There is no room for improvement; the only thing that could be improved is the quick release on the seat clamp, which could be replaced with a screwed axle to prevent theft. And depending on the terrain, you might be inclined to swap the wide cassette for a narrower one - if you're planning a cycling holiday, you can (have) the 11-42 sprocket remounted. The Urban Cologne is also ideal as a bike for multi-day tours.
city bike with unique selling points
Of course, Bulls is not the only manufacturer that has an urban bike with 1x derailleur gears in its range, but not many have yet. And in this small selection, the bike from Cologne stands out with its more comfortable seating position and wider tires suitable for everyday use. Anyone looking for a modern city bike with this gear system and without a suspension fork will find little to nothing comparable.
