BH Bikes Trail Hunter D75K (08) | £2499
BikeRadar verdict
"A great enduro bike that’s happy to play rough on any trail you can think of"
The D75K sits at the top of BH's four-bike Trail Hunter range. Tipping our scales at a very impressive 26.1lb, it’s well worth a look if you’re after a plush, well designed, fast-handling trail bike.
BH may be better known for its road bikes, but this well-tuned and versatile suspension mountain bike shows the Spanish company – once part of CycleEurope, now independent again – can make fine, nicely dialled-in off-road rigs too.
Ride & handling: controlled and responsive
The Trail Hunter is a bike that takes everything in its stride. Its low weight and low-profile lightweight tyres make for rapid acceleration and easy climbing. The 100mm fork setting produces the lively handling response you want for climbs and the lockout option will appeal to many riders, too. The 120mm travel setting is ideal for technical singletrack, and the more laid-back 140mm setup is good for technical drops.
The 130mm of travel at the back is stable enough when subjected to aggressive pedalling and responsive to even the smallest pitter-patter bumps, but still nicely controlled on bigger hits.
This is essentially a race-ready bike, ideal for enduro-type events, but its fast handling and acceleration make it feel very much at ease on all types of trail.
Frame: going with the flow
A lot of bikes use very similar suspension configurations to the BH. With the most rearward pivot on the seatstays rather than the chainstays, it’s essentially a single pivot set-up with a rocker-activated tunable rear shock. Fox’s Float RP2 Pro Pedal shock allows you to dial in as much or as little compression damping as you want.
Equipment: intelligently blended
This is a well thought-out component mix. A Fox Talas RLC air fork allows you to dial adjust travel between 100mm, 120mm and 140mm. Compression damping and lockout dials are on top of the left-hand leg, with the rebound damping dial underneath.
Drivetrain parts include Deore XT cranks, with SRAM X.9 shifters (which are definitely on par for the price), X.7 front mech and X.0 out back. Stopping duties are performed superbly by Formula’s light yet powerful Mega brakes. And the wheels are Mavic’s light, tough Crossmaxes, with Continental Mountain King 2.2in treads.
Verdict: maximising faux-bar potential
There was a time when we always discussed the relative merits of four-bar (‘Horst Link’ chainstay pivoted) versus faux-bar (seatstay pivoted) frames. However, better-controlled rocker-driven rear shocks have resulted in a situation where the trail performance of four/faux bar back ends has a lot more to do with shock tuning and how you feel on the bike, than whether the rear axle path is vertical or arced.
At the end of the day, we’re happy to say that the BH Trail Hunter D75K is a perfect example of how faux-bar full-sussers have come of age.
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Specification
- Name:
- Trail Hunter D75K (08)
- Built by:
- BH Bikes
- Price:
- £2499.00
- Available Sizes:
- 15.5 Inches, 17.5 Inches, 19.5 Inches
- Brakes Brand:
- Formula
- Brakes Model:
- Mega 180 disc
- Cranks Brand:
- Shimano XT
- Fork Brand:
- Fox
- Fork Model:
- Talas RLC 100/120/140mm
- Frame Material:
- 7005 aluminium
- Front Derailleur Brand:
- SRAM
- Front Derailleur Model:
- X.7
- Front Tyre Size:
- 26x2.2
- Handlebar Model:
- PZ Carbon riser
- Head Angle:
- 70.00 Degrees
- Rear Derailleur Brand:
- SRAM
- Rear Derailleur Model:
- X.0
- Rear Shock Brand:
- Fox
- Rear Shock Model:
- Float RP2 130mm
- Rear Tyre Size:
- 26x2.2
- Saddle Brand:
- Selle
- Saddle Model:
- San Marco
- Seat Angle:
- 73.00 Degrees
- Seatpost Model:
- PZ Carbon
- Shifters Brand:
- SRAM
- Shifters Model:
- X.9
- Stem Model:
- Carbon
- Tyres Brand:
- Continental
- Weight (kg):
- 11.90
- Wheels Brand:
- Mavic
- Wheels Model:
- Cross Max ST Disc
- Year:
- 2008
- Bottom Bracket Height (in):
- 13.25 in
- Chainstays (in):
- 17.00
- Seat Tube (in):
- 16.50 in
- Top Tube (in):
- 22.00 in
- Wheelbase (in):
- 43.00 in
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