Radon Swoop 170 9.0 1x11 - Review

Per Radon’s site, this model is currently selling for €2,399.00. In other words, the Swoop 170 9.0 1x11 would sell for $2,630 US dollars/ $3,529 Canadian dollars. Note my use of the word “would”—I’m using it for a reason. The Swoop 170 is not available in North America at this time, which is a pity, because no matter what currency we’re talking about, this thing is a raging deal. There were originally five Swoop 170 models in 2016—the two upper-tier models have already sold out, leaving this model, a 2x variation and the base-model Swoop 8.0, equipped with a more budget-oriented parts kit and a €1,999 price tag.




Frame & Suspension

While carbon is the belle of the cycling ball these days, it's hard--if not impossible, really--to knock a well-designed aluminum frame. The Radon features a mix of nicely-hydroformed aluminum tubes, all of which sport very clean welds. The cable routing is tidy; most of it is internally routed and the bit that is routed along the top of the down tube is securely anchored along the way. The Swoop has a front derailleur mount for those who love their front mechs, ISCG-05 tabs (our 1x bike is equipped with e*thirteen's minimalist TRS+ guide), a water-bottle mount (right where it belongs in the front triangle) and Boost 148 rear spacing.

There's been a veritable boom in Horst Link, rear-suspension designs in the United States since Specialized's suspension patent expired a few years ago. The Big Red S's Horst Link patents, however, never extended to Europe, which is why the design has always flourished on the Continent. Radon makes good use of the basic four-bar suspension system and pairs it with a vertically-mounted, RockShox Vivid Air RC2 rear shock. The combination gives a very deep-feeling and easily-tunable 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) of rear suspension.



Geometry

Radon offers the Swoop 170 in four frame sizes—16, 18, 20 and 22-inch. Each size features a roomy cockpit. Reach on our size 20 test bike measures out at a rangy 473-millimeters (18.62 inches). Each flip-chip position changes head and seat tube angles by half a degree and bottom bracket drop by six millimeters (a quarter inch). To wit, in the most DH-friendly “Park” setting, you’re rocking a 64.8-degree head tube, 75-degree seat-tube angle and 21 millimeters of bottom bracket drop, which amounts to a 336-millimeter (13.22-inch) bottom- bracket height. On the other end of the Swoop geo spectrum, you can set the chip in the “Tour” setting, to achieve a 65.8-degree head tube, 76-degree steat tube and 349-millimeter (13.74-inch) bottom-bracket height.



While I enjoyed the Park setting, I generally piloted the Swoop without the aid of either a chairlift or shuttle vehicle and, consequently, rode the bike in the middle “Trail” setting most of the time. Messing with the flip chip is simple—it only requires three tools (a small Philips-head screwdriver and three and five-millimeter hex wrenches), but it’s also not the kind of “on-the-fly” feature that you’ll likely take advantage of in the middle of a ride.

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Set-Up

I set the Lyrik at 30 percent sag and experimented with both 30 and 35 percent sag on the Vivid Air, before finally settling on 30 percent for good. As for damping on the Vivid Air, I always ran the beginning-stroke rebound in the middle of its range and took advantage of a bit more damping on the end-stroke rebound adjuster. I didn't feel like the bike squatted excessively in corners and was never compelled to max out the clicks on the compression damper--I also ran it in the middle of its range.



Climbing

No big surprise, the Swoop 170 does not rocket up climbs like a scalded monkey or goat (go ahead and insert whatever climbing cliche you're fond of here). And this is true even when you've maxed out the handful of clicks on the Vivid Air's low-speed compression damper. The bike weighs about 32 pounds, has a 48-inch wheelbase and, in the steepest setting possible, you're still rocking a sub-66-degree head angle... Nearly-vertical, technical singletrack climbs rife with tight switchbacks are never going to be this bike's strong suit, but you knew that already. It's hard to slag a bike that is supposed to dominate downhills for not climbing like a flyweight, XC crotch rocket. So I won't. To be fair, if you stay seated and grind it out, the Swoop 170 is more than passable when it comes to pedaling efficiency. The steep seat angle and 30-tooth chainring also help take a bit of the edge off of uglier ascents. In short, if you're all about earning your turns, it'll get you to the top--just not real quick.



Descending

Ridiculous. The bike is just ridiculous. And I mean that in the best possible way. Kudos go to the Lyrik and Vivid Air combination, which aptly mow through small and big hits alike. The rowdy sections of trail that I often enter a bit tensely became damn near velvety beneath the Swoop 170's wheels. In fact, the only glitch I encountered aboard the bike is that I suddenly found myself hitting stuff a lot faster than I'd intended. My ability to sense speed got a bit addled, at first, by the bike's tendency to transform trail that used to feel sketchy into trail that felt surprisingly mellow. Fortunately, when I overshot landings a bit, the bike's crazy-wide margin of error managed to save my carcass more than a few times. I took note, though--I'd need to re-evaluate what "fast" felt like, because I was suddenly, unknowingly, going a whole lot faster than I used to.

The Swoop has a very stable, planted feel to it. The long wheelbase helps here. A good choice for riders who want to hit the bike park without going full DH sled? Hell, yes. The Swoop 170 9.0 should be on the short list alongside similarly-priced Canyon Strive, Giant Reign and YT Capra models. For trail riders or all-mountain riders simply looking to up their downhill game a bit? Well, the Swoop 170 is a lot of bike and that cuts both ways. If you're coming off a more evenly-balanced, all-mountain bike with a shorter wheelbase, the Radon may strike you as a bit of a handful on tighter, singletrack downhills. This is not a bike that changes direction at your slightest whim. The very-short rear center on this bike keeps it from feeling like a tank, to be sure, but the Swoop 170 is not aimed at riders looking for the most "playful" bike possible. This thing is designed to get up to speed, easily stay there and just devour everything in its path while it's at it. If that sounds good to you, you should check it out.



Component Check

• RockShox Lyrik/Vivid Air combo: I've already mentioned it, but really, the suspension pairing here is spot-on for the application. It made me want to slap a Vivid Air on several other bikes that do not have dual-crown forks on them. The rear end felt absolutely bottomless and controlled on sections of trail that usually rattle something loose from my bowels. Did I bottom out? Sure. Did I ever feel like I bottomed out? Nope. How did Radon manage to put a $715 (USD)/€746 rear shock on a bike at this price? I'm not suggesting that €2,399 is chump change, but this is a shock you'd expect to see on gravity-oriented bikes selling for thousands more. Same holds true of the Lyrik RCT3. Both components qualify as Gucci-level spec on a bike that sells for less than what you might pay for some carbon frames alone.

• SRAM Guide RS brakes: The world is split, it seems, between those who love and those who hate SRAM brakes. I like the Guides. A lot. For me, it's all about the feel and the Guide RS's offer a brilliant balance of power and modulation. If you love the way your Shimano/Magura/Hayes/Formula brakes feel at the lever, I'm not going to argue with you about it. To each their own. It's worth noting, though, that no matter where you stand on this brake thing, the Guide RS brakes are also a hell of a lot of kit for the money.

• Continental Der Baron Tires: There is no single perfect tire for every location--true--but a bike with this much travel and capability demands a burlier, meatier tire than the Baron 2.4. The Baron is closer in size to a 2.3 and is a good trail bike tire, particularly in wetter conditions, but I'd have liked something along the lines of a Minion, Magic Mary, G5 or High Roller II. Some of my fellow editors pointed out that the DT Swiss E1900 Spline Two wheelset could also have played a role in my being less than over-the-moon about the tires' performance. Perhaps. It' s true that this particular wheelset, with its 25-millimeter internal rim width, might not offer quite the same sidewall support of a slightly wider rim. Then again, I've ridden plenty of 2.35 and 2.4-inch tires mounted on rims with similar internal dimensions and been content with the pairing. I think my dissatisfaction lies with the Baron, which is fine by me, because tires are always a quick and relatively inexpensive upgrade. Admittedly, going with a more aggressive set of rubber will add some pain to the climbing side of the equation, but you aren't buying a bike like this for the climbs.




Pinkbike's Take:

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Enduro Bikes Radon Bikes Radon Swoop