Super-long and with an outrageously stumpy stem, Mondraker’s Dune R – which we mostly had a blast on last year – rips up the enduro geo handbook. But is it all about the plummet rather than the pedal, and do its 2015-edition parts match up?
Mondraker’s now infamous long frame/short stem Forward Geometry setup is a potential game changer for fast-and-loose riders, and they match it with equally unique frame features. The Dune’s cross braced, hump backed top tube and down tube add stiffness to the extra-long front end, while the lower seat tube and open bottom bracket ‘basket’ keep the suspension weight low and central. The rear end is kept relatively skinny and light for maximum responsiveness.
The Factory spec Fox damper and Pike RC fork plus decent DT Swiss wheels running high-grip Maxxis High Roller II treads create a quality rolling chassis and the own-brand cockpit gear is well shaped too. The mixed SRAM 2x10 transmission with ‘hidden’ low-grade chain and cassette is less impressive. X-Fusion’s HiLo Strate dropper post was unreliable from new, continuing a string of frustrating ride-spoiling experiences with that unit.
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The impressively controlled Zero suspension system is a set-and-forget job
If long frames and short stems are the favoured route to maximum stability and ultra-responsive traction control then nobody deserves more credit for proving it works than Mondraker, via Forward Geometry. If you want to know how radical the system is, the Dune was still the longer than other gravity-oriented enduro bikes we were testing alongside it – including Lapierre's Spicy and Devinci's Spartan – in terms of top tube length and wheelbase despite the fact importers Silverfish could only get us a medium sample rather than the requested large.
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