In a world where excess is increasingly frowned upon, it’s easy to find reasons to be more conservative and play things safe. Propain’s Spindrift takes that ethos and throws it straight out of the fictional window, boasting a whopping 180mm at both ends, and even turbo-charging the DH attitude with a dual crown fork if you want to push things even further.

Despite the Cat 5 chassis rating and the brand’s athletes chucking it down cliffs and drops in last year’s Red Bull Rampage, this is not just a pure downhill bike. On the contrary, what makes the Spindrift such a stand out from the best enduro mountain bikes is how versatile it is, even with all that travel and toughness.

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Need to know

• Latest generation of Propain’s 180mm travel freeride bike
• Near £8K build features SRAM’s XX Transmission drivetrain and RockShox Ultimate suspension with Magura MT7 DH-spec brakes
• Available in carbon fibre or aluminium with a snappier, more bike park attitude in aluminium
• Refined frame now has internal storage and cleaner lines
• Built to order purchase process allows complete personalisation

Propain’s Spindthrift can be both a Rampage bike and a fall-line DH shredder, but still not send you to sleep on less lairy trails. This magic is thanks to the distinctive PRO10 suspension. I’ve tested the Spindrift previously and found, even with all the travel, it pedalled and accelerated like it had no right to. And that’s with 29in wheels front and back, a coil shock and a 10mm longer (190mm) Zeb fork.

This latest carbon version has been tweaked, rather than completely overhauled, presumably because Propain felt it had already nailed the suspension feel. It still has the German brand’s distinct look defined by that wrap-round link and asymmetric front triangle, but the frame is much sleeker and better integrated. It now comes with a flip-chip built into the rocker to swap between 29in or MX set up too. It wouldn’t be 2024 either without a new downtube glove box to stash your stuff, so the latest carbon Spindrift also ticks the internal frame storage box.

Frame and geometry

Whoever said freeride is dead clearly didn’t factor in Propain reaching a fifth Spindrift generation. Slimmer and more angular than before, with a couple of stylised kinks at the head and seat tubes, the new frame is still a beefcake. But with Propain’s complicated-looking scissoring link design it’s more of a toned and purposeful hunk.

Alongside this carbon version, there’s a cheaper aluminium option that differs slightly by having shorter chainstay and reach per size as well as a higher stack, presumably for a more bike park and jumpy focus.

The carbon frame uses a tuned layup mixing high modulus fibres in places to save weight, packs the internal storage mentioned (with two separate stash bags) and has numerous practical mounting options for bottle and tools. There’s an oval flip chip to swap wheel size, so you don’t have to change out the entire swingarm like on earlier modeIs, and truly huge (at least in MX configuration) tyre/mud clearance too.

You can spec the cable routing three ways, with Sixpack or Acros headset routing, or more simply using Propain’s standard internal cable routing. The latter makes sense if you want easy maintenance and perhaps mount a number board. The sculpted, boxy headtube junction holding these cables uses new sealed capture ports and is tilted backwards at 63.5°, which used to be pure DH-bike territory but makes sense on such a long-travel bike. The Gen 5 head angle is half a degree slacker than the bike it replaces.

This slacker front end is also paired with longer reach numbers. Size Large has 485mm and enough stack (636mm) that you’re not needing to stuff a load of spacers under the stem; I ran just 10mm of spacers under the 35mm rise bar.

To get over the cranks and not tip too far back climbing there’s a 78° effective seat angle. This feels very upright even on steep pitches, and Propain has also changed the position of the shock slightly to allow more dropper post insertion. There’s still less room (212mm to 267mm across sizes) to insert the post than many rivals though, and at 176cm with long arms on a size Large, I struggled with standover clearance. Part of the problem lies with not being able to dump the Reverb post low enough to get it fully out of the way, so other posts like BikeYoke and OneUp with a shorter collar and shorter length per drop would definitely help.

While many brands are now shouting about size-specific geometry and moving to proportional chain stay lengths, Propain has stuck with a 445mm length across all four sizes. This isn’t super-short though, and with the reach numbers not going as wild as some brands this fixed dimension matters less than on many other bikes. Spindrift reach numbers grow in 25mm increments per size and top out at a moderate 510mm in size XL, which makes sense on a bike you’re more likely to be jumping on and chucking about.

Tucked in the corner of this chainstay is the brand’s unique post mount brake housing that puts the caliper inside the stays. It looks very clean and you can swap between 180 or 200mm rotors just by moving the postmount. Propain doesn’t advertise 220mm rotor compatibility, which might be an issue for heavier riders though.

There’s clearly a bigger focus on noise reduction on this new frame and it’s really effective too with cables clamped internally and the routing moving right across the main pivot on little guides. Much chunkier rubber damping on the chainstay and ISCG 05 mounts sit around a sensibly-threaded BB shell and the overall effect works really well with everything silent while riding and no rubbing, banging or clunking.

Suspension

In this SRAM Ultimate build with bells on, the front end is unsurprisingly controlled by the latest top-scoring Charger 3.1 Zeb Ultimate fork. It’s stiff enough even with 180mm travel and has impressive ground hugging and vibration damping. The 38mm fork pairs well with the also very supple Vivid Ultimate Air Shock.

Propain’s PRO10 Icon System curves have stayed essentially the same, but the brand has added a tiny bit more progression and moved the shock position for the extra dropper post insertion depth mentioned.

The layout sees the one-piece rear triangle move on four pivots between two counter-rotating links that compress the floating shock from both ends. Propain has a slightly unusual approach to anti-squat compared to many longer travel enduro bikes, starting at around 85% resting, rising to a higher 116% around sag and then falling off loads later in the travel to bottom out.

There’s also a reasonable amount of progression (27.5%) that suits either coil or air shocks. The brand claims PRO10 offers a bottomless feel as well as plenty of grip with playful pop and that its high anti-squat “climbs technical uphills without bobbing”. To achieve these claims, the 230x65mm DH-spec Vivid required more tuning and dial turning than on the previous (coil equipped) Spindrift I tested, and it’s a bit tricky to access the dials to fiddle with the shock being so tightly packaged.

Initially, I found myself adding more and more air to the Vivid without discernibly changing the sag point. It was noticeable, however, that the bike holds itself in the mid-stroke better and more air made a huge improvement in overall handling and poise, especially in the latter portion of the travel. I ended up running pressures harder than anticipated, around the 235psi mark.

The Spindrift also seems to prefer more low-speed compression as well as more air to pedal and pump better, and winding it on and also adding a bit more high-speed compression damping stabilises and adds support without adding too much edginess to the suppleness off-the-top. Like other bikes I’ve used it on recently, overall the Vivid proved a really impressive and tuneable bit of kit.

Components

This particular Spindrift features components from Propain’s Built to Order configurator. It’s a pretty cool feature to be able to switch out a few bits to taste and still get the direct sales value or upgrade from a broad range of options to build your perfect package.

As mentioned, it’s loosely based on an Ultimate build, with the addition of Magura’s MT7 performance brakes, OneUp’s 35mm rise Carbon Bar, a SixPack stem and a sculpted SQ-Lab 140 saddle. The drivetrain is full-bling AXS Transmission set up in the priciest and lightest set-up and RockShox’s Reverb seat post is also electronically controlled. With both using Pods to shift it makes for a very clean cockpit setup too.

Magura’s MT7s use a bigger 220mm rotor up front and a 200mm rear. There’s tons of power and modulation, but the plastic levers are a bit squeaky and the front brake suffers from vibration through the lever that comes over like repeated wobble. I suspect it’s the floating pads interacting with the larger cooling gaps on the 220mm rotor, as it’s not a problem on the quieter, smaller rear. The MT7 lever position might also be too far off the grip for some riders, even set fully in.

DT Swiss’ proven FR1500 wheelset is a great choice. The rims are the same as the bombproof FR541 used by many World Cup downhill or enduro racers (who presumably know a thing or two about durability). The freehub pick up is fast and also quiet with no annoying whine like some high-end wheels. They aren’t the lightest, but roll over and accelerate fine, especially considering the toughness, and come shod in Schwalbe’s Super Gravity tyres, but not the latest Radial versions yet.

Performance

The Spindrift is obviously a bike built for the descents, and it’s here that it really shines with a blend of composure and fun I really enjoy. Plenty of bikes work well going downhill though, especially with 180mm of travel to play with, but it’s the climbing where the bike stands out. It’s not exactly a pleasure to pedal up for me, but it’s efficient and miles better than the competition.

Climbing

With 180mm travel front and rear, there’s definitely no lack of traction. The sticky rear Big Betty will claw its way up most inclines and surfaces too, so this isn’t the kind of long travel rig you just give up on and push at the first sign of a difficult section.

Climbing is actually pretty rewarding with the relaxed head angle and a chunk of weight, you just kind of sit here and keep on pedalling and it keeps on gripping. The Addix Ultra Soft Magic Mary is as draggy as you’d expect, but you could obviously spec something else, and in full 29in rather than MX mode I’d guess the Spindrift might be even more planted and smooth on technical ascents.

The main reason you’re prepared to keep on cranking up everything is because few other bike with this much travel pedal as efficiently. Obviously, due to its length and burly build, it’s no XC rig. But it blows most bikes of a similar nature out of the water and has that engaging, positive feel of a bike with significantly less travel.

Out of the saddle there’s not really much bob and it also supports rider weight stomping, so if you smuggle a couple of cranks on tighter trails, it takes you forward nicely. There’s no sense of clipping pedals or cranks too often on small roots or rocks under power. The Vivid shock does have a climb switch, but unless you’re settled in for a lengthy road or gravel climb you simply don’t need to use it, which is pretty impressive with this much travel depth.

Sat down, the Spindrift also feels firm with no sense of squishing or needing to consciously make smooth circles to maximise efficiency. Hands and feet feel are well positioned and you’re not too stretched out with the decent stack height. But the SQ Lab 140mm saddle was uncomfortable and didn’t suit my sit bones at all. Different widths or completely different saddles are offered in Propain’s configurator.

SRAM’s T-Type XX drivetrain makes it worthwhile laying down some watts rather than just twiddling too. The 12-speed set up snaps between gears with a reassuring clunk up and down the cassette and didn’t once skip a beat during testing even if you shift when really loading the chain.

Descending

So, the Spindrift climbs much better than you’d expect from a 180mm bike. Plenty of other long travel machines that do that often feel compromised in the main area they need to excel. Not this one.

One of the highlights here is calmness and a distinct lack of the rider getting pitched about, even smashing over repeated hits and steps. Sizeable square edges are absorbed with a plushness usually reserved for a DH rig and wheels touch down or munch through terrain with a rounded feel. First contact is very delicate too, which may be in part due to the Vivid having a clever compression damping bypass of the first 10% of travel and zero damping to overcome as the rear tyre connects to the ground after a bump event or airtime.

Once you’re into the travel, there’s enough support to pump, and the Spindrift places marginally more weight bias on the front tyre than some similar bikes, which puts you intoa better attack position. This really encourages sprinting or pushing into terrain, and focussing further ahead for more speed. But there isn’t quite as much of a pivoting side-to-side and drive from the feet sensation you get with bikes with a more sunken BB.

Once you’ve got the Vivid’s sag and damping dialled in (less rebound seems to work well), you can hit harder lines and really drive the bike or carve pretty nasty root webs and uneven surfaces. It remains balanced through dynamic movements and never gets unruly. The front-end steers precisely, but there’s also some perceptible softness in the chassis so it’s not a total nail, especially in the back end, which seems to help it stay planted.

The rear triangle has thick carbon limbs, but also sits quite low and has the seatstay extending well forward of the seattube where it connects to the upper linkage. This lengthy section appears to have perceivable bend, and it might be helping the rear wheel to keep tracking and finding extra grip across uneven surfaces. It never feels too flexy or pings back into line with the front wheel in an unnerving way though, and always gives the impression that it’s working with you. Combine this effect with the suspension building support nicely and Propain has struck a real sweet spot with the ride feel for what you’ll likely be getting up to on a bike like this.

The new Spindrift won’t be totally perfect for everyone though because with the frame being taller you can sense it between your legs at times, especially jumping or cornering. I prefer a bike that just totally fades away and that’s not the case here considering you also can’t fully slam longer travel droppers, even with the tweaked frame design. The fixed chainstay length meant rider balance felt spot on on this size Large, but with the slightly forwards rider weight bias, I suspect it might not feel quite as good on the smallest size in Propain’s range where the centre of gravity will be different.

What makes the Spindirft stand out most from other long travels rivals is its ability to do double duties. You can absolutely charge on it, but the ride is never too ambiguous or mushy, and whilst it’s not light, it can go head-to-head with any regular enduro bike I can think of in how easy it is just to pedal around or not totally dumb down less steep and severe terrain. It’s also rewarding in how it pays back energy put into the system rather than feeling passive or absorbing your efforts, and this is exactly what you want when you’re precisely cutting down hard enduro terrain or styling it up in the bike park.