On the Trail with the BULLS Wild Edge 29
To be totally honest, I don’t really see myself as a hardcore XC rider anymore, so I was a little hesitant to review this bike. Heck, according to our own survey data, fewer and fewer mountain bikers identify themselves as cross-country riders, most having upgraded themselves to Trail or Enduro.
Judging by the specs I laid out on the first page, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like this bike. The bars are narrow (700mm), the stem is long, the standover is high, the front and rear travel is minimal, and the tires are skinny. I could appreciate how these things might make a person faster in a race situation, but that’s pretty far removed from the way I ride my 27.5+, 760mm bar rig. But the thing is, I loved testing this bike.
For starters, the RS-1 is amazing and it’s everything I had heard from others who have tested this fork. The fork is supple over small bumps in the trail yet it soaks up sudden jolts that would ordinarily send riders over the bars.
The rear suspension platform performed equally as well and seems to offer more travel than its specs let on. And yet, the bike climbs nearly as well as any other full suspension XC rig I’ve tested. Of all the bikes I’ve tested, I would say only the Specialized Epic (and maybe the Niner RKT) offers a more stiff pedaling platform, but the tradeoff is that the Epic isn’t nearly as comfortable or stable on the descents. And let’s face it: when you’re spending extended hours racing your bike, comfort becomes more and more important.
Perhaps my favorite feature on the Wild Edge 29 is the RockShox Full Sprint remote. This hydraulic remote locks out both the fork and shock and at first glance, seems like overkill in both design and execution. But man, does it rock! A simple push of the button takes the bike from a rigid mountain goat of a climber down into cheetah descent mode. The remote itself has one of the best button configurations I’ve seen, and BULLS does a great job getting all the controls positioned and cables routed so you feel like a pro.
As an XC bike or, more specifically, a marathon / touring bike, it’s curious that BULLS didn’t find a way to include more than a single water bottle mount. Admittedly there really doesn’t appear to be any room for a second mount on the seat tube–even on the size large–frame so adding a second mount would require some creativity.
This was my first time spending any significant time on a Prologo saddle and I have to say I have been very impressed. The saddle looks great and cuts a nice profile but not only that, it is really comfortable even hours into a ride.
I converted my own 29er to 27.5+ several months ago so hopping onto the Wild Edge 29 was like a blast from the past–in a really good way. The bike felt fast thanks to the skinny tires, lightweight, large wheel radius, and 2×10 gearing, and was surprisingly agile in tight, wooded turns thanks to the narrower bars. In short, the Wild Edge felt like a rocket primed for ignition from a quick pump of the legs.
The Rocket Ron tires on this bike honestly aren’t for me, though I can appreciate that they are lightweight and make tire changes quick and easy thanks to their supple sidewalls. Honestly these tires probably run better with tubes in them than without, though I did get some thorn punctures during my tests. I ran these tires pretty much rock hard, just to prevent the tires from flopping in corners.
I’m also not a fan of the Ergon GA1 EVO grips on the Wild Edge 29, though honestly this is a personal preference. However, I will argue that standard round grips are a standard for a reason: they work for most people. It seems a little odd to spec something so non-standard on a bike like this. I will admit, they look pretty good but man, they hurt my hands after a while.
Bottom Line
I went into this test looking forward to being done and sending the bike back to BULLS so I could get back to my own rig, but after just a couple long rides I decided that this is a bike I could easily see myself buying. The Wild Edge 29 proved to be fast yet comfortable, boring yet sexy, and high-end yet fairly affordable. This is a quintessential 29er with solid frame geometry and design, along with a smart parts spec, which anyone who spends serious time in the saddle pedaling can appreciate.
MSRP: $3,799
