A marketing person comes up to me and says: "We now have the 2016 Ghost models in the range. As you cycle from time to time, could you try out our flagship model SL AMR LC 6?" It would be a pleasure!
Until now my riding companion has been a 2014 Canyon Nerve AL 8.9. The Ghost SL AMR LC 6 is a hair sportier and more powerful on paper. That's why I'm wondering if and how much of a difference I feel as an amateur mountain biker.
Equipment and specifications
The optics of the SL AMR LC 6 are also very promising. The stealth style is exactly what I like: discreet, elegant, but still aggressive. Overall, the Ghost weighs 12.7kg.
The paper analysis is done... let's move on to practice. As a testing ground, I chose the Üetliberg in Zurich - a cool route that rewards with a magnificent view of Zurich once you reach the top. You can find out more about my outing below.
My mission is to make shopping easier and better for customers and to offer my employees an inspiring working environment. I find a balance to work in a rowing boat or on a bike - although I usually travel there with my trailer and my children. Thanks to these, I am now able to enjoy LEGO and remote-controlled cars again. The time to give my PC once again a decent graphics card and to gamble through the night, I'm still looking for...
News + Trends
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
To have a chance to notice the differences during the ride, a quick comparison of specifications is in order: my Nerve is a touring mountain bike, whereas the Ghost is more aimed at All Mountain, so particularly dedicated to more demanding use and fast descents. This can be seen in the geometry and the wheels: the Nerve's 29" wheels promise greater road comfort and grip, as the contact surface is larger than that of the Ghost's 27.5" wheels. On the other hand, the 27.5" wheels are easier to handle. The same goes for the geometry: the Nerve has a steering angle of 69.3° and the Ghost 68°. Finally, at 130cm, the Ghost's suspension offers 2cm more travel than my Nerve. I can't wait to see what all this means in practice. More on that later.
The rest of the equipment shows a top-of-the-range choice and perfectly balanced without any weaknesses. The bike is fitted with the Shimano XT groupset: brakes, derailleur crankset and hubs. I'm particularly looking forward to the XT brakes. I wasn't really happy with my Avid Elixir 7, because on longer descents I noticed some fading. Fox's good old Float Performance series was used for the front and rear suspensions. They can be adjusted to 3 levels on the suspension itself. A new feature is also interesting: the return speed can be metered in steps.
As soon as you sit on it you feel connected to the bike. The seating position is extremely comfortable and everything feels in the right place. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I get the impression that you can feel the stiffness of the carbon, which gives the sensation of extremely direct power transmission. As a result, when you're riding uphill you feel that all the power you're putting in is directed towards the drivetrain. However, when climbing on rocky surfaces, the size of the wheel is noticeable: I'm used to the 29" wheels on my Canyon being able to cope with irregularities even more easily, and the contact breaks less often. The slightly flatter steering angle wasn't a bad thing, even on the steepest sections. On the descent, I was immediately struck by the brakes. With my Avid brakes I had a relatively long way to go to the pressure point. The XTs have a very pleasant short travel and a clear pressure point that can even be adjusted. So you can control the braking perfectly. The brakes are so easy to handle and grippy that you can enjoy the braking power even at high speeds with just one finger.
Let's move on to the most demanding part for the bike: the singletrack. Here, the bike feels - and, thanks to the bike, the rider feels - extremely well. With good shock absorbers and sporty geometry, you get over the obstacles without a hitch. You feel safe at all times, even on steep or jerky sections. For slower passages through hairpins or over and around roots, you quickly see the advantage of the 27.5" wheels. They are far superior to 29" wheels in terms of handling.
Another word about the adjustable seatpost: a feature I've long underestimated. Once you get used to it, you can't live without it. Fortunately, the SL AMR LC6 is also equipped with one. Too bad it's not a Rock Shox Reverb Stealth. The Kind Shock has a little less travel and the trousers cling to the saddle more often, even when it's at its lowest. You always have to wait a little while until the saddle is at the top again. Not always ideal when you've finished a trail and want to tackle the next climb.
The mountain bike has a very well-balanced equipment with state-of-the-art components that fulfil all requirements, and, thanks to ideal geometry, is a perfect blend of road comfort and handling. In the end, I'd go for the sporty geometry and the smaller wheels. Climbs are very pleasant and the Ghost is in its element on trails. The XT brakes are particularly convincing, with their precise pressure point. The only downside is the adjustable seatpost. The Rock Shox would have been a better choice.
