KTM ULTRA EVO DIM
£1,499.99 How does this ‘mullet’ bike stack up against the 29ers?
Hardtails from European brands sometimes falter on these shores, where we tend to ride more aggressively than our counterparts on the Continent. However, Austria’s KTM say they’ve designed the Ultra Evo DiM specifically for trail riding, so we were interested to see how it stands up to UK use.
THE FRAME
What sets the KTM apart from the other bikes in this test is its ‘mullet’ set-up – it rocks a 650b rear wheel and a 29er front wheel. This aims to give the bike an agile and playful character without sacrificing too much momentum over bumpy terrain.
The angular-looking frame is built from 6061 aluminium alloy and is only available in three sizes. Reach figures (the distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre-top of the head tube, which affects how a bike feels when you’re stood on the pedals) are conservative – just 452mm on our size-large bike, the shortest on test. Taller riders may struggle to get a good fit. In addition, seat tubes are relatively long (460mm, large), preventing smaller riders from sizing up to a larger-than-normal frame to get more reach. However, the 65-degree head angle is what you’d have found on a hardcore enduro bike a few years ago, and the 74-degree effective seat tube angle is on-trend for a modern hardtail.
In terms of features, the frame has now-standard Boost hub spacing, semi-internal cable routing, plus mounts for mudguards and a rack. Tyre clearance isn’t fantastic, but it’ll accept 2.6in rear rubber. Chainstay protection is minimal, making for a noisy ride.
THE KIT
The KTM has a competitive spec, but no standout parts. You get a 130mm-travel, air-sprung RockShox Recon Silver RL fork with slim 32mm stanchions and a fairly basic Motion Control damper, which has external rebound and compression damping adjustment. The drivetrain is from SRAM’s lowest-tier SX Eagle 12-speed range and uses an 11-50t cassette, not their wider-range 10-52t option. Shimano’s two-piston MT410 brakes are on par with others here in terms of power, and you can tweak the lever reach. Fairly wide (30mm, internal) own-brand rims laced to Shimano hubs are wrapped in Performancegrade Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres, in a 2.6in rear width and a narrower 2.35in up front. The stem is suitably short at 50mm, and the 150mm dropper seatpost is pleasingly long.
THE RIDE
Thanks to its smaller rear wheel, the Evo feels fun on the trail, with poppy,