Mondraker Prime XR 29

With the introduction of the Prime XR 29, Mondraker has created a mountain bike for the urban environment, or a city bike for weekend off-road adventures… the choice is yours

In the car world, there are numerous examples of four-wheel drives that will probably never get so much as axle- deep in mud during extracurricular adventures. Indeed, the nearest most of these ‘Chelsea Tractors’ get to offroad is bumping a kerb. Well, now cyclists are being given a similar vehicle with the launch by Mondraker of the Prime XR 29.

The official line from Mondraker is that the Prime XR 29 is “designed to be equally at home on the mean streets of the city as it is on the tranquil trails of the mountain”. The bike’s maker then goes on to suggest it could be the most versatile bike it has ever made.

So just what makes it so versatile? Sitting at the centre of the bike is an aluminium frame that features geometry not that far removed from traditional mountain bikes but optimised to work with modern 29in wheels. These larger wheels, in this case, are a set of Mondraker rims on Formula hubs, shod with 2.5in wide Maxxis Grifter tyres that have a definite road bias. All of this seems slightly at odds with a suspension fork offering 120mm of travel. It would need to be a seriously pothole- strewn street to cause that to need to be used to its fullest extent.

That leaning towards urban riding is further evidenced by the standard inclusion of fulllength mudguards, lights, a rear rack and even a kickstand – all things you wouldn’t normally find on a traditional mountain bike.

Whether you use the Prime XR29 as a town bike or a mountain bike, the Bosch Performance Line motor has been around long enough to be well-proven, likewise the Powertube battery, which with its 750Wh capacity should be good for rides of decent length.

► £3,999 mondraker.com