KTM Myroon 3.29

There is no mistaking the Myroon 29er hardtail as anything other than a KTM. The KTM brand name (and distinctive orange branding) is synonymous with dirt bikes of the petrol motor variety, and many will make an immediate identification of a KTM from quite a distance. I don’t ride motorbikes but I know KTM nonetheless, I couldn’t even tell you why or how, I just do. It’s that kind of brand.

The Myroon is the spawn of ‘KTM Bike Industries’, which is not the same KTM that is responsible for the design and production of the well-known motorbikes. KTM Bike Industries has been around since the 60s, and claim to have produced over three million bikes since then! Buying or licensing an existing brand name for use on a new and unrelated product is a common practice, especially in modern times where consumerism drives economies. The crew behind KTM Bike Industries were well ahead of their time in licensing the KTM name for their bike line-up. Most recently I’ve recently seen catalogues for Ferrari and Jeep bicycles, both containing nasty generic bikes with a globally recognised name plastered on them—a far cry from anything that would get a self-respecting mountain biker (or car lover) excited. Where does our KTM Myroon fit into the spectrum then?

Thumpernats to Singletracks

A quick appraisal of the Myroon rapidly distances this trademarked machine from the nasty generic corner. Firstly, it’s a 29er, so that’s kind of progressive to start with. Move to the rear of the Myroon and you’ll see direct post mount brake tabs and a 142x12 axle—thru-axles are becoming a common sight but they remain a rarity on hardtails. Breezing over the KTM Bike Industries website, you’ll also find a new range of 650B dual suspension bikes for 2013—respect!

It’s pretty clear that the folks at KTM aren’t sitting back and playing copycat whilst cashing fat cheques on the back of KTM’s motorbike cred. Furthermore, the KTM Bike range covers almost all disciplines, from road and time trial through to downhill and commuting bikes. Change the brand name to MTK and make the logo green and we’d all be standing around asking where this comprehensive and modern range of bikes came from. The answer is Austria by the way, and Austrian Alex Gehbauer just raced his Myroon at the London games.

The Myroon range has been KTM’s go-to XC hardtail for a few years now and it’s offered with a range of spec options to suit differing budgets. While the parent company still makes a 26-inch version, you’ll only see the 29-inch Myroon in Australia. All Myroon’s use a monocoque frame, sharing the same carbon construction throughout the line-up. While the parts spec of the base-level Myroon 3.29 may be in a different league, frame makeup is the same as the one used by Mr Gehbauer at the Olympics—pretty good for a $3,190 bike. This also gives you some indication of what you should expect from the Myroon in terms of ride-personality, but more on that later.

Our test bike is a 2012 model, but the 2013 bikes should be available by the time you read this. For 2013 this model will be called the ‘Myroon 29er’ and the frame remains unchanged; same carbon monocoque construction, geometry and tube profiles. The quality of the parts also remains similar but a few details will change. For 2013 the base level Myroon loses a chainring, morphing into a 2x10 drivetrain. It’ll still run SLX gear components and brakes with an XT rear derailleur. The KTM branded wheels are exchanged for Alex SX44 rims and Shimano XT hubs, while the Ritchey Pro cockpit parts get swapped to the slightly cheaper Comp level components. Nothing to complain about there and the move to 2x10 is probably more in keeping with the racy nature of this machine.

The frame itself is very modern looking. Low slung and curvy are the two descriptors that come immediately to mind; every tube takes on multiple shapes in their journey from A to B. The large head tube junction aims to provide plenty of frontal stiffness while the stays are radically bowed and flattened, presumably with the goal of combining lateral stiffness and vertical give. The seat stays take on a very distinctive form; they are almost teardrop-shaped, but oriented with the bulbous section as the outermost face and the teardrop tail facing in towards the wheel. They look very slender from the side, yet broad and flat when viewed from above. In fact they are so broad that the non-drive side seat stay needs extra shaping so that it clears the disc rotor. The chainstays are use an asymmetrical form; the non-drive stay is oval in shape where it exits the bottom bracket, whereas the drive side stay is relatively narrow and to provide chainring clearance. There’s no mistaking the Myroon for anyone else’s bike, that’s for sure!

Mod-cons such as a press-fit bottom bracket and tapered head tube are a given on the Myroon, as is the direct mount front derailleur. Instead of bending the seat tube to accommodate the diameter of the 29-inch wheel, KTM have simply moved the junction of the seat tube forward so it plants itself into the down tube, in front of the bottom bracket. Direct mounting is needed to properly position the front derailleur with the modified seat tube. This all makes for some clean lines and also means that you can drop the post into the frame without it getting stuck inside a bent seat tube. Meanwhile the press-fit bottom bracket allows this area to be wider for greater lateral stiffness. It also leads onto the widely spaced chainstays which offer plenty of tyre clearance.

Another trend is the internal cable routing; everything on the Myroon is hidden inside the oversized tubes—even the hydraulic rear brake hose. The bike is clean and slick looking as a result, but it probably won’t impress your local mechanic, not to mention the sleep deprived wrench at your next 24 hour! Instead of just cutting a few cable ties, changing or working on your brakes could mean removing the hose from the brake lever—a full re-bleed will be required to get them up and running again. It’s also worth noting that passing hydraulic lines through the frame needs to be done with caution. You’ll be safe with the stock Shimano units as they run mineral oil but brakes from Avid, Formula and Hayes will require extra caution—DOT hydraulic fluid won’t do the carbon any good if it drips when feeding the hose through the frame.

Cable routing for the front derailleur is also a little fiddly. It takes quite a sharp turn inside the frame when it goes around the bottom bracket, and removing the bearings to guide the cable through isn’t a viable option with the press-fit system. Always fitting a brand-new cable will assist when feeding it through. At least it was easy to replace the rear derailleur cable. It runs full-length outer housing and a foam filler inside the frame helps to guide the cable through the tubes. This foam also stops the cables rattling inside the frame (not an uncommon issue) and ensures the Myroon remains fairly quiet over choppy terrain.

One downside of this foam filler and internal guides is added weight. While we don’t know how much it affects the bottom line, we do know the Myroon is not light for a carbon XC hardtail. The bare frame weighed in at 1,510g. Something in the 1,200-1,300g range would be a competitive base figure and the lightest frames these days dip below the 1kg mark. A few hundred grams certainly isn’t a big deal on a $3,190 hardtail but it’s worth noting if you’re likely to suffer a bout of ‘upgradeitis’ or if you’ve got any weight weenie tendencies. All-up the 3.29 weighed 12kg flat including pedals and there’s plenty of room to lose weight from the stock build.

The Shimano drivetrain and brakes all performed perfectly—SLX and I need to get a room. The RockShox Reba fork is also a real value for money big-hitter—it mightn’t offer the same street appeal of the SID but it’s actually very similar in weight and performed equally as well. While the wheelset will change for 2013, we can’t foresee any issues with the Shimano XT/Alex build combo that they have planned. The Ritchey bars may look odd but they provide the comfortable back-sweep of a riser bar without reducing the reach or raising the handlebar height. They are only 660mm wide, which isn’t particularly broad for a 29er these days. With a 100mm stem, there’s certainly plenty of room in the cockpit—very much a traditional XC setup in this regard.

Full Throttle

Maybe the ‘borrowed’ branding tainted my initial impressions, but I had not expected to like the Myroon as much as I did. Life’s not fair, sorry KTM! In any case, the Myroon was immediately comfortable to ride. Whether it’s the flattened stays, the slender 27.2mm seatpost or the carbon lay-up (or all of these things combined), the Myroon isn’t harsh for a hardtail.

The nifty tube shaping and forward location of the seat tube has allowed KTM to use moderate length 440mm chainstays while retaining really good tyre clearance—even with the 2.25 Schwalbe Racing Ralphs. As chainstay lengths decrease we’re seeing more brands slacken off their head angles, but KTM have stuck with a very race oriented 71.5 degree head tube. They could have backed this off to 70 or even 69-degrees if they’d liked, but the steep angle and short stays make for a real XC machine in the true Euro tradition. The Myroon lives for smooth twisting XC singletrack and puts you into a good body position for tackling long climbs.

Two water bottle mounts and matching 180mm brake rotors are further nods to the KTM’s Euro heritage. Mountains big enough to cook a 160mm rear rotor on an XC bike are few and far between in Australia. The 180mm rear rotor will certainly be overkill for most—bring on the Trans-Alps!

With steep XC spirited geometry, the Myroon certainly find its limits on steep terrain or when fire road speeds start to get a bit hairy—she’s just not that type of girl. The big difference between the Myroon and many other XC-oriented hardtails is the confidence that it takes into tricky and technical trails. The frame is very stiff and steering precision is excellent. The front and rear thru-axle setup really seems to help in tying the whole package together, ensuring the bike goes right where it’s pointed with laser like precision. Don’t be fooled though, you can’t just sit on the Myroon and plow through stuff—that’s a recipe for disaster due to the short travel and quick steering. However, if you are alert and prepared the grab the Myroon by the scruff of the neck, it will respond in full and get you through nasty sections of trail that wimpier bikes simply could not dream of.

The Myroon really is a racer’s bike, just with some extra off-season chub around its waist. As a trail bike it can be quite adept, but only if the pilot is up to the task. If you’re on the ball, the Myroon will make you look like a genius, but if you’re sleepy or just a chilled out kind of rider then the Myroon won’t be a barrel of laughs. As more and more XC bikes gravitate towards slacker steering and marathon and all-day-riding use, the Myroon stakes its claim in the one-to-two-hour smashfest of pure XC racing, or marathon racing for the podium instead of the beers.

In stock form the Myroon 3.29 is a bulletproof hardtail that won’t back away from a fight—it’s best when ridden hard and fast. It’s often said in reviews that a bike would suit ‘bigger and more powerful riders’. I usually read this as polite code for ‘this bike is too heavy for anyone who isn’t built like Phar Lap’. In the case of the Myroon we have a bike that any XC rider can enjoy, but without doubt a big and powerful XC racer would have the most to gain from pushing this machine hard for fastest lap honours.

Thumbs Up

Stiff in all the right places

Super-reliable spec

Bites harder than it barks

Thumbs Down

Needs your full attention to shine

Weighty for elite racing

Internal cables complicate maintenance

Specifications

Frame: Carbon Monocoque w/internal cables

Fork: RockShox Reba RL 100mm travel

Headset: Ritchey Pro Logic 1 1/8 - 1 1/2

Handlebars: Ritchey Pro Flat 660mm

Stem: Ritchey Pro 100mm

Shifters: Shimano SLX

Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT

Cassette: Shimano HG62 11/36 10-speed

Chain: Shimano HG52

Cranks: Shimano SLX 24/32/42

Bottom Bracket: Shimano SLX

Pedals: Shimano M505

Brakes: Shimano SLX

Rims: DT Swiss 485

Spokes: DT Swiss

Hubs: DT Swiss 340

Tyres: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25

Saddle: Selle Italia X1 Flow

Seatpost: Ritchey Pro 27.2mm

Weight: 12.0kg including pedals (19-inch frame 1,510g)

Available Sizes: 15, 17, 19 (tested), 21-inch

Price: $3,190

Distributor: KTM Bike Industries Australia