Feature

Pro Bike Check: Philip Walder’s Propain Tyee CF

28.03.2016
by

Propain are turning the heat up! Not only did this young German brand launch a smoking hot new bike at Eurobike, but they also created a team that would do it justice. The Propain Factory Team includes Timo Pritzel and Philip Walder, so we’ve taken a closer look at Philip’s whip.

Philip und sein Arbeitsgerät für die neue Saison: ein Propain Tyee CF in Größe M.
Philip and his workhorse for the new season: a Propain Tyee CF in a medium frame size.

Who is Philip Walder?

A serious multi-talent, this 24-year-old from the South Tyrol region of Vinschgau isn’t just a damn quick rider, he’s also turned his hand to building many of the trails around Latsch. His season riding a Propain, he’s a former skier and still keeps up the snow sport as training over the winter months.

Kaum einer kennt die Trails rund um Latsch besser als Philip. Kein Wunder, dass er dort ordentlich Gas gibt!
No one knows the trails around Latsch better than Philip so it’s not surprising to see him always shredding full gas along them!

Philip’s race bike: the Propain Tyee CF

We keep hearing how pros have a tendency to go up a frame size when it comes to their racing steed, and how long frames and massive wheelbases are the in thing. But ignoring the trend, Philip retains his preferences for a more compact bike – even though smoothness and stability are surely two of the main ingredients for riding around Latsch. At 180 cm, he’ll be riding a Propain Tyee CF in a medium-sized frame with a reach of 425 mm. He’s added a 60 mm stem to give a bit more space on the bike too.

Philips Race-Bike: ein Tyee CF. In Propains Online-Konfigurator lässt sich das Rad nahezu exakt so bestellen.
Philip’s race bike: a Tyee CF, first created virtually using Propain’s own online configurator.

By checking out Propain’s online configurator, you can essentially customize and order the the Propain Tyee CF in exactly the same build that Philip has. As a basis there’s the brand new Tyee CF frame, which managed to more than satisfy the high standards of the Design & Innovation Award 2016 jury. A pretty moderate frame, the design features 445 mm chainstays and a slack 65.5° head angle.

Am edlen Carbonrahmen werden die Züge im Inneren an ihren Zielort transportiert.
A bad-ass carbon frame with internal cable routing.

The suspension on Philip’s Propain Tyee CF

Unlike the series bike, Philip has gone for RockShox Lyrik forks instead of the Pike model. With his weight at 72 kg, he rides with around 60 psi air pressure and one token in the air chamber. He has his rebound set at three clicks closed, but also adjusts on the fly depending on the trail. And the stock RockShox Monarch Plus rear shock is set around 200 psi.

Die RockShox Lyrik in Front sorgt laut Philip für ein präziseres Handling.
According to Philip the RockShox Lyrik at the front leads to really precise handling.
Den RockShox Monarch Plus am Heck fährt Philip mit sechs Volumen-Spacern in der Luftkammer.
At the rear the RockShox Monarch Plus is set up with six volume spacers.

The spec on Philip’s Propain Tyee CF

The rest of the parts are only marginally different to the series Tyee CF, with Philip opting for powerful Magura MT7 brakes, a Sixpack cockpit with 780 mm bars and the virtually faultless SRAM XX1 drivetrain. Schwalbe tyres dish up the grip he wants, and he’s teamed them with the Dean Easy double chamber tyre system on ZTR-FLOW EX rims – a set-up that’s handily explained in this article.

Ein kompletter SRAM XX1-Antrieb erledigt schnell und präzise sämtliche Gangwechsel.
The full SRAM XX1 drivetrain performs rapid and precise shifting.
Ein 34-Zahn-Kettenblatt sorgt für die passende Kraftentfaltung. Die MRP-Kettenführung dient als zusätzliche Sicherheit.
A 34 tooth chainring serves up a performance fit for his pedaling, and the MRP chainguide is there for extra security.
Den 60 mm langen Vorbau kombiniert Philip mit einem …
Philip pairs the 60 mm stem with …
… 780 mm breiten SIXPACK-Carbonlenker.
… 780 mm-wide Sixpack carbon bars.
Ein echter Anker: Die MAGURA MT7 sorgt auch auf langen Abfahrten für perfekte Verzögerung.
A serious anchor: Even on long descents the Magura MT7 shell out perfect braking prowess.
Unscheinbar, aber dennoch sehr effektiv: Das DeanEasy-System ermöglicht es Philip, den Reifendruck auf 1,4 bar in Front abzusenken.
Not visible to the eye but brilliantly efficient: the Dean Easy system means that Philip can lower the tyre pressure at the front to 1.4 bar.
Perfekt für seine Hometrails: der flach profilierte Schwalbe Rock Razor-Hinterreifen.
Perfect for his hometrails around Latsch: low-profile Schwalbe Rock Razor rear tyre.

If you want to find out more about Philip, his workhorse and the upcoming season then it’s worth checking out his Facebook page and visiting the official Propain-Bikes.com.

Text & Bilder: Christoph Bayer

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