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Dirt Rag Articles
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When I saw the bike the first thing I thought of was James Bond. I was about to test the Bergwerk Moonraker. This bike has no relation to the 1979 James Bond film (Moonraker) or even James Bond at all, but I can pretend it does. I can see James Bond riding this bike. It has the right look…the elegant nude carbon frame, full suspension with disc brakes. Just bolt on some rockets, maybe a machine gun or two on the handlebars and it would be ready to go. All right, James Bond would never ride this bike, but it is still a beautifully handcrafted German bicycle and you can't take that away from it.
Bergwerk is a German mountain bike company founded by Lutz Scheffer in 1997. Before founding Bergwerk, Lutz Scheffer studied design and worked for another German bicycle manufacturer, Votec, which is the company that produces all of the Porsche bikes. Mr. Scheffer also has a manufacturing degree in aluminum treating. Add all of this together and you have a qualified bicycle designer.
Although you may have never heard of Bergwerk, the folks at Bergwerk North America are working very hard to change that. In the upcoming year they are planning on setting up a U.S. demo center in Mt. Gretna, PA. They also have plans for a significant race team presence in the Mid-Atlantic region. Not to mention that all of the Bergwerk bikes come with a bike finder chip. This is a GPS chip that is installed in the frame of the bicycle, so if your bike were stolen, you would be able to track it down.
At a glance, the Moonraker may look slightly out-dated with it's Y-bike design. Don't let this fool you, the Moonraker does not have a unified rear triangle (URT) like most of the Y-bike designs before it. Unlike the URT design, the Moonraker’s bottom bracket is part of the main frame and not the rear triangle. This keeps the distance from the seat to the pedal the same even when the rear suspension compresses. This eliminates most of the pedal-bob, giving you a more efficient and powerful pedal stroke. So if you are not one of those people that has to have the latest and greatest frame design, this is a proven frame design that still works exceptionally well.
The Moonraker has a carbon fiber main frame and aluminum rear triangle. This combination helps keep the weight down. I tested a medium (the only size) that weighed in at twenty-seven pounds. The frame measures out to be 20 inches with a 23-inch top tube, and 17-inch chain stays. The Moonraker has a 73° seat tube angle and a 71° head tube angle. The Moonraker seems to be one of the largest mediums that I have ever ridden. That brings me to another point; how can it be a medium if there is only one size?
The Moonraker has 100mm of front and rear wheel travel via two of RockShox’s finest. Bergwerk chose to spec the Rock Shox Psylo Race, which has adjustable travel 80mm-125mm, and an on-the-fly lockout. The lockout is operated by a large red knob on the top of the right leg, which makes it extremely easy to turn on and off at your convenience. The front lockout definitely was helpful when climbing. A Rock Shox Sid XC produces the 100mm of rear wheel travel. However, I did not really appreciate all of the rear wheel travel when climbing. It definitely would have been nice to have a rear lockout. The Moonraker is spec'd with a full Shimano XT drivetrain along with XT shifters.
Stopping the Moonraker is no problem with the Magura Louise disc brakes. The Louise hydraulic disc brakes were fairly easy to maintain both on- and off-trail. They are incredibly easy to bleed, and you can use a 5mm hex head for brake pad adjustment on the caliper itself. The 5mm hex head is located on both sides of the caliper so you can move both pads individually. This adjustment allows you to move your pads closer to the rotor as they wear down. The six-inch Magura Louise rotors were mounted on DT Hugi 240 disc hubs, which were laced up on Mavic 317 disc rims. Some of the other component highlights include Sella Italia Flight titanium saddle, Kore Elite 2 seat post, Syntace handlebar/stem combo, Intense tires and Shimano 515 pedals. There is only one thing that I would have changed. I really hate hexagon shaped foam grips because they never stick to the bar. They simply absorb water and they just don't feel nice.
With 100mm of front and rear travel, the Moonraker can handle technical situations with ease. The bike rides beautifully in technical singletrack and excels on any downhill, effortlessly flowing over rocks, logs and whatever else is thrown in its path. I was pleasantly surprised at the bike’s capability to accelerate out of corners in tight singletrack. The Magura Louise disc brakes provided excellent modulation while cornering. Over the period of testing I used this bike for everything from off road rides to commuting to even a few urban assaults. The Moonraker took it all. The only place that it seemed to lag behind was on long fire road and/or road climbs, which is a given due to the Moonraker's design. This small problem can be easily fixed by adding a rear shock that has a lock out. Give me a lock out or give me death.
After riding the Moonraker, I would have to say that the sticker on the bike says it about right: “Bergwerk German handcrafted race and fun bikes.” It is a bike you could race, and it is definitely fun to ride. Fun is what it is all about… isn't it?
If you are interested in purchasing a Bergwerk Moonraker they are available as a complete bike or just as a frameset. The complete bike price is about $3,420 and the frameset is around $1710. Bergwerk also offers several other mountain bike models, so if you’re looking for a bike, go to their website and check them out.
Contact:www.Bergwerk-Bikes.De or Bill@Gretnabikes.com or 717.964.1836.
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