Propain’s hard-hitting enduro bike, the Tyee, is an eye-catching and versatile rig. It is a choose-your-own-adventure scenario, available in a wide range of configurations and with Propain’s own PRO 10 suspension platform.
A few weeks ago, our First Look article dove into the history of the brand with an overview of the impressive list of models available in the Tyee line-up. Now with more time aboard a modified Shred2 full 29er version of the Tyee, we are ready to give you our thoughts on how it performs.
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Propain Tyee Overivew
Our test bike is based on the Shred2 model, it is an impressive build in stock form. The Tyee can be run in with either a 170mm or 160mm fork in every size, and with 29in or mixed wheels, and Propain offers the platform in carbon and alloy frames.
With 170mm of hard-hitting travel up front and 160mm of rock-eating coil sprung suppleness out back, it is ready to shred straight out of the box.
However, ours had some tasty upgrades courtesy of the distributor Ride by Instinct. They chose to swap in some components that they have available to them through their distribution network, making this build even more impressive. The stock build is listed below;
Propain Tyee Shred2
- Frame | Carbon or Alloy Frame
- Fork | RockShox ZEB Ultimate 170mm
- Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate
- Wheels | NEWMEN Evolution E.G.30
- Tyres | Schwalbe Magic Mary / Big Betty
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle
- Brakes | SRAM Code R 200 mm / 200 mm
- Bar and Stem | SIXPACK Millenium 805, SIXPACK Millenium 35
- Seatpost | BikeYoke Revive
- RRP | Alloy $7,999 AUD, Carbon $8,999 AUD
Components highs and lows and spec customisation
The stock Schwalbe tyres were swapped out for a Vee Snap combo with a Snap Trail 29×2.35 in the Top40 compound up front and the Flow Snap 29×2.35 Tackee compound tyre in the rear.
These tyres were a real surprise and a highlight during testing. They impressed me with their fast-rolling speed and consistent, predictable grip in a wide range of conditions. I found I could drop my usual go-to pressures a bit as the sidewalls had a fairly firm feel to them. I ended up running 20psi front and 22psi rear with no flats or burping during testing.
Other additions included the upgraded X01 derailleur and shifter, which are known quantities and welcome upgrades for any bike.
I did not get along with the Magura MT5 brakes that were added to the build. They had the infamous Magura howl and I felt like the power only arrived very late in the pull. It took some time, but I was able to adapt to them, and they did not detract from the ride quality of the rest of the package.
The Reverse base 790 bars were comfortable with their 18mm of rise, 7° of back sweep and 5° of upsweep and did not take very long to get used to.
A welcome addition to the bike was the Sprindex coil. Our test bike was a large and I am a fairly light rider, I might have struggled to get the shock dialled in with the standard heavier spring, so the ability to wind out the coil a bit helped me get the suspension sorted.
Of course, all these components can be optioned with your Propain when purchased through Ride by Instinct.
Propain Tyee Geometry
Geometry on Tyee is standard for its size and category, the reach on our large was 476mm, the stack was high at 633mm, and the chain stay was a common 445mm.
This gave the bike a wheelbase of 1,264mm, on the trail the bike was very stable at high speeds and it was easy to stay centred.
The high stack aided in getting the front wheel off the ground easily and increased the agility of this enduro sled in tight and techy situations.
The head angle felt spot on for a big 170mm bike at 64.1°, and the steep-ish effective seat tube angle of 77.1° put me in a very comfortable climbing position. I found I could just sit back and spin up the hills without discomfort or needing to move my weight too far forward to maintain traction.
The frame has a flip chip built into the top link of the suspension linkage, this allows the bike to retain its geometry in both full 29er and mixed wheel modes.
Propain Tyee Suspension Setup
Setting up the Propain took a few rides, as I usually ride a medium-sized bike.
That Tyee that arrived for testing was a large, so the higher stack and longer reach took me a while to get used to. I set the Sprindex coil to its softest setting at 430lbs, the coil was adjustable between 430lbs to 500lbs. This gave me a comfortable 25% sag for my 65kg riding weight.
Having been on a steady stream of air shocks as of late, once I had the rebound and compression settings dialled in on the Super Deluxe Ultimate, I was impressed by how subtle yet still responsive it was.
After a fair amount of puzzling, I settled on 15 clicks of rebound, two clicks of low-speed compression and + one click of high-speed compression from the centre.
Due to the PRO10 suspension design’s upside-down configuration, the hydraulic bottom-out dial is not accessible when the shock is in the bike. I decided to leave it in the stock setting, as once the rebound and compression settings were sorted, I did not feel the need to make any changes to it.
Up the front the 170mm RockShox Zeb Ultimate exuded confidence in the rough stuff, I ended up running it quite soft with 45psi and roughly 20% sag.
This helped to balance the bike and still provided enough bottom-end support for bigger hits. I ended up with one token in the fork, 13 clicks of rebound, no load speed compression and two clicks of high-speed compression.
Once the suspension was sorted the bike felt unstoppable. To be honest, I have to fish for complaints about the suspension performance, and the only thing that comes to mind is the Tyee in this configuration lacked a bit of pop.
With that, I’d be interested in slotting in an air-sprung shock to see how much it changes the overall character of the bike.
What we liked?
A quiet achiever in the Propian package is the Newman wheelset, they are nothing special but in combination with the Vee tyres, they rolled well and handled the rocks and drops around SEQ with ease.
I managed to get the Propain out on a wide range of trails, from mellow jump trails at the new Uki Bike Park to some hucks to flat on an old DH track, the rocky loam of Nerang and a couple of trips out to Mt Cotton.
The standout feature of the Tyee was its adaptability. I was taken aback by how comfortable it was during long rides, and even on mellow, flowy trails, the bike was still fun and playful.
The Tyee has a well-thought-out frame, with an additional mounting location under the top tube for some tools, spare tube or pump.
The carbon frame is chunky and confidence-inspiring, but not too heavy. Our large bike came in at 15.47kg without pedals and set up tubeless.
The Tyee also comes with a dust seal around the seat tube clamp and some heavy-duty frame protection that keeps chain slap noise down to a minimum.
Each suspension bearing has its own outboard dust seal, adding to the bike’s durability. The only thing it does not have that would be nice is some form of onboard in-frame storage. While not necessary, these are particularly useful for carrying all the spares and tools often needed if you do not ride with a pack.
The last component worth mentioning is the Bike Yoke Revive dropper. When the bike arrived to us there was a decent amount of sag with the seat weighted. Thanks to the built-in bleed valve, all you need is a 4mm Allen key and about 15 seconds to purge the air from the cartridge and viola! Good as new.
We should note that this is a second-generation Bike Yoke Revive, not the new Revive 3.0 Wil just reviewed. Even still, it’s a great dropper.
Climbing
While the Tyee won’t win any hill sprints, despite the long travel and coil shock, it climbs surprisingly well.
This highlighted the bike’s balance well; I always felt centred. Like most people, I need to do a lot of climbing around my local trails to get a decent descent in. I have a mix of long fire trails and switchback climbing trails to get to the top of the hills.
On both types of climbs, the Tyee held its own. There was minimal suspension bob from the PRO10 system, and I really could feel the power from my pedals getting down to the ground.
Not once did I want to flick the climb switch on the shock, which is great news as, with the upside-down suspension layout, the climb switch is just about impossible to reach, meaning riders will need to dismount just to turn it.
Bombing Descents
Turning the Tyee back down hill always brought out a massive smile, the thing just loves to go fast.
Where the Tyee shined out was on rough, steep trails. The higher stack and solid suspension package enabled this German ripper to hold lines I previously struggled to stay on with my own fully air-sprung Norco Sight.
Granted, the Tyee has 10mm more travel at each end, but I still think the PRO 10 suspension platform, superb shock, and geometry of the Tyee made a difference.
I tried to find the limit of the bike with some poor line choices — totally on purpose, of course — and huck to flats on an old DH track. The Tyee just laughed them off, neither scenario caused the issues or groans from the frame or my ankels. It made the hucks to flat almost fun, something I had not felt on any previous bikes.
The Tyee has an uncanny ability to soak up repeated rough hits and sections of trail. My local riding spots are notoriously rocky, and with some recent heavy rainfalls, they were rougher than ever.
It caught me out a few times, as sections of trail that are usually a challenge to nail due to the limited line choices became much easier to manage.
What we didn’t like?
The shift, rear brake and dropper cables run through the headset into the frame.
This provides a neat and tidy cockpit but does add some time and complexity to servicing. Propain claims this headset configuration is sealed and will not allow dust and water in. While we appreciate these steps to lengthen the time between headset headaches, we’d still prefer the cables and brake lines to run outside of that top bearing.
If this form of cable routing is too much of a red flag for you, the alloy models also offer the conventional side entry ports in the frame if you want to bypass the headset. They are just not available on the carbon models.
The performance of the upside down shock was excellent. However, it does make getting to all the dials for adjustments difficult.
The hydraulic bottom out is particularly tricky to access when the shock is in the bike. If you regularly fiddle with your suspension settings or change them for each different style of track, this could be an issue for you and will require extra time whenever you want to change things up.
Flow’s Verdict
The Tyee is a solid all-round performer. With so many build and configuration options to choose from, there should be a set-up to suit most riders. Throw in the ability to customise the build even further with a range of components available through the Australian distributor Ride by Instinct, and you should be able to have the bike set up just how you want it from the get-go.
For such a long travel bike, it is a lot more fun on flatter flow trails than it should be, coupled with its raw descending ability makes it a superb option for riders who like to mix up the trails they ride or who can’t make it out to the bigger trail centres or gravity parks as often as they like to but still want to be able to enjoy them when they can.
It excels in the rough and still makes those calmer flow trails enjoyable to send. If you ride a wide variety of trails, then the Tyee is certainly worth putting on your list of bikes to consider.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER - Michael Cooper
Gold Coast, QLD
173cm
Over calculated yet imprecise