KTM’s carbon Scarp MT race bike, isn’t the only highlight of their 2020 lineup. For all-road, the alloy X-Strada gravel bike gets revamped with new frame, fork & versatile builds. Back on the trail, an alloy Ultra hardtail evolves into a trail bike, and the enduro Prowler gets a Macina e-update. Throughout their performance bike families, several new women-specific builds are also popping up, with great-looking finishes & smaller components that will likely catch many men’s attention as well.
KTM X-Strada affordable, versatile alloy gravel bike
KTM is expanding their affordable gravel bike range with an all-new triple-butted alloy X-Strada. The new bike gets a new tapered carbon fork (alloy steerer), flat mount disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles, skinwall 700x40mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tires, and five stock sizes (XS 49-XL 59cm). Four different build options give a wide range of price points, suited for different styles of riding.
We particularly like the 1900€ X-Strada LFC which is something of a super commuter build with a new Shimano GRX 2×10 drivetrain, full fenders, and front & rear LED lighting.
The X-Strada family also gets that blue 2200€ X-Strada 710 (above) with GRX 2×11, the red 1700€ X-Strada 710 with GRX 2×10, and…
…a somewhat peculiar vintage rose pink step-through 1500€ X-Strada Glory gravel cruiser with GRX 2×10 and a mustache bar.
Ultra Evo longer-travel alloy trail hardtail
The new Ultra Evo adds 130mm RockShox Recon RL forks (& new trail geometry) to the triple-butted 6061 alloy 29er hardtail to turn it into a more capable trail bike. At just 1400€, the SLX 1×12 Evo gets 2.35″ Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires & a KTM dropper to hunt new trails.
Prowler Macina carbon e-enduro 170/180mm e-bike
New in the world of KTM e-bikes for 2020 will be the monstrous new Prowler Macina. It takes the same enduro suspension design of the regular enduro Prowler, and remakes it with even more travel and a new gen 4 Bosch CX powertrain.
The new eMTB mixes it up on a 27.5″ rear wheel with 170mm of frame travel, and a 29″ front with 180mm of fork travel. The Prowler Macina neatly packs a 625Wh battery into the carbon downtube, and is offered in a 10,000€ Sonic build with XX1 AXS (23.5kg), a 6900€ Prestige build with full XTR, or a 5800€ Master build with XT.
More Glory, women’s specific performance carbon bikes
KTM introduced the Glory line last year, adding a unique look & smaller-sized components to a high-quality spec build of performance carbon bikes. Last year it was just the carbon XC hardtail. This year it extends to marathon & enduro fullies, a trail hardtail, lightweight road, and a gravel bike, plus even some e-MTBs as well.
KTM calls the color of this 150mm travel Prowler Glory deep purple & mandarin, a departure from the more staid black, orange & muted tones that cover most KTM bikes. The Prowler Glory comes in just the two smaller sizes of the standard Prowler (S&M), and features an Ergon SMA10 women’s saddle, slimmer GE10 Evo ergo grips, and a two-teeth smaller 28T chainring.
The bulk of the Glory mountain bikes fall in just below KTM’s Master full XT 1×12 level, offering a bit better value with a XT/SLX blend. Swapping in an SLX cassette, chain, 4-piston brakes & hubs saves 500€ on this bike while not really losing any performance (just an extra 200g) – a 4500€ pricetag for the 150mm travel Prowler Glory 29er.
Headed by second generation managing director Johanna Urhauf (taking over for her mother Carol), KTM’s idea wasn’t really about pink & shrink to create bikes for women, but rather to scale down some key components to better fit women or smaller riders. Generally, all of the bikes feature premium XT/Ultegra level builds and get smaller diameter grips, slightly smaller chainrings, shorter stems & women-specific saddles, plus subtly unique paint jobs – often with a bit of sparkle.
