The last time I referred to our test manual, a 24-hour race was not recomended as the best way to test the boundaries of a freeride hardtail, or at least not in the manner that readers wanted them tested.

However, the event was the Shimano Sleepless in the Saddle and the bike in question was the Vario Tequila. We had both a small bike problem and a rider who has spent more time in the air over Whistler than he has on the ground, so what the hell, two birds and one stone and all that. Just be aware that this is more of a first impression than a complete bike test.

The Tequila is available in a full bike and a frame-only option. If we had to pick just one word to describe its looks it would be ‘bulletproof’… or ‘solid’…or ‘pretty damn heavy duty’ [er, we make that four. Ed]. In talking to Krien Dawson, the man that oversees the UK market for this French brand, he was very optimistic regarding the versatility of the Tequila. He singled out the Cove Stiffee as a possible rival and when the Tequilla frame comes in at £350 (including headset), a whole £150 quid cheaper than the Stiffee he could be onto a winner.

The Bike
Our bike came very reasonably specced, if a little differently to that listed on their site. We had Physlo forks, Hayes brakes, Vario bar, stem, seatpost and seat. Then Truvative cranks with three chain rings and Sram thumb shifters and rear derailler. The wheels round out the package with Vario hubs and alex rims wrapped in Maxxis High Roller Rubber.

The frame had good mud clearance at the rear and easily accommodated the Maxxis high roller 2.35 tyres. The cable routing is tidy and out of the way along the massive box section top tube. The frame, meanwhile, definitely showed its intentions with gussests even below the seatstays as they connect with the seat tube.

The full bike as specced on the Vario website will cost you £1,250, they do have a slightly lower specced version coming in at £1,000 and rumour has it that they’ll have an £800 model for ’05.

The Ride
After a few of laps on the Trentham Gardens course the one word we would use to describe the frame would be ‘solid’ or ‘stiff’ – as in ‘that thing just does not give at all’. With the massive box section down and top tubes, extra bracing and solidly square seat and chain stays, there was nowhere for the bumps to be transferred to other than to the rider. The stiffness was not suprising: just by looking at the bike we knew we were in for a harsh ride. Stiffness aside though, the bike was, as promised, reasonably versatile. Sure, at a claimed weight of 30.4 pounds, it was never going to be XC fast but the weight was reasonable considering other bikes of its type. With the three chain rings it cleared all the Trentham gardens climbs without too much fuss. It felt well balanced and well directed in the corners and on the descents. Even though our rider was a little on the light side he had no problems picking up the front end for drops.

The cockpit was longer than we expected at 22.5 inches (for the frame and we were running a 50mm stem). And by winding the Physlos down it became more than competent for the job at hand.

We only had one real complaint and that was the seat. We changed this out fairly early on, and felt a lot better for it.

Overall
When considering freeride hardtails in the market place today there’s a lot of choice, both from the big brands and some of the small niche builders. The Tequila competently competes with all in the price bracket and we were pleased to have the opportunity to have a blast on it. On the down side though, we think it looks almost too burly. We always thought it looked a little out place considering we didn’t have a backdrop of snow capped mountains. The stiffness of the frame almost rules it out for extended rides, unless you could get some high volume tyres or a lot of exposed seatpost. If you are in the market for a freeride hardtail however, you would be silly not to cast you eye over it, it may be just what you are after.

For more information on the Tequila or the other Vario bikes you can check their website at www.vario-bikes.com or call them on 0033 4 7605 78 32.