The Poison brand is considered a pioneer in modular bikes and has been focusing on simple but solid and affordable bikes with individually selectable equipment and desired colour since the 1990s. The latter is not necessary with the Meskalin titanium gravel bike; more on the modular options later. The gravel bike is one of the few remaining bikes with racing handlebars in the portfolio, it comes with a now unusual classic design language, an almost horizontal top tube and seat stays set high up stand out from modern frame geometries.
Poison Meskalin Titan Gravel: sporty, but for everyday use
Poison also relies on traditional, tried-and-tested technology for the design: a bottom bracket with BSA thread, the clamped Ahead stem with aluminium handlebars and cables running outside the head tube are reminiscent of the road bike design of years gone by, but are easy to maintain and make adjustment easier. Although the riding position is rather sporty, Poison is primarily aimed at people who commute or want to travel by bike. Suitability for everyday use is therefore a top priority, with luggage rack eyelets and mounts for mudguards - although only in combination with wider road tyres for space reasons - and even a stable mount for a side stand.
The usual options for modern bikepacking systems on the top tube or fork are missing, but with a maximum tyre width of 42 millimetres, the bike does not meet the demands of difficult terrain anyway and feels much more comfortable on the road and on paved paths. For this orientation, the handling is relatively manoeuvrable. The fact that the bike is a little "bumpy" off-road is probably due to several factors. These include the aluminium seat post with little extension and hard aluminium handlebars. The rather narrow tyres are fitted with inner tubes, they roll well on the road and hard surfaces, but don't get any smoother even with very little pressure. Mounted tubeless, they would hug the piste a little better.
Few wheels, lots of accessories
Campagnolo's special Ekar gravel component group with 13 gears offers sufficient range and a comfortable gradation. Our 9.5-kilo test bike should therefore come close to the lightest build variant. Alternatively, there are various Shimano GRX options, the base price of the bike is 4150 euros. In the configurator, the wheel options are particularly scarce, as only three classic aluminium rims and the spokes with which the wheels are built up can be selected. On the other hand, you can click together a complete touring bike configuration, including lowrider luggage racks and a complete lighting system.
Poison Mescaline Titan Gravel - Info & test grade
- TOUR grade: 2,4
- Price: 5300 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 9.5 kilos
- Frame sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61 (test size greased)
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 585/590/171 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 599/404 millimetres/1.48
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 658/566 millimetres/1.16
- Wheelbase/caster: 1090/77 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Campagnolo Ekar (1x13; 40, 10-44 t.) | Grade: 2.0
- Brakes: Campagnolo Ekar (160/160 mm) | Grade: 1.0
- Tyres: Continental Terra Speed TR 40 mm (eff.: 41 mm) | Grade: 1.0
- Impellers: DT Swiss GR 531/Novatec
- Impeller weights: 1673/2255 grams (front/rear)
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Maintenance-friendly design, equipment suitable for everyday use available in the configurator
- Minus: Few wheel options, limited warranty
Jens Klötzer
Editor
