Mail Order Specialists
Cycle To Work
Expert Advice
0% Finance
Price Match
The Wheelbase BIG DEMO Weekend returned to our Lake District store for 2022 and was bigger and better than ever, with all of our top brands being represented within a huge fleet of demo bikes; we had the newest mountain bikes and eMTBs from Trek, Cannondale, Scott, Focus, Nukeproof, Mondraker, Whyte, Kona and Yeti.
The BIG DEMO weekend was a chance for riders to get a feel for the latest tech and shred on some of the most exciting new bikes, with each group expertly guided by the Cycle Active guiding team on some of the most iconic trails in the south Lake District. With so many of the world’s hottest bikes in one place we took the opportunity to shoot some of the event’s most sought-after mountain bikes and eMTBs…
Scott Patron eRide 910 2022
We were super-keen to take a better look at the all-new Scott Patron eRide 910 and to take it out for a ride on some of the most challenging trails in the South Lakes. This big travel eMTB boasts 160mm of front and rear suspension travel, a powerful Bosch Performance CX motor and an efficient 750Wh PowerTube internal battery for a considerably longer range. Cast your eyes of the bike’s chassis and you’ll be excused for any confusion regarding the location of the bike’s rear suspension; Scott have cleverly stowed the rear shock within the frame. There’s a lot of tech to squeeze into the Patron eRide but the Swiss brand have done a brilliant job here, with that long 750Wh battery stored in the downtube alongside the Bosch motor which has been rotated from its typical position to keep the bike’s geometry sweet and the centre of gravity as low as possible.
Scott Patron eRide 910 2022 RRP £6,349.00
Scott Patron eRide 910 2022 RRP £6,349.00
Yeti 160E T1 2022
The YETI 160E T1 was easily one of the most popular eMTBs at the Big Demo Weekend. Silverfish only had a small amount of these bike available at the event and they were definitely one of the most prized bikes for riders to get their leg over during the weekend. There’s plenty of great tech on this eMTB which Yeti took their time in developing and on its release YETI billed it as the first truly race-focused eMTB with the 160E T1 built specifically to meet the demands of Enduro racing. To find out lots more including the motor spec and clever suspension configuration read our detailed product launch feature HERE.
Yeti 160E T1 2022 RRP £11,899.00
Cannondale Jekyll 1 2022
We were stoked to see that Cannondale had brought a good number of the Jekyll 1 long-travel enduro mountain bike with them to our Big Demo Weekend. Aimed at super-fast Enduro racers and trail riders who love to push the boundaries and conquer steep, tight, technical singletrack and wide-open super-fast tracks peppered with high-speed berms and huge gap jumps the Jekyll 1 features 170mm of suspension travel upfront complimented by a plush 165mm of rear travel. Riders were coming back off the hills to Wheelbase HQ with huge grins on their faces having taken the Jekyll down some of our rockiest, most challenging local trails. To read a full review of the Cannondale Jekyll 1 click HERE.
Cannondale Jekyll 1 2022 RRP £6,750.00
Mondraker Raze Carbon RR 2022
Whilst there was a huge appetite for eMTBs at our Big Demo Weekend with the majority of favoured mountain bikes featuring some sort of pedal-assist motor there was still a lot of interest around some key ‘acoustic’ non-motor mountain bikes during the event. One such bike was the Mondraker Raze Carbon RR; the Raze is one of the most recent arrivals at Wheelbase and we had a number of our staff queuing up to ride this bike after the event too. Talking to some of them on their return to Wheelbase HQ the general message was that this was an extremely versatile trail bike which is able to hit that illusive sweet spot of being an efficient climber with a spritely feel on the uphills while also being very capable when the trails point downhill. Mondraker have very kindly left a Raze with us for a long term test, so watch this space for a detailed Fast Bike Friday feature coming very soon.
Mondraker Raze Carbon RR 2022 RRP £6,799.00
Mondraker Raze Carbon RR 2022 RRP £6,799.00
Focus JAM2 7.0 2022
German brand Focus were well represented at the Wheelbase Big Demo Weekend with the JAM2 7.0 eMTB being one of their most popular bikes. With 150mm of suspension and a powerful, efficient Shimano EP8 motor the JAM2 7.0 has been unashamedly been built for the sole aim of having more fun on your mountain bike. The feedback from riders as they headed back into the Wheelbase HQ yard was the proof in the pudding – smiles were wide and tales of speedy ascents and even speedier descents down some of our most technical, rocky downhill trails were being traded with enthusiasm. Take a more detailed look at the Focus JAM2 7.0 HERE.
Focus Jam2 6.9 2022 RRP £7,499.00
Focus Jam2 6.9 2022 RRP £7,499.00
Focus JAM2 6.9 2022
The Focus JAM2 6.9 was another popular eMTB from the Focus demo fleet. The JAM2 6.9 features a powerful Bosch Performance CX Gen 4 motor and a 625Wh battery compared to the Shimano Steps motor and larger 720Wh battery seen on the JAM2 7.0 There was no shortage of riders waiting to take this agile trail bike out onto the hills which features 150mm of plush suspension travel front and rear.
Focus Jam2 6.9 2022 RRP £5,399.00
Focus Jam2 6.9 2022 RRP £5,399.00
Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Elite 2022
There was plenty of talk about the Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Elite eMTB in the Wheelbase Big Demo area, with this being the first time for many of us – both staff and customers to really see the bike in the flesh. Even better, for the chosen few lucky enough to get a ride booked on the Megawatt there was a chance to get a real feel for how this amazingly capable eMTB rides. The ‘acoustic’ Mega has already got a huge fan base thanks to its long travel ‘super-enduro’ suspension and geometry configuration; the addition of a powerful Shimano Steps motor makes this sort of bike even more versatile and accessible when it comes to longer, more intrepid rides. For a detailed look at the Megawatt click HERE.
Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Elite 2022 RRP £5,999.99
Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Elite 2022 RRP £5,999.99
Whyte E-180 S 2022
British brand Whyte are always a favourite amongst our Big Demo Weekend riders. With a solid reputation for building mountain bikes specifically designed for typical UK trails and conditions their eMTBs and mountain bikes excel on such terrain and always garner positive feedback when our event attendees return to Wheelbase HQ. The Whyte E-180 S boasts a long-travel chassis with stable geometry and low centre of gravity thanks to the Bosch Performance Line CX motor being cleverly positioned, eliminating any potential for negative handling.
Whyte E-180 S 2022 RRP £6,399.00
Whyte E-180 S 2022 RRP £6,399.00
Guy Kesteven’s cherry-pick of the best demo bikes…
We were lucky enough to have MTB industry journo and prolific YouTuber Guy Kesteven in attendance for the whole of the Big Demo Weekend this year. Guy’s been professionally test riding bikes for UK magazines and global websites for 25 years. His channel takes you along for the test rides and technical evaluations of the latest bikes and kit so you can see exactly how they perform and feel on the trail. Guy’s renowned for his straight up Yorkshire honesty based on over two decades of relentless, all weather, head to head test riding making him the ideal candidate for a no-nonsense run through some of the best bikes at our Demo Weekend…
Trek Rail 9.9 XX1 AXS 2022
Rubbish video about a brilliant bike! Is Trek’s fully SRAM Wizz and Wireless AXS gear equipped new Rail 9.9 the Ultimate Hi Tech E-MTB? I tested it at the Wheelbase Demo Weekend and was massively impressed as you’ll see. Apologies for the failing GoPro battery that kept cutting the video clips short but I’m definitely going to try and get this bike back for a proper video. Hopefully at the Hamsterley Wheelbase Demo so see you there for that.
We’d like to thank all of our fantastic brands for supplying us with the world’s best bikes for two days of testing on some of the Lake District’s most enjoyable trails. Missed the event? Check out our video below to see all the action from the Wheelbase Big Demo Weekend 2022.
Check out our BIG DEMO Weekend video…
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
Video by DMTWO Media
Have you seen our Fast Bike Friday feature? Missed some of our best bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
Click the link below and search our archive…
