LIGHTWEIGHT E-MOUNTAIN BIKES – EXPLAINED

 

More and more bike brands are now launching lightweight e-mountain bikes; at our recent Wheelbase BIG Demo Weekend we took a detailed look at a selection of special lightweight e-mountain bikes from some of the best brands available at Wheelbase. Each brand has arrived at a different design solution, however they all share something in common; they’re all particularly light and incredibly discrete when it comes to looks (a double take is required to even realise they ARE e-mountain bikes) as well as being incredibly quiet.

Check out our video below where we talk to SCOTT, Orbea and TREK about the current lightweight e-mountain bikes within their respective range of bikes as well as the sort of drive-system and suspension configurations they have chosen to spec…

 

U.K. mountain biking legend Nick Craig from SCOTT gave us a detailed run-down of the newest lightweight e-mountain bike on the block – the SCOTT Lumen eRide featuring a compact 250W TQ Motor, 360WH internal battery and 130mm of rear suspension travel facilitated by their clever internal shock. Nick had brought his very own Lumen eRide to the BIG Demo weekend and was keen to share his own riding experience of this cutting-edge lightweight e-MTB; he also did a brilliant job of explaining how to customise how the Lumen rides to suit you and your own riding style using the TQ e-bike App.

Nick Craig has been spending a lot of time riding the Lumen e-Ride and did a great job of explaining how to get the most out of the ride.

 

With a compact TQ motor, slim internal battery and a brilliantly engineered internal rear shock the Lumen e-Ride looks so clean and uncluttered.

 

The SCOTT Lumen e-Ride provides natural-feeling enhancement to your own pedalling input, allowing you to explore further in confidence.

Scott Lumen Fast Facts:

• 250W TQ Motor
• 360WH Internal Battery
• 130MM Integrated Rear Shock
• Optional 160WH External Battery (sold separately)

 

Lee Williams from Orbea talked us through the Orbea Rise lightweight e-MTB and did a great job of explaining their unique Rider Synergy (RS) concept. The design team wanted to deliver a new e-bike riding standard with a more natural feel, developing the RS motor in partnership with Shimano and modifying the EP8 e-MTB motor hardware to respond with more power when the rider pedals harder. Their unique RS firmware significantly changes the behaviour of the EP8 motor with a smoother power band and a more authentic amplification of the rider’s cadence input. We asked Lee what sort of customer the Orbea Rise lightweight e-MTB is best suited to; he suggested it’s for riders who are looking for the ride quality of a non-e-mountain bike, where they’re still able to throw the bike around and enjoy an agile ride while benefitting from a natural-feeling level of assistance.

Orbea’s Rider Synergy (RS) concept has been specifically developed with Shimano to echo authentic pedaling cadence input. Credit JV

 

When you pedal harder the Shimano motor responds with more power giving full assistance in the right places at the right times. Credit JV

 

A lightweight e-MTB with a more authentic ride feel, the Orbea Rise gives you just enough power without compromising your ride experience.

Orbea Rise Fast Facts:

• 250W Shimano EP8-RS Motor
• 360WH Internal Battery
• 140MM Rear Shock
• Optional 252WH External Battery (sold separately)

 

The Trek Fuel EXe took the e-mountain bike world by storm when it launched; with a classic case of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ such was the compact nature of the motor and neat integration of the overall drive system. Mark Jaggard from Trek was at our Wheelbase BIG Demo Weekend with a whole fleet of lightweight Fuel EXe’s for customers to ride on our challenging South Lakes trails and they proved incredibly popular over the weekend. Like the Scott Lumen e-Ride the Fuel EXe features a TQ motor and a 360WH internal battery. Because of the super-compact nature of the TQ system the Trek engineers were able to duplicate geometry of their Fuel non-e-bike model, meaning that the ride quality of this agile trail bike is fantastic while benefitting from that extra pedal-assist when you need it.

The lightweight TREK Fuel EXe feels more playful and agile on the downhills than a typical e-mountain bike. Credit JV

 

The Fuel EXe’s TQ HPR50 motor is almost completely silent, using a harmonic drive transmission to reduce noise and take up less space. Credit: JV

 

I was lucky enough to spend some time on the Fuel EXe to get a real feel for how it performed out on the trails (Johnny Dodgin, feature writer). Credit: JV

Trek Fuel EXe Fast Facts:

• 300W Shimano EP8-RS Motor
• 360WH Internal Battery
• 140MM Rear Shock
• Optional 160WH External Battery (sold separately)

 

You can see our comprehensive range of e-mountain bikes HERE.

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

Video by Johnny Dodgin

Photos where credited ‘JV’ by James Vincent

 

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