E-Mountainbikes: Lets find the best bike for you

What makes an E-MTB your new favourite mountain bike?

The shape of the bike is determined by the terrain that you wish to ride on. When it comes to alpine terrain, the technology must also be suitable for it. This requires mountaineering ability, a robust and extremely fast gear change and an implementation of the pedal force that engages smoothly even at low revolutions per minute on inclines. This is of course the be-all and end-all, especially uphill.

When it comes to e-mountain bikes, it is important that the additional power from the battery can be easily switched on and off. Pressing a button to get more or less additional power will by no means make the MTB tour boring, despite the electronic help.

The technology in our e-mountain bikes

The most fascinating thing about our E-MTBs is of course the electronics behind it. Mechanical mountain bikes are already well known but that would be too boring for us. Instead, we have 250 watts of power in the engine, helping you to reach up to 25 km/h when pedalling. The hardware for our models mostly comes from tried and tested companies such as Bosch or Yamaha.

When mountain biking first came onto the scene in the 1980s, it was already thought that this would be as far as it was possible to go as far as exploring the mountains on 2 wheels was concerned. Totally wrong thinking because now the upgrade to the e-mountain bike has arrived and it is becoming easier and easier to discover even more remote areas.

This also shows that the assumption that e-bikes are primarily beneficial for people of advanced age or with limited fitness levels is simply not correct. Experienced 2-wheeled mountain enthusiasts also benefit from the battery and motor. The e-bike is thus not only developing into an acceptable means of transport on the flat, but also as a climbing aid for steeper ascents.

Generally speaking, the e-bike is creating a completely new trend of locomotion all over the world; on the streets of the metropolises as well as on the single-track trails in the mountain valleys.

The technology of electronic mountain bikes has meanwhile developed to such an extent that, taken together, the load-force ratio and the battery life result in an overall picture that is extremely favourable and positive. For the occasional cyclist, or for performance-oriented bikers, the e-mountain bike has a fascinating appeal. The weight of the battery and motor or the entire drive unit has now also attained an acceptable level.

The e-mountain bike simply extends the possibilities of every cyclist many times over. More power, more fun, more range, more speed and simply more energy reserves!

Electric drive: motor and battery

The battery performance is especially important for the electric drive. The 400-500 watt-hour figures are already quite impressive and provide quite a good range. According to the manufacturer, the range is about 100 km (although you have to reckon with some losses, especially on steep stretches with high engine speed).

Furthermore, the position of the engine is a determining factor for enjoyment and safety whilst riding, especially on rough terrain where balance and centre of gravity are often important. For an MTB, therefore, only a mid-mounted engine makes sense. Rear or front drive would displace the centre of gravity of the bike too much, especially on stretches with frequent changes of directionand gradient, making the bike unstable.

Shock absorption

Shock absorption is especially important in mountainous terrain as it determines how easily you can get up the sealed roads and down the single trails.

As a rule, you have the choice between hardtail and fully. Hardtail means that only the front part of the bike is dampened. Damping is therefore built into the front fork and the rear section of the frame remains rigid. This means less loss of power when pedalling, but also less manoeuvrability on rough terrain.

With the full suspension bike it is almost exactly the opposite, that is to say that it is additionally sprung on the rear wheel, which has the effect that it yields substantially when pedalling and the muscle power is therefore not ideally transmitted to the wheels. This is most certainly a disadvantage when riding uphill. When riding downhill, however, a mountain bike with maximum suspension hugs the ground perfectly.

Of course, both would be ideal - hardtail for the ascent and fully for the descent. It's very good then that this is the case amongst the very high-quality fully models, where the suspension can be locked. The damper elements can be simply stiffened when climbing uphill or on asphalt sections. At the push of a button on a downhill or single trail, the suspension is freed up, so that the chassis does what it was designed to do: absorb bumpy ground, rough and smooth, whilst still maintaining control of the bike.

Tyres and wheels

The first thing that catches the eye on an e-mountain bike are the massive bicycle tyres with their non-slip lug designs. If you ride over gravel, grit or any other loose surface, you don't want to start slipping straight away. The effect of the pronounced tread is also assisted by the wide tyres.

As far as wheel sizes are concerned, the market is now more or less united on using the standard sizes 27.5 inches and 29 inches, but 26 inches and 28 inches are also possible and once again present various advantages and disadvantages

For a long time, the 26-inch off-road wheel was the standard measure, but it was replaced by the somewhat more stable but still manoeuvrable 27.5-inch wheel, which is used especially on e-MTBs that specialise in downhill cycling. 29-inch tyres, on the other hand, are suitable for rather less dynamic ascent routes due to their stiffness and smooth running.

In addition, the 27.5+ variants, which also have wider tyres, are currently very popular. You have to pedal harder because of the increased weight and the extra traction but the e-bike drive supports you anyway. This variant is particularly advantageous on very rough terrain – I think we have already mentioned traction?

Brakes

E-bikes are basically heavier. Although the extra weight of the battery and motor is partly compensated by a lighter frame, this does not change the fact that an excellent braking system is necessary in mountainous terrain. In addition, an electric bicycle with motor support gets up a good speed, which of course increases the need for a perfect braking system even more.

Ideally, an e-mountain bike should have a disc brake which is far more efficient than the usual cantilever brake.