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Orbea's Rise M model: The eMTB weighs just 16.24 kilograms
Photo: Orbea
For years there was only one tendency for e-mountain bikes: higher, faster, further.
Ever more powerful engines were built into them so that they could climb slopes in the high mountains, sometimes with monkey teeth.
In order not to suddenly find yourself without electricity in a lonely high valley, the manufacturers gave the bikes more powerful batteries, 750 watt hours of energy content are no longer uncommon.
E-mountain bikes therefore often weigh more than 25 kilograms - and not only when they are upgraded to SUV bikes with full equipment that is suitable for everyday use.
E-mountain bikes weigh a lot even as pure sports equipment.
22 kilos is currently a good value for a full-suspension “fully”, says e-mountain bike expert Stefan Schlie, once a German champion in bicycle trials, now a mountain bike guide and co-author of a book on e-mountain bike riding technique entitled “Uphill Flow «.
But now the trend seems to be reversing.
Mountain bikes are getting lighter again, new technology, tricks and other materials make it possible.
The result should appeal to sporty drivers who require less comfort.
The manufacturers use several tricks to slim down.
Battery packs of sometimes only 250 watt hours should suffice, plus smaller motors.
Light carbon is the material of choice - for frames, handlebars, seat posts, cranks, wheels and battery housings.
"Up to now, there has been a trend in every type of bicycle to push the weight," says Schlie.
“Now e-mountain bikes are going through this development.” According to him, the niche of ultra-compact bikes, as he calls them, could become large.
E-mountain bikes no longer polarized as much as they used to, says Ole Wittrock from the German manufacturer Rotwild, explaining the paradigm shift.
His company recently launched a lightweight electric mountain bike.
After e-mountain bike fans used to split into almost religious camps of opponents and supporters, "new, more tolerant user groups" emerged.
The consequence for the industry: New bikes are needed.
Marketing idea or relevant trend?
The question arises whether the genre arises from a marketing idea in the industry or whether it serves actual customer requirements: What do cyclists get from the new segment?
Expert Schlie, himself a fan of torque and brisk uphill rides, admits that the newcomers are relevant - especially in places where "the question arises as to whether you need so much power".
The ultra-compact bikes are ideal for cross-country use, easier terrain and low mountain ranges where there are no ascent aids such as lifts or shuttles to bring bikers to the trail entrance.
The weight-optimized bikes are more agile and manoeuvrable, especially downhill.
As a user group, he sees sporty, ambitious bikers who prefer uphill forest and gravel paths to more challenging terrain.
The few manufacturers who have jumped on the bandwagon so far see the light mountain bikes as a return to the natural driving experience known from mountain bikes without a motor.
Less »E« means more »bike«, says the traditional Spanish manufacturer Orbea, which builds the Rise model.
It only weighs around 16.5 kilos and is one of the lightest fully electric bikes.
Spokesman Philipp Martin sees "a great opportunity to make E-MTB interesting for people who cannot identify with the large and heavy e-bikes".
Rotwild claims to bring »the classic mountain bike riding experience back to the world of eMTBs«.
You can ride an upgraded eMTB in such a way “that you hardly sweat,” says Patrick Laprell of the Focus brand.
The new light ones hardly give you this option.
In order to reduce weight, manufacturers are also shrinking motors or reducing power and torque.
"You have to step in more," says Laprell.
"That goes much more towards sports."
This was already confirmed by the impression made during a test ride in spring 2020 with a representative of the Light E-MTBs. The Helium 5.9 All-Mountain carbon bike from the Austrian brand Nox Cycles was recommended for more ambitious riders with its pure riding characteristics.
The engine of the Nox with its 60 Newton meters demands more participation on inclines than the heavily equipped competing models.
Even in the highest of the three levels, the pedal assistance is subtle.
It seems as if the Pedelec strength bonus comes miraculously from your own calves.
Less power, better range
Less torque, more muscle power - that also saves electricity.
If the motor only doubles the pedal force instead of quadrupling it, this increases the range of the bike.
This almost compensates for the smaller batteries, depending on how you drive.
Even the manufacturers cannot hide one disadvantage of the new biker fashion: "Unfortunately, the light e-mountain bikes are particularly expensive," says Ole Wittrock from Rotwild, "but they are also the spearhead of technology."
Which has to be worth well over 10,000 euros per bike.
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