“A phoenix risen from the ashes” or “the old flame”
By now, it is well known that there are bikes with e-assist. The fact that there are also full suspension mountain bikes with an electric drive system is perhaps not so widely understood. Opinions differ on this matter. Good or bad, necessary or not, modern and trendy or simply just embarrassing? There are many points of view but which are based on fact and which are rumors?
I was about 12 years old when I started mountain biking with my friends on a regular basis. After only a few weeks time, I was infected with the virus and got onto my bike every day. The tours got longer and longer and the trails more extreme. As the trails got harder we put a lot of effort into learning tricks like stoppies, bunny hops and many other skills. The newly acquired confidence and feeling of how to handle our sports equipment was also of great use in other disciplines. After about seven years of more or less 365 days of biking per year, our circle of biking friends drifted apart. As it is only half as much fun to go biking on your own, my GT Timberline had served its time and started to gather dust in the garage. Different hobbies replaced biking and as time passed, I slowly turned into a couch potato…
They say, “You always meet twice”. This seems not only to apply to interpersonal acquaintances but also to an old flame. 2011 – Was the year in which I started to design some fine magazines as a freelance graphic designer for the guys at 41 Publishing. From then on, I was constantly surrounded by the topic of mountain biking again. For the past ten years, mountain biking had been far from my thoughts, and for some reason, it did not really spark. It was fun designing the magazine; but still I had a hard time identifying myself with these sports and to go back to that old feeling of “biking puts you in a good mood”.
This was about to change when I got to test the HAIBIKE eQ Xduro SL 26”. I secretly thought that it would probably just get dusty in my basement because I had in mind all the troubles that the Enduro sport brings. But far from it! I was positively surprised about how much fun I had riding this bike. Its rather heavy weight, compared to conventional mountain bikes, of 21.3 kg is not really noticeable. It is equipped with a Bosch mid-engine Classic+ powertrain with a 36 volt and 250 watt output. It offers sufficient assist to climb steep sections with very little effort and without having to stand up for pedaling. You select full assist in the Bosch Intuvia multifunctional display with a control element mounted to the left side of the handlebar. You can choose freely between “OFF”, which means that the E-MTB is simply moved by leg power (which, due to the previously mentioned weight, can only be recommended for flat and downhill sections), “ECO”, “TOUR”, “SPORT”, and “TURBO”. In its highest setting, the powertrain assist is capable of speeds of up to 25 km/h.
Nevertheless, even the best battery does not last forever. Which means endurance is required for longer tours. Everyone riding with full assist will find themselves checking the battery display every 30 seconds, hoping that the battery bars have not depleted further. A fully loaded battery lasts between 40 to 50 kilometers when in permanent TURBO-mode. If it is entirely empty, it takes about 2-3 hours of charging with the supplied charging device in order to regain full capacity. The battery status is displayed with small LED lights on the side of the battery.
Long-term, die-hard mountain bikers express surprisingly negative feedback regarding these kinds of e-assisted bikes. They claim such motor-assists would be for retirees, stealing the soul from biking, believing it would no longer be exhausting to bike and that “normal” biking would be unrealistic considering the bikes’ weight. Well, I can only say: Far from it, my friends! My newly acquired sturdy thighs speak for themselves. An E-MTB is not a motorcycle and requires muscle strength to push it forward. And thanks the compact shape of the battery and the well balanced focal point, the Haibike eQ FS SL 26” can be handled through demanding trails just like a conventional mountain bike.
The Haibike is a true fully that likes to be ridden hard down the trails with its Fox Float CTD BV LV shock and a Rock Shox Recon Silver Air fork with 120mm of travel.
After almost 500 kilometers of test rides I can sum up that the Haibike feels like a truly upmarket bike. Everything seems to be solid and well thought out. The Shimano SLX M 675 Shadow Plus rarely messes about and the 10 gears can be shifted through cleanly. I would not mind some more gears though, when speeds get faster than 35 km/h, pretty fast pedaling is required in order to keep up. On the whole, E mountain bikes well deserve their existence. For a newcomer or returner, the choice of an electric assist mountain bike such as the HAIBIKE eQ Xduro FS SL 26” is definitely worth considering. But also for the riders preferring downhills rather than uphills, this is surely worth thinking about.
Text: Christian Lämmle | Fotos: Christian Lämmle / Robin Schmitt
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