First ride review of the new Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS featuring the Bosch CX Race motor – A newcomer with racing ambitions

The new Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS is said to have been built not just to race, but to win. Is this racing-oriented eMTB reserved purely for athletes or do hobbyists also get their money’s worth? We put the eMTB with its powerful Bosch Performance Line CX Race motor to the test.

Never heard of the German ebike brand Advanced? Don’t worry, we’ll enlighten you. Advanced are already well-established in the city and trekking sector. Two years ago, Advanced attracted attention with the RECO One, a city ebike with an injection-moulded frame made of a reusable composite material. But the team at Advanced didn’t just want to limit themselves to the serious topic of sustainability. They also wanted to get involved in the more lighthearted side of eMTBs, allowing us all to let off steam, which isn’t to be neglected either. Two years ago, a Bosch representative rang at the door of Advanced’s headquarters in Frankfurt. He came to introduce them to the then unreleased Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited motor at the perfect time. Advanced decided right then and there to create an eMTB with which to participate in and win high-ranking eMTB races. What they came up with is the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS Team Edition. At its heart is the new Bosch motor, paired with a 750 Wh battery, 160/150 mm travel, a full carbon frame, and a price tag of € 11,499 for the flagship model. The spec of the 22.9 kg production eMTB is nearly identical to the bike that the Advanced works team are using at the circuits of the World E-Bike Series – this E-Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Cup is not to be confused with the EDR-E, which is about E-Enduro. After the first two World E-Bike Series events, Advanced already placed 4th in the team standings. Do they owe this to the engineering skills of the bike developers or the talent of the riders, and how does the eMTB fare on the trails when you’re not racing against the clock? We found out.

The new Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS in detail

At first glance, the OFFROAD Pro Race looks very sporty. The lines of the carbon frame look very clean and structured. The blue fade of the Team Edition paint job and the matching decals make quite the impression and offer lots of brand recognition, whether you’re in a colourfully mixed starting field or on your own home trails. Thanks to the use of the wireless Bosch Mini-Remote, the system controller in the top tube serving as a minimalist display, and a wireless SRAM AXS drivetrain and dropper post, the cockpit remains exceptionally tidy. The rear brake hose enters the frame via the headset. The carbon frame itself has no cable inlet ports.

There’s no opening for the 750 Wh battery either because it’s permanently integrated into the down tube. The charging port is placed on top of the motor interface, and it relies on the fiddly rubber plug from Bosch instead of a custom in-house solution. The chainstay protector is a bit narrow, and could use more rubber, though. We recommend adding a bit of Slapper Tape to remedy this and help protect the paint and your ears.

The components of the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS

As far as the suspension and the remaining components are concerned, the Advanced features everything that’s good, expensive, and race-proven. The RockShox Ultimate air suspension consisting of a ZEB fork and SuperDeluxe shock offers a wide range of user-friendly adjustment options. The MAGURA MT7 four-piston brakes and 220/200 mm rotors provide plenty of stopping power.

The SRAM X01 Eagle AXS drivetrain and Reverb AXS dropper post respond quickly and precisely to commands from the wireless controls on the handlebar. However, the 150 mm dropper post offers severely limited freedom of movement on the size L frame. The tire choice is another head-scratcher. The front wheel is fitted with a Continental Kryptotal FR with the soft rubber compound and robust Enduro casing. However, at the rear the thick Enduro casing has been omitted in favour of the durable Endurance compound, which is only available in combination with the thinner Trail casing. As such, the rear wheel has to make do with a flimsy casing, although it’s at the rear where you can use thick casing the most. The aluminium Fulcrum E-Metal wheels won’t be very happy about this, at least not on the rear wheel.

The geometry of the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS

The Advanced is available in sizes S, M, and L. In size L, the 480 mm seat tube is longer than average, even for the long 500 mm reach – they should urgently shorten the seat tube on the successor and spec it with a longer travel dropper post. The 455 mm chainstays are on the long side, too, and they’re not frame-size specific.

Size	S	M	L
Top tube	613 mm	640 mm	666 mm
Seat tube	400 mm	440 mm	480 mm
Head tube	115 mm	120 mm	125 mm
Head angle	65°	65°	65°
Seat angle	75.5°	75.5°	75.5°
Chainstay	455 mm	455 mm	455 mm
BB Drop	20 mm	20 mm	20 mm
Wheelbase	1,239 mm	1,266 mm	1,293 mm
Reach	450 mm	475 mm	500 mm
Stack	630 mm	635 mm	640 mm

Tuning-Tipp:
– hitcker casing on the rear wheel for better puncture protection and a lower tire pressure for more grip
– dropper post with more travel
– Spacers under the stem to raise the cockpit

The Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS on the trail

Swinging your leg over the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS, you’ll immediately notice the tall seat tube. In combination with the high top tube, short legged riders might have problems with the standover height. The riding position feels very stretched and like you’re sitting far behind the bottom bracket – it’s very aggressive and forward-leaning, reminiscent of a cross-country bike. This allows you to put a lot of power down on the pedals, but it also places a lot of weight on your hands on flat sections, which is why the Advanced is only partially suitable for long rides. Riding uphill, you’ll have to actively shift your weight forward even on moderate inclines to keep the front wheel planted and following your line. When things get really steep, it takes a lot of effort to avoid wheelying uncontrollably.

The OFFROAD Pro Race feels surprisingly compact on the descents, unlike the riding position. The handling is quite nimble for a full-power eMTB, though it’s also quite demanding. The steering is responsive, but it’s unforgiving and doesn’t offer much margin for error. The Advanced demands a clean riding style and takes some time to get used to.

The cockpit is quite low, which also puts you in a cross-country-like position on the descents and shifts your weight forward. This results in an aggressive riding position with a lot of weight on the front wheel. Therefore, the front wheel offers plenty of grip through open corners, but when things get steep, you’ll find yourself automatically shifting your weight far back to avoid feeling like you might go over the bars. Unfortunately, this gives you noticeably less control over the front of the bike and robs you of confidence. The Advanced needs an experienced rider who feels confident having a lot of their weight resting on the bars, even when things get steep. We would recommend adding one or two spacers under the stem to raise the cockpit and mitigate this feeling to some extent. You’re likely to feel much more comfortable aboard the Advanced on flowing trails. The suspension of the bike offers sufficient reserves and a decent amount of support, which means you can generate a lot of momentum on flow trails and also catch a little airtime.

Our conclusion on the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS

The beautiful paintjob of the Advanced OFFROAD Pro Race MTB FS makes it quite the eye-catcher. While tThe handling is agile, the low front end and demanding handling require an experienced rider to keep the Advanced in control when things get technical. The aggressive, streched out riding position, also mean it’s too uncomfortable for epic, all-day rides. Overall, its all-round capabilities are rather limited.

For more information, visit Advanced.tech.

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Words: Rudolf Fischer, Simon Kohler Photos: Simon Kohler