First Ride Review: GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X – Aggressive eMTB for rough terrain

With the HYBRID SLAMR X, GHOST has extended their range with a new carbon eMTB for demanding riders, combining well-known features such as travel adjust forks and mixed wheel sizes with new ideas. Does the overall concept work, and how does the HYBRID SLAMR X perform off-road? We got a first impression by smashing it over fast, rocky trails – both up and downhill.

The carbon full suspension was designed for a fun and stable ride both up and downhill. Ghost has equipped the new HYBRID SLAMR X with a combination of 29″ wheels on the front and 27.5+ on the rear. The super wide rear tyre is supposed to provide loads of grip and transfer as much of the motor’s power to the trail as possible. With the large front wheel, the developers wanted to avoid the squirmy feel of plus tyres while taking advantage of the improved rollover of 29ers. As with its non-motorised mountain bikes, GHOST is relying entirely on coil shocks. This promises a user-friendly, simple and well-functioning bike. The semi-integrated battery can easily be removed for charging or replacement.

The GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X in detail

The lines of the slim carbon frame with its aluminium rear triangle are a real eye-catcher. Particularly striking is the low slung top tube, which makes the frame look very flat, giving the rider a lot of room to move. The strongly tapered tubes are quite unusual also, creating even more space for your knees and for the bike to be dropped low when cornering. The frame is full of elaborate details, like a fibreglass liner inside the frame through with the cables are routed. No clattering! And your mechanic will be thankful when he has to replace any of the cables.

The componentry of the GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X S 7.7+

Fork RockShox Lyric RCT3 Dual Position Air 160 mm
Shock RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RCT 140 mm
Motor/battery Shimano STEPS E8000/504 Wh
Drivetrain SRAM EX1
Brakes SRAM Code R
Seatpost Kind Shock LEV INTEGRA 175 mm
Stem Ground Fiftyone Team 45 mm
Bars Ground Fiftyone Carbon 780 mm
Wheels DT Swiss H 1700 Hybrid
Tires Maxxis Shorty 29” x 2.5”/Minion DHRII 27.5” x 2.8” EXO 3C MaxTerra
Price € 6.499

Reflected in the componentry, you’ll find that The GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X is an eMTB intended for hard use on the roughest of trails. You won’t find golden chains or other bling-bling here. Instead, GHOST has specced the bike with sensible parts like SRAM Code brakes with 200mm rotors front and rear, and a 175 mm stroke dropper seat post (framesize L). Taking a closer look, it becomes clear that GHOST knows what eMTBers need. The 155 mm cranks from the company’s new line of components, GROUND 51, prevent you from clipping your pedals on technically demanding climbs, and your cadence is naturally higher with shorter cranks. This allows you to pedal at the motor’s optimal rpm more easily and more often, thus increasing the efficiency and range of the Shimano STEPS E8000. On long rides, some riders will struggle with the high cadence though and on the downhills, the reduced platform will not suit tall riders perfectly. In our previous tests, cranks with 165 mm proved to offer a better balance. For the cockpit, GHOST also specced their new in-house GROUND 51 components, combining a 45 mm stem with a 780 mm handlebar. When it comes to the suspension, GHOST is relying on RockShox for their top of the range model. The Super Deluxe Coil offers sufficient tunability to adapt it to any riding style. However, a prerequisite for this is that the coil matches the rider’s weight. A special feature of the Lyrik RCT3 DPA fork is its ability to be lowered on the fly, decreasing the travel to 130 mm.

The geometry of the GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	390 mm	430 mm	460 mm	500 mm
Top tube	574 mm	596 mm	636 mm	670 mm
Head tube	90 mm	100 mm	120 mm	140 mm
Head angle	65.6°	65.6°	65.6°	65.6°
Seat angle	75.2°	75.2°	75.3°	75.3°
Chainstay Length	455 mm	455 mm	455 mm	455 mm
BB Drop	23 mm	23 mm	23 mm	23 mm
Wheelbase	1,185 mm	1,209 mm	1,252 mm	1,290 mm
Reach	411 mm	430 mm	466 mm	495 mm
Stack	616 mm	625 mm	644 mm	663 mm

The GHOST HYBRID SLAMR X on the trail

The HYBRID SLAMR X is very comfortable to sit on. The steep seat tube angle puts you in a position to pedal efficiently from above, easing the suffering of long transfers stages. When things get really steep, you’ll be happy to be able to lower the forks. Lowering the front of the bike makes the sitting position significantly more aggressive, putting a lot of weight on the handlebars. This will help you master even the steepest climbs and ledges without the front wheel lifting off the ground. The coil shock and wide rear tyre provide excellent traction even on loose surfaces and over large obstacles. Furthermore, thanks to the short cranks you can carry on pedalling without fear of getting caught on roots or rocks. We therefore only switched the shock to trail mode on particularly long asphalt climbs. Although the rear end does bob a bit when pedalling, trail mode was never really necessary.

The mixed wheel sizes offered great advantages on descents. Due to the raised front and the low rear axle, you’re placed nice and low between the wheels. The low bottom bracket and standover height further reinforce that planted feeling. Thanks to the extremely grippy Maxxis Shorty tyre on the front, the bike’s steering is crisp and precise. It doesn’t lack composure either, and so it behaves equally well on fast stages and rough terrain. The coil shock reacts very sensitively to the trail’s smallest bumps, yet it provides sufficient support and feedback from the ground. It feels like it offers a lot more than the specified 140 mm of travel. We were also surprised by the performance of the DPA RockShox Lyrik, which harmonized well with the rear end out of the box.

The rear tyre, on the other hand, doesn’t do justice to the bike’s downhill capabilities. The 2.8″ wide Maxxis tyre is simply too puncture-prone, despite the Pepi Tire Noodle foam insert that we installed especially for the demanding trails around Lake Garda. We would have liked something with more durable sidewalls.

Conclusion

With its new eMTB, GHOST has listened carefully to the needs of aggressive eMTBers. The bike impressed with a high degree of composure, offering a lot of reserves for any terrain without feeling sluggish or cumbersome. And thanks to some clever features, even the most technical and steep ascents won’t be able to stop it. We will have to do further tests to see how the bike performs on easier terrain and more relaxed tours, however.

For more info head to the Ghost website