Today, when you’re shopping for a new eMTB, you’re probably comparing motors, batteries and component specs. That’s hardly surprising, since most brands deliberately position these as key selling points. And for good reason: manufacturers have to balance countless competing demands, hitting price targets, appealing to different rider groups, slotting each bike neatly into the existing range and, ultimately, creating a product that’s easy to market. The result is almost always a compromise.
But what happens when all of those constraints simply fall away,and you turn the entire development process on its head? Together with MAHLE, we had the chance to turn exactly that thought experiment into reality. Instead of asking which components would sell best or hit a certain price point, we started with a far more fundamental question.
What Experience Do We Want to Create?
That single question gave rise to two bikes built around the same MAHLE M40 platform. They share the same frame and the same motor system, yet each was created with a completely different mission in mind.
The HOT LAP project is all about the most natural, playful ride possible. WEEKEND ESCAPE, by contrast, was built for adventures where the trail is just one part of the journey. One frame, one motor, two completely different worlds. Welcome to the first chapter of a series that doesn’t just build two bikes, but asks whether we’ve been defining eMTBs by their features for far too long, when we should have been defining them by the experiences they’re meant to deliver.
One Platform, Endless Possibilities.
A bike doesn’t start with its tires, wheels or suspension. The motor system plays a defining role in shaping how an eMTB feels to ride. That made it all the more important for our project to use a platform that isn’t defined solely by its hardware, but can be tailored to deliver the riding experience you’re after.
This is where the MAHLE M40 platform really comes into its own. Its biggest strength is the ability to fine tune the motor mapping, allowing the drive system’s character to be shaped to suit the intended ride experience, from sharp, dynamic power delivery to smooth, natural assistance. Rather than dictating how the bike rides, the motor becomes a configurable building block within the wider design.
There’s another key advantage, too. Despite offering full-power assistance, the M40 platform strikes a highly impressive balance between weight, performance and efficiency. In our comprehensive motor group test, the M40 stood out with its smooth response, outstanding modulation on technical climbs and powerful drive. At the same time, the system is light enough for a dedicated lightweight build, yet capable enough to underpin a fully equipped adventure bike.
That technical versatility is no coincidence. MAHLE have been developing drive systems for years, gaining valuable experience along the way, including as the technology partner behind the first generation of Specialized’s Turbo SL platform.
MAHLE currently stand apart from many of the established drive-system brands. Buy a bike with a Bosch Performance Line CX today and you immediately associate it with certain traits: strong power delivery, proven reliability and a focus on traditional full power eMTBs. Avinox, by contrast, has become synonymous with huge performance reserves and an uncompromising focus on outright power. Like the bikes they’re fitted to, many motor systems have developed a clearly defined identity of their own.
The MAHLE M40 platform, on the other hand, occupies a very different position. Rather than imposing a predefined idea of what an eMTB should be or do, it gives manufacturers far greater freedom to shape a bike’s character themselves. The highly configurable motor mapping is central here. It goes well beyond the adjustments available to end users through the app, allowing developers to fundamentally fine tune power delivery, assistance behaviour and motor overrun to create a very specific ride experience, instead of forcing the bike to adapt to a fixed motor character. That’s exactly the freedom we wanted to explore. Not to build the lightest or most powerful bike possible, but to create two bikes with completely different personalities.
One Platform, Two Missions
The answer to that question led to two completely different concepts built around the very same platform:
The HOT LAP build has one uncompromising goal: low weight, agile handling and the most natural ride feel possible. It’s meant to feel as close as possible to a conventional mountain bike, without giving up the advantages of a modern eMTB. Here, saving weight isn’t an end in itself. It’s the means to unlock more flow, greater agility and more direct feedback on the trail.
The WEEKEND ESCAPE build takes a very different approach. Here, the focus isn’t on shaving grams but on expanding what’s possible: more carrying capacity, more comfort, extended range and the freedom to go wherever the ride leads. It’s a bike that’s just as comfortable on the daily commute as it is on multi day adventures, gravel mountain passes or spontaneous detours onto singletrack.
That these two builds could hardly be more different, despite sharing a frame and motor system, is the whole point of this project.
HOT LAP: The Performance-Light-Build
How Do We Create Natural Handling Without Compromising Safety or Reliability?
With the HOT LAP build, our goal was to answer exactly that question.
Building the lightest possible e-mountain bike would have been a much easier challenge on paper. By fitting lighter-duty tire casings or smaller brake rotors, we could easily have shaved off another kilogram. But weight isn’t the goal in itself. A lighter bike doesn’t automatically deliver better handling or more fun on the trail, especially if that record breaking weight ends with a puncture or the brakes fading halfway down a long descent. What really matters isn’t where you save weight, but where you deliberately choose not to.
The Starting Point
The foundation of the HOT LAP build is MAHLE’s raw carbon frame. What many riders don’t realise is that skipping a multi layer paint finish saves around 100 to 150 g. For the HOT LAP project, we also opted for the smaller 600 Wh battery, which fits the concept perfectly. It trims valuable weight while still providing exactly the right amount of energy for everyday rides.
When it came to the suspension, the HOT LAP build makes no compromises on travel. Rather than chase even lower weight with a shorter-travel setup, the focus is firmly on full-blown trail performance. Up front, it runs a FOX 36 Factory fork with 160 mm of travel, equipped with the lightweight yet highly capable GRIP X damper. Compared with the even more downhill focused GRIP X2, it saves almost 120 g while still offering extensive adjustability, excellent support and all the performance you need on the trail. A matching FOX FLOAT X Factory shock controls 150 mm of travel at the rear, delivering consistent performance even on long, demanding descents.
One of the first real highlights of the HOT LAP build is the wheelset. The Newmen PHASE 30 VONOA Trail weighs just 1,250 g for the pair. The biggest contributor to that remarkable figure is the use of VONOA straight pull carbon spokes, each weighing only 2.8 g, with just 24 spokes per wheel. Despite their exceptionally low weight, Newmen rate the wheelset for Category 4 use and approve it for a maximum system weight of 150 kg. To strike the ideal balance between low weight and durability, the rims are purposefully mixed. Up front, the ultra light Phase 30 Light rim saves valuable grams, while at the rear the slightly heavier but tougher Base rim is better equipped to cope with harder impacts.
Grip and stopping power over saving grams
On paper, tires and brakes offered plenty of scope to save weight, but that’s exactly where every gram comes at the expense of trail performance. So we deliberately chose the more capable options. Up front, a MAXXIS Assegai with the EXO+ casing and MaxxGrip compound delivers maximum cornering grip, while at the rear, a Minion DHR II with the tougher DoubleDown casing and MaxxTerra compound provides reliable puncture protection and efficient rolling performance.
The same philosophy applies to the brakes: performance comes first. The Trickstuff Piccola HD, paired with C42 four piston callipers, is one of the lightest four piston brake systems on the market. Its 3D printed titanium brake levers and silver finish make it a technical and visual standout. Trickstuff’s own DÄCHLE UL brake rotors save valuable grams, but when it comes to rotor size, we refused to compromise. With 203 mm rotors front and rear, the bike delivers consistent braking performance even on long descents.
High End Tuning in Detail
Low weight isn’t achieved through the major components alone, but through meticulous optimisation down to the smallest detail. That’s where the custom parts from Berlin-based HOPP Carbon Parts come in. Founder Christoph Hopp handcrafts precision carbon components for the areas where large scale manufacturers typically avoid carbon on cost grounds.
A perfect example is the DIY upgrade kit for SRAM Transmission derailleurs. By replacing the load bearing parallelogram components, pivots and covers with carbon equivalents, a standard GX Transmission derailleur sheds an impressive 130 g, a weight saving of almost 30%.
But the tuning goes even further. On the FOX 36, HOPP’s valve caps and compression adjusters replace the standard aluminium parts. The absolute weight savings are small, but they add a level of visual exclusivity that suits a custom build perfectly. The same applies to the direct mount adapters for the SRAM AXS shifter and dropper post remote, which attach neatly to the Trickstuff brake levers. Also produced by the Berlin based workshop, they create a particularly clean cockpit.
Speaking of the cockpit, the front end is dominated by the integrated Gemini KÄSTOR bar-and-stem from Spain. Despite weighing less than 250 g, the one piece carbon unit carries a full enduro rating with no compromises. That’s made possible through the extensive use of titanium bolts and Mitsubishi MR70 carbon fibre, one of the highest-grade fibres on the market, combining exceptional tensile strength with outstanding stiffness for razor sharp steering precision. The fact that the Barcelona based brand has also created a genuine design masterpiece is reflected in its prestigious Design & Innovation Award. Of the available finish options, we opted for the UD Gloss version.
The cockpit is rounded off by the grips. ESI Chunky foam grips keep weight impressively low, at just around 60 g per pair. But that certainly doesn’t mean putting up with an uncompromising XC setup. As our test of the Thömus Lightrider E_MAX clearly demonstrated, the Chunky grips absorb high frequency vibrations noticeably better than many rubber compounds, helping to reduce arm fatigue on long descents while still providing surprisingly good grip, even in wet conditions.
The dropper post is another area where weight often gets saved at the cost of descending performance or rider freedom. On our size M frame, we went for 180 mm of travel, a well judged balance between low weight and total freedom of movement. Our pick is the OneUp Dropper Post V3, still one of the benchmarks on the market: precise actuation, an exceptionally light build and a remarkably low stack height that lets the full travel disappear into the frame, so you get complete freedom on technical terrain without lugging dead weight in the seat tube.
Mounted on it is a Sixpack Evo Rail Ultra saddle. Its clever one-piece fiber-reinforced polyamide construction strikes a genuine balance between minimal weight and real comfort, and one thoughtful workshop detail stands out immediately: there’s none of the usual fiddling with clamp bolts, because the saddle slides straight into the seatpost clamp by design.
To transfer the MAHLE M40’s power efficiently to the trail, we chose the Race Face ERA eMTB carbon cranks. They were developed specifically to cope with the higher torque and increased loads of modern e-bikes. An integrated stainless steel wear plate permanently protects the crank arms from scuffing caused by your shoes. Weighing in at well under 400 g, they are among the lightest carbon cranksets currently available for eMTBs.
WEEKEND ESCAPE: Which Bike Would I Pack if I Set Off Tomorrow Without Knowing When I’d Be Back?
While the HOT LAP project asks how light a modern eMTB can become without losing its trail character, the WEEKEND ESCAPE project poses a very different question: How many possibilities can a single bike unlock?
Lighter, faster, more extreme? That’s exactly what this build isn’t about. Rather than chase maximum specialisation, the focus is on a bike that feels as at home on a daily commute as on a post-work trail session or a fully loaded multi day adventure. WEEKEND ESCAPE wasn’t born from the pursuit of ultimate performance in a single discipline, but from the desire to maximise possibilities. It’s a bike for riders who don’t finish their journey at the car park, but wherever their curiosity takes them.
Which Components Actually Make a Bike Better for Everyday Riding and Long Distance Adventures
Where every gram counts on the HOT LAP build, WEEKEND ESCAPE puts durability, load-carrying and maximum range first. That’s why we deliberately chose the larger 800 Wh battery from the MAHLE M40 platform. The extra capacity gives you the reserves for all-day rides with luggage, steep climbs, riding after dark and multi-day adventures, without constantly keeping one eye on the remaining range.
Durability and function over prestige
The foundation is the proven DT Swiss HX 1700 aluminium wheelset, developed specifically for the demands of modern eMTBs. Rated for Category 4 use and a maximum system weight of 150 kg, it offers ample reserves for carrying luggage and tackling rough terrain. The Race Face Aeffect R eMTB cranks are likewise forged from 6066 aluminium, prioritising long term durability and reliability over shaving every last gram.
For the drivetrain, we deliberately chose against an expensive, delicate top-tier groupset in favour of Shimano’s new mechanical DEORE series. On long tours and bikepacking adventures, easy servicing, affordable spare parts and long term durability matter far more than prestige. The mechanical RD-M7200 rear derailleur adopts the same compact Shadow ES design as Shimano’s electronic Di2 systems. Its smooth, rounded profile helps prevent snagging on rocks or branches along narrow trails, reducing the risk of costly damage. The SL-M6210 shifter is designed specifically for e-bike use, limiting each shift to a single gear in order to reduce stress on the cassette when changing gear under motor load. Matching four piston Shimano BR-M6220 brakes paired with 200 mm rotors front and rear provide consistent stopping power and excellent heat management, even when the bike is fully loaded on long mountain descents.
The same philosophy carries over to the suspension. Rather than pay extra for a fancy Kashima coating, we chose the FOX 36 Performance Elite fork with the highly versatile GRIP X damper. Technically, it delivers the same outstanding damping performance and adjustability as the flagship Factory model, minus the cosmetic extras. At the rear, a matching FOX Float X Performance Elite shock offers the same tuning options as its Factory counterpart, delivering controlled, highly sensitive suspension performance even on long trail descents with the bike fully loaded.
Ready for Whatever Comes Your Way
The cockpit comes entirely from OneUp Components. The aluminium handlebars, with their carefully engineered compliance and excellent vibration damping, pairs perfectly with the soft grips to suit the bike’s long distance character, helping reduce arm fatigue over extended rides. The real highlight, however, is discreetly hidden inside the head tube. Thanks to the OneUp EDC Threadless Carrier Kit, the EDC V2 Tool, complete with a full multitool, tire lever, chain breaker and additional storage space, is always securely stowed inside the bike, silent and ready whenever you need it. Alternatively, the tool can also be stored inside the OneUp 100 cc EDC Pump mounted beneath the bottle cage. That means all your essential emergency tools are always carried on the bike itself, with no need for a backpack.
For the tires, the MAXXIS Dissector proved to be the ideal all-round choice. It rolls more efficiently than a dedicated gravity tire while still delivering enough traction for spontaneous detours on the trail. Up front, the combination of an EXO+ casing and MaxxGrip compound provides confident steering grip, while the tougher DoubleDown casing and MaxxTerra compound at the rear maximise puncture protection and help extend range.
The final touch that transforms the bike into a true adventure machine comes from Aeroe’s modular luggage rack system. It can be fitted quickly without the need for tools and turns the sporty eMTB into a fully fledged bikepacking rig in just a few minutes. The Spider Rear Rack, mounted to the seatstays, carries two waterproof 12 litre panniers, while the Spider Handlebar Cradle adds space for an additional 8 litre bag up front. Together, this thoughtfully designed setup provides a total of 32 litres of storage for multi day adventures, without noticeably compromising the bike’s low centre of gravity or handling stability.
The package is rounded off by the Trelock LS 990 Lighthammer Pro 250. Its compact CNC machined aluminium housing uses the airflow while riding as an active cooling system, allowing it to maintain full performance over extended periods. A handlebar mounted switch unlocks up to 250 lux in high beam mode. An integrated ambient light sensor automatically switches between daytime running lights and glare free dipped beam, while side illumination windows provide additional 360 degree visibility in traffic.
The hardware is in place, the components chosen, and the two core ideas behind the HOT LAP and WEEKEND ESCAPE projects have taken shape. But hardware is only half the story. In the second part of our series, we turn our attention to the heart of the MAHLE M40 platform, its fully customisable motor mapping. How much character can software really add? And can motor tuning shape a bike’s personality just as profoundly as carefully chosen components?
Part 3: Beyond the Build, How Do the Finished Bikes Perform in the Real World?
Words: Lars Engmann, Benedikt Schmidt Photos: Lars Engmann
