Punch ‘lightest e-mtb’ into your browser and a few loopy headline weights pop up, however not all of them are fairly what they appear.
It stands to cause that even the finest e-bikes are going to be heavier than the finest analogue bikes for the easy cause that they arrive with the extra weight of batteries, motors, controllers, and wiring. So when producers begin touting e-bike weights which can be comparable with non-assisted fashions, it begins to scent slightly fishy.
For mid-power bikes 16kg builds have gotten more and more frequent and plenty of full energy e-bikes now declare to weigh in beneath the 20kg barrier. However few, if any, truly ship on their promise as a result of there’s no escaping the easy arithmetic of all of it. So let’s do the sums. If the lightest e-bike motor is presently 2kg with the show and wiring, which is being very beneficiant, and a 360Wh battery usually weighs 2kg, then including the lightest e-bike system to any platform implies that you immediately pay a 4kg weight penalty on the naked minimal. Usually it’s extra because the body additionally wants reinforcing.
The Focus Vam2 SL e-bike claims a 16.2kg headline weight, however that’s not with out compromise.
So is your 16kg e-bike with its Class 4 rated body actually a path bike? No, it’s a light-weight XC bike with the e-bike system hooked up. And the actual downside with that method, is that many of the elements on the bike weren’t designed for the rigours of path driving or for the additional payload.
The brand new Merida eOne-Sixty is 22.2kg (claimed) with a full energy motor and 600Wh battery.
Working backwards from a headline weight is a helpful technique for sniffing out bogus weight and class claims. As a result of, if the finest analogue enduro bikes usually weigh 16kg, then light-weight e-bike variations are going to must weigh 20kg. Keep in mind, it’s a minimal of 4kg for a battery and mot0r. Hop as much as full energy e-bikes and also you add 0.8kg to the motor weight and an additional 2kg to get a 750Wh battery, which makes 23kg a practical weight for a light-weight full energy e-bike.
So till battery tech improves, and motors get lighter, there’s merely no avoiding the load will increase when including electrical help. However that hasn’t stopped producers making an attempt to offset the additional weight of the e-bike system elsewhere. Among the options are sensible, others are painfully dumb, so we thought we’d define the 13 key methods bike manufacturers attempt to scale back the load of their e-bikes, so that you don’t get sucked into these headline weight claims.
Smaller sizes imply much less body materials and fewer weight
1. Weighing smaller measurement bikes
Nearly all producers are responsible of this low cost trick. Smaller frames use much less materials which in flip makes them lighter. In addition they have shorter steerer tubes on the forks, narrower handlebars and shorter seat tubes, all of which assist soften away extra flab to ship faulty weights for the opposite measurement bikes within the vary.
The Nobby Nic tyres on the Canyon Neuron:ON maintain the load low, however will flat simply
2. Becoming wafer-thin tyres.
That is the cardinal sin of e-bike weight saving. Producers almost at all times match skinny sidewall tyres to hit their goal weight with no regard for efficiency or sturdiness. It’s like a weight reduce earlier than a prize battle, however the fighter by no means will get to rehydrate earlier than taking the hits. Flat tyres aren’t as severe as a concussion, however they’re a sure-fire solution to spoil a experience.
The Specialised Turbo Kenevo SL 2 is tremendous cool, simply don’t overlook your vary extender
3. Scrimping on battery capability
If you happen to take a full energy e-bike and swap the usual 750Wh battery for a 360Wh, which is typical for a light-weight mid-power e-bike, you possibly can immediately lop over 2kg off the headline weight. Clearly you additionally successfully half the vary, after which have to spend more cash on a variety extender which suggests the load and worth each go up. Smaller diameter down tubes related to smaller batteries additionally scale back body materials and avoid wasting weight too.
The Whyte E-Lyte 140 has much less journey, and fewer weight, however can be much less succesful than the Whyte E-Lyte 150
4. Lowering body journey
This one is delicate, but it surely all provides up. By becoming a smaller eye-to-eye size and shorter stroke shock, like on the Whyte E-Lyte 140 Works, e-bike producers reduce weight and shift the bike right into a shorter journey class which is usually extra becoming of the light-weight elements which have additionally been fitted to assist scale back the general weight.
The Specialised Turbo Levo Comp was our shop-bought eMTB of the yr in 2023, and in addition the lightest bike within the take a look at.
5. Designing the bike round a 27.5in rear wheel
Smaller diameter rims, shorter spokes and smaller tyres related to a 27.5in rear wheel that’s widespread on MX bikes just like the Specialised Turbo Levo all assist bikes look spectacular on the scales. In addition they enable for shorter chainstays, which saves on body materials, and you’ll match a smaller brake rotor and retain the identical stopping energy as a 29in wheel with a much bigger rotor.
Santa Cruz has lengthy been utilizing two totally different carbon lay-ups to save lots of just a few grams in a single course, or a couple of bucks in the wrong way.
6. Utilizing increased specification carbon fibre
This one clearly bumps up the general worth of the bike however reduces the body weight with out compromising energy, dealing with or efficiency. Santa Cruz has its CC and decrease grade C carbon layups, Canyon has CF and its increased grade CFR fashions. Each choices use the very same body moulds, it’s simply that the lighter frames use higher-modulus carbon fibres. How a lot does it save? The load distinction between the Spectral:On CF body and the CFR is often 300g so to not be sniffed at.
The unique Orbea Rise was mild, but it surely wanted larger brakes
7. Speccing underpowered XC brakes
This one could possibly be downright harmful. Even the lightest mid-power e-bikes nonetheless weigh 16kg which is rather like your typical enduro bike. So becoming brakes with smaller rotors and natural pads, sure they’re lighter than metallic pads, is insane. Particularly on condition that the beneficial unsprung mass ratio of an e-bike, even a light-weight one, means you possibly can experience it more durable than an analogue enduro bike.
The 2024 Canyon Spectral:ON CFR was our e-bike of the yr winner within the direct-sales class, and it got here with slimmer Fox 36 forks.
8. Becoming suspension forks with smaller legs
Merely changing a RockShox Zeb with a Lyrik, or a Fox 38 with a 36, can usually lop 250g off the headline weight. Which is nearly as efficient a weight loss plan measure as the brand new GLP-1 receptor towards medication for weight reduction, however with none destructive unwanted side effects. Actually, the 2 successful bikes in our e-bike of the yr take a look at, each had slender Fox 36 forks fitted, to allow them to profit the general dealing with too, particularly for lighter riders.
The mechanical drivetrain on the Pivot Shuttle SL is lighter than SRAM’s wi-fi AXS equal.
9. Utilizing mechanical drivetrains
The highest finish Trek Gas EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS that we examined in 2023 highlights this level completely. The all singing, all dancing, SRAM AXS bike was truly virtually 1kg heavier and far more costly than the following mannequin down that used a mechanical Shimano XTR 12-speed drivetrain. Clearly Trek had specced its flagship “light-weight” e-bike for headline options and pricing, not precise weight financial savings. That is the place the Pivot Shuttle SL had an actual edge in our Light-weight e-Bike Check.
Focus Vam2 SL e-bike with Fox Switch Manufacturing facility SL dropper publish
10. XC dropper posts
Shorter journey dropper posts save weight, however given how arduous you possibly can experience an e-bike, even one with a sketchy XC construct equipment, it appears loopy to restrict the bike’s means by merely scrimping on seat publish drop. How a lot weight does a XC dropper truly save? Nicely, if we examine the 200mm Fox Manufacturing facility Switch to the 100mm drop SL model, it’s virtually 300g lighter, making it a straightforward win for massaging the numbers on the size.
The Mondraker Artful’s fastened inner battery saves weight by minimising body materials and fixtures and fittings.
11. Non-removable batteries
Integrating the battery into the body like on the Orbea Wild or Mondraker Artful RR can supply substantial weight reductions as you eradicate all the {hardware} related to making the battery detachable. It’s the first cause why most light-weight mid-power e-bikes have absolutely built-in batteries. It may be a significant inconvenience although, particularly in the event you don’t have an influence supply for charging the place you retailer your bike, or need to run a two battery method for prolonged experience time or when racing.
Scott’s Voltage eRide 900 Tuned comes with a one-piece carbon bar and stem
12. Utilizing one-piece bar stem combos
Weight weenies love a one-piece carbon bar-stem combo, so it ought to come as no shock that the majority flagship bikes use them to save lots of weight. Swapping your customary bar and stem for a elaborate built-in design just like the Syncros Hixon iC Carbon that’s used on bikes like the brand new Scott Voltage eRide Tuned and weighs a scant 327g, clearly helps the chip away the surplus flab.
The Cannondale Moterra SL makes use of the flex of the carbon stays to eradicate suspension pivots and save no less than 100g.
13. Remove pivot factors within the suspension design
Check out any trendy XC bike and flexstay designs are virtually universally employed to save lots of weight. Eliminating pivots, bearings and any related {hardware} is an instantaneous win on the scales. Cannondale is not any stranger to utilizing flexstays and it does this to nice impact on the brand new Moterra SL, a full energy e-bike with a claimed weight of 19.5kg. What number of different weight saving measures can you see on the Motterra SL?
Cannondale’s Moterra SL is among the lightest full-fat e-bikes in the marketplace
The post 13 tips e-bike manufacturers use to hit unrealistic headline weights – a lot for the scales of reality! appeared first on lickscycles.com.
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