Welcome to Escape Collective. Please select your language.
Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect. All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense, please double check in English.
It’s already been several years since Eurobike established itself as not only the world’s largest bicycle trade show, but also the bellwether for what was happening in the e-bike market – and if you’re still waiting for this “little fad” to just go away, you’re living in a fantasy world as that ship has sailed long, long ago.
At least according to figures provided by industry leader Bosch, e-bikes in general constituted 28% of the total market share in Europe in 2022. Those figures vary by region, but it’s still just shy of half of total sales in countries like Germany and Belgium, with continued double-digit percentage growth in both, too. The company estimates that e-bikes will likely surpass non-powered bikes in some countries this year.
Bosch didn’t provide segment-specific figures, but looking more anecdotally, while it seems the world is slow to warm to the idea of e-road and e-gravel (and I think there are valid reasons for that), e-assist urban, cargo, and mountain bikes are white-hot. I’ll cover cargo bikes in another gallery later on, but at least in the off-road space, much of the action is happening in the burgeoning so-called mid-power category, with motors putting out more like 50-60 Nm of torque instead of 70-90 Nm.
Included in this category are bikes like the Specialized Turbo Levo SL and Trek Fuel EXe, which may have less oomph than their full-powered counterparts, but can also be around 10 kg lighter, too. This isn’t just because the motors and batteries are downsized, either; all of the ancillary parts that are typically reinforced to handle all that extra mass on a full-powered model can be lightened up as well.
Bosch is clearly bullish on this segment’s prospects, introducing its first mid-powered drive motor at Eurobike called the Performance Line SX. The motor unit tself is impressively compact, supposedly weighs just 2 kg, and is so quiet that most will struggle to hear it at all – even when riding on tarmac. Output is limited to 55 Nm, but that should still be plenty unless you really prefer the motor to do the lion’s share of the work for you.
Bosch also expands the ecosystem of controllers and displays, such as the newly oversized Kiox 500 and a new Purion 200 combination mini-display and controller pad, plus additional functionality in the associated smartphone app that offers a broad range of customization, screen configuration, and handy features like an electronic key. You can even use your phone as the display itself, in which case you also get a more usably-sized navigation screen and optional wireless charging.
So is this what the future looks like? Nope. It’s what right-now already looks like.
There’s still a lot more to come (and you can find all of Escape Collective‘s tech coverage so far from Eurobike here).
Bosch’s new Performance Line SX is the brand’s first entry into the increasingly popular mid-power segment, and a strong indicator of where that part of the market is heading. In essence, if Bosch is behind something, you can be very confident it’s got a bright future.Bosch says its new Performance Line SX mid-drive motor weighs just 2 kg yet still delivers a healthy 55 Nm of torque.Bosch is pairing that new Performance Line SX motor with a broad range of battery options, including internal and external main packs, as well as range extenders.Bosch expects the 400 Wh internal battery pack to be the most popular OEM option with its new Performance Line SX motor, but if you need or want more, the PowerMore 250 adds another 250 Wh. Both batteries drain in parallel as you ride. If you don’t want or need the range extender, there’s also an optional Bosch side-access bottle cage that attaches directly to the battery mounting plate for easy swapping.The small panel on the top tube offers a convenient location for the master power switch.There are already a number of companies offering higher-end crankarms for all the major e-assist mid-drive motor systems.The Bosch Kiox 500 display is crisp and bright.I’m particularly fond of the new Purion 200 mini-display, which incorporates all the critical information you need in a tiny package.Control buttons are designed for easy access with your thumb.The screen layouts of Bosch’s Kiox 500 computer can be tweaked via the app.Each drive mode in the Bosch system can be highly customized.I’m not usually a fan of using my expensive smartphone for a bike display, but it’s hard to argue when it looks as good as this. The bigger screen is also fantastic for navigation.Bosch’s phone cradle also provides wireless charging capabilities.E-assist is already very well accepted for urban bikes.Perhaps e-gravel bikes will take off someday, although it’ll likely require changes in maximum speed cutoffs in certain regions (and for them to look better than this one).Remember that crazy ultra-low-friction Driven drivetrain? The one with the weird cassette that looked like a giant meat tenderizer? Well, the company has shifted gears, so to speak, and while this system bears the same name, it could hardly be more different. This new development is essentially a continuously variable transmission with a design adapted from what Toyota has used in its popular Prius hybrid. Here, it’s paired with a supplemental drive motor along with a seondary motor that adjusts the gear ratios electronically.Pedaling torque is transferred to the center differential via a one-way sprag clutch in the middle of the axle. The drive motor (top) applies additional power as needed to the output shaft, while the secondary motor (behind) changes how fast the two outer gears spin relative to each other, which adjusts the gear ratio.Driven’s new e-bike system seems quite elegant, and could potentially become an enticing all-in-one package for OEMs. And notably, while this schematic depicts a drive shaft, the design could also be paired with a more conventional drive belt or chain instead. Photo: Driven.This mock-up provides a decent look at what a finished product could look like. The drive unit is definitely bulkier than is ideal, but further development would invariably bring down the size to a more appealing level. Photo: Driven.Pinion’s new MGU (Motor Gearbox Unit) was one of the hottest items in the e-bike segment at this year’s Eurobike show.Pinion has combined its proven 12-speed gearbox with a full-power e-assist mid-drive motor for a highly desirable all-in-one unit.Pinion’s MGU can be used with a belt or chain. Either way, a tensioner is required on most full-suspension designs to account for changes in effective chainstay length as the suspension moves through its range of travel. And speaking of which, one benefit of Pinion’s setup is that it removes a lot of unsprung weight out back, which should theoretically yield a more active and supple suspension.Pinion’s 12-speed transmission produces noticeable drag in its non-assisted form. That obviously becomes less of an issue for an e-bike with additional external power, although there are still implications in terms of efficiency and range.Mahle is another brand that’s continuing to fly the hub drive flag. Its X20 system has found favor among brands outfitting higher-performance e-road bikes, in particular.Aside from the integrated charge port, you’d struggle to tell this bottom bracket area from a non-powered road bike.Rose and Wilier Triestina are among Mahle’s OEM partners for e-road bikes.This is among the more unusual locations I’ve noted for remote charging ports. As if integrated one-piece bar-and-stem combos weren’t already difficult enough to change and service!Did you know FSA has an e-bike system, too? Despite the big name behind it, it doesn’t seem to have nearly the same rate of adoption of the more established players in the field.FSA’s E-System shown here features a 252 Wh main internal battery with an optional external range extender that doubles the capacity.E-bike batteries are heavy, and while some brands opt for dedicated mounting systems for their supplemental packs, FSA goes with a simpler (and more proven) Velcro strap.Hub-drive motors are sometimes favored for their low drag when they’re ridden without electric assistance.While some segments of the cycling population have been quite resistant to the incoming flood of e-bikes, it’s no question that the industry sees where this is heading. It’s worth noting that many of the major motor brands don’t come from inside the bike industry, but instead have roots in automotive. Brose, for example, is a huge supplier of power steering motors.Bafang’s H700 rear hub system combines the drive motor with a two-speed transmission for a tidy all-in-one solution for urban e-bikes.The Bafang M820 mid-drive motor unit is quite impressively small, particularly given its 2.3 kg claimed weight and 75 Nm of maximum torque.Having a consistent source of power on your bike opens up options for all sorts of other things, too. Bosch’s ABS system is already in its second generation, and it’s absolutely mind-blowing to use. Just grab the front brake as hard as you want, and there are no unwanted consequences like going over the bars or washing out the front wheel, just remarkably short stopping distances. Bosch says the system doesn’t actually require very much power at all, but even so, non-powered riders are usually far too weight-conscious to lug the extra hardware around to otherwise make the system viable.Yamaha – yep, as in that Yamaha. These massive international corporations aren’t getting into the e-bike game because they think it’s a fun or pleasant diversion: they see real economic potential in the rapidly growing market.The introduction of an electrical motor somehow also inspires designers to think way outside the box in terms of what the bicycle structure itself could (or should) look like. This was one of the more interesting configurations I saw at this year’s Eurobike show.The open end here provides easy access to the internal battery.It almost seems like this frame design was inspired by someone playing at their desk with a paper clip.Nope, this thing is anything but an e-bike. But technologies that are being applied to e-bikes are often also being used for electrified mobiity in general, such as this outrageous electric trike. Might we actually see vehicles like this on the road in the near future? I don’t rule anything out these days.Look, ma, no chain! Or belt, or shaft, or any other physical connection between the crankset and rear hub, for that matter. Since energy generated by your legs can be transferred to the drive motor via electrons instead of more conventional means, do you still actually need any of that stuff? Well, I’m sure the efficiency of Cixi’s system is not quite as high as a modern chain drive, but stuff like this is still super intriguing.Would something like this ever have come about without the concept of e-assist? Whether you believe this wild thing even should have been created in the first place, I still think it looks super neat.New Motion Labs originally billed its Enduo drivetrain components as being ultra-low-friction for high-performance applications like track bikes. However, it’s largely pivoted from that target market to cargo bikes because while the design does still produce very little friction, what’s far more important to the burgeoning cargo world is it’s also supposedly super long-lasting. New Motion Labs claims its Enduo Cargo stuff can offer three times the lifespan of a conventional chain drive system, which more than offsets the increased cost.The remarkable proliferation of e-bikes has naturally prompted supporting brands to adapt to suit. KMC debuted at Eurobike a new e-bike-specific chain with stronger riveting and generally more robust construction to more ably hold up to the sustained increase in torque. This one’s also supposedly compatible with Shimano’s new LinkGlide cassette sprocket profiles used on the new CUES groupsets.It seems every motor company has its own idea on the best design. Some look quite similar, but this setup from Vinka definitely swims against the tide.
