All-mountain e-bike test 2022: 8 e-all-mountains in the big EMTB reader test
Florentin Vesenbeckh
· 25.08.2022
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The shimmering bronze YT Decoy 29 attracts attention. Sporty, cool, elegant. Many testers would love to take a run here. But on day 2 of our reader test, the neat mail-order bike had a tough time with the EMTB camp participants. Because: The day tour to Malga Cislon with its high altitude metres is on the agenda. With only 540 watt hours, the Decoy can't score points today. Taking the risk of the stylish speedster running out of breath on the long climb? Better not, the masses seem to think. Their gaze lingers on the better-equipped test bikes, which represent the state of the art with over 700 watt hours. In the market for e-MTBs with a classic drive, the Decoy 29 with its 540 watt battery is now the exception. Is a bike with this battery capacity still competitive? Or can it perhaps stand out from the masses of all-mountain e-bikes with its outstanding riding characteristics?
With these questions in mind, we travelled to Lake Kaltern. With us: eight brand-new all-mountain e-bikes. We let the participants of the EMTB trail camp take part in our big comparison test in order to incorporate the readers' point of view in addition to the classic procedure of the EMTB test experts. Around 5500 euros, 140 to 160 millimetres of travel, motors from Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha. A broad cross-section of the E-MTB all-rounder segment.
But back to the choice of partner. EMTB reader Tobi dares to take on the YT Decoy despite the smallest battery. The wiry 40-year-old is relatively light and clocks up plenty of kilometres in his everyday life. The fitness level is right. 1300 metres in altitude in one go are on the agenda, but just before the last, super steep climb to the highest point of the tour, there is an opportunity to plug the battery into the socket for a few minutes. In the afternoon, Tobi returns to the shores of Lake Kaltern with around fifty per cent battery and is very satisfied with the performance of the Decoy 29. Thanks to his good fitness, Tobi has managed to cover most of the metres in altitude in eco mode.
A different picture emerges for the majority of the rest of the participants: different stature, different riding style, different fitness level - quite a few reach the end of the tour with the last watt hour of power. Sometimes despite a large 750 battery or an extensive charging stop. The touring profile of 35.6 kilometres and 1330 metres of altitude difference is decent, but by no means extreme. The range, and therefore the ideal battery size, therefore depends very much on individual factors. Nevertheless, the participants largely agree that a little more battery reserves wouldn't do any harm. Over the course of the three days, some of the camp participants learnt just how little fun it is to be left with an empty battery before the end of the tour. That's why the majority of the group agrees: at least 625 watt hours, and preferably more than 700, is a must.
So the more, the better? Not necessarily. Very few people want unlimited range thanks to ever thicker batteries. For the obvious reason: "Then the things will be even heavier," the participants say in unison. So there it is, the dilemma that the entire e-MTB industry is struggling with: full battery reserve versus high weight - the search for the best possible compromise.
The details of the eight all-mountain e-bikes
Which equipment details are the manufacturers focussing on, which design trends are prevailing? The details on our test bikes reveal fundamental differences.
The motors of the all-mountain e-bikes in the test
These were the EMTB readers:
Eight bikes, three days of trails on Lake Kaltern. The 35 participants of the EMTB camp took the opportunity to see the latest all-mountain e-bike models in action. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Full experience: Most of them are experienced mountain bikers. They have been on the saddle for between 2 and 42 years. Average: 20 years. Like this, for example:
You can download the entire test of the eight all-mountain e-bikes from EMTB 3/2022 with all the data and grades as a PDF here.
We tested these all-mountain e-bikes:
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
