As a touring bike, Centurion does a lot of things right with its E-Numinis E650.27. With a 15 motor sprocket at the front and a cassette with 11-42 teeth on the rear wheel, the gear ratio is absolutely suitable for the Alps. Even climbs in tricky terrain can be mastered without running out of small gears. The Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres are a good match. They offer decent traction in the 2.25 mm version and with a performance rubber compound. One size wider would be nice, as this would significantly increase grip and reduce puncture susceptibility. In the test, we rode the bike with 2.5 bar tyres on the rear wheel (1.9 bar at the front), as experience has shown that the risk of punctures increases too much due to the bike's high weight.
The Shimano braking system (M615) with 200 and 180 mm discs decelerates superbly and can be controlled perfectly with the convenient one-finger lever. Overall, the ergonomics of the cockpit are pleasing. The fork has 130 millimetres of comfortably tuned suspension travel. It reacts sensitively to small bumps, but sinks a little too low on steps. We don't think the handlebar remote control for locking the fork is necessary and would like to see a seatpost that can be lowered from the handlebars instead, which would fit in perfectly with the character of the bike.
Numinis rear triangle superior to the fork
The elaborate lever position on the rear triangle creates a suspension travel of 120 millimetres using the Virtual Poivot Point (VPP) system. This means that the pivot point is free in space, away from the bearing axles. This is intended to decouple the drive from pedalling influences. However, such influences are hardly noticeable on E-MTBs, as the drive keeps the tension on the chain relatively constant. Nevertheless, the rear suspension does a very good job and is superior to the fork in terms of performance. It is easy to set up and the rider receives good feedback from the rear wheel.
Unfortunately, the Bosch CX drive struggled with random dropouts during the test, the cause of which could not be determined. The sudden interruption in thrust disappeared after a few seconds - presumably a loose contact on the display. The battery provides 500 watt hours, so tours of around 1500 metres in altitude are easily achievable.
In the test in EMTB 1/2016 we compared a size 53cm E-Numinis with bikes in size M and criticised the high front end in particular. The version we have now ridden (frame height 48cm) comes with a 25 millimetre shorter head tube. This reduces the bouncing of the bike on steep sections and noticeably increases safety and manoeuvrability downhill. However, riders around 1.80 metres tall need to find out exactly which size suits them. Like most e-bike manufacturers to date, Centurion only offers the E-Numinis in three frame heights. This means that the size ranges are quite generous.
Test summary of the Centurion Numinis E650.27
For 3699 euros, you get a solid, well-equipped, lively touring bike. The E-Numinis with Bosch CX drive also feels at home off-road and only reaches its limits on really demanding terrain.
