Some die-hard e-mountain bikers are of the opinion that e-hardtails and off-road use - this combination makes little sense in principle. After all, the main argument of conventional hardtails - the weight - does not play a major role in the motorised area, and full-suspension systems are known to be miles superior in off-road use. So what are the good arguments in favour of e-hardtails? Three advantages that play a very important role for a large group of buyers: the lower price, the simpler and low-maintenance technology, but above all the suitability for city/all-round use. In contrast to fullys, luggage systems, mudguards or lights can be easily attached to rigid rear triangles.
We also used these criteria to define the search filter for our 3-way shootout. The result: the market is thin on the ground, but we still found what we were looking for. Centurion, Cube and Ghost have hardtails in their model ranges that fulfil our requirements: They can be transformed from a mountain bike into a commuter - i.e. a commuter or touring bike - with little effort; and the price level of 2899 and 2999 euros is in a range that fullys don't normally venture into.
The full article with all the test results of these three e-bike hardtails 2020, including technical data and grades, is available as a PDF in the download section below:
- Centurion Backfire E R750i
- Cube Reaction Hybrid EXC 625 29
- Ghost Hybrid Kato X S5.7+ AL
