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E-hardtails may not be bursting with sex appeal, but the robust all-rounders are always practical: for commuting, as city bikes, for leisurely tours. And we have also found some real athletes. Twelve models between 1999 and 2999 euros.
Since founding EMTB four years ago, test rider Stephan Ottmar has tested countless E-MTB models, but this test group is also a first for him: We brought twelve hardtails to our test track. Seven are priced between 2499 and 2999 euros, five mark the most favourable price range we have ever shown in EMTB: between 1999 and 2399 euros. Including something like their phenotype with steel suspension fork, skinny tyres and small brake discs. Instead, there are attachments for a side stand, mudguards and pannier rack. Do these bikes deserve to be called E-MTBs?
Sporty readers may turn up their noses. But the truth is: the motorised hardtail is currently experiencing a renaissance. While customers used to be won over by simple technology and a comparatively low entry-level price, they are now coming to the shop for other reasons: They are looking for a piece of sports equipment that is also a practical means of transport: as a commuter bike or city vehicle. This is where this type of bike can play those trump cards that don't work off-road: Full mudguards and pannier racks can only be easily attached to rigid rear ends.
As a sporty magazine, we are nevertheless more interested in the cross-country genes of our test candidates - after all, leisurely forest road tours should not be an insurmountable obstacle for any of these candidates. And indeed, you will find some real sports buddies in the test field, mainly in the upper price range: with wide handlebars and modern geometry, they are particularly ambitious on steep descents.
Which e-hardtail is the best all-rounder, which is particularly sporty? And is there a price-performance winner? The hardtail test in our EMTB Beginner Special - an extract from EMTB issue 2/2020 - provides the answers. 50 pages of tests and buying advice for € 3.99, as a PDF in the download area below and in the EMTB app for iOS and Android.
Entry-level hardtails: These twelve E-MTBs can be found in the test:
- Bulls Sonic Evo 1 27.5
- Canyon Grand Canyon:On
- Cube Reaction Hybrid Pro
- Fischer Montis 5.0i
- Giant Fathom E+2 Pro
- KTM Macina Ride
- Lapierre Overvolt HT 9.5
- Mondraker Thundra 29
- Rockrider E-ST 900
- Stevens E-Wave
- Thok Mig-HT
- Univega Alpina B 3.0
Everything new e-mountainbike riders need to know. The EMTB Beginner Special is an extract from EMTB issue 2/2020. 50 pages of tests and buying advice for € 3.99, as a PDF in the download area below and in the EMTB app for iOS and Android.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in EMTB. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, hundreds of thousands of euros every year.
Read the EMTB magazine digitally in the free EMTB app for iOS and Android. Or order the print edition online in the DK-Shop, we will deliver the magazine to your home free of charge - while stocks last:
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Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
