WebreaderShopNewsletterTop dealers & workshops

E-MTB motors put to the testHow good are the cheaper drives?

Adrian Kaether

 · 13.05.2020

E-MTB motors put to the test: How good are the cheaper drives?Photo: Stephan Ottmar
Class war: Which is the best E-MTB motor?
Shimano, Bosch, Brose or Yamaha? Which top drive for e-mountainbikes is convincing in the lab and in practice? And where do the cheaper e-bike drives stand? Our EMTB motor test provides clarity.

Hardly any other component influences the character of an e-mountainbike as much as the motor. So it's time to take a closer look at the 2020 generation of e-bike drives in the lab and in practice. We asked eight motors to compare: Twice Shimano, twice Brose, twice Bosch and twice Yamaha - the top model from each manufacturer and a slightly cheaper version. Which manufacturers are convincing? Who shows weaknesses on the test bench and in practice? And how much difference is there between the high-end units and their smaller brothers?

In practice, it depends on the impression of the testers and on soft skills such as modulation, starting, pushing assistance and pedalling resistance.Photo: Robert Niedring In practice, it depends on the impression of the testers and on soft skills such as modulation, starting, pushing assistance and pedalling resistance.

All Bosch, or what?

It's certainly not quite that simple. Because even if the Swabian company has been able to achieve a high level of success for its latest e-bike motor - the Bosch Performance CX Gen4 - Although it has received a lot of praise, it is not without its faults. Of course, this also applies to the competition from Brose, Yamaha and Shimano. One pushes powerfully from the bottom but is not very dynamic at the top, while the other only develops its full power at full cadence and pedalling power. Who can convince with the best compromise and the best manners? Incidentally, we were most surprised by the affordable e-bike drives. This is because the customer also gets very solid performance here and some of the bottom of the range bikes offer unexpectedly strong performance.

This is how <a href="https://www.bike-magazin.de/magazin/so-testet-das-emtb-magazin-das-neue-emtb-testsystem-im-detail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">EMTB Magazine tests</a> : The Traktal test bench, which weighs several tonnes, is the heart of the EMTB test laboratory. Thanks to complex measuring sensors, we can use it to measure and assess maximum power, torque and power delivery.Photo: Markus Greber This is how EMTB Magazine tests : The Traktal test bench, which weighs several tonnes, is the heart of the EMTB test laboratory. Thanks to complex measuring sensors, we can use it to measure and assess maximum power, torque and power delivery. The latest version of the Yamaha PW-X2 is used in e-mountainbikes from Giant and Raymon, for example. We pitted the e-bike drive against Bosch, Brose and Shimano in our motor comparison test.Photo: Robert Niedring The latest version of the Yamaha PW-X2 is used in e-mountainbikes from Giant and Raymon, for example. We pitted the e-bike drive against Bosch, Brose and Shimano in our motor comparison test.


Which e-MTB motor comes out on top in the end? And where do the cheaper units stand in direct comparison? You can read all this in our EMTB beginners' special. 50 pages of tests and buying advice for 3.99 euros, as a PDF in the download area below.

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.

You can find these E-MTB motors in the test

  • Bosch Performance CX Gen4
  • Brose Drive S Mag
  • Shimano Steps E8000
  • Yamaha PW-X2
  • Bosch Performance Line Cruise
  • Brose Drive T
  • Shimano Steps E7000
  • Yamaha PW-ST

Downloads:

EMTB Beginner Special 2020 (pdf)

Share article:
Adrian Kaether

Adrian Kaether's favourite thing to do is ride mountain bikes on bumpy enduro trails. The tech expert and bike tester knows all about Newton metres and watt hours, high and low-speed damping. As test manager at MYBIKE, Adrian also likes to think outside the box and tests cargo bikes and step-through bikes as well as the latest (e-)MTBs.

Home
EMTB

Most read in category Components