Swiss ex-pro Ralph Näf can look back on a twelve-year racing career in mountain biking. During this time, Näf has won numerous World Cup races, giving him a wealth of experience.
Following the dissolution of the Stöckli team, Näf is managing his own World Cup team in 2017. In future, an electric drive will support him on his route tours: the Maxon Bikedrive is a retrofit motor and also comes from Switzerland.
"I am delighted to be able to test the latest eBike developments from the motor professional from Central Switzerland. I particularly like the sporty riding style that is possible with the Maxon Bikedrive. The response and acceleration are really fun. I'm happy to make a contribution to further improving innovative products in the bicycle industry," says Ralph Näf about the collaboration with Maxon.
The Maxon Bikedrive can be fitted by bike dealers to the frame of many MTBs with 135 or 142 mm hub widths. The hub motor weighs 3.5 kilos and should be able to develop a maximum torque of 50 Newton metres. The MX25 is designed as a pedelec motor and is therefore limited at 25 km/h. With its 360 Wh battery, which is located in the frame triangle, a trained 80-kilo rider should be able to ride a thousand metres uphill in half an hour.
The drive is operated via a twist grip shifter on the handlebars; a display is not provided. The advantage of the hub motor is that the geometry is not affected by a mid-motor. However, the unsprung mass is higher. The Swiss company charges around 2600 francs for the complete drive unit - excluding VAT and installation. For an additional 100 francs (also excluding VAT), the motor is spoked into a DT Swiss rim.
