Testing the range of e-bike motors: This is how high the new light drives climb

The new Light class has plenty of sex appeal. Light, slim and quiet - E-MTBs have never been so inconspicuous and elegant! In our Detailed laboratory and practical test of the lightweight e-bike motors we have already analysed the differences, strengths and weaknesses of the individual drives in detail. As part of our big comparison test of the eight hottest new light eMTBs, we got to the bottom of another key criterion: the range. In a sophisticated field test, we put the e-bikes and drives through their paces under exactly comparable conditions and compared them in terms of kilometre performance. Also included: a classic e-MTB with a large 720 battery, which Canyon Spectral:On CFR. Does the weight of the heavier model significantly reduce its efficiency? Or does it beat the light competition to the punch?

By the way: What strengths and weaknesses the e-bike motors have, how much power they deliver and which light drive is the best for which application, we have explained in our detailed laboratory and practical test.

The e-bike motors in comparison: the range test

• BH Bikes 2EXMag, 540 watt hours
• Fazua Ride 60, 430 watt hours
• Forestal F60-S1, 360 watt hours
• Shimano EP8, 375 watt hours // 504 watt hours // 720 watt hours
• TQ HPR 50, 360 watt hours

Range on a light e-bike: how important is it?

How much value you place on the endurance of a light e-MTB must be decided by everyone based on their personal usage profile. For those who only use the motor as a light tailwind with minimal power and sometimes pedal long distances without e-thrust on tour, this criterion may be of little relevance. However, if you are looking for a replacement for a classic e-MTB and like to demand full power from the light e-bike to master nasty uphills and long tours, you will quickly reach the range limit with the mini drives. And for them, the differences between the drives in terms of endurance can be absolutely decisive when it comes to making a purchase. Because, this much can already be revealed: Our test revealed serious differences in efficiency and range.

The range check: how we tested the e-bike motors

In order to compare the range of the Light e-bikes fairly and realistically, we carried out an extensive field test with watt measurement technology from Garmin. To ensure perfect comparability, we set all motors to a standardised output of around 250 watts equalised. That is just under half the power of a classic Bosch or Shimano e-MTB motor. In other words, every motor has to deliver the same power and every bike climbs at approximately the same speed. While this motor output for a Shimano EP8 means just "half load", the weaker motors from TQ and BH Bikes were already riding at the upper end of their maximum performance range.

We kept the rider's power output constant at 175 watts (cadence 80 to 85 rpm) and monitored and recorded it using high-quality measurement technology from Garmin. The rider's weight was 90 kilos including equipment. In this mode, we repeated a constant climb without any flat sections until the battery was completely empty. The data for the mountain: a good 300 metres in altitude over 3.6 kilometres. This results in an average gradient of 8.4 per cent. With these parameters, we needed around 16 minutes and 30 seconds for a climb of 300 metres in altitude. The descents were completed with the engine switched off.

The results: Light motors in the range test

The first realisation is hardly surprising: the larger the battery, the greater the range of the e-bikes. That doesn't sound very spectacular. What is much more interesting is that we found astonishing differences in range between e-MTBs with comparable battery sizes. A look at the 360 watt hour class makes this particularly clear. Forestal with 360 watt hours, the TQ HPR 50 in Trek and Simplon with 360 watt hours and the Shimano EP8 in the Rotwild R.X 375 with 375 watt hours.

In our test, the Rotwild with Shimano drivetrain climbed 1285 vertical metresand thus significantly more than the drives from TQ and Forestal. The bikes with TQ HPR 50 only reached an altitude of around 900 metres (Simplon 893 and Trek 925) and then cranked up another 133 and 148 metres in altitude respectively with significantly reduced power on the last ten percent of the battery. With 1007 metres in altitude plus 79 with reduced thrust, the Forestal Cyon with the F60-S1 a little further. Special feature: the motor pushes fully up to zero per cent battery, after which it delivers reduced power for a few minutes, which in our test resulted in a further 79 metres in altitude. Important for the interpretation of these results: The altitude metres in reduced emergency mode are largely pedalled by the rider, not the motor!

With 430 watt hours the Fazua bikes the next largest battery on board. Haibike and Focus achieved in our test 1423 resp. 1359 metres altitude. That is significantly more than the TQ competition. The increase in elevation gain of around 40 per cent is considerably greater than you would expect from the battery, which is only just under 20 per cent larger. Incidentally, the Fazua bikes push with the full power of around 250 watts, which we used for our test, right up to the last per cent of the battery.

The BH Bikes iLynx Trail gets the furthest overall with the largest battery at 540 Wh, but the drive switches to emergency mode with minimal support early on. 1338 metres in altitude plus 285 with reduced thrust do not indicate the very best efficiency. The Storck e.drenalin with Shimano EP8 and 504 watt hours climbs 1583 Altitude metres at full motor thrust, which emphasises the good efficiency of the Shimano EP8.

For comparison, we ran a classic E-MTB with a 720 battery in our test. The Canyon Spectral:On CFR weighs 22.3 kilos and is therefore around two to four kilos heavier than the light candidates. We set the motor support of the Shimano EP8 to the same power and speed level that we used on the light bikes. Unsurprisingly, with the significantly larger battery, the Canyon climbs by far the most metres in identical conditions and with the same riding style. Namely a whopping 2096 metres in altitude.

The comparison clearly shows that, with an economical riding style, mountain bikers can get significantly more range from a classic e-MTB than from the best light bikes. This is actually logical, but the manufacturers' marketing sometimes gives a different impression.

The results at a glance

• BH Bikes 2EXMag, 540 Wh: 1338 Altitude metres + 285 altitude metres with reduced power
• Fazua Ride 60, 430 Wh: 1423 Altitude metres (Haibike) / 1359 Altitude metres (Focus)
• Forestal F60-S1, 360 Wh: 1007 Altitude metres + 79 altitude metres with reduced power
• Shimano EP8, 375 Wh: 1285 Altitude metres (red deer)
• Shimano EP8, 504 Wh: 1583 Altitude metres (Storck)
• Shimano EP8, 720 Wh: 2096 Altitude metres (Canyon)
• TQ HPR 50, 360 Wh: 893 vertical metres + 133 vertical metres with reduced power (Simplon) / 925 vertical metres + 148 vertical metres with reduced power (Trek)

What do our results mean for you as an e-biker?

Unfortunately, you cannot plan your tour based on our results! The values that we have determined show nothow far you will get on your home circuit with motor X or battery Y. Because too many individual parameters play a role here. Rider weight, support level, route profile, surface, temperature and much more. Why is our test still meaningful? Because we compared the systems fairly and objectively. This means that the bike that gets the furthest in our test procedure will also give you the greatest range, the longest tour or the most trail loops. Drives that end up at the back of the pack will also lead to battery problems more quickly on your tours.

The perceived range of an e-bike motor

Our values reflect a fairly comparable picture of the drives. They allow direct conclusions to be drawn about efficiency and technological development. However, the "perceived range" can be very different in practice. This is mainly due to the significant differences in the maximum power output of the e-bike motors in the light class. In practice, a powerful motor, such as a Shimano EP8 or Forestal F60-S1, tempts you to switch on the turbo. However, the power modes of the powerful units are naturally correspondingly power-hungry.

If you don't use the motors economically, as the developers intend, you can end up with sobering results in practice. This is particularly striking with the Forestal drive, whose "nitro mode" is extremely torquey, but also super power-hungry. Even the most powerful motor, the Shimano EP8, draws a lot of power in full boost mode. For most applications, this is too much for the small 375 battery in the Rotwild. In these cases, if used "incorrectly", the battery can run out in well under an hour of riding time.

On the other hand, weaker drives, such as a BH 2EXMag or an SL 1.1 from Specialized, can be perceived as very economical and have a long range. This is because even if you set the motor to maximum power, you still get relatively little boost. Both deliver only around half the maximum power of a Shimano EP8. This means that the battery lasts a relatively long time even at the highest speed setting. In practice, this means that if you want to go on long tours with your light bike, you need to handle the battery and motor power carefully and familiarise yourself with the parameters. The best way to do this is to reduce the assistance levels to a moderate level via the app.

The light e-bikes in the test

We put eight of the most exciting light e-MTBs of the 2023 season through our editorial team for this test. Of course, we didn't just analyse the range. The detailed test of the eight trail speedsters is available here now in our EMTB issue 1/2023!

• BH Bikes iLynx Trail Carbon Pro 8.9
• Focus Jam2 SL 9.9
• Forestal Cyon Halo
• Rotwild R.X 375 Pro
• Storck e.drenalin.2 GTS 500
• Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT
• Haibike Lyke SE
• Simplon Rapcon Pmax TQ

More details about the bikes can be found here in the picture gallery: