The topic seems about as exciting as discussing rehabilitation devices with health insurance co-payments. But anyone who has ever had to overcome an unrideable section on an e-bike tour will appreciate the benefits of a functioning push assist on an e-MTB. And the emphasis here is deliberately on "functioning", because until recently this was not a matter of course. Only since e-bike motors were specially designed for off-road use has the push function become important. Previously, it was really only intended to be used to push the e-bike up the driveway of an underground car park or up the stairs.
Decisive for e-bike push aids: the ergonomics of the control button
So if you don't just limit your tour planning to simple gravel paths, but are travelling on difficult terrain, you can save yourself a lot of trouble and energy with a good system. In order to find out which e-bike pushing aids best fulfil the requirements in different situations, we have compiled the eight most relevant models and tested them on a representative route according to defined criteria: a steep, blocked cart track with roots and boulders, grippy and slippery passages - this should make life difficult for the e-bike systems when pushing. The motor that delivers powerful and consistent propulsion in these passages has the trump card on its side. However, the most important criterion, and we have known this since before this test, is ergonomics. If you have your hands full pushing a bike weighing more than 20 kilos up a steep trail and at the same time have to hold down a small, hard-to-reach button with your thumb, you will reach your limits after a very short time.
There is no ideal solution for pushing aids on E-MTBs yet
We only found the buttons on the Brose control unit on the Rotwild and the ageing first Bosch Purion system to be reasonably ergonomic. Both e-bike push aids work very smoothly and have a clearly perceptible pressure point. However, the ideal solution does not yet exist. What would that look like? We have put a lockable push aid on our wish list. Whichever motor producer or e-bike manufacturer is the first to push this feature through within the tight legal framework will certainly gain a market advantage. There is probably not much that can be done about another issue: the maximum speed for e-bike pushing aids. The legislator has set this at 6 km/h.
Yamaha and TQ are the only push aids in our test that allow you to adjust the speed.
You can download the complete comparison test of the eight push aids from EMTB 2/2021 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.99 euros.
We have tested these e-bike push aids
- Bosch Kiox | Bosch Purion
- Mahle | Specialised Levo SL
- Brose | Specialised Levo
- Brose | Red Deer
- Giant Syncdrive
- Shimano EP8
- TQ
- Yamaha PW-X2
We tested the e-bike push aids according to these criteria
Ergonomics
Position, response behaviour and force required to operate the push-assist button. There is still plenty of room for improvement here.
speed
Not too fast and not too slow: The pushing speed should be adapted to the running speed on a steep trail.
Adjustability of the speed
Ideally, the pushing speed can be adapted to the conditions.
Power
A good pushing aid must be able to build up traction on the rear wheel with pressure on the saddle. Only then is it a real help on steep, slippery trails.
Response behaviour
Does the system respond immediately or with a delay, smoothly or abruptly? The response behaviour describes how the push assist reacts immediately after the button is pressed.
Memory effect
Whether on purpose or accidentally - sometimes your finger slips off the push-assist button and the motor stops. How quickly can the system be reactivated? Ideally immediately and without delay thanks to the memory effect.
Obstacle
Some e-bike push aids react allergically to sudden obstacles and stop. This is of course annoying on the trail. So it's an important criterion.
Uniformity
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes weak, sometimes powerful - this behaviour of some E-MTB drives when pushing is annoying. A good pushing aid provides noticeable, constant propulsion in all situations.
