First things first: Strictly speaking, the Exess HP-E180 is not an e-MTB. It may not be ridden on the road or in the forest, but only on private routes. It is neither a pedelec nor an S-pedelec, and the motor support does not stop at 25 or 45 km/h. The question of the area of use must therefore be allowed. You can read more about how this bike came about in the interview below. But first the facts:
At the heart of the powerful bike is the Bafang Ultra Max Drive motor, which delivers 1600 watts at peak power and a maximum torque of 160 Newton metres. The rated power is 1000 watts. A 728 watt-hour battery should provide sufficient power. The powerful elements sit in a full carbon frame that provides 180 millimetres of travel. A 180 millimetre Yari from Rock Shox and powerful Magura stoppers underline the freeride genes.
For the time being, the bike is only available in the described equipment variant for 5590 euros and weighs 25.9 kilos according to the manufacturer. The bike should be available at the end of December.
We spoke to Mr Jürgen Schulz from the manufacturer S-Tech about the extraordinary Exess bike.
"Perhaps there will be special e-bike parks in the future"
Mr Schulz, the Exess bike may only be ridden on private routes in Germany. How is that supposed to work?
Jürgen Schuz: We come from the motocross sector, which also explains the area of application. In the past, so-called paddock bikes were used to run errands in the paddock of MX or enduro races. Since 2017, these bikes with combustion engines have been banned in some paddocks, and the search for alternatives has given rise to the Exess bike. Motocross riders can also use them to speed around an enduro track (official race track for enduro motorbikes), to watch the track or simply to have fun. In some countries in the south, there are also no legal regulations. Many people go on holiday there to ride off-road in a group. The way we see it: many MX and enduro riders put their bike in the trailer next to their enduro and take it with them to their MX or enduro training sessions. Or even on holiday.
The classic mountain biker can actually only misuse the Exess bike.
In motocross, we have always operated exclusively outside the StVO. We don't know any different. It is not our intention to promote abuse with the bike. We have assumed that, as with motocross bikes, this does not need to be explicitly discussed! With motocross bikes, nobody would think of condemning a motocross bike on the basis of possible misuse. Of course, there are also some weirdos who ride their MX bikes on dirt tracks or forest paths, but this is also strongly condemned in the MX community. So, our message is very clear: we condemn abuse in no uncertain terms. We have no intention of promoting an illegal market.
Will the Exess bike remain exclusively such a special tool?
We are aware of the problem and do not want to harm the pedelec community in any way. We will take responsibility and therefore offer the bike in a legal S-Pedelec version in future. As we cannot prevent our bike from being ridden on the road, the only option is to make the bike compliant with the StVO. We will therefore try to get the bike authorised and offered as an S-pedelec as soon as possible. Irrespective of this, I can imagine that our open Exess bike also has a sporty future.
What do you mean?
I could imagine that special e-bike parks will be created in the near future. The advantage is obvious: you don't need a shuttle or a lift. And more importantly, downhill riding itself is a lot more fun with such a motor than without a motor or only with a 250-watt motor! What's more, there's no need for a track exclusively on a slope! That would actually be a new discipline in its own right. I could well imagine that this could become a new trend sport. Just as motocrossers today put their bikes in their trailers to ride to the cross track and just as downhillers ride their bikes to the bike park, e-bikers could ride to their own special e-bike park in the future. The requirements for setting up such a bike park are much lower in terms of authorisation than if you want to set up a new MX track.
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
