Highlighting their new painted-in-Italy WPNT colors inspired by classic car paintjobs, 3T almost glossed over a really big update to their core RaceMax gravel bike… an Integrale shift finally gives the bike fully internal cable routing. Sure, 3T already adopted fully internal routing on their aero road bike a couple of years ago, and then incrementally on each of their premium made-in-Italy Italia models since. But now, the more affordable standard 3T RaceMax WPNT Integrale drops the annoying toptube routing port. And it’s also available as a frameset for 1/2 the cost of the Italia edition!

3T RaceMax WPNT Integrale carbon gravel bike is integrated!

For four years, the 3T RaceMax has been 3T’s best-selling gravel bike – aerodynamic, versatile with faster and wide 700c tires or even wider 650b tires for bigger adventures, and plenty of mounts for bikepacking and adventure. Now, 3T gives the RaceMax a “fresh coat of paint” by adding it to their new WPNT program, with 5 special edition metallic & iridescent colors said to be inspired by classic cars. That “We Paint” label meaning that 3T paints the bikes themselves in Italy, letting them run more special edition colors.

At the same time, the 3T RaceMax WPNT also becomes “Integrale” like their top-tier made-in-Italy Italia edition carbon road & gravel bikes…

Why does an integrated gravel bike update matter?

The 3T Exploro has been around as an aero gravel bike since 2016. And, I’ve ridden every generation since – at least 5 or 6 different Exploros with one inelegant cable routing solution. The RaceMax platform itself, has been around for 4 years, now. I reviewed this latest bike back in the summer of 2020. And all-in-all I think it’s still one of the best, most versatile but still race-ready gravel bikes out there. Well, except for one major nit I had to pick…

The cable routing into the frame just behind the headset was simply bad. Always in the way, whether mounting devices over the stem or using any toptube bag. It was annoying enough that I wasn’t bothered when it was time to return that test bike to 3T.

And I was genuinely psyched when I first rode the made-in-Italy Exploro Extrema Italia which fixed the internal cable routing issue (even if the toptube bolts didn’t exactly seem to be in the correct spot).

Sure, it meant that the new made-in-Italy bikes were only compatible with electronic shift drivetrains. And they were a lot more expensive. But, it was so much better a solution that this was a gravel bike I would like to keep around for a bit longer.

Now, that’s no longer holding it back, I can say this made-in-Taiwan RaceMax is one of the best all-rounder gravel bikes out there. It does everything the RaceMax Italia does – the same shaping, tire sizes, component standards, and geometry – just with a frameset that costs half as much built with pre-preg carbon instead of filament winding.

2025 3T RaceMax WPNT Integrale – Pricing, options & availability

The newly integrated RaceMax WPNT is now available directly from 3T in 5 special edition paint colors: Camo gray, Indaco blue, Mara blue, Malva purple & Avorio off-white. And it is offered both as a 2975€ frameset, or a complete bike build for 6150€ with a new GRX Di2 2x build and aero carbon 3T Discus 40/30 wheels. Either way featuring the 3T Fango RaceMax Integrale compact crown fork & Apto Integrale Stealth stem to route all cables (electronic shift only) through the headet.

Both new iterations of the new 3T RaceMax WPNT Integrale are painted and built-to-order, with a 6-8 week lead time.

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Just over a week ago Merida launched their first real lightweight eMTB with the all-new eOne-Sixty SL powered by the Bosch SX ebike motor and a 400Wh internal battery. Mixing the smooth feel and ‘just enough’ power of the SX eMTB powertrain, Merida gives the e160 SL a full carbon frame with truly enduro-capable all-mountain geometry and 160mm of travel front & rear to create a do-it-all shredder for riders looking for ultimate lightweight and a more natural ride.

I spent a couple days riding this new light eMTB on familiar steep, loose & rocky trails in Catalonia, and came away truly appreciating an ebike that felt like riding a regular bike, just with several hours of fresh legs built-in!

First Rides on new lightweight Merida e160 SL Bosch SX eMTB

I’m a little torn over whether I should call this ebike the eOne-Sixty SL like Merida does on their website, or the e160 SL like is written on the top tube. But I’ll stick with the latter, if for no other reason than simplicity.

I feel like this new e160 SL is the real highlight of Merida’s 2025 move to Bosch. After years of Shimano pedal-assist power, Merida diversifies with their first move into Bosch motors. The Shimano-powered bikes aren’t going anywhere, but now German motor lovers get their options, too.

Together with this Performance Line SX-powered e160 SL, there’s a new Performance Line CX-powered e180 and a few base CX-powered eFloat commuters of various sorts. All come at a time as Bosch has seriously overhauled their premium performance ebike motors, while also adding the same small unobtrusive handlebar style mounted displays that Shimano has used for years.

Important details – Bosch SX

The heart of this e160 SL ebike then is the lightweight Bosch Performance Line SX motor that debuted last year, tucked under this custom plastic protector.

You get a nominal 250W ebike motor cranking out 55Nm of torque but at a claimed motor weight of just 2kg. That makes it 35% less torquey than the latest CX motor, and 40% lighter. But it still peaks at 600W of pedal-assist support – the same as the CX, making it double what you get out of a TQ motor, for example. The lower overall SX torque actually translates to less power drain, though.

So even though this Merida e160 SL only has a 400Wh battery inside, you’ll get a lot longer range than if you put that small of a battery into a CX-powered eMTB.

+250Wh if you need more

Yet still, if range anxiety is a concern, the Merida eOne-Sixty SL has its charging port right on the side of its seattube below the rocker link pivot. And you can strap an extra 250Wh Bosch PowerMore range extender external battery in place of the regular water bottle to carry you 62.5% further than without it.

In fact, I would probably recommend that everyone who buys this lightweight ebike plan to cough up another 400€ for that extra battery.

The greatest thing about this eMTB is probably how light it is and how that makes it handle more like a regular enduro or all-mountain bike. And I think the building 400Wh battery offers plenty of range for the majority of rides you’ll do on it – where you don’t want the penalty of an extra 1.6kg on every ride, when it’s usually not needed. But being able to increase your range by so much when you do plan on an all-day ride with more climbing than usual, just makes this a much more versatile ebike in the end.

29er eMTB with 160mm front & rear

This new lightweight 29er Merida eOne-Sixty SL ebike gets 160mm of travel front & rear in a <2kg full-carbon frame with a simple linkage-driven single-pivot suspension design and flex stays that help keep it simple & lightweight. Or 174mm in the rear if you convert it to a mullet setup via the flip-chip and a 27.5 rear wheel swap.

It looks quite a bit different, but suspension kinematics-wise it’s quite similar to the new Shimano EP8-powered eOne-Sixty that launched last spring (which was actually already a mullet with 174mm of rear wheel travel paired to a 170mm fork). Plus, this new eMTB is about 3.5kg lighter.

With its new lighter weight, this SL eMTB even feels a bit more capable off-road too, even with the shorter fork travel. It does get a half a degree slacker headtube at 64°, the same ultra-steep 78.5° seat angle, 4mm longer chainstays at 450mm, and an extra centimeter of Reach to 489mm on my size Long test ebike.

So, it’s a bit longer and slacker for more stability. But it is lighter, so it’s much easier to hop and maneuver around on the trail – and still available in 5 Agilometer sizes (XS-XL).

A few more key details… all the cables are routed in through the Wire Port cap on the Acros block-lock headset, and there’s an UDH out back. There’s a downtube protector, thick sculpted wrap-around rubber chainstay protector to silence the drivetrain, and optional short or long rear fenders to keep mud away from the main pivots.

The e160 SL has clearance for 29 x 2.4″ tires, and is rated for enduro Category 4 riding, anything shy of DH racing. Plus, Merida backs the carbon frame with a lifetime warranty.

Want more details? Check out my eOne-Sixty ebike launch story, here.

Actual weight

Okay, so the new Merida e160 SL 8000 that I tested in size L (Long or Large) weighs 20.4kg That’s set up tubeless without petals, but with the mini-tool strapped under its seat.

That’s not really light for a regular bike, but it is only about 2.5kg more than an entry-level pedal-it-yourself One-Sixty. And so for an ebike, it’s a pretty lightweight feel. 


A lot of weight savings comes from that 400Wh battery in it, which is relatively small. But it still seemed to be plenty for what I was getting up to and riding.

So how does it ride?

Riding Impressions – Lightweight All-Rounder

Merida describes this as an ebike meant to blur the divide between conventional regular bike riding and pedal-assisted ebiking. 
And it does that for sure. There’s no doubt that the Bosch SX powertrain makes you feel like you have fresh legs zipping up climbs easier than you probably should. And the complete package is still light enough that you go downhill without really feeling like being weighed down by a heavy, clunky ebike.

At just 20 kilos, it’s plenty light enough to still be maneuverable under you. This is an eMTB that’s easy to pick up and hop around on tight technical trails. And it’s really easy to get it off the ground. Riding a number of heavier, ‘full-power’ ebikes, I often feel I’m plowing into things, smashing through loose rock gardens, dragging through creek crossings. But not with this e160 SL. This ebike still feels light enough that you can pick lines easily, change direction effortlessly, and confidently tackle more challenging lines. It just feels much more natural.

But still plenty of power

Going uphill though, yes, the Bosch SX motor is less powerful than its heavier-duty CX sibling. But still it offers that same peak power of 600W, even if the torque is lower. So it’s still feels like it’s going to carry you up some of the steepest terrain. 
Sure, its torque is about 40% less than the most powerful motors out there, so it won’t feel quite as zippy.

But to just make getting back up the hill a bit quicker, a bit easier, it definitely felt like plenty of zip for me. And that lower torque in the end actually does create a more natural ride – a feeling I prefer when getting pedal-assist.

Balancing battery & range

The SX setup kind of strikes a balance between really lightweight and full-power motor support. And it manages power well with the 400Wh battery to still deliver quite long range.

I (85kg) had no problem getting 2 solid hours of riding and 900-1000 meters of climbing out of this relatively small motor and small internal battery while pushing it hard, mostly in Turbo mode. Knocking it down to eMTB mode looked like it would get me about 10% more, or 50-60% more in Tour or Eco modes.

For sure, it won’t keep up all-day with full-power eMTBs with much bigger batteries if you head high into the mountains. But it’s definitely a compromise I’m willing to make in order to have that much better maneuverability and much more playful feel to the ebike – both when going downhill and especially carving the ebike through tight technical terrain & more flowy trails. Saving 3-5kg off many of the more powerful eMTBs out there, the e160 SL just creates a much more enjoyable feel that is much more like riding a mountain bike and less like lugging a heavy ebike up & down in the forest.

Going further & countering range-anxiety

And I think it’s simply more fun to throw a lightweight eMTB off of jumps that it is a heavyweight ebike.

Now like I’ve already said, if you’re looking to ride further, you can just strap on a range extender battery. And while a 250Wh is a relatively small addition to a thousand Wh battery, when you’re already starting from just 400Wh, it’s a sizable boost. So you’re genuinely increasing your range by more than 60%! Of course, the one thing I don’t like is that the range extender takes the place of your water bottle, and on those longer ebike rides, you’re going to need more water, too. So, you’ll just have to accept wearing a hydration pack.

Hiccups

One recent Bosch update that I can really get behind is their new Purion 400 display (which looks a lot like Shimano’s similar Di2 & ebike display). It simply puts useful ebike info in an easy-to-see spot and lets the rider cycle through whatever you prefer to focus on – estimated range, speed, cadence, assist level, ride stats, etc. It’s simply much more informative than the LED indicator bars that Bosch puts on your toptube. Although sometimes it gives bad news, as well.

The one issue I had tested this Merida e160 SL 8000 was that this model includes a wired-in SRAM AXS transmission rear derailleur. While that would normally be wireless, here it’s powered directly from the ebike’s battery. But the Bosch system & SRAM don’t talk. So ultimately, when you get to 0% battery on your motor, you have 0% battery in your derailleur, too. That means when you run out of battery for the ebike, you run out of the ability to shift. It shuts down, and you’re left in whatever gear you’re in. To be fair, you get a decent warning, it runs on 0% for a bit. So definitely, when you see your ebike hit 0%, you should just turn off any pedal-assist to still get more shifting.
But once it shuts down, that’s it. Yes, you can start it back up for a second and probably get a couple extra shifts out to get back to a pedal-able gear. I was able to, but your results may vary. And ultimately, it’s going to shut down again with its lovely Bosch message of “See You” at the end. 


But easy enough to fix…

My recommendation if you get any Bosch ebike with a wired-in SRAM derailleur is just to buy an extra AXS battery to carry as a spare so you don’t ever have to worry about it again. It’ll cost you about 60€ and weigh <25g. Surely worth the peace of mind.

Parting thoughts

What I come away with is that this new e160 SL is my favorite Merida ebike, yet. It actually rides a lot like the regular 160s, which I liked a lot for the it simple, playful ride, and great slack & capable geometry.

The Merida e160 SL is not super long travel, so it’s not really e-Enduro. Although its geometry is really trying to emulate full-on enduro bikes. But it’s much more of an e-All-mountain shredder type of thing. But with light weight, long reach, long chainstays, a slack 64° head angle, and Merida’s characteristically steep seattube angle, you can comfortably ride this thing down just about any trail. And with plenty of eMTB motor support,
you can get back up just about any trail, too.

It’s probably the most versatile e-mountain-bike that Merida has made. And at this light weight and natural ride feel, it really just handles so much like a regular bike that it’s just fun for all types of trail riding and makes you feel like you always have fresh legs.

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Merida’s all-new alloy eOne-Eighty eMTB is a full-powered freeride ebike for riders who want to go full gas all the time. With 180mm of plush travel front & rear, a mullet wheel setup, and the latest generation of Bosch’s top CX motor backed by 800Wh of internal power – this is essentially a gravity bike with a built-in uplift. When the going gets tough, this new e180 is just getting started. And when it’s time to pedal back up again, the powerful Bosch motor will fly you back to the top.

It even has some new quiet-running Bosch secret weapons like Hill Start Assist, pedal-ratcheting Extended Boost, and just an all-together smoother delivery of the CX motor’s high torque.

Merida eOne-Eighty full power Bosch CX enduro eMTB

The next up in the new Bosch-powered Merida eBike family, the eOne-Eighty is the heavy-hitter. Beyond simple motor differentiation, it also happens to be the longest-travel ebike that Merida has ever produced. And it’s undoubtedly one of the heavier ones, which is why it gets a mixed 27.5/29″ mullet wheelsize combo to maintain agility.

While the new eOne-Sixty SL is a lightweight, lighter-assist all-mountain ebike for riders looking for a more natural ride feel, this eOne-Eighty is pretty much the opposite end of the trail-to-enduro spectrum. This is an extra burly bike meant to “shred the gnar”.

In fact on paper, it’s not so dissimilar to the e160 & e160SL – built to ride pretty much any technical trail, with similar geo, and a premium Bosch ebike motor.

What’s new?

Interestingly enough, the new eOne-Eighty actually features less progressive-looking geometry – a steeper headtube, shorter frame Reach, and even shorter chainstays – than the e160 family. But that’s really because Merida worked hard to give this heavier, bigger travel ebike the same light maneuverability as its short & lighter siblings.

In the end, how it feels to ride is a completely different story. This is a 7kg heavier eMTB than the e160 SL. And that means you are more likely to smash through and plow over anything in your path, much more so than its lighter sibling that is easier to manual and pop over obstacles.

Major Bosch CX upgrades

Yet, while it is undeniably heavier, it also takes full advantage of the latest functional upgrades to the Bosch Performance Line CX powertrain. Slightly reduced weight, the same overall power, but quieter & smoother pedal assist, and new smarter assist modes. Like Hill Start that basically reimagines a new type of assist like Walk Mode, where you can easily pedal from a dead stop on the steepest, loosest terrain without wheelspin and without rolling backward. Or Extended Boost that lets you smash down on the pedals in short bursts in eMTB mode only (without pedaling a full circle) to propel yourself forward with powerful pedal-assist on sections of trail when there isn’t enough clearance to pedal normally.

Plus, there’s the big new 800Wh internal battery, which can be extended even further with the same 250Wh PowerMore range extender external bottle battery.

Merida calls the new eOne-Eighty an eBike built “for riders who seek the most challenging lines, are no longer willing to compromise on big
mountain capability, and love to ride their favorite trails all day long“.

Riding the all-new Merida eOne-Eighty

Yes, this is a pretty progressive enduro ebike. And yes, with 180mm of travel at both ends, this is an eMTB that can bomb down anything from your local enduro tracks to full-on bikepark trails. But it really is a blast to ride uphill, as well.

Merida says they developed size-specific kinematics for the new eOne-Eighty so smaller, lighter riders get the same plush yet supportive suspension feel as taller, heavier riders. That means bigger bikes are more progressive so there’s increased resistance to bottoming out the bigger you go. That’s even more interesting tied to Merida’s Agilometer sizing concept, where most riders can size up or down to get a bike with longer Reach & more stability or shorter cockpits & improved agility. Now you can add increased suspension progression with longer sizes, too.

The most interesting bit here is that suspension progression moves in relatively small steps, except… The smallest XShort bike is extra plush and more linear than the others, specifically to give a much more active ride to the much smaller, younger, and lighter riders who tend to end up on Merida’s smallest bikes.

First Impressions

So back to my first impressions of riding the new Merida eOne-Eighty…

This is the first proper riding I have done on the latest iteration of the Bosch CX motor. And I can say it is a vast improvement. The new setup feels just as power

It also has the added benefit of being much quieter. No rattling, and almost silent operation in all but the maxed out Turbo mode’s full-boost. Also, the new Purion 400 display is everything I loved about Shimano’s Di2/EP8 display and more. You get easy-to-view feedback on remaining battery power, what assist mode you are in, ideal cadence range to get the best support, and an estimated remaining range for example.

As for range… we all know it is super subjective, but I’ll leave you with this. I took off on a fast-paced ride with the new eOne-Eighty trying to squeeze as much riding as I could into a very short time. So I (85kg) rode more than 38km of very steep, technical terrain with more than 1250m of climbing, pretty much entirely in full Turbo mode on the 800Wh battery. And I came back with more than 20% of battery remaining after more than 3 hours out – 2 hours & 15 mins of ride time. Realistically, most regular rides would have been more conservative. But in any case, I had plenty of power to spare after a really solid ride.

2025 Merida eOne-Eighty – Pricing, options & availability

The full-power, full-send aluminum Merida eOne-Eighty ebike comes in 4 complete build spec options, 5 sizes, and 5 different colors depending on spec. All get the same alloy frame fitted with the updated Bosch Performance Line CX motor, the 800Wh internal battery, big brakes, max adjustable travel droppers on all sizes, integrated Lezyne headlights, and DD Minion DHRII / EXO+ Assegai tire combos.

The £4900 / 5750€ eOne-Eighty 400 is the entry-level with an extra durable Shimano Cues 1x 9-speed LinkGlide drivetrain and SR Suntour Aion 38X / TriAir 2 suspension.

The £5750 / 6750€ eOne-Eighty 500 swaps in a Cues 10-speed LinkGlide drivetrain and upgrades to RockShox Zeb / Vivid Base suspension, at a claimed 27kg.

Then, at the 700 tier, for £6500 / 7650€ you get a SRAM GX Eagle mechanical drivetrain and RockShox Zeb / Vivid Select suspension, for the same 27kg claimed weight.

The top-tier Merida eOne-Eighty 900 that I tested moves up to a Shimano XT mechanical groupset and RockShox Zeb/Vivid Ultimate suspension for £7500 / 8800€, at a slightly heavier claimed 27.2kg (actual for my size L).

All four specs are available now to pick up through your local Merida dealer.

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Merida makes a powerful move to Bosch motors for their latest crop of ebikes, including this all-new lightweight all-mountain eOne-Sixty SL, its companion full-power enduro eOne-Eighty, and a new crop of eFloat city bikes. The 160mm travel is my preferred starting point to discuss the new Bosch powered bikes, because even though it is really an all-new ebike, it has something of an analog in Merida’s previous popular e160 platform.

But with a lighter carbon frame, a lighter and smoother pedal assist via Bosch’s SX motor, and the smallest battery that Merida has put in an eMTB yet… the new eOne-Sixty SL feels a lot more like a regular all-mountain bike. And it likely will appeal to mountain bikers turned off by the extra heft of most full-powered ebikes.

2025 Merida eOne-Sixty SL lightweight Bosch SX eMTB

The new carbon Merida eOne-Sixty SL is a full 29er Bosch SX-powered light-support eMTB, with a 400Wh internal battery, and the option for a 250Wh external range extender if you need it.

This past spring Merida lightened up their popular Shimano EP8-powered eOne-Sixty all-mountain to enduro ebike with a carbon frame, bigger battery options, and longer travel than its name would suggest. (Pretty much every ebike they’ve made until now had a Shimano motor, but it’s time for diversification and more choice.) Still, that eMTB still weighed between 22-23.6kg depending on how much money you could spend. Sure, it was light-ish, but still noticeably heavier than any real lightweight eMTBs.

This all-new ebike on the other hand weighs between 19.5-20.8kg, which is enough of a weight reduction to really start to feel more like a regular big mountain bike.

Tech details

The new Bosch SX-powered Merida eOne-Sixty SL ebike sticks with 160mm of travel front & rear. The <2kg carbon frame features a simple linkage-driven single-pivot suspension design with flex engineered into the seat stays for simplicity and light weight.

But you can also eke out another 14mm of rear wheel travel if you convert it to a mullet setup with a 27.5″ rear wheel and the frame’s flip-chip.

The eOne-Sixty SL also sports some properly progressive geometry – in 5 Agilometer sizes (XS-XL). With a 64° headtube angle, ultra-steep 78.5° seat angle, and long 489mm frame Reach on my large-size Long test ebike, it’s nearly identical to the Shimano-powered e160 carbon, just with 4mm shorter chainstays. It’s also tested and rated for Category 4 riding which is everything short of DH racing.

This eMTB is clearly trying to emulate full-on enduro bikes, but I think it really shines most as an all-mountain shredder.

At the heart of the new eOne-Sixty SL, of course, is the 55Nm Bosch Performance Line SX ebike motor, hidden behind a vented plastic cover. And neatly tucked inside the frame is a light 400Wh battery.

The charging port is on the left side of the seat tube, and you can also plug in a 1.6kg, 250Wh Bosch PowerMore range extender external battery if you need more support or have range anxiety. The range extender does replace the space for the max 750lm water bottle though, and you can’t run both at the same time.

Although, as an 85kg rider pushing this ebike hard, I could still get 1000m of climbing out of this small battery in its most powerful assist mode. So I suspect I would leave that extra battery at home for most rides, although it would be a nice addition for big days out on the ebike.

First Impressions Riding Santa Coloma de Farners

Merida says the new e160 SL “blurs the line between conventional and assisted riding“. It is no doubt an ebike when you realize how much faster you can get to the top of the hill with 250W of normalized power (and 600W peak power) boosting your legs. But when you head downhill again, the extra weight compared to a regular all-mountain or enduro bike seems to almost disappear.

This is certainly one of the more balanced-feeling and more capable-feeling ebikes I have tested. And while you genuinely have to put in some effort to get it up the mountain, going down is as playful and natural feeling as a regular mountain bike. There really doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of compromise here.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of how this 20.4kg Merida eOne-Sixty SL 8000 rides, how it feels, and what I see as its downsides.

2025 Merida eOne-Sixty SL – Pricing, options & availability

The new lightweight Merida eOne-Sixty SL ebike with its carbon frame, Bosch Performance SX motor & 400Wh internal battery comes in just 3 spec levels, 5 sizes, and 5 different colors depending on spec. All get proper all-mountain-to-enduro-ready specs with 4-piston brakes, 200+mm rotors, long-travel droppers on all sizes, and EXO+ Minion DHRII/Assegai tires.

The £6000 / 7000€ eOne-Sixty SL 6000 is the more “entry-level” with a Shimano Deore drivetrain and Marzocchi Z1/Bomber Air suspension at a claimed 20.8kg. (All € pricing is based on German retail pricing, and can vary throughout the EU.)

The eOne-Sixty SL 8000 that I tested moves up to a SRAM GX Eagle AXS wireless transmission and RockShox Lyrik/Super Deluxe Select+ suspension for £8000 / 9500€, at a claimed 20.3kg (20.4kg actual for my size L).

And lastly, the top-tier Merida eOne-Sixty SL 10K goes all-in at even more than 10K – selling for £11,500 / 13,500€ with a SRAM XX AXS transmission, Fox 36/Float X Factory suspension, and even new FSA SC i30 carbon wheels at a weight claim of just 19.5kg.

All three specs are available now to pick up through your local Merida dealer.

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Marin has added an “Electric Light” option to their Rift Zone e-mountain bike lineup, offering a sleek alloy frame and mid-powered Bosch motor for a bike that feels like a mountain bike should – Fun.

The Rift Zone EL has a new, highly formed Series 4 aluminum front triangle sandwiching a Bosch Performance Line SX motor with 55Nm torque.

The downtube hides a 400Ah CompactTube battery, good for 15-55 miles of riding depending on your enthusiasm. It’s compatible with their external 250Wh booster battery if you’re feeling extra, but you’ll have to give up the single water bottle location to hold it.

There’s room to use a Wolf Tooth B-RAD bottle relocation kit to move the bottle cage a little lower and fit a taller bottle…at least on this XL frame, anyway.

The wireless controller helps keep the cockpit a little cleaner, and top models come with SRAM AXS for even less clutter.

The bike uses their well-balanced Multi-Trac suspension, has 140mm rear travel, 150mm forks, and rolls on 29″ wheels front and rear.

Shaped forgings and full internal routing keep the frame in shape and looking good, as does a custom composite bash plate under the motor block. Rubberized chainstay and seatstay protectors keep the chain from scratching things up.

The head angle is adjustable with an included +/- 0.75º upper bearing cup for a bit of fine-tuning. Their housebrand cockpit and grips are well designed and have nice little touches like these alignment guides to make initial setup easy.

The bikes ship with 29×2.5″ tires. Three models will be available this fall, prices and specs at bottom of post, but first, here’s my…

Ride Review & Actual Weight

I brought the Rifty on my road trip from NC to Portland for the MADE Bike Show and hit Mt. Nebo (Monument Trails) in Arkansas and Oakridge in OR. Between the two, I hit dry rocky hardpack and loamy, rooty PNW goodness, giving the bike plenty to think about.

I’ve always appreciated Marin’s take on the four-bar linkage, and this bike’s no different. It pedals well and descends with grace, and it’s easy to dial in with the available adjustments. Note that lower trim levels lose some of those external shock and fork adjustments, though.

Handling is solid. We dove in blind on some very steep trails, where the brakes did all the could to keep speeds in check without surfing across the ground.

I kept the head angle set in the stock position and had no problem getting back far enough, but it’s nice to have the option to push it out a bit more if descending is your go-to activity. But our riding in AR was mostly flowing singletrack with chunky rock gardens, mild uphills, and those select (but very steep and technical) descents. And the Rift Zone handled it all just fine.

Once in the PNW, the climbs got longer and steeper. We had to earn the turns, and this is where the “low power” motor definitely keeps the bike feeling more like a regular mountain bike.

If you’ve ridden a full-power (~80Nm) eMTB and rocketed up the mountain, then you’re in for a different experience. Mid-powered bikes (~50-55Nm) take more work. Yes, the Bosch motor has a boost mode that’ll make short rips more tolerable, but the smaller batteries require judicious use of it. On a 2.5 hour ride, I almost drained the entire battery spending most of my time in the middle “Trail” mode and turning assist off on the descents.

For anything bigger than 2.5 hours, I’d absolutely want the auxiliary battery supply.

One upside to the lower output is that it’s less likely to spin out on delicate maneuvers, like super steep and tight switchbacks. This is also where Marin’s geometry shines, making it easy to handle the techy uphills as well as the downhills.

Another upside (for the e-curious purists, anyway) is that a lower output makes you work more. I’ll be honest, there are some epic trails that I just don’t want to ride on an analog bike anymore, but I still want to put the work in to earn the descents. Modern lightweight/mid-power eMTBs are just the ticket for that, and this Marin is a solid option thanks to its durable alloy frame and smart component selection.

When it’s time to get rowdy, the motor doesn’t matter. I’d argue that the extra weight helps keep an eMTB planted, but my riding partner was on a full-size, full-power bike that weighed 15lbs more and would argue that it’s a bit much. That other bike wore him out to the point where he was making mistakes toward the end that cost him his phone (it smashed between his hip and a rock).

So, if you’re the type of rider that prefers something more nimble but still wants the assist, I’d argue that the Rift Zone EL is a good middle ground. We ripped down 30+ minutes of epic forest singletrack, some steep, some techy, and some wide open and full gas, and I never felt out of control. That’s more impressive considering I’d never ridden any of these trails before, so I was trusting the bike as much as I was my skills.

I tested the top model in size XL. It weighed in at 46lb 11oz (21.0kg) with a tubeless setup. Spec list below, and it had alloy wheels. There are some easy ways to cut weight on this (carbon bar and wheels, then carbon cranks), but it’s a good starting point that doesn’t need any immediate upgrades to enjoy

If you’re a fan of alloy and want a solid, upgrade-worthy platform for long-term use, the new Marin Rift Zone EL is worth a look.

Models & Pricing

Rift Zone EL XR

• Fox 36 Performance Elite 150mm fork, Float X Performance Elite shock w/ custom tune
• SRAM GX Eagle AXS T-Type 12-speed drivetrain
• Magura MT-7 4-piston brakes w/ 203mm rotors
• MSRP $6999 (US), 7699€ (EU), £6699(UK), $9399(CAN)

Rift Zone EL 2

• Fox 36 Performance 150mm fork, Float X Performance Elite shock w/ custom tune
• SRAM GX Eagle Lunar 12-speed drivetrain
• SRAM Code Bronze 4-piston brakes w/ 200mm HS2 rotors
• MSRP $5999 (US), 6499€ (EU), £5699 (UK), $7999 (CAN)

Rift Zone EL 1

• Marzocchi Bomber Z1 150mm fork/Bomber Air Inline shock w/ custom tune
• Shimano CUES 10-speed drivetrain
• TRP Slate EVO hydraulic disc brakes w/ 203mm rotors
• MSRP $4799 (US), 5399€ (EU), £4699 (UK), $6499 (CAN)

MarinBikes.com

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Ridley’s Astr RS is a lighter, faster, fatter-tired gravel race bike than the Belgian bike builder has ever made. It’s a premium race-ready carbon gravel bike that I’d also be happy to ride as my go-to for casual gravel riding, too. I’ve tested a lot of gravel bikes, including the 3 Ridley gravel models that this one mashes up – the Kanzo Fast, the Kanzo Adventure, and the Grifn. And the new Astr undeniably comes out on top in my book.

It’s significantly lighter, much more versatile, and the most comfortable of the bunch – on par with the ADV on that last one.

2024 Ridley Astr RS light aero carbon gravel race bike

Classified Ridley Factory Team racers demanded a more capable gravel race bike for tougher races like Unbound, Traka, Badlands, The Rift & more where fast intense racing gets mixed up with rougher terrain. They wanted all the aerodynamic gains, a lighter bike, AND a minimum of 47mm tire clearance. So Ridley went back to the drawing board. And they essentially created the all-new Ridley Astr RS gravel race bike by scaling up their latest aero all-road Grifn RS to create a fat tire gravel bike with aero road race bike inspiration.

The key takeaways on the new bike include:

• a frame that now weighs just 890g for a medium Ridley Astr RS, for 369g saved compared to the Kanzo Fast
• aerodynamic tube shaping and cockpit integration, just like on Ridley’s Falcn RS aero road race bike
• up to 52mm wide tire clearance with a 1x setup, or 47mm clearance with a road compact 2x
• gravel race geometry that manages to combine all of that without sacrificing responsiveness or high-speed stability

Want to get the full breakdown of everything that’s new in the Astr RS? Read my in-depth launch coverage from earlier this morning, here.

So, how does the bike actually feel to ride?

Riding Impressions: Faster on fatter tires

It’s a lightweight race bike, so I shouldn’t have really been surprised at how quick the new Ridley Astr RS felt once I hopped on it. But it still caught me off guard a bit. Burned into my brain is the thought that fat gravel tires will feel heavy & slow, and that you only really need big tire volume for backcountry adventures or riding gravel bikes on mountain bike trails.

But just like we see riding high-end 30 & 32mm slick tires on the road, these fast-rolling 47mm Vittoria tires helped make the Astr RS feel light & quick. The wider, bigger volume tires meant I could run lower pressures to smooth out even smooth gravel roads. They meant I increased grip in sandy and loose gravel corners. And when the gravel roads got rough, I simply did not have to slow down to feel like I was still in control.

Race Geometry Review: Tweaked for taller tires

And while big tires lent some comfort & confidence-inspiring cush, the frame itself felt snappy and responsive. Stomp on the pedals and the short chainstays rocketed the bike up to speed. Then, leaning it hard into turns and the steep (for me) 71.5° head angle dove into the corners.

Ridley talks about the extra 3mm of BB drop being there to add more stability at speed and cornering. But since the axles are already sitting about 7mm higher off the ground than the Kanzo Fast because of bigger tires, weight balance is still a bit higher here. So, it’s more the longer front center / increase in overall wheelbase that boosts stability, since it appears that the Astr has more fork rake to offset the otherwise longer fork Trail that comes from bigger, taller tires.

The bonus counterpoint to the increased bottom bracket height, the Astr RS has 13mm lower frame Stack than the Kanzo Fast, which brings weight distribution back down, and decreases the rider’s profile into the wind. Fit-wise, I’m quite flexible, so I appreciated that lower Stack, and probably would have cut another cm off the steerer tube if it was my personal bike.

Riding Review: A fast, but versatile all-rounder gravel race bike

A lot of bikes focused on racing seem to require constant attention to keep them in control and going fast. Yet, this bike felt very balanced. The geometry on paper looks so similar to the Kanzo Fast, which I found a bit too harsh and twitchy for my liking. But I feel that the combination of larger/taller tires, longer overall wheelbase, and lower bar position makes this bike much more stable and comfortable to control.

It’s a noticeably more neutral handling feel that kind of just disappears beneath you in a good way. Just pedal and go.

Yes, this is a race bike. And an expensive one at that. But it would also be a great all-rounder bike for my everyday gravel rides. Fast and easy on casual group rides. And a race-ready rocket when it’s time to pin a number on and see how fast you can put the hammer down.

Weighing the Pros & Cons

➕ Big 52mm tire clearance means you can pick something like these fast-rolling 47mm Vittoria Terreno Dry semi-slicks or full knobby 50mm/2″ MTB-style treads with tons of grip.

➕ Fatter tires simply offer better traction, improved control, and more all-day comfort. A couple of years ago I would have said that 50mm tires were unnecessarily heavy and stiff feeling, but there simply are so many great high-volume tires available now that going wider is a much easier decision to make.

➕ It’s hard to argue with lightness on a bike that you’ll be constantly accelerating – whether up steep terrain, or just getting back up to speed after a rough section of gravel. At 890g (claimed) for the frame and a real 7.84kg for the complete medium SRAM Red bike with a powermeter without pedals (8.24kg with my Eggbeaters and a bolt-on toptube bag), this in an undeniably light feeling ride.

➕ The same goes for aerodynamics. Do we need all gravel bikes to be aero? Of course not. But if you can get even small incremental aero gains without sacrificing comfort or weight, I’m 100% on board. At least the free watts might offset the slightly wider tire profile into the wind.

➖ But, the high price is really hard to bear here. With a frameset selling for 5000€ and the cheapest complete bikes from 7300€, there simply are many much more affordable gravel bikes that are still race-ready.

➖ The lack of mechanical drivetrain compatibility is a bad thing in my book. Call me a luddite, if you want. Sure, the bike world is trending electronic and wireless. And UDH is good. But I prefer the reliable simplicity of a mechanical groupset (and never having to remember to charge it), especially for a gravel bike where I want to venture a bit off the beaten track. Plus, you can still build a lighter mechanical setup, than one with multiple batteries interspersed throughout the bike.

➕ It’s a sneaky plus here for Ridley’s new gravel race family though. But the regular carbon Astr is simply a much better value than this Ridley Astr RS, at less than half the price. You save 2700€ off a frameset, only sacrifice 200g in frame weight, and gain a round seatpost and that mechanical drivetrain comparability, all at the same time. The standard Astr is simply a more logical choice, unless you have an unlimited budget.

➖ One of the things I don’t really like about my Ridley Astr RS test bike was the long 110mm x 400mm wide unflared cockpit, with a kinda deep 130mm drop & 75mm reach. I still get the feeling that Ridley is a bit old school in their fitting long (virtual) stems and longer bars to their dropbar bikes. But this doesn’t really have to be a minus, because…

➕ Ridley’s online custom configurator tool makes it easy to get the bike set up like you want. Buyers can choose their ideal crank length, chainring size, and importantly the best handlebar fit for them. The 4ZA Cirrus Pro integrated cockpit on this bike also comes in a flared version that I would prefer. And were I to buy this bike I could pick the perfect 90mm stem, 380mm wide at the hoods, 440mm wide at the drops with its 16° flare, and a more compact 120mm drop & 70mm reach combo.

➖ Another downside in my mind is the proprietary internal cable routing solution Ridley uses here. The bike features a tapered 1 1/4″ to 1 1/2″ steerer that is D-shaped to allow the brake lines to fit inside the relatively small upper headset bearing. It makes for a narrow headtube and clean looks once everything is in place. But it’s a mechanic’s nightmare to get everything set up with so little extra room to work in, and even changing bar height is a tricky problem to solve with little room for error.

➕ Custom colors are a great way to make your bike unique, too! If you keep the standard design, picking your favorite from 37 single colors doesn’t even cost any more. Or for 400-700€ more you can get even more creative. The only downside being that it will slightly delay how fast you get your new bike.

➖ The only other functional downside could be limited mounting points. People looking for more bikepacking adventures might want fork mounts. And year-round riders might want fender mounts. But Ridley has the Kanzo Adventure specifically for that. Anyway, my own 3-5-day-long bikepacking trips usually don’t necessitate fork-mounted gear, and I get by well-enough with strap-on fenders if needed. (I do highly recommend the Win Wing!)

Parting thoughts on the Ridley Astr RS gravel race bike

There are a lot of ups and downs when I dive into what I like and dislike about the new Ridley Astr RS. But I feel like the only one issue that sticks in my mind is that price. If you can stomach the cost, this is surely one of the best gravel race bikes you can buy at the moment. It feels fast. It feels comfortable. And it is just as happy taking it easy on casual rides with friends, as it is when you are riding all-out as fast as your legs & lungs will allow.

Now, I preface this closing statement with the fact that I have NOT actually ridden the much more affordable standard hi-mod carbon Ridley Astr.

But I have the feeling that it will deliver almost exactly as well as its RS big sibling. The aero shaping is the same. The geometry is the same. And the tire clearance is the same. So, if I were looking to build up a new carbon gravel race bike and I didn’t have an extra few thousand euros to burn (I don’t), I’d give the regular Astr a hard look. While the Ridley Astr RS looks great, it almost makes the value of the Ridley Astr seem even better by comparison.

Ridley-bikes.com

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Perhaps the most competitive segment of the MTB market is the ‘quiver killer’ trail bike. Trail bikes are today’s version of what the first-ever mountain bikes set out to be… bikes that can handle any kind of terrain. Since there will never be one perfect combination of travel, wheel size, and geometry for everyone, Devinci split their updated Troy trail bike into two models.

I’ve been riding the 150mm/160mm Troy, which is more suitable for my local trails than the shorter travel Troy ST. The Troy impressed me with its initial sensitivity and eagerness to absorb bigger bumps, while not giving up the support you’d want from a trail bike. The Troy’s short rear end and MX wheels also offer snappy handling and quick cornering, making this a capable and fun bike to ride.

Devinci Troy GX AXS 12S – Basic Specs:

For a full rundown of all the features, specs, and geometry for the new Troys and Troy STs check out my launch article.  Here’s a quick rundown of the key specs on the Troy GX AXS 12S I tested:

The Troy frame is built from Optimum G04 6061 T6 aluminum. This 5^th generation model gets a fully redesigned frame with new features like straighter tubing, internal cable routing, in-frame storage, and UDH compatibility. This trail bike is on the more aggressive side, offering 150mm of rear travel and a 160mm fork. All sizes of the Troy come on MX wheels but can be converted to full 29” setups.

The complete size medium Troy GX AXS 12S, including pedals, weighed in at 36.29 lbs.

Ride Impressions – Geometry/Fit:

At 5’10”, I rode a size medium Troy (and for geo reference, tested it with its stock MX wheelset). Devinci is up to date, but not pushing any boundaries with the Troy’s geometry. The Troy is big enough to feel like a trail bike of today, but Devinci has ensured it rides like a true trail bike, not a mini-enduro.

This bike does not offer any geo adjustability if you keep it on MX wheels, but luckily Devinci chose very appropriate angles and measurements for it. As the chart above shows, you do have two geo options if you run a 29” rear wheel.

The Troy’s 460mm reach is long enough to feel roomy, but not excessively lengthy. This allows the Troy to maintain a fairly playful ride feel and offer a degree of stability you’d want from a modern trail bike. The Troy’s rear end is quite short at 432mm. This combined with the 27.5” rear wheel makes for impressively agile handling and quick cornering. It’s also easy to lift the front end for wheelies and whip the bike around when jumping.  

After testing bikes with longer rear ends, I found they offer great traction on really steep climb sections. Despite the Troy’s shorter chainstays, I never had any issues with rear wheel traction on this bike. While some bikes’ reach and chainstay lengths are closer by the numbers, the Troy still feels very well-balanced. I rarely felt the need to get out of the saddle while climbing, but when I did the reasonable frame proportions made it easy to throw my body weight forward or back as needed. 

If I had to choose a fixed angle for a current trail bike’s head tube, it would be 64°… and that’s what Devinci gave the Troy. This angle is slack enough for confident descending on steep, fast, and rough terrain, but it still handles tight uphill switchbacks nicely. A seat mast angle of 77.8° leaves you in a great position for putting power on the pedals.

Devinci seems to have nailed an ideal BB height for the Troy at 343mm. It certainly doesn’t feel high, but it seems it’s just high enough to avoid most pedal strikes. After many test rides, I hardly remember tagging my pedals on anything, and I did notice them just clearing several rocks or roots I usually watch out for.

Suspension – Setup:

My suspension setup on the Troy followed my usual recipe for compression/rebound settings, and it worked out really well right away. Devinci’s linkage does require more air pressure than ‘body weight = psi’, so I ran 152 psi in the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock for my 135 lbs weight. That put me at the 30% sag intended for the Troy. Throughout my testing I never felt the need to alter the settings; I don’t think I could have improved upon the Troy’s ride qualities with further fidgeting!

Climbing:

The Troy proved to be a solid climber, and the one thing that stood out to me was its superb traction on bumpy singletrack trails. Like most bikes, I would use 40-60% of the travel climbing with the shock in firm mode. However, the Troy is very sensitive off the top, and that provided a comfortable ride and great grip even with the shock firmed up.

On smooth surfaces, you can see the Troy’s rear end moving with your pedal strokes, but that motion is limited to the first bit of travel. With the shock in firm, the bike only dips slightly before its support ramps up and keeps it rolling along with good momentum. I also noticed when you’re pushing hard on the pedals, the Troy’s linkage puts that power to the rear wheel very efficiently.

After climbing a particularly technical, rough trail I hit 60% travel in firm mode. Even on this rocky ascent, I was perfectly happy with the traction I got in firm. The Troy’s initial sensitivity keeps its rear wheel planted on the trail, so personally I would run the shock in firm for any climb. I liked the helpful level of pedaling support and was never left wanting more traction.

I did try bumping up the low-speed compression while climbing, but quickly decided using the shock’s firm mode is easier and more effective. Increasing the LSC did provide more support against pedaling forces and reduced bobbing while in the saddle, but not as much as simply flipping the shock’s switch.

There is a big difference between climbing this bike with the shock in firm versus open mode. With the shock wide open, the Troy willingly dips deeper into its travel with a linear feel for at least the first half of its stroke. While seated, I noticed a lot more bob rolling through dips in the trail, and the rear end moved more during standing sprints. In open mode, I hit 75-80% travel while climbing the Troy.

On smoother trails, the linkage itself still pedals fairly well, but on bumpy terrain, the open shock gives easily to impacts and doesn’t match the efficiency of climbing in firm mode. Traction is incredible with the shock left open, but the Troy feels a lot more eager to climb with the shock in firm.

Descending:

When pointed downhill, I still found the Troy’s initial-to-mid range softness was its most unique and impressive ride quality. It smooths out small bumps in the trail in excellent fashion, but also handles medium and large hits very well too. As mentioned above the open shock offers an initially linear feel that sucks up bumps willingly, but there is a point where mid-stroke support kicks in.

The Troy’s Split Pivot linkage does a great job of staying composed on rooty and rocky sections full of medium-sized bumps. The bike stays firmly planted through high-speed chatter and holds a line easily as the linkage absorbs and dulls the impacts of quick, repeated hits with ease. The Troy took the brunt out of almost every kind of impact very capably, making it an easy bike to keep on-line on rougher trails.

The progressivity of the Troy suited me perfectly. After many rides, I would find the o-ring right at the bottom of the shock, yet I hadn’t experienced any harsh bottom-outs or felt any cringe-worthy wheel impacts. I did manage a few hard knocks, but only on large, sharp-edged rocks and the bike still took those impacts well enough to keep me (and the rear wheel) rolling.

While I’ve emphasized how the Troy is soft off the top, it is still supportive at mid-stroke… but perhaps a few mm’s deeper into the travel than some trail bikes. I like this suspension feel, as it offers top-notch bump absorption yet also maintains ample support for hard cornering, pumping, and jumping. On flowy trails, the Troy’s rear end was easily supportive enough to give it the lively ride qualities you’d want from a trail bike. It just happens to eat up hits particularly well too.

While I’m not a very heavy rider, I found the Troy’s frame pretty stiff. One of my final rides was down a fast, rough run I love to use for suspension testing, and the Troy rallied straight through the roughest patches. This is not a bike that squirms or flexes noticeably, it stays pointed where you point it!

Shed Frame Storage:

The Troy’s Shed frame storage compartment isn’t the largest out there, but it will carry the basic essentials. The latch mechanism is a bit small, but I had no problem operating it with gloves on and it functioned perfectly. I am happy to report I didn’t hear any rattling from the Shed storage compartment throughout all my test rides. 

Before one ride, I noticed I had the tool bag stuffed a bit too wide, and it held the bottom end of the storage door slightly off the frame. I simply rearranged my tools and got the door sitting flush, but that’s something riders might want to watch out for. The door is thin and flexible, so it can be latched but not sitting flush against the frame if something inside is pushing upwards on it.

Devinci’s zippered tool bag fit my large c02 canister, inflater head, valve core tool, plug tool, spare plugs, a spare battery for the AXS pods, and a small multi-tool with a little room to spare. Water aside, this is everything I’d normally carry for a typical ride.

Luckily, the Troy frames leave a lot of room for water bottles. With Devinci’s side entry cage, the medium frame fits a large bottle! There’s not much clearance to spare, but enough to easily access the bottle.  

Components:

The Troy gets a 160mm RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork, which performed great and provided more than ample stiffness for this bike. Dialing in the fork didn’t require anything special or unique, sticking with my typical settings got it running great for me.

The Troy’s SRAM GX AXS derailleur got slightly skippy on me during one or two rides but otherwise performed extremely well. I enjoyed precise shifting (even under load) and had no mechanical issues from the AXS shift pod or derailleur. I also think the bash guard included on the GX crank is a nice touch.

The SRAM Code Silver brakes were great. They were grabby by the end of the first ride, and with 200mm rotors front and rear, they easily offer ample power and great modulation. The brakes remained consistent and reliable throughout my testing, never overheating or requiring any maintenance.

I’ve ridden several sets of Race Face ARC30 rims, and they have proven their durability. I’ve never done any significant damage to these wheels, and the Troy’s held up really well. Both wheels are running round and true after all my test rides.

Devinci stuck with ‘tried and true’ Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR II tires. The double-down casings stocked on the Troy are ideal for rougher trail networks and kept me rolling with no pinches or punctures.

The SGD Belair 3.0 saddle was comfortable enough, and unlike the same saddle I rode on the Devinci E-Troy Lite I recently tested, this one didn’t creak at all! The 180mm travel SDG Tellis dropper post provided plenty of clearance for a medium frame.  

As a final touch, Devinci gives the Troy GX AXS a Race Face Era carbon handlebar. I like the stock 800mm width, which can always be chopped down if preferred.

The Devinci Troy GX AXS 12S retails for $5549. Frames are available in Gloss/Matcha only.

devinci.com

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I don’t own an eMTB, so I still get excited about having pedal assist every time I get to test one. But would a ‘lite’ class eMTB bring me the same joy as a high-powered model? Devinci’s E-Troy Lite quickly answered that question with a solid YES.

My initial hunch was, “why would you buy a model that offers less assistance or range than you could have?” Well, the E-Troy Lite convinced me there is definitely a place for ‘mid’ or ‘lite’ eMTBs. If you’re not buying an eMTB with the intent of tackling huge epic rides, a bike like the E-Troy Lite will still get you pretty far, pretty darn easily.

Those looking to keep up with younger or fitter riders, or who just don’t have the time for five to six-hour rides could be perfectly well served with the E-Troy Lite. Also, you get the benefit of riding a more normal feeling 44.5lbs bike instead of a beefy 55-60 pounder.

Devinci E-Troy Lite: Basic Specs

For all the details on the new E-Troy Lite, check out my launch article from earlier this year. Here I’ll quickly run through the basic specs and features: The E-Troy Lite frames are built from Optimum G04 6061-T6 aluminum. The frames are handmade in Chicoutimi, Quebec, an area known for producing high-quality aluminum.

Devinci’s Split-Pivot suspension linkage handles the E-Troy Lite’s 150mm of rear travel. The bikes get 160mm forks and roll on a mixed-wheel setup.

Devinci claims the E-Troy Lite’s weight at 42.99 lbs. My scale showed 44.55 lbs (including pedals).

Bosch Powertrain:

Bosch supplies the powertrain for the E-Troy Lite. Assist power comes from a Performance Line SX motor, which has a maximum 55Nm of torque and 600W power output. The motor is powered by a 400Wh Bosch CompactTube battery. That might not sound like a huge amount of power or capacity, but read on to find out how these numbers stack up on a 44.5lbs bike…

At the handlebar, Bosch’s compact wireless mini remote controller allows you to switch between assist modes and enable walk mode. The E-Troy Lite offers four assist levels: Eco, Tour+, eMTB, and Turbo.

Geometry:

Just by the numbers, I knew I’d be happy with the E-Troy Lite’s geometry, which is great because there are no adjustments built into this bike. At 5’10”, the medium frame’s reach of 461mm felt lengthy but not too stretched out. Out back they’ve struck a nice balance of agility and stability with 438mm chainstays.

For climbing the E-Troy Lite’s geometry was great – My body weight was well centered between the wheels, and I rarely felt the need to stand up while climbing. 99% of the time just a shift in body position was all that was required to keep weight on both wheels and the tires gripping. The rear end never felt too long on tight switchbacks, and the steep 77.8° seat mast puts you in an aggressive pedaling position. With a BB height of 346mm and 165mm crank arms, I had very few pedal strikes during my test rides.

As for descending, I enjoyed the E-Troy Lite’s comfortable front-end length. The reach isn’t crazy long, but never felt short on the trail. Its 63.6° steering angle is on the slack side, allowing for stable handling at speed and plenty of capability on steep, rough terrain. The rear end is just long enough to balance out the bike’s reach, and with the 27.5” rear wheel the E-Troy Lite rails through corners quite nicely.

Handling:

The E-Troy Lite’s weight is right in the middle between a normal bike and a full-power eMTB. The E-Troy rides far lighter than a big eMTB but still feels a bit heavy versus a normal bike. The weight does not go unnoticed while jumping but with your wheels on the ground, it’s easy to forget about. The bike does offer some of that more planted feeling heavier eMTBs produce, but again it’s right at the mid-point between a non-assisted and full powered ebike.

I think MX wheels were a great choice for this bike, as it helps the E-Troy Lite maintain a nice degree of agility and playfulness. Also, the rear tire clearance is helpful on steep descents, and the marginal loss of rolling speed vs. a 29er is more than compensated for by the motor!

Battery Life/Range:

I was pretty impressed with how far the E-Troy Lite’s 400Wh battery got me. Clearly, the reduced weight of the ‘lite’ bike translates to less strain on the motor and battery. This bike doesn’t match the range of a much larger capacity eMTB, but it goes as far as I usually want to!

I did most of my riding in the Tour+ and eMTB modes, as even Tour+ provides enough assistance to make climbs a laughing matter. After many rides, I’d say if you’re switching between these two modes you can expect around four hours of ride time on a full charge. I should note I’m not a very heavy rider at 135lbs.  

From Eco to eMTB mode, the E-Troy Lite uses its power pretty conservatively. Switching into Turbo will eat up the battery fairly quickly – I used up one bar (out of five) in about 30 minutes of climbing. A local shop mechanic told me he rode this bike in Turbo only and killed the battery in about two hours. If you’re all about riding in Turbo, you might find the E-Troy Lite a bit light on range, but anyone who toggles between the lower assist levels should be pretty pleased.

Charging the battery was quick. The longest it took was about three hours, going from nearly dead to the charger automatically shutting off.   

Assist Power:

Assist power is where the E-Troy Lite’s power-to-weight ratio really shines. With a maximum motor output of 600W, the power isn’t that far off a larger eMTB to begin with. Now take +10lbs off the bike, and I found there was hardly any compromise even with just 55Nm of torque.  

Typically with eMTBs, I describe their Eco mode as ‘weight compensation’, but since the E-Troy is lighter than full-powered bikes, its Eco mode provides a more noticeable assist. However, Eco doesn’t offer a ton of boost once you start going uphill. It helps considerably while cruising to and from the trailhead or traversing, but jumping to Tour+ is when you really start enjoying uphill trails. 

Even in Tour+ mode, there’s plenty of power available for all but the steepest climbs. While the next level up (eMTB) is the self-regulating mode that adjusts power output, the Tour+ mode does this to some extent too. On steeper terrain, the assist ramps up, and it is noticeable. This extra boost makes riding in Tour+ mode very intuitive and convenient. If you’re not in a hurry, this mode will get you pretty far with little effort.

Riding in eMTB mode offers more assist power than Tour+, and it dynamically adjusts the output as you ride. At the highest, eMTB provides as much boost as the Turbo mode, but usually, as you’re pedaling along it stays a bit below that level. This mode became my favourite as it’s responsive to pedal inputs, you get plenty of assist power and it still uses battery power conservatively.

Like most eMTBs, riding in Turbo is just plain hilarious. It had me laughing out loud as I launched into uphill switchbacks with excessive speed! A light touch on the pedals gets the E-Troy Lite blasting forward so easily that I rarely even used Turbo mode. On really steep climb sections, I did switch to Turbo and it rallied me up everything without hesitation.

All of the E-Troy Lite’s power assist levels are adjustable through Bosch’s eBike Flow app, but I was happy with the bike in its factory configuration. Each level has a discernably different feel, and they cover the range from ‘a little help’ to ‘LET’S RIP!’ quite nicely.

For me, the E-Troy Lite’s ultimate test was when I rode with two very experienced ebike friends on their full-powered Specialized Levos. Throughout a 2:30-hour ride, I rode almost entirely in eMTB mode and had no trouble keeping up with them. This ride also brought some of the steepest climbs I’ve ever tackled, and the E-Troy Lite took it all in stride.

The only time I ever felt a lack of power assist from the E-Troy Lite was due to rider error. Like every eMTB I’ve ridden, if you’re a bit late getting on the pedals for a sudden incline, or if you’re in too high a gear, you won’t get the cadence or torque required to prompt a proper response from the motor. I did experience this with the E-Troy Lite a few times, but I’d call it bad technique on my part. As long as I kept the pedals spinning appropriately, the Bosch motor performed consistently and reliably.

The Performance Line SX motor makes a bit of noise when it’s assisting at higher levels but overall it’s reasonably quiet. Throughout my testing, I had no functional issues with any of the bike’s electronics.

Suspension:

Being a fan of Trek’s ABP linkage, I suspected I’d like Devinci’s similarly designed Split-Pivot Suspension linkage. In the end, I would say it’s a great design, offering good small bump sensitivity and a nice level of progressivity.

Devinci’s linkage requires more air pressure in the shock than your body weight. At their rep’s suggestion, I set the E-Troy Lite up at 30% sag. The RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock wound up requiring 145psi for my 130lbs body weight. Quick note – I was gaining weight back during this test after losing a significant amount due to a health issue.

This setup was bang-on for me until the last part of my test, and then I did experience a few clunky bottom-outs on my final few test rides. After hopping on a scale, I realized I had put on a few pounds and should have bumped up the psi to around 150.  Otherwise, my shock setup was pretty normal for me, sticking close to recommended settings and never feeling the need to deviate far from them. 

While climbing with the shock in Firm mode, the linkage would dip about 50-60% into its travel. This offered a solid pedalling platform, but still left adequate traction for bumpy singletrack climbs. Now since this bike has a motor, I did most of my climbing with the shock open and enjoyed a more comfortable ride and all the traction available. In open mode the shock will dip to 75-80% travel, which I’d say is a bit much for a non-assisted bike… but it’s no problem with a motor helping you ride uphill! Why not let the rear wheel stick to the trail better when there’s no sacrifice of efficiency?

On descents, the linkage handled impacts quite nicely. Small bumps were smoothed out very well, and with some extra heft, the rear wheel stuck to chattery trails. The linkage did a fine job of dulling bigger impacts and the progressivity was great, letting me hit 99% travel on most rides without bottoming out. With the suspension’s smooth action, I never thought much about the smaller 27.5” rear wheel.

There is enough mid-stroke support to give the E-Troy Lite a more natural ride feel than a full-power eMTB. While it doesn’t equal an unassisted bike, the E-Troy Lite offers a pleasantly lively and supportive ride just as it seeks to. With some speed behind it, the bike pops nicely off bumps, it doesn’t wallow into its travel while you’re pumping through rollers or berms, and it will spring out of corners nicely.  

Components:

The RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork performed great and rode stiff enough that I wouldn’t say this bike needs the beefier Zeb. With no tokens and my typical setup recipe the fork worked perfectly well for me.

The only component I had a problem with was the Magura MT5 brakes. The problem was that it took five full rides for them to bed in and start producing any kind of stopping power. On one early ride, I nearly rammed into a tree due to extremely weak braking. On another early ride, I was dragging both brakes while descending a trail, and they were barely slowing me down. After five rides the MT5’s finally became rideable and grabby on the first pull. From there on they remained reliable and consistent, but I still wouldn’t applaud their braking power.

One day while charging the bike I accidentally pulled the battery charge port’s rubber cover off the frame. After a bit of poking and prodding, I was able to pop it back into place without disassembling anything.

Overall the SRAM GX AXS shifting was great, but on my last few test rides two gears did get a bit skippy. This is the first time I’ve ridden an AXS drivetrain that required any kind of adjustment, and of course, it’s just a minor fix.

The SDG Belair 3.0 seat is comfortable enough, but the one on my test bike was super creaky. Every second my butt was in the saddle it was making a lot of noise. Devinci stocks a 175mm SDG Tellis dropper post on a medium frame, which is awesome. The post performed without fault.

One hard hit left two punctures in the Maxxis Dissector EXO+ rear tire. It was a small drop onto a pile of sharp rocks, and I wasn’t surprised I flatted… but a DH casing might have survived! A DH tire would be ideal for the rear end of any eMTB.

I did put a very small ding in the rear rim when I flatted the tire, but otherwise, the RaceFace ARC30 rims held up great throughout my testing. Even after the hard hit, the rear rim is no more than 2mms out of true and there’s no hop in the wheel. Finally, the RaceFace Next R35 carbon handlebar is a nice touch to the build, and I like the 800mm width.

MSRP for the E-Troy Lite GX AXS 12s is $7,399 USD. The frame comes in one Gloss/AL13 color.  

devinci.com

The post Devinci E-Troy Lite GX AXS 12s Review: Less Power with Less Weight for Tons of Fun appeared first on Bikerumor.

Today we’re going to talk about my time riding the Salsa Cycles Moraine Deore 12 eMTB. I rode the Moraine almost exclusively for the last 4 months. This will not be a review that’s overly focused on the technical mumbo-jumbo.

Don’t worry, I’ll still cover all of the pertinent tech details, but what I want to focus on is something else. Besides fun, the Salsa Moraine Deore 12 served up something that I wasn’t expecting. It served up a completely different and new outlook on eMTBs, as a whole.

Over the past few months, I found the Moraine to be flat-out, crazy fun. It opened up a whole new world of options for me as a rider. While I had some positive enlightenment about eMTBs, I also experienced a weird guilt for riding one. It’s ok, I eventually overcame it.

The super high “fun factor” of the Moraine wasn’t completely unexpected when I decided to bring one in for review. After seeing the Moraine at Sea Otter earlier this year, and talking with Salsa about it, I knew the bike would be fun. But, the unexpected amount of fun, and what the bike did for me on a personal level while I had it, was a surprise.

Let’s get started!

The Salsa Moraine Deore 12

When the Moraine Deore 12 showed up, I was so excited to get it built and on the trails. The bike is very handsome, and the Terracotta Orange color looks great. The Moraine comes in two models, the Deore 12 (tested), and the CUES 10. The Deore 12 retails for $5,999 and the CUES 10 retails for $4,999.

The claimed weight of a medium-sized Moraine Deore 12 is 49 lbs-13 oz. That tracks, as my large weighed in at a little under 53 lbs.

Build Kit

• Frame: Moraine Aluminum
• Fork: Rockshox Psylo Gold RC, 160mm
• Rear Shock: Fox Float X Performance
• Color: Terracotta Orange
• Drive Unit: Fazua Ride 60
• E-Bike Classification: Class 1
• Drive Type: Mid-drive
• Max Assist Speed: 20 mph
• Motor Torque: 60Nm
• Range Estimate: 40 miles
• Assist Levels: Breeze / River / Rocket / Boost
• Walk Assist: Yes
• Max Motor Assist: 450W (w/ Boost function)
• Throttle: No
• Battery Capacity Watt Hours: 430Wh
• Battery Capacity Amp Hours: 9.95Ah

• Battery Power Volts: 43V
• Battery Type: Energy 430 Fix (Lithium Ion)
• Removable Battery: Removable for Service
• Estimated Charge Time: 3.5 hours
• Charger Included: Yes
• Lights Included: No
• Front Derailleur: N/A

• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M6100-SGS
• Cassette: Shimano Deore M6100-12, 10–51t, 12-speed
• Chain: Shimano Deore M6100 HYPERGLIDE+
• Crankset: FSA CK-730 Fazua Ride 60 crank arms, 55mm CL, 104 BCD Spider, MegaTooth 34t steel chainring. MRP 1x SL TR2 for Fazua Ride 60
• Shifter: Shimano Deore M6100
• Brake Levers: Shimano Deore M6100Brake CaliperShimano Deore M6120, 4-pistonRotorsShimano Deore RT64, Center Lock (200mm front and rear)
• Headset: FSA Orbit 1.5E ZS NO.57E
• Stem: Salsa 35.0 Guide Trail, 40mm

• Handlebar: RaceFace Chester 35.0, 780mm wide, SM, MD: 20mm rise; LG, XL: 35mm rise
• Grips/Bar Tape: WTB Wavelength Lock-On
• Seatpost: Tranz X YSP18, SM, MD: 150mm travel; LG, XL: 170mm travel
• Saddle: WTB Solano, Medium, Fusion Form, steel rail
• Front Hub: Shimano TC500-15-B CLD
• Rear Hub: Shimano TC500-MS-B CLD
• Spoke: 2.0mm straight gauge, black
• Rim: WTB ST i30 Tough TCS, 32h
• Front Tire: Teravail Kessel 29 x 2.6″, Durable casing, WTB TCS Sealant included (tubes installed)
• Rear Tire: Teravail Warwick 29 x 2.5″, Durable casing, WTB TCS Sealant included (tubes installed)

Moraine Geometry

What I Expected vs What I Got

Because of the weight of the bike, I was expecting the Salsa Moraine to feel dull and lack any sort of personality. That was not the case at all.

That was a nice surprise. One of the main reasons I picked the Moraine to review over the more enduro-focused Salsa Notch, was because the Moraine didn’t look like an eMTB immediately. The Fazua Ride 60 motor was small, tucked away, and virtually unnoticeable.

It looked sleek and had an aesthetic that I was immediately drawn to. I just thought it was a bitchen looking bicycle… and I wanted to ride it. Plain and simple. Plus the bike’s color looks so good!

When I mounted it for the first time, I was pleased with how it rode. It rode “light” if that makes sense. Once I tuned in the suspension for my weight and style of riding, the geometry then fell into place and the bike then felt comfortable and familiar. I couldn’t wait to get it on some of the rocky terrain around my parts.

Riding the All-Mountain Moraine

As someone who’s been “on the fence” but still super curious about eMTBs, bringing the Salsa in for review seemed a bit odd to me at first – a full-suspension eMTB wasn’t my typical bike review. I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew I wanted to try one. I am very happy I did. This bike taught me a lot… we’ll get into that later.

Up close, in my hands, it didn’t look or feel bulky. It wasn’t light by any stretch of the imagination, but at 53 lbs it wasn’t nearly as heavy as I thought it would be. Plus, I didn’t notice the weight at all while riding it.

I live in the Angeles National Forest and riding the Moraine on singletrack in my area and most other National Forests, as mentioned in my review of the Tern OROX, is illegal.

No biggie, I kept the Moraine on legal trails and fire roads while I rode near my house. Plus, I took it down to Orange County every time I could where I could blissfully and legally ride most of my favorite trails.

Once I got used to the subtle, but powerful motor assistance, the bike opened up and became an amazingly fun addition to my stable of bikes. I had a hard time not choosing it for all of my mountain bike rides.

Riding with Assistance

The Moraine has three assist levels plus a “boost”; Breeze (green), River (blue), Rocket (purple), and Boost (red). While riding in my area, I tended to fluctuate the levels of assist between River and Rocket, with a majority of the time spent in Rocket.

Being an all-mountain eMTB, it tackled everything I threw at it with ease. The Moraine made quick business of bombing all of my favorite technical downhill trails while allowing me to climb up and do it again without killing myself. On the flats, the Deore 12-speed made it a breeze to find the right gear to match the effort of the assist.

The Fazua Ride 60 is a small motor that delivers a claimed 60Nm of torque. While pedaling, the assistance comes on smoothly with the motor rewarding higher cadences.

The Fazua Ride 60 was surprisingly quiet, almost silent. The handlebar-mounted ring controller cycles through the assist levels intuitively. It is pleasantly minimalistic and easy to get to when you need it. Once the assist is off, you can push and hold the ring controller to the side and you have a very usable “walk assist” for those hike-a-bike sections.

In terms of range, on rides where I spent most of the time in ‘River’ assist mode, I was getting about 35 miles until the gauge dropped to one indicator light. That seems pretty good for a bigger guy riding in an area with a lot of climbing. As with any ebike, the range will vary drastically based on multiple factors including ride weight, climbing, assist mode, tires and tire pressure, and even temperature.

The Shimano Deore drivetrain and brakes worked so well while I had the Moraine. The shifting worked as expected, with typical Shimano durability.

One of the biggest surprises while riding the Moraine, was the performance of the Deore hydraulic brakes. It might have been because of the 200mm rotors in both front and rear, but those brakes could stop! They were powerful and modulated like brakes that cost twice as much.

What About Salsa’s Split Pivot Suspension Design

The Moraine’s Split Pivot suspension (160mm front, and 145mm rear) operates exactly as intended.

The suspension felt very supple over the small stuff while devouring the bigger hits. It’s a confidence-inspiring all-mountain bicycle.

Salsa says that “the concentric rear axle pivot, in conjunction with precise wheel link, brake link, and control link placement, results in excellent bump compliance and pedaling efficiency, smooth and predictable braking throughout travel, and maximum traction“.

In Conclusion

In my opinion, Salsa nailed the geometry of the Moraine. It was amazingly comfortable and easy to ride fast. While having the Moraine in my quiver over the last 4 months, I found myself reaching for it more so than any other bike I had. It wasn’t because it was easier to ride around the mountains where I live, it was because it opened something that I never considered.

I’m still relatively new to the area I live in, we bought the house in February, and I still don’t have a lot of knowledge on places to ride. But, the Moraine helped me do a lot of trail recon, relatively easily. It also made me work harder than I thought I would on an eMTB. It wasn’t just breezy coasting and little effort while out on the Moraine. I had the pedal assist where I wanted it, and was able to control my heart rate keeping it around 140 bpm most of the time.

The bike rides very naturally for an eMTB and is an easy transition from an analog MTB to the Moraine. I would for sure recommend the Salsa Moraine Deore 12 to anyone looking for a reasonably priced eMTB, with a great mid-level spec, a great suspension platform, and a pedigree of quality, and adventure.

SalsaCycles.com

The post Review: Bombin’ the Ups and the Downs On the Salsa Moraine All-Mountain eMTB appeared first on Bikerumor.

This carbon Merit Jumbo is the first production gravel bike to embrace 750d wheels, and we got an exclusive chance to be the first to test-ride it. Yes, this is a new wheel size. Yes, the tire and wheel options are still quite limited. But especially for taller riders, 750d could make some sense. So we wanted to give it a closer look…

Merit Jumbo 750d big-wheeled carbon gravel bike

The driving factor of an all-new wheel size is tire and rim availability. WTB set this ball in motion when they rolled out their prototype 750d x 40mm Nano last summer before the MADE show, with alloy i25 750d wheels to match. Then at MADE, we got a closer look at the custom titanium Moots CRDD gravel bike that showcased the new wheel size. But 750d hasn’t quite taken the world by storm just yet, and that CRDD still hasn’t made it into the official production line-up in Steamboat.

Still, WTB has added a fast-rolling Byway 750d semi-slick now, too.

Bigger wheels mean better rolling over rough terrain, the ability to run lower tire pressure, and thus improved grip. We all know how 29″ wheels were a game-changer that made 26″ obsolete. (And WTB was the first to make a 29er production tire, a Nano too!) And for a gravel bike that also just means smoother riding over those same washboard gravel roads. Plus, for longer-distance riding, those larger diameter (and thus heavier) wheels should help maintain momentum, too.

But the other real big benefit here is a better fit for bigger riders. And not only because it looks more proportional.

And Merit has you covered now!

Geometry, not so different than we’re used to

The Merit Jumbo 750d may have much bigger wheels than we are used to. But the geometry here isn’t all that different. Merit did in fact design this big-wheeled bike for taller gravel cyclists, but it’s really not all that big. Design, and prototyped in titanium (which may also be offered down the road), now the carbon bike is ready. The L will fit a lot of medium to taller riders, the XL & XXL though are pretty exclusively for taller riders who might have trouble fitting on a conventional bike.

The smaller of the 3 sizes on offer – the Large that I tested – has a shorter frame Reach and lower Stack than the M Grail that I recently tested, but slightly longer/higher than the M Ruut or M Yasei. The Large Jumbo’s fit on paper is a bit between a M & L in my mind.

It gets quite short 435mm chainstays to manage those extra-large wheels. And relatively steep 70° head angle and 72° seattube, again to help give this extra-wagon-wheeled bike a snappy feel. The larger 750d wheels and extra rubber are invariably going to be heavier than 700c, so the quicker handling is there to prevent a sluggish feel.

Jumbo 750d – Tech details

Merit developed this all-new carbon Jumbo 750d frame from scratch with the same Carbon frame manufacturer that has been making their conventional 700c carbon gravel framesets since around 2015. But it’s also not so much bigger than an adventure-ready 700c gravel bike, so you could still run 700x50mm gravel/XC tires for a more conventional setup.

• 1100g frame (claimed, size L)
• full carbon 1.5″ tapered steerer fork
• 1.5″ IS headset with full internal cable routing
• universal derailleur hanger (UDH) with T-type direct mount compatibility
• T47 bottom bracket
• 27.2mm seatpost, with a 31.8 conventional seatpost clamp
• flat mount FM160 disc brakes, 180mm rotor possible in the front only
• Road Boost thru-axle spacing – 12x110mm front & 12x148mm rear
• 750d x 45mm max tire clearance, or 29×2″ / 700c x 50mm (+5mm clearance in the fork)
• 1x only, with a 46T max chainring (47.5mm chainline)
• 3-bolt downtube & 2-bolt seattube bottle cage mounts, plus toptube bag mounts

Merit Turbo 750d Carbon Gravel Wheels

A big part of making this 750d project make sense was lighter wheels. As soon as WTB was ready to announce their 750d Nano gravel tire to the world last summer, of course, they needed a rim to mount it to. Just making a slightly larger diameter i25 aluminum rim was easy enough. But the tires are already going to be about 10% heavier than 700c, and the wheels were going to be even heavier due to the need for more spokes and wider hubs.

So from day 1, Merit set out to make lighter carbon 750d rims, as well. Opening up their own new mold, Merit opted for a light 35mm deep carbon rim, with a 25mm internal hookless bead. That helped them shed a few hundred grams off the complete wheelset. The wide carbon rim provides good support to the WTB tires, originally designed over 7 years ago for narrower rims.

Merit says a big benefit to the larger diameter wheels is actually the wider Boost hubs and longer spokes, which do a good job at absorbing gravel road buzz while maintaining good lateral stiffness for predictable handling. Merit built the carbon wheels I tested with CX-Ray spokes (some of the best in the industry). But they also tested a new wheel build with carbon spokes that will be substantially lighter, while keeping the needed strength & stiffness.

• 25mm internal
• hookless tubeless bead – 660mm bead seat diameter
• 31mm external x 35mm deep with a classic blunt nose aero profile
• 495g per rim (claimed)
• complete wheelsets built up with alloy Bitex Road Boost hubs with 12mm thru-axles
• 28 straight-pull Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes per wheel, expected to be lighter with carbon spokes
• complete wheelset weights of around 1650g now as I tested

750d vs. 700c sizing comparison

The Jumbo doesn’t actually look all that jumbo in reality. I might say proportion-wise that this Large with 750d wheels looks pretty similar to a normal Medium gravel bike with 700c wheels. So how does this big wheel size compare to the rollout or circumference of other wheels in our workshop?

• 750d x 40mm on a 25mm internal rim measures 43mm wide and is 756 in diameter, for a calculated circumference of 2375mm.
• A 700c x 40mm tire is measured at 2190mm around at 697mm in diameter,
• a 29er (also 700c) x 2.4″ XC tire measures 2305mm in circumference for a 734mm height overall
• a 29 x 2.6″ enduro tire measures 2320mm around to come in at 738mm in diameter.

So yes, 750d is quite a bit bigger than classic 700c – and will make you 8% faster with the same gearing and tire size. But compared to a proper 29er mountain bike tire, you’re looking at a wheel that’s only about 1cm bigger in radius, or an axle that’s 1cm higher off the ground. It’s a big enough difference I couldn’t fit the 750d wheel in the gravel bike I have fitted with a 2.4″ mountain bike tire.

Putting the 29×2″ mountain bike tire that Merit says will fit in the Jumbo would only have about a 3% change on your top speed vs. the 40mm tire. In fact, it would be only 1.5% smaller than the 34mm WTB Byways that I test-rode.

Riding Impressions: A First Ride Review

OK, but how does it ride?

Last week, I took one of the first two pre-production Merit Jumbo 750d to familiar gravel roads and singletrack mountain bike trails on the outskirts of Prague to see how it handled. Without looking at geometry tables, I just set my saddle height and rode away. And my first impression, was wow, this bike is big. Then, I realized the saddle was slammed all the way back, and a bit too low. So, quickly putting the saddle in the right spot, immediately it felt like I was on the right-sized bike all of a sudden.

The bike is undeniably big, but it’s not really the geometry. The geo and fit of the bike were pretty close to what I might want in a modern gravel bike with a short stem and a relatively narrow bar. (I am 185cm tall, and sometimes ride a large gravel bike, but often size down to a medium.) I was comfortable on the Jumbo 750d, but at the start of the ride when I moved from doubletrack forest roads to singletrack, I could instantly feel that it was more work to maneuver those big wheels through twisty spots, and quick ups & downs

The Jumbo made smooth work of an otherwise bumpy field crossing. The big wheels rolled over roots in the trail like they weren’t there. They smoothed chunky rocks, too. Even with these relatively low-volume, 36mm wide (marked 34×750) WTB Byway semi-slicks. And yet, it was still manageable on tight sections.

But this is a bike that begs for fast open stretches…

Shining on open dirt & gravel roads

Yeah, this is a bike meant to rack up kilometers. On longer, straighter sections I could spin the big wheels up to speed, and they would effortlessly stay there. Maybe described as slightly sluggish on technical singletrack, on the gravel roads this bike was actually designed for, it was downright fast and stable. All-day comfort comes to mind.

My only real downside is that I would rather swap on an 80mm stem (vs. the 100mm Redshift) and a narrower handlebar (vs. Merit’s own 46cm wide carbon Rodla loop bar that’s 10cm wider in the drops.) But Merit expects they’ll sell most of these as framesets anyway.

These big wheels are always going to be a bit slower to turn, so a bit quicker handling cockpit setup would do wonders to balance that out. I was pleasantly surprised by how much grip I got out of the slick & narrow Byways. But unless you are riding more asphalt than gravel, the 40×750 Nano is the best tire choice for the Jumbo. Now, we just need more people to buy into the 750d concept, so more lightweight tire options will come to market!

At 9.1kg complete with 1650g wheels, it’s not much heavier than conventional gravel bikes, and none of the components here are ultra-fancy, weight weenie tech. So there is weight to be saved if you want. In any case, I had an easy time keeping up with a friend on an 8.5kg 700c gravel race bike with 1550g aero wheels that sells for about 10% more than the Jumbo.

Merit Jumbo 750d – Pricing, options & availability

So, it looks like the Czech gravel specialists at Merit Bikes are the first to bring a 750d production gravel bike to market. And really, it just looks like a normal, well-proportioned bike.

The new Merit Jumbo 759d carbon gravel bike is available to pre-order now here in all three sizes (L-XXL). Framesets retail for ~1600€ (40,000czk). But in reality, only the Large mold is already 100% finished and tested. So, pre-orders for those first L framesets will be the first available, with deliveries to start this October. Merit is finalizing the XL & XXL frame molds now, and those sizes are expected to ship to customers in January 2025.

Complete bike pre-orders are also possible now. The complete Merit Jumbo 750d Rival GX Mullet AXS bike build like I tested with carbon 750d wheels sells for ~4800€ (120,000czk). Merit will offer more complete bike builds, once the frames are available in stock. Merit regularly ships its frames, wheels, and complete bikes across the EU. And sometimes works with buyers further afield as well.

Merit has toyed with the design of a fourth Medium size that they may make available in the future if there is real consumer demand. They also talked about opening sales of their full carbon forks down the road – if custom steel, aluminum, or titanium frame builders want to offer a 750d option to their line-up. Merit even designed the Project 750d carbon fork to add 3-pack anything cage mounts in the future, if the 750d bikepacking scene takes off in a big way.

Are you ready for bigger wheels again? Let us know in the comments below!

Meritbikes.com

The post Merit Jumbo, a Big-Wheel 750d Carbon Gravel Bike You Didn’t Know You Needed: First Rides appeared first on Bikerumor.