The 8 Most Exciting eMTB Trends 2021

Cult brand Rocky Mountain calls its e-mountain bikes Powerplay. When the Canadians stormed the eBike market in 2017 with an independent drive and fully integrated motor including battery, it was like a sensation - not only visually. And even today, the Altitude with 160 mm front travel and 150 mm rear travel is one of the most prestigious and above all most independent bikes on the market. It has the same geometry as the Altitude without motor, does without a display and concentrates on the essentials with one of the most powerful drives available: full power ahead for playful fun on all trails.

For many technology fans, Jo Klieber is something like a pope among designers. He is not only behind the Syntace brand, but also founded Liteville, a sensational bike brand, 15 years ago. Liteville 301: The name of this bike sounds like music to the ears of mountain bikers. The Liteville 301-CE Mk1 is based on this name - the first eBike of the Bavarian brand, and the first bike Klieber had built with a carbon frame. Riding characteristics, image, technology: all outstanding. Mudguards, lights or smartphone can be elegantly attached and make the bike suitable for everyday use off the trails.

Hardtail or Fully? This question still divides the mountain bike community today. However, die-hard hardtail fans are far from being eternalists. Quite the opposite. There are still many good arguments in favour of hardtails today. Canyon serves them up on a silver platter with the Grand Canyon:ON. Direct riding feel, significantly less maintenance, less weight - and still plenty of comfort thanks to well thought-out features. And the best argument: the price. The question of how much a really good e-mountain bike should cost can be answered unambiguously with Canyon: from 2699 euros.

SUVs have more than a dubious reputation when it comes to cars. However, they stand for a lot of comfort, suitability for everyday use and also resilience - and thus also godfather for a category among the eMountainbikes, which is also called SUV. And even this category is ridiculed by some purists. Why? Because in their eyes, a light system, luggage rack or side stand do not belong on a sporty bike. But Haibike - like many other eBike trends - recognized early on that there is a great demand for this. Their SUV flagship is called XDURO Adventr FS - and it's an ideal companion for bike travellers, adventurers or everyday cyclists. And it has an advantage that is not to be sneezed at: With its equipment, it is a bike suitable for road traffic and therefore gets through any police check without any problems.

In the race for ever greater range and battery capacities, Rotwild consistently takes a different path with the R.X375 Ultra. Back to less weight, less range, but all the more original mountain bike feeling. To really let off steam, but still consciously use the advantages of an electric drive - and to enjoy the handling of a lightweight bike: all this is conveyed by the bike of the Hessian noble forge, which with a good 18.5 kilos weighs only two or three kilos more than solid enduro bikes even five or six years ago.

A Mullet hairstyle would probably be called a mullet in German. With mountain bikes, however, it's exactly the opposite. Long at the front, short at the back - and that refers to the wheel sizes. 29 inches in the front, 27.5 inches in the rear - the Hamburg-based brand Stevens, for example, is fully committed to the mullet trend in eMTBs and has restructured its e-fully range for the new season. The E-Inception range is available in three different versions from 150 to 180 mm travel. What they all have in common: the better rollover behaviour of a 29-inch tyre at the front, paired with compactness and more freedom of movement at the rear.

Many e-bikers put up with the extra weight of bulky bikes - and push forward with a lot of suspension travel on the toughest trails in the hope of having a lot of fun. Others, however, don't need that at all, because they feel much more comfortable on relaxed tours anyway. And that's why Focus, the brand founded by three-time world cross champion Mike Kluge, has the Thron2 in its range. 130 mm travel, a relaxed riding position and many equipment details make the bike the ideal all-rounder, everyday and commuter bike. Also because of various threaded eyelets, on which luggage racks, lights, mudguards and lights can be mounted.

Specialized has probably shaped mountain biking like no other brand. As an innovation driver, as a partner of professional athletes and as a manufacturer of bikes with as much style as prestige. Among the eMountain bikes, the Turbo Levo from California was one of the most spectacular bikes on the planet right from the start. Even in its first generation in 2015, it was launched without a display, but with smartphone controls and - more importantly - in close collaboration with German automotive supplier Brose, whose eBike drives are still considered by many to be the ultimate. Now Specialized has launched the third-generation Turbo Levo. With revised geometry and even a display that is elegantly integrated into the top tube. However, one of the most technically spectacular bikes on the market has its price - which is already in the "cheap" version in the five-digit range.