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Our tyres crunch their way through the rough gravel, the motors of the six wheels hum to themselves, here and there a gearstick clicks under the heavy load on the steep terrain. This is really sporty, classic mountain bike territory in any case. Actually more than that, because in the past - without a motor - gravel ramps like this would have been conquered by swearing and pushing at best.
And this is where we fight our way uphill on six bikes that are completely suitable for everyday use. Lights, side stand, mudguards - everything is there. But what's also included: sturdy suspension forks and even a rear shock. The manufacturers garnish the full suspension with sometimes more, sometimes less chunky tyres and geometries sometimes more, sometimes less inspired by mountain bikes. Real E-SUVs, in other words, not just trekking bikes with wide tyres.
Complex technology with a price tag
Complex technology that naturally costs a lot of money. You have to budget between five and six thousand euros for the bikes in this test group, as well as for full-suspension SUVs in general. In return, the manufacturers promise almost endless possibilities. Commuting in the city or a long tour at the weekend, bulk shopping with panniers or long journeys to distant countries - nothing should pose a serious challenge for these full-suspension bikes. And what's more: even serious off-road terrain should be included in the range of use.
The 6 test candidates at a glance
- Tip Sport: Centurion Numinis 2000 EQ - Bosch motor - 27.2 kg - 5,899 Euro
- Corratec MTC 120 - Bosch motor - 29.3 kg - 5,799 euros
- Giant Stormguard E+ 1 - Syncdrive motor - 29.6 kg - 5,899 euros
- Haibike Adventr 10 - Bosch motor - 27.8 kg - 5,699 Euro
- Test winner: Specialised Tero X - Specialised motor - 27 kg - 5,000 euros
- Comfort tip: Victoria Parcours 5 - Bosch motor - 31.1 kg - 5,999 Euro
To test our six candidates' off-road skills, we travelled to the German winter sports mecca of Garmisch, or more precisely Partenkirchen. The local mountain Wank, a gravel classic from the good old days of mountain bike touring pope Elmar Moser, is there to show, how much terrain and how much freedom and adventure there really is in the six candidates. And fact: at least the sporty group conquers our planned tour with ease. The ramps soon flatten out again and shortly before our destination - a large mountain pasture halfway up the mountain - the panorama of the Wetterstein and Zugspitze massif stretches out before us in a breathtaking arc.
Only the Victoria Parcours is really limited by its gear ratio on steep terrain. The classic-looking low step-through bike is the comfort trump card. Extremely upright, relaxed riding position, lively handling thanks to the short wheelbase, sensitive suspension as long as the bumps don't get too wild. This makes the Parcours a delight in everyday use, where the maintenance-friendly belt and the continuously variable Enviolo gears also play to their strengths. Simply turn the handle and the gear changes without any hard jumps - it couldn't be more intuitive.
Powerful but sluggish?
The other candidates tend to be more sporty, but also set very different accents. With the Giant Stormguard the overhanging pannier rack is fixed to the main frame. As a result, the bike offers consistent suspension performance even when luggage is involved. In this way, Giant emphasises its suitability for touring. The very comfortable, trekking-orientated geometry also fits in well with the concept. Corratec, Centurion, Specialized and the new Adventr from Haibike, on the other hand, prioritise sporty off-road use even more. This is particularly surprising in the case of the Haibike, because the Adventr rolls is also being tested as a step-through bike, but it impresses off-road with its plush suspension and active frame geometry. The disadvantage of the high level of off-road expertise: In everyday life and on tour, the particularly mountain bike-heavy bikes tend to be a little sluggish and you don't sit quite as comfortably and upright as on more classic trekking bikes.
And for everyday use? When there are no wild off-road rides or high-altitude tours, but rather city traffic, excursions and shopping, the Corratec MTC performs well. The cockpit could offer more comfort. However, the luggage rack is the best in the test due to its high rigidity when loaded, the mudguards provide reliable protection and the integrated brake light reduces the risk of rear-end collisions. In addition, the tyres offer a good compromise between smooth rolling and grip for occasional excursions on loose ground. The comfortable Victoria Parcours - as long as you don't have to heave the bike down a steep basement staircase. All in all, this is not a pleasant exercise with the heavy SUVs. However, the Victoria is almost impossible to grip and makes it particularly difficult here.
Test victory for the all-rounder
However, if you really want to cover everything from everyday riding to trail tours, you shouldn't just focus on one point alone. As the rating shows, one bike particularly impressed us when looking at the big picture. The Tero X from Specialized finds a good compromise between trekking and mountain bike genes, is still relatively easy to control in everyday use and still impresses with a high level of riding safety off-road. Only one bearing in the rear triangle promises little maintenance work - even the small parts such as grips and saddle impressed the testers. Despite minor weaknesses such as the slightly less powerful motor, the lack of a luggage platform and the cable routing, it is clear to us that the cheapest bike in the test is also the bike we would ultimately buy. The test victory goes to the all-rounder Specialized Tero X!
MYBIKE conclusion
The Tero X from Specialized scores the most points with its wide range of use and convinces with an attractive price. However, the strengths of the candidates are evenly distributed. Which bike suits you best in the end depends largely on your personal requirements profile. And as impressive as the six test bikes are in their versatility, they are also expensive. On normal tours with little off-road terrain, classic trekking bikes are still significantly cheaper. - Adrian Kaether, Test Manager MYBIKE
SUV e-bikes: this is how far you can get with the all-round e-bikes
The endurance of an e-bike always depends on a whole range of different factors and is therefore difficult to give a generalised answer. In normal touring and everyday use, E-SUVs achieve very similar ranges to E-Trekking bikes with comparably sized batteries. This is because the motors are the same anyway and even the coarser studded tyres on Specialized and Centurion still roll comparatively well.
The driver's weight and the power applied to the pedals remain the biggest factors influencing the range. This is especially true when the E-SUV also has to cope with significant differences in altitude. As the motor has to push the entire weight of the bike and rider up the hill, the range dwindles in fast motion on the climb. Nevertheless, with the huge batteries of around 800 watt hours, all-day tours with 1,500 to 2,000 metres of elevation gain are also possible with E-SUVs in mountainous terrain. On flat terrain, the bikes can cover up to 100 kilometres without any major problems.
How MYBIKE tests
Objective, independent and comprehensible: We spare no expense or effort for the tests in MYBIKE. For optimum comparability, we emphasise comparable prices and sizes within the test groups. The bikes are always ridden by several testers, and the direct comparison in a wide variety of test scenarios brings out the finer points. We supplement our practical impressions with data from our in-house test laboratory. As can be seen from the points table (above), in addition to our usual criteria of equipment, suitability for everyday use and comfort, we also emphasise driving fun and off-road capability in the SUVs. In this way, we ensure that our test also fulfils the complex requirements of a modern E-SUV Fully.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
