I was out on my mountain bike the other day, slowly forcing myself up a grueling climb in the foothills of Colorado, when a woman with a baby on her back zipped by me in the same direction. I’m not an incredibly strong cyclist, sure, but she was easily going two to three times as fast as me, reaching a speed I didn’t think was possible on the hill we were on. Before I beat myself up too much, though, I noticed the big ol’ ebike battery sitting in the main triangle of the bike.
The rise of electric mountain bikes has plenty of benefits, but when you already own a fully-man-powered machine, it can be a little disheartening. I’m not a big enough fan of the electric mountain bike to actually buy one for myself. But, if the option for a reasonably priced, solid attachable/detachable motor came my way, I would at least consider it. Fortunately for those interested, the Elevate ebike motor seems to fill that exact slot.
The Elevate, created by Bimotal, is a detachable ebike motor that’s installed on your existing bike’s disk brakes. It fits on most common mountain bike models, including the Specialized Stumpjumper, Santa Cruz Tallboy, and the Giant Trance. Unfortunately, bikes with 220mm brake mounts (like the Santa Cruz Megatower) are not compatible. Check out the product website for more information on compatibility.
Spec wise, the Elevate can reach a max speed of 20mph and provide 60Nm of continuous torque. When you need that extra push, the motor will max out at 100Nm of burst torque. The machine likely won’t die on you on a typical ride, either. You can expect the batter to last for around 1-1.5 hours, 10-15 miles, or 1600 to 3500 feet of climbing. You get all that with only 6 pounds of added weight, too, so you won’t be hauling too much more.
The motor is currently available for pre-order, currently costing $100. That pre-order charge will eventually go to the final purchase price of the machine, $1,950. Best of all, the purchase includes everything you need to install the Elevate. Of course, once it’s installed, it can easily be removed to return your bike to normal.
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Image Credit: Bimotal Inc. via Facebook