The Haibike XDURO Dwnhll Pro was one of the only production downhill electric bikes available at the time of this review… meaning you could get a truly capable platform in a range of sizes with a solid two year warranty and not have to customize anything for it to hold its weight on rigorous terrain. Why would you want an electric downhill bike? That’s a good question, especially for nearly $9k… It gives you the ability to quickly and easily ascend mountains and enjoy the ride down, no lift or cars required. This thing will get you more runs in a day, help you rehabilitate your knees or other injuries and frankly it’s just a lot of fun.
With 200 mm long-travel suspension; a stiff double crown Fox 40 Float fork at the front with a 20 mm thru-axle and a 200 mm RockShox Vivid Air R2C with 12 mm QR axle in the rear you can blast down rough terrain. The premium Shimano Saint M820 hydraulic disc brakes were some of the fastest-stopping hardware I’ve ever tried and the Ice-Tech rotors (aluminum inner with stainless steel outer) combines heat dissipation with strength and durability. The rotor mounts are four piston and have heat fins to keep you cool all the way down… since this bike does weigh more than most traditional downhill products at 53 pounds. To reduce weight for transport you can easily take the battery off for a 5.3 lb savings… The motor weighs 8.8 lbs and is more permanently mounted. The frame of the Dwnhll like most Haibikes is hydroformed Aluminum alloy and the battery and motor mount are made with gravity casting techniques to make them strong but light. One of my favorite touches is the inset battery mount that partially surrounds the pack and has a nice rubberized foam backing to reduce rattles.
This and most other Haibikes with the Bosch system are the real deal, it’s the best motor, battery and display combination on the market from my point of view because it responds quickly, provides good power at a wide range of RPM operation (meaning you can hit the 20 mph top assisted speed with more gears) and has been holding up well over the years that I’ve been testing (it doesn’t break down). The one complaint or question mark with the Dwnhll Pro is that you only get a 10 speed drivetrain and the largest sprocket is 36 teeth vs. 42 on some other Haibikes (like the 11 speed FullLife RX). While the motor offers 75 Newton meters of peak torque, it wasn’t enough for me to scale the steepest terrain I tried and I had to get off and push. The real tragedy here is that Bosch seems to have disabled the walk-assist button so you can’t get the bike to help push itself up… even though it’s a feature in Europe. WTF guys. Maybe I’m just confused as to how it should operate? If so, please point it out.
Pros:
- Highly adjustable front fork with clickers to control the amount of oil that is allowed to bypass the suspensions valving stack (for high speed and low speed compression adjustment as well as rebound adjustment), rebound controls how fast or slow the suspension returns, the low-speed adjuster controls damping for smoother hits like rolling bumps whereas the high speed adjuster controls damping for harder hits like square edge bumps and it effects the ride height of the bike
- One of the only mass produced downhill capable electric bikes around, possibly the first, it performs well with premium components integrated professionally for maximum stiffness and balance
- The frame uses a four-bar linkage “Horst Link” swing arm designed for improved kinematics… it reduces bob while pedaling but still responds over bumps, you can’t lock either suspension out so there will always be some bobbing but it wasn’t bad, the swing arm is custom engineered to work with the Bosch battery and motor mounts that are constructed through gravity casting for strength
- The Shimano Saint Hydraulic disc brakes are some of the fastest stopping, most powerful brakes I’ve used on any electric bike and the oversizes 203/180 mm rotors performed great without locking up or squeaking at high speed, the rotor mounts use four pistons for even braking and have integrated fins to dissipate heat during long descents
- Haibike’s proprietary Sprocket Equalizing System (SES) elevates the chain to avoid slapping the chain stay, reduces kickback and clears mud, it and the 18 tooth chainring use narrow wide (NW) teeth to further reduce chain slip
- The Bosch Performance CX motor offers 75 Newton meters of torque with peak output of 350 watts (but it feels way higher) and shift detection… in my experience it’s the fastest responding motor with the highest effective range of power output so you can choose the pedal cadence that feels right for you vs. adjusting how you ride to suit the motor
- Custom Step-In downtube brings the battery lower into the frame while aluminum flanges surround, cup and protect it, the pack may be charged on or off the frame and has a solid locking core with metal lip interface
- The battery pack is very light at ~5.3 lbs, has a nice plastic loop to make carrying easier, locks to the frame (press down firmly until you hear a click) and has a metal locking lip to make theft more difficult, I love that the downtube also has a layer of rubberized foam for a more snug fit and to reduce rattling given that this is a downhill ebike
- For downhill riding this may be less useful… but the charger is relatively small and light weight at ~1.7 lbs so it would be easy to take with you on rides to top-off and extend range
- The 2016 Gen 3 Bosch motors are have tighter plastic casings and appear ~38% smaller than Gen 2 in part because they can be mounted at an angle to follow the downtube, I definitely noticed that it appeared more compact and seemed to protrude less which is great on a full suspension ebike with long travel… when suspension is set to the softest level or the air is not set correctly for the rider weight you may encounter more pedal strikes but the motor itself stays high and clear, the plastic guard beneath appears sturdy
- I love that this and many other Haibikes are available in multiple sizes, you get four frame sizes with the Dwnhll including 42 cm, 43 cm, 44 cm and 45 cm to suit a wide range of body types, this is pretty amazing to me given the bike is rare and so expensive
- The display is backlit, easy to read and understand, works with a remote button pad positioned very near the left grips (both grips are locking for improved handling) and the button pad responds reliably and clicks when you press it
- The Intuvia display panel from Bosch has a six volt Micro USB port for charging portable electronics… you could mount your phone or use a music player on your ride and piggy-back off the main battery
- Excellent two year comprehensive warranty with lifetime on the frame, you get solid thru-axles for stiffer riding and easier quick release and the included tires are high performance tubeless-ready for those who ride with low PSI and don’t want pinch flats
Cons:
- The 10 speed 11-36T cassette offers a good range for climbing and hitting the max assisted speed of 20 mph but I wasn’t able to ascend the steepest sections of trail without a larger 42 tooth sprocket as I’ve done with 11 speed Haibike models like the FullLife RX and since walk-assist has been disabled for US models I had to push the bike up which was not fun :(
- Only one color choice here but I think it looks pretty cool, bright bold colors that could appeal to men or women alike
- The display is large and easy to see but may take more damage on a hard-core downhill bike like the XDURO Dwnhll if you push the limits and lay it down or go over the handlebars… it’s designed to be removable so consider taking it off for rough descents
- This and other Haibike models are coming out later in the season and many lines are sold out already… getting the bike you want in the appropriate size may be more difficult and that’s a bummer
Resources:
- Official Site: http://www.haibike.de/microsites/xduro3/us/
- More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/TLEskuUsCNM8mRJSA
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