The Elevate motor is a very good mix of lower weight (3.3 lbs), a middle amount of torque output (70Nm max), and a high power output (750W). The system does a really good job and can effortlessly boost a rider on its own when pushing down on the throttle, but the system will more efficiently consume battery if you throttle and pedal at the same time. There’s some modulation in the throttle, but largely, you sync your pedal efforts to what the motor’s doing.
In terms of it’s overall feel it strikes a fairly nice balance; one of my primary concerns with any throttle I’ve used offroading is having the bike shoot out from beneath me when climbing (it’s happened, a lot) and this has enough power to move even my 230 lbs frame up steeper grades without my help in pedaling, but it’s not at a risk for gashing up the trail either.
I’ve tested conversion kits that replace the wheel with a hub drive, and I’ve tried a few friction drives before, but this is something else entirely. The rotor gear that replaces your brake rotor is a nice design that is impressively light.
A huge perk of the Elevate system is the ability to pop the motor and battery off in just seconds. Removing the motor is similar to pulling seat clamp levers, and you remove the battery by unstrapping the velcro. Both come off in less than a minute for easier transport or for riding unencumbered by the added bulk (leaving behind 2.2 lbs worth of rotor gear and battery mount). Other than cost, handling sacrifices are a leading reason people don’t swap out acoustic bikes for eMTBs, so the ability to ditch most of the extra weight and feel your bike ride like it always has is an impressive product.
A huge perk of the bike is that you can buy several mounts, but only one motor and battery. If you have a downhill and XC bike, you could economically electrify both.
The largest current differentiator between engaging the Elvate vs a standard eMTB boils down to the throttle. Bimotal says a pedal assist system (PAS) function is in the works, and it will be compatible with the motors currently being sold.
If they can unlock a universal torque-sensing system — or even a next-level cadence-based one — it could catapult the Elevate system forward, making it a kit that could truly rival eMTBs. The motor would then become much more useful for technical climbing, but that’s admittedly a tough nut to crack to make that compatible with every bike out there. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that it comes soon, though.
The battery is on the smaller side, which is sensible given its attempt at a near-universal fit. Some front triangles might not house it well. It’s admittedly a bit DIY-looking with a squared all black shape, and something sleeker-looking down the line with a basic LED charge indicator would be nice, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker as is.
The battery can be charged up in as little as 90 minutes, and you can purchase backups if you have longer rides in mind.
