I don’t personal an eMTB, so I nonetheless get enthusiastic about having pedal help each time I get to check one. However would a ‘lite’ class eMTB convey me the identical pleasure as a high-powered mannequin? Devinci’s E-Troy Lite rapidly answered that query with a stable YES.
My preliminary hunch was, “why would you purchase a mannequin that gives much less help or vary than you can have?” Nicely, the E-Troy Lite satisfied me there may be undoubtedly a spot for ‘mid’ or ‘lite’ eMTBs. Should you’re not shopping for an eMTB with the intent of tackling enormous epic rides, a motorcycle just like the E-Troy Lite will nonetheless get you fairly far, fairly darn simply.
These trying to sustain with youthful or fitter riders, or who simply don’t have the time for 5 to six-hour rides could possibly be completely properly served with the E-Troy Lite. Additionally, you get the good thing about driving a extra regular feeling 44.5lbs bike as an alternative of a beefy 55-60 pounder.
Devinci E-Troy Lite: Fundamental Specs
For all the small print on the brand new E-Troy Lite, take a look at my launch article from earlier this 12 months. Right here I’ll rapidly run by the fundamental specs and options: The E-Troy Lite frames are constructed from Optimum G04 6061-T6 aluminum. The frames are handmade in Chicoutimi, Quebec, an space recognized for producing high-quality aluminum.
Devinci’s Break up-Pivot suspension linkage handles the E-Troy Lite’s 150mm of rear journey. The bikes get 160mm forks and roll on a mixed-wheel setup.
Devinci claims the E-Troy Lite’s weight at 42.99 lbs. My scale confirmed 44.55 lbs (together with pedals).
Bosch Powertrain:
Bosch provides the powertrain for the E-Troy Lite. Help energy comes from a Efficiency Line SX motor, which has a most 55Nm of torque and 600W energy output. The motor is powered by a 400Wh Bosch CompactTube battery. Which may not sound like an enormous quantity of energy or capability, however learn on to learn the way these numbers stack up on a 44.5lbs bike…
On the handlebar, Bosch’s compact wi-fi mini distant controller means that you can change between help modes and allow stroll mode. The E-Troy Lite provides 4 help ranges: Eco, Tour+, eMTB, and Turbo.
Geometry:
Simply by the numbers, I knew I’d be proud of the E-Troy Lite’s geometry, which is nice as a result of there aren’t any changes constructed into this bike. At 5’10”, the medium body’s attain of 461mm felt prolonged however not too stretched out. Out again they’ve struck a pleasant steadiness of agility and stability with 438mm chainstays.
For climbing the E-Troy Lite’s geometry was nice – My physique weight was properly centered between the wheels, and I hardly ever felt the necessity to arise whereas climbing. 99% of the time only a shift in physique place was all that was required to maintain weight on each wheels and the tires gripping. The rear finish by no means felt too lengthy on tight switchbacks, and the steep 77.8° seat mast places you in an aggressive pedaling place. With a BB peak of 346mm and 165mm crank arms, I had only a few pedal strikes throughout my take a look at rides.
As for descending, I loved the E-Troy Lite’s snug front-end size. The attain isn’t loopy lengthy, however by no means felt brief on the path. Its 63.6° steering angle is on the slack aspect, permitting for steady dealing with at pace and loads of functionality on steep, tough terrain. The rear finish is simply lengthy sufficient to steadiness out the bike’s attain, and with the 27.5” rear wheel the E-Troy Lite rails by corners fairly properly.
Dealing with:
The E-Troy Lite’s weight is true within the center between a standard bike and a full-power eMTB. The E-Troy rides far lighter than an enormous eMTB however nonetheless feels a bit heavy versus a standard bike. The burden doesn’t go unnoticed whereas leaping however along with your wheels on the bottom, it’s straightforward to neglect about. The bike does provide a few of that extra planted feeling heavier eMTBs produce, however once more it’s proper on the mid-point between a non-assisted and full powered ebike.
I feel MX wheels have been a fantastic alternative for this bike, because it helps the E-Troy Lite keep a pleasant diploma of agility and playfulness. Additionally, the rear tire clearance is useful on steep descents, and the marginal lack of rolling pace vs. a 29er is greater than compensated for by the motor!
Battery Life/Vary:
I used to be fairly impressed with how far the E-Troy Lite’s 400Wh battery acquired me. Clearly, the lowered weight of the ‘lite’ bike interprets to much less pressure on the motor and battery. This bike doesn’t match the vary of a a lot bigger capability eMTB, nevertheless it goes so far as I normally wish to!
I did most of my driving within the Tour+ and eMTB modes, as even Tour+ gives sufficient help to make climbs a laughing matter. After many rides, I’d say for those who’re switching between these two modes you may anticipate round 4 hours of trip time on a full cost. I ought to be aware I’m not a really heavy rider at 135lbs.
From Eco to eMTB mode, the E-Troy Lite makes use of its energy fairly conservatively. Switching into Turbo will eat up the battery pretty rapidly – I used up one bar (out of 5) in about half-hour of climbing. A neighborhood store mechanic instructed me he rode this bike in Turbo solely and killed the battery in about two hours. Should you’re all about driving in Turbo, you would possibly discover the E-Troy Lite a bit gentle on vary, however anybody who toggles between the decrease help ranges must be fairly happy.
Charging the battery was fast. The longest it took was about three hours, going from practically useless to the charger mechanically shutting off.
Help Energy:
Help energy is the place the E-Troy Lite’s power-to-weight ratio actually shines. With a most motor output of 600W, the ability isn’t that far off a bigger eMTB to start with. Now take +10lbs off the bike, and I discovered there was hardly any compromise even with simply 55Nm of torque.
Sometimes with eMTBs, I describe their Eco mode as ‘weight compensation’, however because the E-Troy is lighter than full-powered bikes, its Eco mode gives a extra noticeable help. Nonetheless, Eco doesn’t provide a ton of enhance when you begin going uphill. It helps significantly whereas cruising to and from the trailhead or traversing, however leaping to Tour+ is once you actually begin having fun with uphill trails.
Even in Tour+ mode, there’s loads of energy accessible for all however the steepest climbs. Whereas the subsequent degree up (eMTB) is the self-regulating mode that adjusts energy output, the Tour+ mode does this to some extent too. On steeper terrain, the help ramps up, and it’s noticeable. This additional enhance makes driving in Tour+ mode very intuitive and handy. Should you’re not in a rush, this mode will get you fairly far with little effort.
Driving in eMTB mode provides extra help energy than Tour+, and it dynamically adjusts the output as you trip. On the highest, eMTB gives as a lot enhance because the Turbo mode, however normally, as you’re pedaling alongside it stays a bit under that degree. This mode turned my favorite because it’s attentive to pedal inputs, you get loads of help energy and it nonetheless makes use of battery energy conservatively.
Like most eMTBs, driving in Turbo is simply plain hilarious. It had me laughing out loud as I launched into uphill switchbacks with extreme pace! A lightweight contact on the pedals will get the E-Troy Lite blasting ahead so simply that I hardly ever even used Turbo mode. On actually steep climb sections, I did change to Turbo and it rallied me up the whole lot with out hesitation.
The entire E-Troy Lite’s energy help ranges are adjustable by Bosch’s eBike Movement app, however I used to be proud of the bike in its manufacturing facility configuration. Every degree has a discernably completely different really feel, they usually cowl the vary from ‘a little bit assist’ to ‘LET’S RIP!’ fairly properly.
For me, the E-Troy Lite’s final take a look at was after I rode with two very skilled ebike mates on their full-powered Specialised Levos. All through a 2:30-hour trip, I rode nearly completely in eMTB mode and had no hassle maintaining with them. This trip additionally introduced a number of the steepest climbs I’ve ever tackled, and the E-Troy Lite took all of it in stride.
The one time I ever felt an absence of energy help from the E-Troy Lite was because of rider error. Like each eMTB I’ve ridden, for those who’re a bit late getting on the pedals for a sudden incline, or for those who’re in too excessive a gear, you gained’t get the cadence or torque required to immediate a correct response from the motor. I did expertise this with the E-Troy Lite just a few instances, however I’d name it dangerous method on my half. So long as I saved the pedals spinning appropriately, the Bosch motor carried out constantly and reliably.
The Efficiency Line SX motor makes a little bit of noise when it’s helping at larger ranges however total it’s moderately quiet. All through my testing, I had no practical points with any of the bike’s electronics.
Suspension:
Being a fan of Trek’s ABP linkage, I suspected I’d like Devinci’s equally designed Break up-Pivot Suspension linkage. Ultimately, I’d say it’s a fantastic design, providing good small bump sensitivity and a pleasant degree of progressivity.
Devinci’s linkage requires extra air stress within the shock than your physique weight. At their rep’s suggestion, I set the E-Troy Lite up at 30% sag. The RockShox Tremendous Deluxe Final rear shock wound up requiring 145psi for my 130lbs physique weight. Fast be aware – I used to be gaining weight again throughout this take a look at after shedding a major quantity because of a well being situation.
This setup was bang-on for me till the final a part of my take a look at, after which I did expertise just a few clunky bottom-outs on my closing few take a look at rides. After hopping on a scale, I spotted I had placed on just a few kilos and may have bumped up the psi to round 150. In any other case, my shock setup was fairly regular for me, sticking near advisable settings and by no means feeling the necessity to deviate removed from them.
Whereas climbing with the shock in Agency mode, the linkage would dip about 50-60% into its journey. This supplied a stable pedalling platform, however nonetheless left ample traction for bumpy singletrack climbs. Now since this bike has a motor, I did most of my climbing with the shock open and loved a extra snug trip and all of the traction accessible. In open mode the shock will dip to 75-80% journey, which I’d say is a bit a lot for a non-assisted bike… nevertheless it’s no drawback with a motor serving to you trip uphill! Why not let the rear wheel persist with the path higher when there’s no sacrifice of effectivity?
On descents, the linkage dealt with impacts fairly properly. Small bumps have been smoothed out very properly, and with some additional heft, the rear wheel caught to chattery trails. The linkage did a nice job of dulling greater impacts and the progressivity was nice, letting me hit 99% journey on most rides with out bottoming out. With the suspension’s easy motion, I by no means thought a lot in regards to the smaller 27.5” rear wheel.
There’s sufficient mid-stroke assist to present the E-Troy Lite a extra pure trip really feel than a full-power eMTB. Whereas it doesn’t equal an unassisted bike, the E-Troy Lite provides a pleasantly energetic and supportive trip simply because it seeks to. With some pace behind it, the bike pops properly off bumps, it doesn’t wallow into its journey when you’re pumping by rollers or berms, and it’ll spring out of corners properly.
Parts:
The RockShox Lyrik Final fork carried out nice and rode stiff sufficient that I wouldn’t say this bike wants the beefier Zeb. With no tokens and my typical setup recipe the fork labored completely properly for me.
The one element I had an issue with was the Magura MT5 brakes. The issue was that it took 5 full rides for them to mattress in and begin producing any form of stopping energy. On one early trip, I practically rammed right into a tree because of extraordinarily weak braking. On one other early trip, I used to be dragging each brakes whereas descending a path, they usually have been barely slowing me down. After 5 rides the MT5’s lastly turned rideable and grabby on the primary pull. From there on they remained dependable and constant, however I nonetheless wouldn’t applaud their braking energy.
Sooner or later whereas charging the bike I by accident pulled the battery cost port’s rubber cowl off the body. After a little bit of poking and prodding, I used to be capable of pop it again into place with out disassembling something.
General the SRAM GX AXS shifting was nice, however on my previous couple of take a look at rides two gears did get a bit skippy. That is the primary time I’ve ridden an AXS drivetrain that required any form of adjustment, and naturally, it’s only a minor repair.
The SDG Belair 3.0 seat is snug sufficient, however the one on my take a look at bike was tremendous creaky. Each second my butt was within the saddle it was making a number of noise. Devinci shares a 175mm SDG Tellis dropper publish on a medium body, which is superior. The publish carried out with out fault.
One onerous hit left two punctures within the Maxxis Dissector EXO+ rear tire. It was a small drop onto a pile of sharp rocks, and I wasn’t stunned I flatted… however a DH casing may need survived! A DH tire can be preferrred for the rear finish of any eMTB.
I did put a really small ding within the rear rim after I flatted the tire, however in any other case, the RaceFace ARC30 rims held up nice all through my testing. Even after the onerous hit, the rear rim is not more than 2mms out of true and there’s no hop within the wheel. Lastly, the RaceFace Subsequent R35 carbon handlebar is a pleasant contact to the construct, and I just like the 800mm width.
MSRP for the E-Troy Lite GX AXS 12s is $7,399 USD. The body is available in one Gloss/AL13 shade.
