Eleven Rad New Mountain Bikes and eMTBs of Eurobike 2023

Jun 06, 2023

The not-quite-sufficiently air-conditioned halls of Messe Frankfurt oozed with new cycling tech in the 2023 edition of the Eurobike trade show. Some of it could change the industry forever. Some of it may never see the light of day. For one reason or another, all of it is interesting. We have heaps to show you guys over the coming days (and probably weeks), but here’s a quick round up of some rad new eMTBs and mountain bikes we’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the flesh.

Coming soon is the new Rotwild RX 1000 complete with the all-new Pinion Mission ON.E Motor Gearbox Unit. A 960 Wh battery powers an 85 Nm Motor with an integrated transmission, delivering a 12 Speed eBike without a derailleur.

On this chain-driven eBike, an appendage is still mounted to the dropout, but this chain tensioner is much smaller and thus less vulnerable than a traditional derailleur; it serves to take up the chain slack created as the Rotwild’s effective rear center length varies through its rear wheel travel.

Details on the Rotwild R.X 1000 eMTB are a little thin for now, but we reckon it’ll deliver around 140/150mm of rear wheel travel via its four-bar linkage, pairing that with a 150mm fork. More details to come on this innovative new eBike.

Right now, the Pinion Mission ON:E MGU eDrive can be found on Rotwild, Simplon, Bulls, Flyer, and Pegasus bikes, but we get the feeling this system will become a very common sighting on the trails in years to come.

From prototypes to concept bikes, we bring you a complete Red Herring. Scott had some folk hook, line and sinker with one. Alas, I was reliably informed that if I were to ride it off a small curb, it would likely break in half. This 3D printed Scott Endorphin is merely a concept, designed to recreate the original Endorphin race bike of 1996 in a more modern aesthetic.

Moving onto somewhat more rideable bikes, at the DT Swiss booth we saw an Allutech Cycles Armageddon eMTB with a 57° head angle. The frame kit for the acoustic version is yours for 2,999 €, so expect the eBike to retail at something far north of that. A story will follow with more details on the German brand’s latest electric bike.

Built around the 85 Nm Shimano EP8 motor, the made-in-Germany Allutech Armageddon frame delivers its rear wheel travel via a four-bar linkage, with damping taken care of by the DT Swiss 535 ONE shock. Chainstay length can be adjusted at the dropout. More to come on the updated suspension components from DT which are said to have improved small bump sensitivity over their predecessors.

The Mallorcan Myotragus Dorothea prototype fronted the Trickstuff booth. This 200mm travel downhill bike delivers an almost straight-line rearward axle path via its virtual high-pivot twin-link design. We previously got the development story with founders Roger Pisà and Juan Bujosa.

The Myotragus was home to the highly-acclaimed Trickstuff Direttissima brakes; this set benefiting from 3D printed titanium levers developed in partnership with Trumpf, creators of additive manufacturing systems.

Nicolai has a couple of new eMTBs under the name, Swift. Both are built around the Bosch Performance Line SX Motor that launched last week. The 2 kg motor augments rider input to the tune of 55 Nm torque, and is powered by a 400 Wh battery. The 110mm travel Saturn 11 Swift (above) and the 140mm travel Saturn 14 Swift (below) can also make use of the 250 Wh range extender that fits onto water bottle mounts in the front triangle.

Intend BC had their own booth at Eurobike for the first time. Among other high-end parts, proprietor Cornelius Kapfinger was showing off a prototype USD carbon fork that he is developing in conjunction with Czech company, CompoTech. The prototype fork is currently living on a machine-made carbon fiber frame from CompoTech’s bike brand, CDuro.

The frame is made with carbon composite materials, manufactured through an automated process known as Integrated Loop Technology. We are told the process involves automated fiber winding, so the risk of human error is eliminated.

The prototype fork is very much based on the Intend Edge fork for enduro riding, but the new carbon uppers shave a not-insignificant 100g on the overall weight. Cornelius is still working on developing a secure press fit for the carbon uppers (traditionally, lowers) into the machined aluminum crown.

At the GasGas booth we saw a prototype long-travel eMTB that was home to an unidentified motor. While most of the GasGas eBikes are powered by a Yamaha motor, this one is not. No one was on hand to divulge information on the bike, never mind its motor, so we are left to speculate. Given that the bike was home to AXS components with the SRAM T-Type Derailleur and flat-top chain, we know which brand we’d wager on.

High up on the wall of the Classified Cycling booth was the new Commencal Meta V5 Enduro bike, rocking the Classified Powershift Hub. Word is, the Commencal Enduro Project Team (including Alex Rudeau) is testing out the system for possible use on the race bikes later this season.

For those unfamiliar, the Classified Powershift Hub essentially delivers a 2x drivetrain without the need for a front derailleur, or two chainrings. That’s thanks to the internal gearing of the hub that offers two possible ratios through the full range of the cassette you wish to pair it with. Thus, the Commencal Meta V5 with the Classified Powershift Hub and 12 speed cassette actually boasts 24 gears.

Some advantages of the system include the use of a more compact 12 speed cassette (11-40T), with the 24 gears bumping range up to 530%. It also allows for use of a less vulnerable short-cage derailleur and a shorter chain.

However, the major advantage for mountain bikers, and especially those in a hurry, is the ability to shift under load. Switching gear using the Powershift hub gives you an effective shift through 2-3 gears when compared to a traditional 1x drivetrain. That’s going to be especially helpful when you need to step on the gas following a tight, technical corner, or when rolling into a surprise steep technical climb. It’ll be interesting to see how Alex and co get on with this one.

Not especially new, but still noteworthy, is the Nicolai Nucleon 16, a high-pivot enduro mountain bike designed in conjunction with the Lal Bikes Supre Drive. With a 230mm eye-to-eye shock, with a 60mm or 65 mm stroke, the Nucleon 16 Supre can deliver 165mm or 178 mm of rear wheel travel. It is designed around a 29″ wheelset, but can also be configured as a mullet.

For now, it remains the only production bike available with the alternative drivetrain. Briefly, the Supre Drive splits the two major roles of a traditional derailleur into two entities that work in unison with one another to deliver gear shifts and manage chain tension.

We covered the Supre Drive in detail last year when Lal Bikes proprietor, Cedric Eveleigh, first announced it. The Supre Drive seen here is updated with cnc-machined aluminum derailleur links, as compared to the 3D printed plastic links we saw on the Nucleon 16 at Eurobike in 2022. The derailleur, chain tensioner and idler pulley are all made at Lal Bikes’ own production facility in BC, Canada.

One interesting feature of the Supre Drive is its hydraulically-damped chain tensioner. The tube containing the damper fluid is tucked up inside the downtube.

In continuation of this theme of alternative drivetrains, at the Gates Carbon Drive booth we saw a Crossworx Trip 290 eBike prototype, complete with Bosch SX Motor, 400 Wh CompactTube Battery, Gates Carbon Drive and the Classified Powershift Hub. At first glance, this one looks to be a single-speed eMTB, but thanks to the Classified Powershift Hub it is actually, rather stealthily, running a two-speed drivetrain. The bike, as pictured here, weighs a claimed 20.2 kg.

For us, the Crossworx eMTB was definitey one of the show highlights – more details on this innovative new eBike here.