I’ve spent quite a bit of time on rented ebikes WHEN travelling. You know the ones – those 80-lb tanks adorning the sidewalks of every major city. The Porsche eBike Cross – manufactured by German mountain bike specialist RotWild – is not one of those. This fully-suspended lightweight carbon-framed ebike designed by Studio F. A. Porsche is a high performance machine.
While Ruby Star Neo wouldn’t be my first choice of colour, when Porsche Canada gives you an ebike to test out – with a Cayenne S to transport it – you don’t complain that it’s hot pink. There are many other Porsche-specific colours with more muted hues available.
The first engineering marvel that impressed me was the Porsche tow hook bicycle rack. Securely mounting a bike (or two) on here takes about a minute – and pivots out of the way to access the rear gate. There’s a ramp included to roll the bike onto the rack, although I just lifted it on.
Once on the bike, the first step is to dial in your ride height via the remotely-operated seat adjustment button on the handlebar. Just like setting up the driving position in your car, this is one of the most important steps to feeling ‘at one’ with the machine.
When comparing this ebike with those share-bikes you might have tried, besides the obvious huge weight advantage, the other major difference is the engagement of the electric assist. With a lot of ebikes the assist feels like a binary switch – all on or all off. With the Porsche bike, the Shimano torque sensor motor has a much more natural feeling – engaging a little when you’re pedalling lightly, and moreso as you apply more pedal power.
As I explored the lush surroundings of the Evergreen Brick Works Park, I found myself really enjoying the feel of the bike.
Thanks to the fully-suspended frame – sprung with top-notch Fox hydraulics – and the tractional knobby tires, this is a very comfortable bike to ride in a variety of environments, spanning from sidewalks to forest trails.
At one point I was flying downhill on a boulder-encrusted, single-track trail. The bike’s light but solid construction – not to mention the grippy Magura disc brakes – provided high confidence.
Conversely, when riding uphill, the e-assist gives you the extra power to get up slopes easier – or faster – than you might have thought possible. At one point I was zipping up a relatively steep hill at 30 kph. With three power settings at your fingertips – Eco, Trail and Boost – you can decide how much assistance you want at any given time.
While I’ve ridden traditional road and mountain bikes my whole life, given that most of my time on ebikes has been on those heavy share-bikes, I really didn’t expect to enjoy the Porsche eBike as much as I did. It’s surprisingly fun, nimble and athletic. Since it’s a Porsche I guess that shouldn’t really be a surprise. </>
