With plenty of torque, a low center of gravity and agile suspension, the muscular, watt-boosted e-mountain bikes feel at least twice as fast off-road as a conventional mountain bike. However, this extra power and speed also comes with risks. Bosch has already recognized this and offers riding training for e-mountain bikers.

Actuator motor in the headset
The German-Japanese set of rules intervenes autonomously in the riding behavior of the e-mountainbiker in dicey manoeuvres and controls not only the brakes but also a servomotor in the headset. This then steers the front wheel onto the correct course. The system offers a huge increase in safety, as the data obtained in real time significantly improves safety.

Still in its infancy
"This is just the beginning," says Bernd Hacker, Project Manager at Bosch. "We are working with the engineers at Shimano on hubs that allow a tilt angle and independent torque. This enables us to achieve an absolutely safe, redundant system. If the ride correction via the headset servomotor fails, we can still intervene via the hubs."

Sram not involved for the time being
Sram is currently still on the sidelines when it comes to track assist, as no electronic mountain bike groupset has yet been presented. For road bikes, Sram already has a wireless, electronic drivetrain at the start with E-Tap. It should therefore not be long before the US component giant launches the e-mountain bike drivetrain and paves the way for the innovative trail assistant.