Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo. These are the support levels for the Bosch Performance CX motor until the end of June. From July, a brilliant update will be available that replaces the Sport level with eMTB mode. Although this is just a simple software update, it will bring a noticeably fun change on the trail, as initial test rides have shown. The new mode offers a kind of automatic mode: With a maximum torque of up to 75 Nm, the engine dynamically boosts the rider's own power between 120 and 300 percent. Even at low pedalling frequencies, the motor always provides power without the need to change gear.

Until now, the message for many riders when riding uphill on a Bosch bike has always been: Turbo mode: it's a racy ride and you can experience a lot of the often-vaunted quality time on the trail in a short space of time. However, the uphill is so much like a chase - because the motor gives such a boost that jumps are already possible uphill and uphill falls also occur again and again due to the increased average speed. Riding uphill in Turbo or Sport mode has very little in common with the familiar feeling of riding a conventional, non-motorized mountain bike. And the Tour or Eco modes are usually not an option, as although they offer support, it also feels as if the motor is only compensating for the additional weight of the vehicle.

First slip, then a feeling of more control

The first test lap with a Trek Fully with Performance CX motor took place on the Bike Days test track - on a slippery grassy slope, the new control system had to show what it was made of. The very first impression? Contrary to expectations, the rear wheel slips - and that's because I'm not used to how the newly controlled drive reacts. It took a short time to get used to it, because the motor now reacts independently with support within the Eco to Turbo modes. The more pedal power I put in, the more thrust the drive gives. The application of motor power feels significantly new: Previously, it took at least half a turn or even a full turn of the crank for the motor to kick in when starting off. In eMTB mode, the drive responds very quickly without being impetuous: the pedal force is pleasantly supported and it feels natural. Or to put it another way: It no longer feels at all like sitting on a mountain bike moped, but on a mountain bike with a built-in tailwind. The Bosch engineers have upgraded the sensors and motor control system to such an extent that, for example, 1000 measurements are taken every second to determine the status of all riding parameters. When Bosch launched the first drive, this was still around 100 measurements per second.

Professionals and beginners benefit

With a short period of familiarization, slipping rear wheel when starting uphill is definitely a thing of the past in the vast majority of situations. Rolling up steep climbs is much easier than before. It also no longer happens in this mode that the wheel tries to become independent. Previously, if you descended a steep section in Turbo mode via the rear wheel and briefly pressed on the pedal, the bike would "spike" out from under the rider at full power. A Bosch bike no longer performs this sometimes dangerous maneuver in the new riding mode.

Conclusion: With the new riding mode, Bosch brings a natural, fun riding experience. Die-hard mountain bikers will experience a ride that is more reminiscent of a non-motorized mountain bike, simply without the hassle of long uphills and with more traction and control on difficult uphill terrain. The Swabians have thus come a significant step closer to the previous promise of uphill flow. The new mode is certainly also interesting for inexperienced riders or newcomers to the e-mountainbike discipline. This is because the drive responds sensitively without overwhelming the rider with impetuous power development. The dynamic control also achieves a better range, which can only be good for every e-mountain biker.