The Flow offers a lot of bike for little money. Real savings have only been made on a few parts and where it is legitimate and not a sham. Bergstrom installs the new Performance SX motor from Bosch and combines it with high-quality suspension from DT Swiss and Mavic wheels. Sram provides the electronic drivetrain and Shimano the 4-piston brakes from the SLX groupset. All down-to-earth products from well-known manufacturers. Only the stem, handlebars and cranks are in-house products. The statement that you get "a lot of bike" therefore fits perfectly. Unfortunately, this also applies to the weight: you also get plenty of pounds. 21.6 kilos for a light-assist trail bike with 130 millimetres of travel at the rear and 140 at the front is not exactly "light".

The bike in action

The Flow is rather compact, so a frame size L instead of the usual size M was used for this test. Nevertheless, the riding position is slightly upright for a trail bike. The pedaling uphill is correspondingly relaxed. If this happens on single trails, the e-bike is easy to maneuver over obstacles, the kinematics and motor harmonize perfectly and you really "flow" over hill and dale. Provided the SX is ridden in the factory setting. If you increase the dynamic values of the drive too much in Bosch's Flow app, it tends to slip a little under the rear wheel. If the terrain is technically demanding and the riding speed is therefore low, the Flow is a little fidgety. More speed equals more composure, which is particularly evident on flat terrain, where the bike is a lot of fun to ride. It is agile without being playful and effortlessly stays on track in long, open corners and berms.

The 4-link rear suspension is well designed and gives you more travel than it says on paper. It only passes through very hard hits, but also gives little feedback from the ground. The long head tube gives you a high front end, but the compact standing position forces you to sit back a little. The suspension lacks reserves for enduro trails, but you can't expect that from a trail bike. Unfortunately, the high weight somewhat inhibits the flow of the Flow: a playful riding style doesn't really fit and the propulsion also suffers.

Conclusion

The Flow from Bergstrom has a wide range of uses. The Horstlink rear suspension offers a lot of grip and packs in more than you would expect from a 130-millimeter trail bike. The E-MTB appeals more to the masses than to experienced cracks. The latter will lack the liveliness and playfulness that the high weight entails. In return, you get a solid, durable e-bike with good equipment for around 7,000 francs.

Recommendation

Bosch's SX motor enables a sporty riding style, as it offers plenty of support. But be careful, if you ride the Flow uphill at full throttle, you run the risk of running out of juice early on. For longer uphills, E-MTB mode is the better choice than Turbo mode.