“Today is a difficult day for us: a decision has been made to discontinue Fazua operations,” the company writes. At the same time, Fazua promises that service, warranty, and spare parts supply will continue to be guaranteed for years to come through its dealer network. 

Fazua was founded in 2013 in Ottobrunn near Munich and was considered a pioneer of so-called Light Assist e-bikes. The idea: lightweight, compact, and particularly natural-feeling drive systems instead of heavy full-power motors. With the removable Ride 50 system and later the Ride 60, Fazua struck a chord with many athletic mountain bikers and gravel riders. 

In 2022, Porsche AG initially acquired a 20 percent stake in Fazua; a few months later, the sports car manufacturer took over the company entirely. Porsche aimed to expand its e-bike strategy with this move and placed high hopes on the booming light eMTB market.

Fazua drives have recently been used in numerous premium bikes. The Ride 60 system was particularly widespread on models from Santa Cruz Bicycles, Pivot Cycles, Focus Bikes, Canyon Bicycles, Lapierre, and BMC, among others. In the mountain bike sector, bikes like the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Pivot Shuttle SL, and Focus JAM² SL attracted attention because they were significantly lighter and quieter on the trail than classic e-MTBs. 

However, in recent years, Fazua has repeatedly struggled with reliability issues and fierce competition from systems by Bosch, Shimano, and TQ. At the same time, the global e-bike market has cooled noticeably following the boom of the COVID years. 

Just a few days ago, it was announced that Porsche plans to shut down its entire e-bike motor division and cut hundreds of jobs. For owners of Fazua bikes, the all-clear remains—at least for now: According to the company, spare parts and service will remain available in the long term. Nevertheless, the news is likely to unsettle many riders—after all, there’s much more to an e-mountain bike than just a motor.

fazua.com