Ghost E-Ndure Electric - Eurobike 2010

Far from your standard electric bike! The Ghost E-Ndure is built to do anything and everything that other 170 mm travel bikes are capable of, it just happens to have a built in electric motor and removable battery. I have to admit that the E-Ndure looks fast while sitting still, isn't that always the trait of a great bike? Despite looking fairly dialed, this is actually only the second complete prototype that they have built. Ghost plans on entering production with the E-Ndure at some point in the future. Are you ready for it?

This is not an electric bike that you can ride on trails, but rather a full on mountain bike that has an electric motor - if you've seen past attempts at most electric mountain bikes you'll know what I'm getting at. The rear suspension design and components are actually the very same as Ghost uses on their new DH race bike, albeit with a slightly shorter stroke damper. They employ a high main pivot that results in a axle path that has a more rearward element than if they had placed the pivot in a more conventional location. Because it is so high they bolt on a chain idler to keep chain tension and growth in check. Have you spotted the battery yet?

That's a big 'ol chainring! Because the bike uses an electric motor for an assist, the rider is able to easily push a bigger gear than you'd find on a standard bike. Get ready to set some new personal land speed records. Just as you'll find on their standard bikes, all of the E-Ndure's pivots rotate on sealed bearings. Both upper and lower shock mounts use needle bearings to keep everything running as smooth and as active as possible.

The E-Ndure uses an electric motor that is hidden within the above crank housing. The bike does not go forward under it's own power as a motorbike would, but instead uses the electric motor for an assist. When you put the power down, it puts the power down. Stop pedaling and the motor stops working. Due to German legislation the motor will only help you out until you hit 25 kph, after that you're on your own if you want to go faster. Even though Ghost has specd a motor that is capable of easily dealing with 800 watts, the E-Ndure gets up to speed using only 250 - 300. This makes for a very reliable system. Yes, those are cooling fins. The cooler the motor runs, the more efficient and reliable it will perform. You can just spot the battery that is held in place within the downtube and nearly out of sight. From the side the E-Ndure looks pretty much like a regular bike, which was one of the goals when designing it.

Welcome to the cockpit! The small black box on the left lets you control the power output of the electric motor. There are three levels of juice to select from, but keep in mind that the more power you want to use, the shorter your battery life will be. The bigger box on the right with the screen tells you all your important stats, including battery remaining, as well as all of the usual bicycle computer functions. If you're battery expires while out on the trail, the E-Ndure can be ridden just like a regular bike, albeit slightly heavier than the average mountain bike. Total weight comes in at around 26 kg, including the battery. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but the extra weight is placed as low as possible on the frame.

The E-Ndure has all of the bells and whistles that most all-mountain and freeride machines come with, including a tapered head tube that uses a integrated headset. While the angles aren't set in stone quite yet, this model uses a slack 65 degree head tube angle to keep the bike stable at the higher than average speeds that you can expect the electric assisted E-Ndure to be able to hit on many sections of trail that would leave a regular bike in it's dust.

Out back you'll find a Syntace X12 compatible 12 x 142 mm thru-axle system to keep everything stiff and inline. Like I've said above many times, this is not your standard electric cruiser, but a machine that is designed to take all the abuse that you can throw at it.

Jordan out from behind the lens and having a go on the E-Ndure. No, a quick spin in a grassy field is by no means a test, but after some circles on the bike we could both see the potential for good times out on the trails. The important thing to keep in mind about the E-Ndure is that it is built to be a truly capable bike. Take it out to your local bike park and send it off whatever booters and drops that you'd usually hit, or ride it fast down the hardest DH tracks that you can find - it is designed to handle it. Where the bike's true powers will shine are locations that don't let you take an uplift to the top of the trail. I'm of the opinion that one should certainly earn their turns quite often, but acknowledge that a lot of riders are strictly shuttle rats when it comes to shredding, this could be their ticket to fun without having to load up a truck or head off to the local ski resort. Keep in mind that you do still have to pedal the E-Ndure, the electric motor works as only an assist, so don't expect to be scooting up the steepest of hills with zero effort. Are electric assist mountain bikes the future? While I'm not going to go that far, I can definitely see them being an option soon, especially if they are going to look as dialed as the E-Ndure.