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BH XTEP Carbon is a wild-looking eMTB; stealthy Core Carbon e-Road Bike boosts range to 220km!

2021 BH XTEP full suspension electric assist mountain bike riding action
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As a collaboration with ITEM designworks, the new BH XTEP is a mid-to-long travel full suspension e-mountain bike that comes in 140mm & 160mm travel options. With an advanced suspension and plenty of travel, what really stands out is the very low standover height created by its curved downtube design. Here’s the story…

The curved downtube hides a segmented battery. A covered opening in the top allows access to it, and that cover twists open with a dovetailed design to keep it secure while riding.

2021 BH XTEP full suspension electric assist mountain bike battery see through cutaway

By using a slack 65º head angle to give solid trail handling, the design allowed that downtube to curve forward a bit more… which opens up room inside the front triangle for a full size water bottle even while the rear triangle sits very low…which means the rear shock starts low at the back. Normally, this setup could cramp the space inside the front triangle, but not so much here.

The suspension uses a Split Pivot design withs short-ish 465mm (18.3″) linkage-driven shock, similar to some of their other full-suspension mountain bikes. And, they say the frame is just 2200g, also inline with the non-electric-assist models. Of course, that’s without the battery and motor. And the battery is big, offering 720Wh for a claimed 155km (96.3 miles) max range.

2021 BH XTEP full suspension electric assist mountain bike side profile

You can customize power output with their app, and there’s a Trail Mode that boosts output when you need it while keeping it tamped down a bit when you don’t. It’s running a new Shimano EP8 motor, which should run quiet and smooth.

They say the new carbon frame is 70% stiffer than the prior model, with a an oversized rear main axle in the suspension adding another 36% stiffness improvement. Internal cables and hidden suspension linkage bolts maintain a clean appearance across the entire bike.

2021 BH XTEP full suspension electric assist mountain bike color options

Available in five colors plus custom paint options, it’s available now. Check their website or local dealers for full pricing.

2021 BH Core Carbon e-Road Bike

2021 BH Core Carbone electric assist road bike

Introduced in 2019 as an alloy line of electric assist road bikes and commuter bikes (which might just be the best looking e-commuter bike we’ve seen), the BH Core gets a sleeker Carbon version for 2021.

It’s not just the frame that’s changed, either. While the original models maxed out at 115km range (71.5 miles), the new one gets up to 165km with the stock 540Wh battery.

external booster battery for BH Core Carbon e-road bike

Add on the XPRO external booster battery and that bumps it up to 720Wh, giving it a max range of 220km (137 miles)! What’s particularly cool about the add on battery is that its bottle cage is the electrical connection to the bike. Just bolt the cage on, and when you slip the battery (which looks very much like a water bottle) into it, it’s connected to the system – no extra wires needed. Or, just use the cage for an actual water bottle when you don’t need the added juice.

Helping it achieve that range is the relatively light weight… it comes in as light as 12.6kg (27.75lb). This also helps it feel more like a regular road bike, not some clunky e-bike. And thanks to the minuscule new 2ESMAG motor, which provides 250W of power & 65Nm torque, it keeps the same geometry and handling as their traditional road bikes, too. Even the battery and downtube are slim, making it hard to tell this is even an e-bike at a glance.

Like the original alloy models, it gets a completely integrated cockpit with full internal routing from controls to the derailleurs and brakes. Aero shaping polishes things off. The display and control button is integrated into the stem’s top cap, so it’s virtually invisible when not needed. An app gives you more control over the settings and assistance at each level. The new e-bike available in 5 stock colors, or you can customize it.

BHbikes.com

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Mark
3 years ago

Something is not matching with the stories about “save the planet”, go-green, etc. People say we should stop driving fossil-fuel cars because they generate a lot of emissions or go and ride a bicycle instead which is the best way to go green, but wait! producing and recycling tons of batteries also generate emissions right? and the most green vehicle we can use (bike) is now becoming a not so green vehicle too. End of the day, whatever sells and whatever makes money is what matters. It is all marketing to make people buy and buy money.

JBikes
JBikes
3 years ago
Reply to  Mark

If that ebike replaces a car, great. I am not sure that is really happening, especially for MTB and Road bikes. It would be interesting to see how many auto miles (and ultimately gallons of fuel) are deferred per e-bike purchase.

Mark
3 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

I bought an e-bike myself but sold my car right after because I live 5 min (driving) from my office so I can ride 10-15 min back and forth everyday and it is a very hilly area otherwise I would ride a normal bike as I have done for years in the past. For my current use it does make sense an ebike but the trails and roads are becoming packed with electric bikes of all sorts and that is not for green reasons for sure.

Ghalia
Ghalia
3 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Realy Mark? It is 2021. Your ‘myth’ has been debunked so many time. Ev’s are greener but a large margin. If made a point about ebikes being additional bikes in the world instead of replacing petrol burning variants like with cars you would actually have a point.

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

Best ebike commercial ever. I’m not ready for an e-bike yet but I get it. And to me, a 250 watt motor is more than enough to flatten out the hills and mountains. Looks like a nicely packaged set up.

Heffe
Heffe
3 years ago

If your local power comes from coal or nuclear, your e-bike is powered by… coal and nuclear! The e-bike coverage is starting to get a bit much again. What about some more human-powered rides?

jason d west
jason d west
3 years ago

Wild looking…? You mean ugly as fudge.

pm732
3 years ago

love how they replicaTED the magazine feeder from an A-10 Warthog for that downtube. very avant garde.

ben
ben
3 years ago

Looks like the old Morpheus Cycles DH bike. Fugly!

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