Yes, if you already have a recent ebike powered by the top Shimano EP801 motor, you can now get the latest Race Mode tune over-the-air by simply updating your firmware in their E-Tube app. Faster ramp up to the max 400% assist. Customizable assist cutoff feel at the max speed. And most importantly, extended overrun for Uninterrupted Power Delivery as you momentarily stop pedaling through the roughest terrain.
Fine-tuned on the pro e-enduro circuit, now the Shimano eMTB Race Mode upgrade is as easy as connecting your smartphone to your ebike…
Shimano EP801 ebike Race Mode over-the-air upgrade
The Race Mode firmware tune isn’t entirely new. We already knew about it this past summer. It promised “exciting new features and more customization options to help you boost your race speeds and keep the momentum rolling longer through techy terrain“.
And if you already had an EP801-equipped ebike at the end of June, you could have taken it into your local bikeshop to have them update the firmware. But let’s be honest, how many of you actually did that? How many people take their already functional bikes into the shop for service in the middle of the riding season, even if there was a promise of some incremental performance improvement?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
But now you can upgrade your own ebike from the comfort of your own home. I just updated the E-Tube Project Cyclist app on my phone (just for clarification, it’s simply called E-Tube on my iPhone) and updated my own firmware in about 15 minutes. It probably took longer because I had a terrible WiFi signal in my garage.
But that’s it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Can I just say that one of my favorite things about electronics (when they work like I want) is free over-the-air updates that give me new or improved functionality!
What’s actually new?
Higher Boost Mode assist level.
Peak power is still 600W, max torque is still 85Nm, and max assist is still 400%. But the race mode tune means a steeper curve to get to those peak levels, so you get the maximum power out of the motor much faster in the tuned Boost mode.
Adjustable max speed cutoff progression.
Normally, Shimano smoothly transitions their motor’s pedal assist power off as it approaches its max speed limit (25km/h for my ebikes in Europe). But that means you sacrifice a little power at the end to gain a natural and comfortable feel. But now, if you want, you can set the motor to go full gas to the limit to eke out extra seconds of max power, and deal with an abrupt drop in power as you hit the speed limiter. Your choice – Natural, Middle, or Aggressive in each assist mode. I would prefer natural, but many will like the middle mode, too.
Extended pedal-assist carry-over or overrun.
This one is the biggest deal. Just like Bosch’s CX Race motor has extended overrun, now Shimano EP801 riders get some extra customizable power after they stop pedaling for a second. Pick from 3 levels Short (the same as before), Middle & Long applied to all assist modes. Long seems to be nearly comparable to the Bosch version, giving about a second of extended assist power.
Interestingly, backpedaling on the Shimano motor cancels its ‘carry-over’ or overrun, which had existed to a minor degree in Boost mode already since EP801’s debut. But while that originally kept you from being able to ratchet the pedals through really rough sections, now these longer overruns are not so easily canceled by backpedaling, giving it much more usability, and making it a better head-to-head competitor with Bosch CX Race.
There’s also the same AutoShift updates that we previewed back in the summer, again developed with Yeti-Shimano EP Racing’s Mick Hannah to give the latest EP801 eMTBs more of a race-tuned feel.
Shimano EP801 Race tune availability
“The new firmware is available to all EP801 bike owners and is now free to apply using Shimano’s E-TUBE Project Cyclist smartphone app (Version 5.3.2).” The over-the-air update is available through the E-Tube app on either iOS or Android, giving ebike riders more control over their eMTB and more of a racing feel to their ebike riding.
