Shimano's new E-MTB drive with automatic shifting - a first impression
Shimano's EP8 drive system will offer significant innovations in the future. These include automatic mode and extensive personalisation options. Here you can find a short preview of the features and riding experience.
E-MTBs will also soon have even more assistance when riding and shifting gears for a maximally fluid riding experience. In the next few months, e-bikes with the new Shimano EP801 drive system will be available in Switzerland. Most important innovations: The EP801 offers an automatic mode. With the Auto-Shift function and the Deore XT Di2 shifting system, the system shifts to the appropriate gear depending on the conditions. In addition, the EP801 offers extensive personalisation options.
I was allowed to test ride an E-MTB with the EP801 system briefly on the sidelines of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lenzerheide. My first impression: the automatic shifting system works and could be interesting especially for leisure, hobby and pleasure bikers. The system will also be available in city, gravel and trekking bikes. This means that there will be more automatic bikes on the roads in the future. From Cycle Week, my colleague Patrick Bardelli had already reported on Decathlon's new e-bike with automatic transmission.
The drive of the EP801 is very powerful with a maximum torque of 85 Nm. This is enough - depending on the weight - for climbs with a 25 per cent gradient. The drive unit is light (2.7 kilograms) and compact, so it offers good ground clearance to get over stones and other obstacles. Externally, the engine does not differ from its predecessor, the EP800.
Automatic shifting and personalisation
As with other e-bike systems, you can choose between different presets. For the Shimano EP8 system, these are "Eco", "Trail", "Boost" and "Walk". While the first three modes are related to biking, the "Walk" mode helps you push if riding is no longer possible for some reason.
With the automatic mode, you can choose between three different modes.
With the automatic shifting (Auto-Shift) you have different options: You can switch it off completely and ride manually if you think shifting is part of biking or if you want to have full control over resistance and cadence in rough terrain. If you like automatic, you can set your desired cadence, which determines when the system engages another gear. In addition, there are presets you can select that determine how fast the system shifts when you change cadence, torque or speed. However, you can change gears yourself at any time if you want to take back control in the meantime.
Source: Stefan Munsch
The free-shift mode allows you to shift with the derailleur in freewheel mode. This is useful when you want to select the gear for the following climb on a descent or in a tight bend. You can shift gears without pedalling. You can use Free-Shift either manually or in automatic mode when coasting, when the system senses that your speed is increasing or decreasing. On city bikes, for example, Free-Shift is useful when approaching red lights. By shifting in freewheel mode without pedalling, you can start with a lower gear when the light turns green.
In addition, there is an automatic mode for coasting when you notice that your speed is increasing or decreasing.
In addition, the "E-Tube Project Cyclist" app offers 15 profile settings that you can modify according to your preferences. So theoretically, anyone and everyone can set up a customised mountain bike system. For my short test ride, however, this was too complex for me and I relied on the presets that could be set via switches and were clearly displayed on the bright colour display.
Source: Stefan Munsch
A first impression: more headroom for off-road
At the outset, let me say that I am certainly not the most experienced mountain biker, and certainly not an e-mountain biker. So I was all the more curious to see how it would feel to ride an e-bike with automatic transmission. After a stretch on a gravel path, we entered the forest.
Source: Stefan Munsch
The drivetrain and the automatic gearstick required some shifting in my head at first: it took me a few minutes to get used to the fact that the gears changed by themselves. After a few tries, I had found the right preset for me. It was the less sensitive shift mode. That makes sense: I was riding on flat terrain and got along best with the preset for flat routes.
In fact, I see advantages in the automatic: riders who are not very experienced with trails can concentrate more on the terrain and leave the shifting to the bike. And if it's a steep uphill after a turn, that's not a problem because the automatic takes over shifting if I haven't reacted quickly enough to the gradient change.
And another argument for the e-bike automatic makes sense to me: The computer-controlled shifting into the appropriate gear reduces the load on the entire drive, which is otherwise very high due to the powerful motor. This protects the components and reduces wear and tear.
Titelfoto: Stefan Munsch
Research diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.