NEW BIKES
SWINGING A LEG OVER WHAT’S HOT THIS MONTH
TR ANSITION RELAY CARBON GX AXS
£9,799.95 • 29in • windwave.co.uk
They say there’s nothing really new in mountain biking, just old ideas recycled, like Shimano’s auto shifting, steering dampers and electronic suspension. Here’s another one to add to the list: Fazua’s latest Ride 60 motor has 250W power, puts out 60Nm torque and uses a 430Wh battery. That makes it pretty darned close to the old Shimano E8000 motor and battery launched in 2016, which had the same average power and 10Nm more torque. And, just as it was seven years ago, it’s cutting-edge stuff, coming on the most exclusive new bikes, like this Transition Relay.
The difference, of course, is that today’s mid-powered motors have sacrificed the peak torque for low weight and compact size in an effort to replicate the look and ride feel of a regular bike. Fazua’s Ride 60 motor is claimed to weigh just 1.96kg, while the 430Wh battery is easier to verify because it’s removable on the Relay, and reads 2.27kg on our scales. That 4.23kg system weight is light, but on the other hand, it’s actually only 1,100g less than the old E8000 motor and bigger 504Wh battery, according to Shimano’s figures.
You’ll be relieved to hear Fazua wins in terms of space savings though: the Ride 60 motor is so tiny you’d be forgiven for thinking the Relay is a regular bike, and the fact you can whip the internal battery out and pedal it around is useful, even if just for the ability to charge the battery off the bike.
Powered up, the display uses a traffic light system, and it is integrated into the top tube, with a series of lights to let you know how much juice you have left and which of the three power modes you’re in. The claim is it’s intuitive because the lights instantly remind you of the mode you’re in, but to do that you have to first learn which colour relates to which power mode. I’d argue words and letters are more intuitive as most of us have already learnt them. I also found the LEDs far too bright for riding at the end of a summer’s day, so I imagine they’re blinding on a night ride.
The bar-mounted Ring Controller remote used to select the power modes is a simple up-down switch that floats on a bushing and uses magnets to select the modes. It’s unobtrusive, works most of the time (it does ten
