These days, more and more automakers are venturing into the world of electric bicycles. Most notable of which are Porsche, who recently acquired quite an arsenal of e-bike brands. Rivian has also expressed interest in the e-bike segment, with the first Rivian-developed e-bike now under construction.
Unsurprisingly, Audi, sister company of Porsche under the Volkswagen group, has also joined the party, but in this case, teaming up with a popular motorcycle maker from Italy: Fantic. We’re all familiar with Audi’s e-tron lineup of electric cars. In a similar vein, the brand is leveraging on its highly successful e-tron brand name to market its electric bike, simply called the Audi Electric Mountain Bike. With e-tron branding prominently showcased on the battery, the e-MTB clearly lives up to the brand’s premium image.
From a componentry standpoint alone, the Audi Electric Mountain Bike is fancy enough to have bike aficionados drooling in excitement. For starters, it sports suspension hardware from none other than Öhlins, with an RXF 38 M.2 suspension fork. At the rear, the bike sports an Öhlins TTX 22M rear shock. Likewise, the bike is equipped with a SRAM GX groupset for precise shifting and a lightweight drivetrain. Last but not least, the bike is equipped with Incas 2.0 hydraulic brakes, which stand out particularly thanks to their intricate machining.
As for the frame, the Electric Mountain Bike is built atop a Fantic frameset composed of part carbon, part aluminum. Although specs aren’t exactly known, chances are that the front triangle of the frame is made of aluminum, while the rear section is made out of carbon fiber. The frame gets 170 millimeters of suspension travel, which when mated to the 180 millimeters offered by the Öhlins front fork, make for quite a long-travel enduro bike. Wheel configuration is a mullet setup, with a 29-inch front and 27.5-inch rear wheel.
Last but certainly not least, we get to the motor. The Audi Electric Mountain Bike is powered by a compact Brose Drive S Mag e-bike system. With 90 newton-meters of torque on tap, the motor is powerful enough to make climbs a walk in the park, allowing you to enjoy the descents to their full potential. The motor is likewise mated to a 720-watt-hour battery pack from Fantic.
Unsurprisingly, an e-bike of this caliber commands quite a premium price. Indeed, even if it weren’t an e-bike to start with, bicycles equipped with this level of componentry are known to command thousands of dollars. That being said, we’re looking at a price tag of 8,900 Euros, or approximately $9,378 USD for this posh yet capable trinket.
