With e-bikes getting lighter and lighter, it’s becoming harder to distinguish them from standard, non-electric models, especially in the for-sport electric mountain bike game. You see, unlike utility and cargo-focused e-bikes, power isn’t the name of the game when it comes to lightweight e-MTBs. Instead, it’s agility and natural pedal feel—both essential when it comes to hitting the trails at a blistering pace.
Many manufacturers of electric motors specifically designed for mountain bike applications have focused precisely on lowering weight while offering a natural-feeling pedal assist with just enough grunt to allow you to go the extra mile. A good example of this comes in the form of the Urta Hybrid e-MTB from Italian cycling company Wilier. Packing a Fazua Ride 60 motor, the Urta Hybrid is on the forefront of tech, and delivers impressive power and range figures, especially considering that it weighs no more than 16 kilograms.
Diving into the specifics, the Wilier Urta Hybrid packs a Fazua Ride 60 motor that pumps out 60 Nm of torque. While it isn’t as light as the TQ 50 system we’ve talked about in the past, it is slightly more powerful. Furthermore, the 430-Wh Wilier has chosen to work together with the Fazua motor should offer you around two to three hours of continuous ride time. Those of you looking to go the extra mile need not worry, though, as you can easily purchase a 210-Wh range extender that slots perfectly into one of the bottle holders.
As for the carbon fiber frame, the Hybrid has been modeled after Wilier’s Urta SLR, a championship-winning cross-country bike. Unlike the SLR, however, the Hybrid has a tad longer suspension travel at 120mm, making it just a little more comfortable and capable of tackling technical terrain with ease. The head angle sits at a slack 66.7 degrees, while the bike’s 74-degree seat angle gives the frame thoroughly modern trail geometry. As mentioned earlier, there are two bottle cage mounts on which you can either mount two water bottles, or the options 210-Wh range extender.
When it comes to pricing and availability, expect an electric mountain bike of this caliber to command quite the premium. It starts at 7,000 Euros, or around $6,900 USD for the base model equipped with Shimano XT components. Meanwhile, the top-range version that packs SRAM XX1 Eagle components will set you back a steep 12,500 Euros, or around $12,360 USD. Across the board, the Urta Hybrid packs a RockShox SID fork, Miche wheels, and color options consisting of Matte Olive Green and Gloss Black.
