There are tons of new and exciting electric mountain bikes in the market, all of which cater to various riding styles. While in the cross-country application it’s easy to understand the benefits of an additional electric motor helping you rack up the miles, some people wonder what the benefits of having an electric enduro or freeride bike are.
As we all know, what comes up must go down, and in order to ride downhill, you first have to ride uphill. While popular bike parks like Whistler have lifts that carry you and your bike back up the hill, there are tons of other trail centers and parks that require you to pedal back up, usually on boring, not to mention tiring, fire roads. This is where bikes like the new Unno IKKI come into play. Essentially an electric version of the brand’s Burn enduro bike, it has a similar long-suspension travel setup, slack geometry, and premium components. At the same time, it’s a lower-powered version of Unno’s MITH electric mountain bike.
Let’s take a look at the bike’s motor first. It’s powered by a compact setup courtesy of German e-bike systems specialist TQ, more specifically, the HPR50 with 50 newton-meters of torque. Tipping the scales at just 3.9 kilos (8.6 pounds), it’s one of the most compact e-bike systems in the market, and contributes to the bike’s impressive overall weight of just 41.7 pounds in its heaviest configuration. The setup includes a display that’s very neatly integrated into the bike’s top-tube, and the charging port on the downtube also serves as a plug for the range extender. The stock battery has a 360-watt-hour capacity, but it can be boosted to 520-watt-hours.
As for the bike itself, it features a lightweight yet durable carbon monocoque front end with a virtual pivot point suspension. The bike’s low standover height means you can contort and adjust your body position with ease for the most technical of terrain. Suspension consists of a beefy 170-millimeter front fork, and a rear shock that provides a cushy 160 millimeters of rear wheel travel.
As is the case with most enduro MTBs today, the Unno IKKI gets a mullet setup, with a 29-inch front and a 27.5-inch rear wheel. In terms of components, the bike is offered in two builds, with the Unno IKKI Race providing riders with a Sram GX T-Type and DT Swiss HX700 alloy wheels. This bike carries an MSRP of $9,795 USD. Meanwhile, the top-tier version, which retails for a steep $12,295 USD, gets you Sram XX componentry, a Reverb AXS dropper, Fox Factory suspension, and fancy carbon wheels from DT Swiss.
