Bosch vs Shimano drag race

boomy96

Member
Jun 3, 2023
22
8
Australia
Hi all. Yesterday I competed in a 48km XC race on my ebike (2024 Mondraker Crafty R Bosch CX4).
The first 12km was flat road so I quickly hit the 25km/h limiter and struggled to maintain 25-27km/h the entire time (turbo mode).

A 2020 Norco Sight with the old Shimano e8000 flew past me and I lost sight of him. I'm estimating he was doing at least 30km/h.

My question is: are some ebikes easier to pedal after the motor cuts off? I'm assuming a super light would be but his bike was similar in weight and components to mine and he was flying!

Ps. I ended up winning the race so fitness shouldn't be the issue.
 

Sophie777

Active member
Jul 3, 2018
215
107
Canada
Hi all. Yesterday I competed in a 48km XC race on my ebike (2024 Mondraker Crafty R Bosch CX4).
The first 12km was flat road so I quickly hit the 25km/h limiter and struggled to maintain 25-27km/h the entire time (turbo mode).

A 2020 Norco Sight with the old Shimano e8000 flew past me and I lost sight of him. I'm estimating he was doing at least 30km/h.

My question is: are some ebikes easier to pedal after the motor cuts off? I'm assuming a super light would be but his bike was similar in weight and components to mine and he was flying!

Ps. I ended up winning the race so fitness shouldn't be the issue.
I don't understand why 25km/hr is the speed limit of the motor on your Bosch e-bike. Isn't the speed limit in Australia the same as in the US and Canada - 20mph or 32km/hr?
 

Mart-e

Member
Dec 13, 2020
83
48
Australia
Before l derestricted the Shimano's e 8000 the cut off point was ordinary with the noticeable motor drag.... l relied to gain not restrict on pace to land clean on fairly good size booter's.... So eventually the 2019 Vlt Sight was noticeably transformed by derestricting.... you may well be wondering back on the event in all fairness.
 

Ark

Active member
Mar 8, 2023
461
386
Newcastle Upon Tyne
A 2020 Norco Sight with the old Shimano e8000 flew past me and I lost sight of him. I'm estimating he was doing at least 30km/h.
didnt someone from these forums make an app to unlock shimano? stunlocker or whatever
Bosch CX is rated for 28mph/45km/h on a pedelec, so thats how fast you'd go if the motor didn't cut out
 

Plummet

Flash Git
Mar 16, 2023
1,152
1,634
New Zealand
Before l derestricted the Shimano's e 8000 the cut off point was ordinary with the noticeable motor drag.... l relied to gain not restrict on pace to land clean on fairly good size booter's.... So eventually the 2019 Vlt Sight was noticeably transformed by derestricting.... you may well be wondering back on the event in all fairness.
The most likelihood is that the norco had a slightly higher motor cut out. My experience is once you hit cut out you can go sweet fa faster than that on the flat/up. But if another bike goes even .5km faster before cut out they will just pull away from you.

Ps NZ is 32kph. So my experience is at 32kph. 25kph would suck balls.
 

B1rdie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Feb 14, 2019
898
1,101
Brazil
With chains removed, the cranks on an E8000 will move almost freely, while on bosch CX there is a very noticeable drag, although the cut off of the shimano feels more abrupt than the bosch. But this difference in drag should not justify the other rider flying past you, so it looks like his bike was set to 32 km/h in this case.
 

Chairman

Active member
Feb 25, 2022
221
121
Nz
I can't imagine how bad a 25kph cutoff must feel. 32 is bad enough but 25 must be unbearable at least it would be for me
 

boomy96

Member
Jun 3, 2023
22
8
Australia
I can't imagine how bad a 25kph cutoff must feel. 32 is bad enough but 25 must be unbearable at least it would be for me
You are correct. Tight single trails are fine with the 25km limit but open trails/road is a punish. It's actually not enjoyable.
 

timo2824

New Member
Dec 27, 2023
36
57
USA
My ep801 just stops assisting at 20 mph, I don't feel motor drag, just the added torque stops. I ride quite a bit with the assist turned off to warm up and it's no where near as bad as I thought a 56lbs bike would be. It also makes you appreciate the assistance more after a climb without it 😂.
 

Shorty4

Member
Nov 7, 2022
32
19
Australia
The E8000 is relatively easy to up the cutout to 32kmh by telling it that is lives in the good ol USA.
You either need a friendly bikeshop or an app like EMax which is what I used.
32kmh is much more enjoyable especially on touring type rides as you can keep up with all the young blokes on their analog bikes. the best bit is it gets rid of that big gap where you lose momentum in undulating terrain where you build speed downhill but lose momentum until the assistance kicks back in on the next climb, makes for much smoother riding.
Changing the location does nothing except up the cutout limit, odo and speedo still work in kms.
 

boomy96

Member
Jun 3, 2023
22
8
Australia
The E8000 is relatively easy to up the cutout to 32kmh by telling it that is lives in the good ol USA.
You either need a friendly bikeshop or an app like EMax which is what I used.
32kmh is much more enjoyable especially on touring type rides as you can keep up with all the young blokes on their analog bikes. the best bit is it gets rid of that big gap where you lose momentum in undulating terrain where you build speed downhill but lose momentum until the assistance kicks back in on the next climb, makes for much smoother riding.
Changing the location does nothing except up the cutout limit, odo and speedo still work in kms.
That's very handy to know. I have no doubt that the bloke that sped past me has done this.
 

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,201
916
Christchurch - New Zealand
That's very handy to know. I have no doubt that the bloke that sped past me has done this.
I have a workmate with a Merdia emtb with a chipped E8000. Simple plug and play and he can easily do 45kph on the flat. Its not much fun trying to stay with him on my Rail. Thankfully he can't do that speed uphill :LOL:
 

GrantCube

Member
Mar 26, 2020
28
55
Sydney, Australia
Hi all. Yesterday I competed in a 48km XC race on my ebike (2024 Mondraker Crafty R Bosch CX4).
The first 12km was flat road so I quickly hit the 25km/h limiter and struggled to maintain 25-27km/h the entire time (turbo mode).

A 2020 Norco Sight with the old Shimano e8000 flew past me and I lost sight of him. I'm estimating he was doing at least 30km/h.

My question is: are some ebikes easier to pedal after the motor cuts off? I'm assuming a super light would be but his bike was similar in weight and components to mine and he was flying!

Ps. I ended up winning the race so fitness shouldn't be the issue.
Hey Boomy, welcome to the site. I did the same race with you, albeit I did the 67km version. That bike you refer to was de-restricted and the guy riding claims it was not his bike, but his mates. He flew past me just before the big climb and the only saving grace was that I went past him on the gravel road around 12-14km's from the finish line and he was out of battery.....oh well! For all those that wonder how we survive with a 25km/h cut-off.........what you never had, you dont miss!
 

TommyC

Active member
Jul 7, 2022
284
211
Hampshire
I chipped my bosch when the warranty run out. Wish I’d never waited. The bike is a different animal.

Only way I could ever get my cube to go over the 16mph was to ride in eco so you were in the right gear when you hit that cut off.
 

boomy96

Member
Jun 3, 2023
22
8
Australia
Hey Boomy, welcome to the site. I did the same race with you, albeit I did the 67km version. That bike you refer to was de-restricted and the guy riding claims it was not his bike, but his mates. He flew past me just before the big climb and the only saving grace was that I went past him on the gravel road around 12-14km's from the finish line and he was out of battery.....oh well! For all those that wonder how we survive with a 25km/h cut-off.........what you never had, you dont miss!
Hi mate. Thanks for replying. It makes me feel better that he came in last. I'm tempted to snitch on him to event organisers. People like him give ebikes a bad name
 

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