My top 5 emtb motors choice....

B1rdie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Feb 14, 2019
898
1,101
Brazil
Does the bosch race keep pushing when you backpedal? I saw you climbing that rut and got curious.
I ask, because I use to make a minimal backpedal before shifting, as a means to have instant cut of suport and thus a smooth noiseless shift. This works with the shimano E8000 and bosch CX and non CX performance.
 

Streddaz

Active member
Jul 7, 2022
305
435
Tasmania
I would go for the new SRAM motor even though Bosch also is a good solid motor.
The new SRAM motor is the old Specialized Levo motor, the Brose Drive S Mag. ;)

I think the belt drive issue is fairly sorted now so it's still a good motor and easily serviceable.

If you are going to keep your bike for a several years, the Shimano and newer Bosch motors aren't great when it comes to servicing them as you risk damaging the circuit boards when opening the motor or getting a fault code that you cannot clear and bricking the motor. Unfortunately, they are throwaway units. :(
 

Onetime

Active member
Aug 10, 2022
468
480
Cali
Does the bosch race keep pushing when you backpedal? I saw you climbing that rut and got curious.
I ask, because I use to make a minimal backpedal before shifting, as a means to have instant cut of suport and thus a smooth noiseless shift. This works with the shimano E8000 and bosch CX and non CX performance.
No, it doesn’t give power when you back pedal. It does have overrun. As explained in the video, when you stop pedaling, the motor continues for about 10’.
 

TheSnowShark

Well-known member
Subscriber
Sep 7, 2023
243
328
French-Alpes
Thank you for this very good report.. :)

I live in a very mountainous region, either it goes down or it goes up, there is only a few flat areas, what would you recommend as a motor with the most overrun in order to be able to climb as best as possible in the rocks and the roots ?

Cheers 🍻
 

ari

Quattrovalvole
Mar 1, 2024
82
46
Australia
I once rode a 750w hub drive , it had so much power ,had to brake on up hills also , quite unpleasant ride , so power delivery is the key ,not the amount , i guess .
 

ari

Quattrovalvole
Mar 1, 2024
82
46
Australia
Thank you for this very good report.. :)

I live in a very mountainous region, either it goes down or it goes up, there is only a few flat areas, what would you recommend as a motor with the most overrun in order to be able to climb as best as possible in the rocks and the roots ?

Cheers 🍻
Over run is governed by the UCI/ cycling federation , so pretty much all should be the same or few cm difference , a bit like the 25km limit.
 

Onetime

Active member
Aug 10, 2022
468
480
Cali
Over run is governed by the UCI/ cycling federation , so pretty much all should be the same or few cm difference , a bit like the 25km limit.
No, that’s only for racing purposes. None of the other motors come stock with as much overrun as the Bosch CX Race. But the overrun is only in race mode, not in the other modes. The regular Bosch CX doesn’t have the overrun either, even in turbo mode.
 

B1rdie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Feb 14, 2019
898
1,101
Brazil
No, it doesn’t give power when you back pedal. It does have overrun. As explained in the video, when you stop pedaling, the motor continues for about 10’.
Sorry, what I meant to ask is wether the motor maintains the overrun when you ratchet like that, because the motors I have do cut the overrun instantly when I backpedal, so that its impossible to ratchet like you did on that rut.
 

Onetime

Active member
Aug 10, 2022
468
480
Cali
Sorry, what I meant to ask is wether the motor maintains the overrun when you ratchet like that, because the motors I have do cut the overrun instantly when I backpedal, so that its impossible to ratchet like you did on that rut.
Yes, due to the overrun, the bike will remain under power while ratcheting the pedals. 👍🏼
 
Last edited:

notaninfluencer

Active member
Author
Mar 18, 2019
72
112
Italy
Does the bosch race keep pushing when you backpedal? I saw you climbing that rut and got curious.
I ask, because I use to make a minimal backpedal before shifting, as a means to have instant cut of suport and thus a smooth noiseless shift. This works with the shimano E8000 and bosch CX and non CX performance.
yes it does when u back pedal.
 

Hiltix

Member
Mar 28, 2023
38
63
Bern, Switzerland
No, that’s only for racing purposes. None of the other motors come stock with as much overrun as the Bosch CX Race. But the overrun is only in race mode, not in the other modes. The regular Bosch CX doesn’t have the overrun either, even in turbo mode.
You also got overrun (called "extended Boost" by Bosch) in eMTB Modus but less.
 

Paulquattro

E*POWAH Elite
May 7, 2020
2,324
1,294
The Darkside
You also got overrun (called "extended Boost" by Bosch) in eMTB Modus but less.
I was just about to pipe in and say my 2022 motor gives over run in EMTB mode but you already had :)
What the difference between the Extended boost mode and the cx race over run ?
 

Hiltix

Member
Mar 28, 2023
38
63
Bern, Switzerland
I was just about to pipe in and say my 2022 motor gives over run in EMTB mode but you already had :)
What the difference between the Extended boost mode and the cx race over run ?
The overrun time of xtended Boost lasts longer. This is very helpful when for Ex. climbing rock steps. However, you have to get used to it first when the motor is still pushing at full power for about 1-2 seconds without you pedaling. And it only takes a little kick to activate the extended boost again.
 

Astro66

Active member
May 24, 2024
326
594
Sydney Australia
The Shimano EP801 has just been given the 2 metre overrun feature. But backpedaling does immediately stop it. So the technique to use it multiple times whilst flat pedalling and pulsing the pedals, is to only back pedal after nearly 2 metres, and pulse it again.

Would require some practice, so it became muscle memory. But I would actually prefer it to cancel with backpedalling, so you can stop it if you need it.
 

Onetime

Active member
Aug 10, 2022
468
480
Cali
As a few others have pointed out, this is incorrect. The CX does keep powering forward when you stop pedalling.
I had a 2022 CX and it didn’t have any overrun. I now have the 2024 CX Race and it does in race mode, but not in the other modes.
 

ari

Quattrovalvole
Mar 1, 2024
82
46
Australia
We all know that the overrun is there to stop the jerkyness /to give the power delivery on each[in between] pedal push / stop the/on/off scenario , yes? so every ebike has overrun ,otherwise it would be unridable , but the distance can differ .
 

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,202
920
Christchurch - New Zealand
We all know that the overrun is there to stop the jerkyness /to give the power delivery on each[in between] pedal push / stop the/on/off scenario , yes? so every ebike has overrun
No. quite simply there is no difference in feeling between modes in Bosch at least. There is definitely no "jerkyness" between modes
 

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,202
920
Christchurch - New Zealand
Just so we are all on the same page, the attached press review from Flow MTB magazine.

One of the most impressive features of the latest Bosch Smart System is the Extended Boost. This refers to how much the motor continues to supply power when you have stopped pedalling, which is also known as ‘overrun’.

The Extended Boost function is only found on the latest Smart System-equipped Performance Line CX motors, and it’s only applicable in the adaptive eMTB assist mode. You still get some overrun when riding in the Eco, Tour+ and Turbo settings, but it is not nearly as pronounced.

When using the eMTB mode, the Extended Boost provides consistent motor support for an additional metre of riding when you stop pedalling. As you can imagine, this is hugely beneficial when you’re riding up a steep and technical climb with lots of big ledges to get up and over.

The downside of Extended Boost is that it can feel like the bike is pulling away from you if you’re not ready for it. For example, if you stop pedalling just as you come into a slow-speed corner, the motor will keep driving, potentially pushing you wide and off the trail. We’ve found it fairly easy to adapt to, but lighter and less experienced riders may find it overwhelming.

Those riders have two options. You can simply ride in the Tour+ mode, which still provides adaptive assistance but with less power than the e-MTB mode. The other option is to take your bike into a Bosch dealer to disable the Extended Boost function. To do so, the motor’s maximum torque output will also be reduced to 75Nm.
 

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