New FSA E Bike Motor First Look

FSA are perhaps best known for their wide range of cycling and bike components, but now they've launched their first e-bike system in the form of a hub drive motor. The motor is the latest in their electronic revolution and compliments their K-Force We road groupset.

In association with FSA.

What do you think about road e-bikes?

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[malcolmdingle]

Not that long ago I had an FTP of 3.6W/kg. Fast forward to a few months after a spinal operation and I now have a 60/40 imbalance between my legs and am happy if I can manage a ride of 2hrs at 110W. Needless to say I’m restricted to routes without any hills (which cuts out half my options) and a short distance. Just bought an eBike and it’s a revolution - on hills it feels like the old me on a good day and on the flat it simply feels normal (like a gentle tail wind). I get the same workout I was I’d get without the motor, I simply can go further and am not restricted by hills. I would say that I intentionally got one with an aluminium frame, non aero wheels and 38mm tyres because it does seem somewhat counter intuitive to get the lightest most aero bike and yet add motor weight and non-human powered assistance - when I’m riding it I’m not trying to beat anyone!

[TomEnduro]

I just went for an 80km ride with my mate and when we stopped for a coffee break halfway round, his wife met us with their 2 year old daughter on the back and all the baby stuff.. She joined us on the 35km return trip on the gravel along the Isar river north of Munich and it was lovely having them along on such a beautiful ride and she has no problem keeping up. Massive thumbs up from me! She was on a Ribble Electric Cross Gravel Road bike and it looks amazing!

[stevenschiff]

More people on bikes, more people having fun on bikes, more people riding and not driving, less traffic, easy to park, cheap to maintain. I love commuting on my Giant QuickE....love it.

[adamdyson]

I’ve got an Orbea gain and I love it… helped me loose 25kgs in 3 months starting with no cycling experience; I’m now confident to do 25 mile routes

[dogs]

I’ll be 65 this Dec. I ride a variety of bikes each week, but even with a 32t on some of my bikes, I’ve been a bit hill-phobic. When I read about upcoming Specialized Creo, I was intrigued but freaked out by the $9K tag for the Ultegra version. But as I researched other e-bikes that appealed to my roadie’s eye, I came across Bianchi Aria e-road. I’ve had it for three weeks and have more than doubled my mileage and have tackled the scariest climbs. I still had to pedal vigorously on pitches over 9%, but the time to crest the hill is shorter because I can use higher gears. I’m learning to manage my battery. I did a 37 miler and still had 40% left, but it obviously depends on how much you use the extra power, and how much power. Bianchi claims that it should have a range of 50+ miles. But the good news is, if I run out of battery, this bike rides like a regular road bike. While it weighs about 10 lbs more than my other bikes, the gain in going up hills or catching up to a faster rider more than offsets the weight ‘penalty.’ The controls are the same as the FSA, and so are the rims. Oh, and while the motor cuts out after 20 mph, that’s irrelevant on climbs, and on the flats or rollers, when it drops out, I can’t really tell. These new bikes are game changers for riders like me.

[paulhobbs]

To the people who think there is something wrong with spending money for an extra 200W uphill, I think there is little different from spending $12, 000 on a Sagan S-Works Venge. That too gives more speed for the same Wattage. Mine just helps on 15mph hills. Otherwise it’s a bike and I love it. I like to tell people that it came with my pacemaker, which from a certain perspective is true.

[charlyvanbuuren]

Since my vacation in the Dolomites last august i am an e bike fan. I had my plain carbon mtb with me and my wife and our friends had their e bikes with them. It was very steep and they went twice as fast up the mountains. They were dancing around me like having my own camera crew with me. After two days i decided to rent an e mtb and that was the best thing i have done in my vacation... Back in the Netherlands were i live everything is flat and i go much faster than a regular e bike. But my next racing bike will be an e bike nonetheless...

[humstrumbangtwang]

Even without the motor a good looking bike.

[jussa]

This his an ebike that's actually really pretty.

[robbchastain]

I'm not on an e-bike yet, just waiting for the costs to come down and the looks to go up. And my, this is one good-looking machine and I do like that the rear-hub motor keeps the q-factor and feel of a conventional bike.

[zeuszuki]

I rode a Specialized Creo recently and loved the experience. The cut out speed here is 45km/h which made for a to say the least fun ride 🚴💨

[robbandj]

I love e-bikes, theyre super fun to race against uphill. As most hills here in Sweden i average right around the speed limit of an e bike. So they set you up to a really good pace.

[paulhobbs]

This is the same motor system as in the Orbea Gain. Works great and I’m looking forward to a when selection from FSA!!

[jeffreyethanlee]

I have had an e-bike for around 5 years and use it to get to work (12 miles away, through hills, trails, and some very heavy city traffic). I would not bike to work without it though I could; it would mean taking a regular bike on a strenuous, sweaty ride etc., and not showing up at work looking presentable etc. I also use it for getting groceries, short errands etc., which I also use a regular bike for. Where I live it is exceptionally hilly, so e-bikes are getting more popular around here in northwest Philadelphia, PA (the area is called Mount Airy for a reason, and it is adjacent to another hilly area, Chestnut Hill.) The e-bike kit I got was expensive, but it has proven to have been very worthwhile and resilient.

[kona]

Doping!

This is doping!

I am loving it!

Riding up hills like dacades ago!

[Christian-shuh]

Exactly the same as the Ebikemotion system used in the Orbea Gain but with 5 power settings instead of 3, just to confuse things further. So what's new FSA?

[EverythingIsPhotogenic]

This would be a great option for a roadie looking for a commuter bike. It ensures speed against things like wind or adverse terrain while allowing a rider to tick off some solid zone 2 mileage and make it to work on time. It would be an excellent training tool for a coach as well to ride alongside an athlete while expanding less effort to maintain conversational pace. Many people are commenting about the pointless nature of the geometry considering the weight and the fact that it is powered, however the geometry is way nicer looking that the ebikes on the road and in the example of using it for lower intensity training you can maintain the typical body position for the same power and just cover more distance in the allotted time. If these could be put on the market affordably I think they are no brainers for commuter bikes for roadies but at the typical $2.5k+ price point it's a tough sell for my money.

[IdolOracle]

There is a large difference between the EU 25km/h and the US 32. I hope we can catch up at some point, as 25 is just too slow for people to consider e-bikes as a commuter replacement

[Stratulax]

I haven't tried of ridden one yet. I just picked up a Bianchi Aria on July 3, 2020 and I'm still enjoying it. I was actually looking for a review on the Bianchi Aria e-road when I happened across this. As soon as I saw that it was GCN produced...yep! #1 with a bullet! Thanks again! Maybe one day I'll make that move, but to right now, just need to train to get my legs back under me again. I'm sure that by the time that I'm ready, there will be such advances, that I'll be able to definitely get in some work rides! Woo-Hoo! Sounds crazy, but kind of can't wait! LOL!!!

[Bikejon]

I've had an ebike for around 6-7 years now (Vivax). That isn't a powerful motor by today's standards but and lacks the hot factor. But it's still good for a 2kg system. I found it useful as I commuted every day on a pretty lumpy route. I used my regular bike a lot but the ebike was useful days when my legs were toast. I then made that bike my wet weather, gear hauling bike and the motor helped me combat the hills when weighed down.
I also have a cargo ebike to cart stuff and kids about. That is a riot, with an impressive Bosch motor. I've done around 500km on that bike that I otherwise would have done by car.
But you don't have to justify using one to anyone. They are just great fun and what is wrong with that?