Is Automatic Shifting Tech of the Future? Propain Ekano
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
- The Propain Ekano 2 CF is equipped with SRAM Powertrain, a 90NM motor, 630Wh battery, optional 250wh range extender and auto shifting technology. The bike has 170mm rear travel and 180mm front travel, and enduro focussed geometry.
Check the bike here: bit.ly/3ZQG4Da
ETHICS, DISCLAIMER and TRANSPARENCY: Propain hired me to test the bike, review it and to produce a video for on my CZcams channel, and is such labelled as a paid partnership on CZcams. Propain have had no direct input on this content or any editorial or narrative control over the video. This paid partnership with Propain has allowed me time to test the bike and also film and edit over multiple days working with an independent film crew to help capture the bike shots and produce the video content. - Sport
Really balanced review, not sycophantic at all. Your integrity stands out among CZcamsrs, very much enjoy seeing your videos!
I appreciate that!
Absolutely!👍😉
I heard that automatic shifting has been tried before and it was really clunky. Haven't really heard of too many people doing it after it failed the first time.
Great bike, cool tech! Model I tested was a slightly customised version of the mid spec model, priced at £9999
😱9999
Keep up the great work on your reviews Rob! Your reviews are great, thorough, and honest, and the filming quality makes them fun and entertaining to watch.
thanks for your feedback and watching my vids, appreciated :-)
Autoshift really is a solution in search of a problem.
I know. I shift my E bike the same as any mt bike Ive had, its part of the deal.
The e bike chain lasts just as long as the chain on my XC mt bike. Cant jam gears.
Good job Rob! I'm a huge Sram guy so it was a great review for me. Nice that it is so quiet....and the Auto-shift works pretty damn good it seems as well! Thanks for another great review!
The sound at 6 mins! Just tyres and no rattle heaven. Great vid 👌🏻
This is a high quality bike review channel! Thank you for your work.
I love your reviews mate. The sound quality, the ambiance of the forrest. It's perfect dude. Thank you. Now if I could only afford that bike. Lol
Excellent review Rob . Really enjoyed your coverage . Agree with you re-your unscientific lack-of-noise theory . A quiet riding bike breeds confidence
Great video Rob, it's a lovely bike !! Love your content !!!
As I ordered the bike last Thursday, I watched this video over and over again. It helps me to get more and more excited. 🤩Next thing I will do is to drive south to the HQ of Propain in Germany and make a fitting as they agreed to wait with production once the online selected size has been confirmed. Thanks Rob for your great videos. They well produced and your view on things are always very objective. 🙏🏼As I am 5cm shorter than you, the 170mm AXS dropper should work for me! 😊
Great review as always. Love your channel.👍😉
The cinematography is stunning in this video ❤ amazing picture quality too
OMG your riding has got so good now, awesome!
Great video of the F and R suspension around 3:00. Love the Brose motor on my Kenevo….When it works I think it is the best. I hope they keep improving the reliability with a stronger belt and sprague clutch for both Specialized and SRAM.
in fact I would change my trek rail for the NOISE of the battery lock which can be heard A LOT in the woods!
Thank you for the very professional test
Good vid & great review. 1st bike I've seen in a while that I could se myself changing to (form my Trek Rail)
excellent review! incredible bike...
As always great job
Thank you for this wonderful test. Even though I'm not 100% fluent in English, I still understood what was most important to me. I was still wavering between a Canyon Strive:ON CFR LTD, a Canyon Spectral:ON CFR and the Propain Ekano 2 CF Ultimate. This test made the decision for me to go for Propain. Unfortunately, I have to take the Ultimate because I want the pushing aid and the electronic saddle adjustment via the left pod and, as I heard, these functions are only available on the Ultimate, which, funnily enough, is only available on the middle version. THANK YOU for your great videos! Greetings from Baden near Vienna.
did you try to put a 250 range extender on your Canyon Strive and run it with no battery? Great video as always!
This is really the best (e)mtb channel on CZcams.
thank you from truckee california
Awesome review. Thanks
Very nice, would be cool to see a comparison between a sram brose bike and a specialized turbo levo
Great video! I still don't really care about auto-shift tbh, but I do appreciate learning more about what's out there. I love the low noise of my Levo Brose, so it's good to hear Sram's Brose is also fairly quiet. I am more interested in future belt drive and gearbox motor integration to lose the rear mech and chain. Those will likely drive my next new emtb.
I would love to see more reviews of the low end models. These bikes are expensive even at the entry level and it would be nice to get an opinion from a reviewer like you about what they would modify or if what the bikes come with is adequate.
Since these kind of youtubers have such big numbers of followers you will rarely see this kind of content. Brands are sending those bikes out for "free" advertisement and thats why you almost always see their "Topmodels" and in my opinion this behaviour is contributing BIG to the actual market getting flooded with this overpriced bullshit.
@@InfectAion Facts
Nice bike, I am also liking the aluminum version with the EP801 motor...do we know the bottom bracket height in the Sram version? Keep up the good work!
That is some bike. Great vid too.
Hey Rob, you didn't mention that it has only 2 motor settings - eco mode and full power mode. I'd love to hear how it compares to Bosch's E-MTB setting which is variable. Did you miss have other modes to access? I have a bosch powered bike and rarely ride eco, so the SRAM motor doesn't seem to give me much choice. What are your thoughts??
Hi Rob, really nice review and video of the bike. Is it true that you can use the range extender only in range mode and not in rally mode?
two comments. How close is this sram motor to what specialized uses? Isn't the Giant 800WH battery also in the same league in terms of energy density? A very nice bike and as well as always a great video!
Went to visit the Propain at Crawley. Can’t wait for you to return it so I can have a test ride 🤗
Have fun!
Great bike! Almost makes me take the plunge into ebikes...
Just 1 more year until they have a version with Pinion MGU and I'm in 😂
Lets hope the engine is more reliable than the spez. Top bike good video
How great are those SQlabs saddles , have to say by far the best on the market especially the 60x saddle, no chomis required and comfortable as... and nice bike too.
Still w8 for mine in gold rush edition
Awesome review, Rob!
How would you rate the playfulness and agility of this one against your Strive?
I'll join the same question
🚴♂ The Propane Ekano 2 CF is a game-changer! The auto-shifting tech and the quietness of the ride are next level. Can't wait to see more e-bikes adopting these features in the future! 🔥 #FutureOfEBikes
The quietness is nothing new or revolutionary. E.g. all Specialized Turbo Levos have had basically the same Brose motor for ages. And the auto-shifting seems like a half baked feature which is relatively useful only on easy trails. Pinion MGU, now that's what the future looks like.
I would love a comparison between the propain and the voima
Question: If you are approaching a ledge or other obstacle where you'd want to give a burst of pedal power to pop a wheelie and get the front end up, does the transmission try to shift in the middle of the maneuver?
Hi Rob,
Thanks for another great review. Is there any chance you could use your phones level app to determine the slope as you go up these hills. I use mine all the time, I know something between 15° and 20° seems to be about the max I can deal with available power as well as traction, but it is dry here in California so I think you could go a little steeper in Your terrain. It would definitely give me a feel for how powerful the bike is.
Also, I think the 1/4 turn before the motor comes in is really not cool. They need to do something about this that is.
Not sure I agree about lag before motor engages, being a problem. On trails with a cliff or similar hazard nearby I do not want the bike to leap forward before I’m ready, it’s too easy to tap the peddle just before moving off. (I had that experience on a coastal route in Spain, nearly plunged 30 metres down into the sea)
@@nicolabenson1155 think what you’re talking about is overrun. Another words when you tap the pedal and the bike goes and takes a second to stop. I’m talking about is when you’re on a steep hill and you press the pedal. You are having depress hard enough to move a 55 pound bike forward. What ends up happening is you’re pressing so hard on the pedal when motor does engage it will go quicker than you want.
Great review Rob ! I ride a Kenevo Expert which is also one of your favorite bikes. How would you compare the descending characteristics of the two bikes?
Is the Ekano as capable as the Kenevo?
Where is the Flight Attendant for more efficiency in the long way travel?
I like the outstanding quality of your Videos and the clear and precise speech.
Christ ! You must have deep pockets 🤣
I hate cars...
So I'm All In in bikes...
Great review. How does it compare to your strive:on?
Hi Rob, Can you alter the percentage in 10% increments on the amount of assist you get ( 10% to 100% ) on the fly like you can on turbo 3rd gen Levo ? I could see that it gives you the percentage of battery on the smart screen !
Thank you very much for the video
I'm looking to buy an eBike and I would like to know if it's not only stable when going downhill fast but also if it's manageable on roads with sharp turns, I guess if I do a Mullet mount it will be more so, right?
Thanks
Rob, how does the Ekano 2 CF compare to the Canyon StriveON? Which bike do you like better between the two?
Hello, which bike would you recommend more, this one from the video or the other one you've already tested, the Bulls vuca evo am 2. I'm specifically talking about Sram Powertrain versus Pinion MGU. Thanks
Looks really clean!
Now we just need wireless brakes :D /s
Another great review! It would be cool if the motor would have 490Nm (7:50), maybe some other day ;)
"Full" 90nm of torque :)
@@IronX77 ahaha thanks👍
The lag is there another motor & bike setup that has similar amount? Have you had much of a chance to compare the auto shift to others on the market?
Autoshift might as well just be in a gearbox to free up weight and suspension in rear. Pinion is getting closest as of now.
Wonderful bike. Not a big fan of this autoshit, been thinking how much battery is used by the engine to rotate the chainring automaticcally.
I really wish that these bikes were more affordable
Here I was piecing together a Propain Spindrift bike to eventually order, and then the thought came into my head "why not check out E-bikes?" So of course, I did, and found out that Propain offers an E-bike that looks just as badass as the Spindrift model. Well shnit! Here I am now watching Propain Ekano 2 videos on YT, and after coming across this video, I am completely sold on getting an E-bike instead of a normal mountain bike. F me in my ace! There goes another 3-4k! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
Looked like you were using most of the travel to me, I’d probably want even less sag if riding bigger stuff
Think I'd prefer this more than the pinion motor you tested
10:10 it was shifting gears while you were standing and pedaling uphill and i heard NOTHING WTF ?!?!??! This is so impressive.
Hi Rob!! I was finally convinced to buy my first e-bike. I wanted the Pole Sonni. The reason is that on my local trails I have to pedal for 2-4 hours up and then it's all Down Hill, if I want to do other trails, on the other side of the mountain, again, I'll just have to go down until halfway, change route, and uphill at least 1-2 hours. So Pole had me convinced with the first DH E-Bike, I mean, why on earth would someone need a "trail" E-bike!!!? The point for me is to have my own lift. But now of course Pole went bust. Do you or anyone here know of an alternative!!?? A self-shuttle DH E-Bike!!!? 190-200mm travel front and back. Thanks!!!
Hi Rob, great Video!! What was the actual size of the bike you were riding? Is it L or XL?
Great content! :-)
I want that bike❤
Hola Rob 🤟🏽What is the difference with this frame having no pivots on the rear triangle where the derailleur mounts being solid compared to the transition or nukeproof version that have come out soo far? And also whats the difference with the way each of these have the rear shocks mounted to the frame, with this one and the transition being a kind of similar placement over the nukeproof thats mounted to the down tube with a link by the seat tube that moves? How do these diffrences affect these new sram brose bikes and the way they ride? As a potential buyer seeing these diffrent designs it would be cool to understand what these differences do to the ride experience. And wich design is better for what or if they all ride the same? 🤔🧐🍻👍🏽
Just a diferrent suspension kinematics. You can Google ton of info about the topic. But in the end they all work similar. You probably wouldn't notice a difference.
My god, THE PRICE! Apart from that, very nice!
So if this motor is based on the same Brose that’s in the Levo’s are we going to blown belts and clutch bearing like we continue to see on the Specialized?
They fixed the belt issue with the last Gen of the Levo.
@@streddaz 😂
Hi Rob, Do you know what the warranty is on the bike ?
I've ridden dozens of e bikes at this point and consider myself a professional when it comes to bikes and E bikes. Brose hands down is one of the quietest and power given in a natural way motors. I think honestly it's better than Bosch. They are whiney and loud compared to brose in my experience. Ride 1 up and specialized used Brose motors. One company is very high end and another is a direct to you. I own both. I have a specialized turbo tero 5.0 and I own the ride 1 up prodigy xc. I put 3.3 inch specialized pathfinder sport tires on my rude 1 up xc. The motors or ultra quiet and super efficient. If specialized uses Brose motors than you should too. Period. The ride experience is second to none in my experience. If you have the money go specialized. If you want to save some bucks go with ride 1 up mid drive motor. Done 22:06
What's your favorite tire combo?
Any idea when carbon ekano will be for sale, as only al is on their website
From now on!
Great looking bike, with cool tech. But that Brose motor has the worst rep, and I don't wanna have to put up with the warranty headache. Also agree with other peeps here saying that the Brose motor looks pretty dated now.... It has been around since 2017, so probably is...... I'm hoping Spesh come out with their own full power motor soon!
Hey Rob, what size was the bike? XL?! Thanks!
I'd like to know that, too. Most of the time Rob rides an XL, but this one's rated up to 192cm in size L. So could be both I guess.
If XL, very little difference in weight between S and XL though, just 1 kilo.
I am always in between two sizes with 1,86cm and I like to ride mostly XL/S5. Looking at the specs of the propain I would say I go with XL, but I am not sure as the L is having a huge Stack. So I am not sure. And Rob is a good measurement. 😀 The bike in the vid looks a bit too tiny for him so my guess is that he is using an L?!
its a large
@@JohnDavis-jk8ex Sure?
Recognise that beach, are you local to the area or just visiting?
i ride now my rocky altitude powerplay and i must say before i buy a new one ,this emtb.s would have to drop weight significantly (full emtb's, big battery) or gain in range a lot . otherwise this would be a big waste of money to jump on a new one. im just saying this because i noticed the barrier now for my to buy a new bike is much higher at this high price level compared to my normal bikes . just an observation i noticed recently. while new normal bikes still kind of excite me i dont really feel that on the emtb side . auto shifting? no such nonsense will not convince me top buy a new one
the new brose has 95nm. if you want to change the chain it will be very expensive. i will wait for brose gearbox with 95nm.
The damper stroke is really short for 170mm...
50mm stroke. The AL version has 60mm stroke for 170mm and this was already really short.
Since I weigh over 100kg, this bike will unfortunately not be rideable for me because the air pressure in the shock would have to be far too high. Even worse with steel spring dampers. Or is this an mistake on the website? On the Propain website it says 205x50mm and 170mm travel. When I enter this data into the Fox Spring Calculator, at 105kg, 65% load on the rear triangle and 25% SAG the value comes out as 1039lbs. Such a spring does not exist and in the Propain configurator it says that the 650lbs spring works up to 101kg. Actually, this 50mm stroke can't be right at all, because then you should only weigh 70kg with a 700lbs spring. Rob, how much do you weigh and what air pressure did you use in the RockShox Vivid?
It’s 60mm stroke. I used around 240psi. 85KG riding weight
Hi Rob. I'm very interested in this bike but my only concern is warranty. I don't see any info on their website. Thats deal breaker for me.. Do you have any info on warranty?
I was told 3 years for alloy frames and 5 years for carbon. Components would be 2 years. I hope that helps.
Out of interest, do you remember what pressure you were running the Zebs at?
Tell me pls how much token you use in it? in my full 170er bike im using 2 token on the zeb but with 190er fork mullet setup on my sam2-22 im still going to 0 token about 55psi with 82kg
your color-grade looks amazing on my new oled screen
How much?
Was this an XL frame or?
Why do you climb with seat dropped? How can that possibly give you a reasonable experience of what climbing on the bike is?
Hi, good question. I dont always have it dropped. It depends on the climb. But there are benefits to dropping a seat on an ebike, such as, you can get a much lower centre of gravity using the motor to drive forwards, but using the body to weight the tyres effectively, and also position weight lower over the back wheel to drive traction. Saddle up restricts movement somewhat (and yes, some situations call for saddle to be up, but not always). Cheers, Rob.
Is it possible to ride without internal battery ? In bikepark it should be cool to not carry 3,1 kg when it is useless.
Just put a normal AXS battery into the RD and it becomes a normal Bike with a Motor hanging off of it.
Noted that ebike has front brake on the right hand, why?
I have always defended the price of ebikes but not now, they are just getting to expensive for a lot of riders especially in todays economic times with huge increases in power, food fuel and mortgage rates at least where I live, very hard to say to the wife watch what we are spending because I want to buy a new bike worth more than her car.
Cant just learn how to shift the right way? Not sure if more and more tech is really the way forward.
Lighter e bikes with full power would be very popular. Not small battery and small motor.
150mm travel on my Spectral ON, for what I do, is plenty. Rarely use all the travel.
Just 22 minutes one guy tried to sold this bike, how great riding and even trying to tell me how quiet bike when he rides downhill 😅 I have never seen such a pity attempt to sell something
When you say override it you mean turn it off correct?
You can manually shift it with the button, which over rides autoshift (for a small period of time) OR disable it completely
@@RobRidesEMTB that's great, thanks for the quick reply!
Autoshift? but... I like shifting! I even have a manual car... 🤔
As already mentioned its just a brose motor with a SRAM Sticker on it 😂
Also it does look like it came back from 2017 for how bulky it looke
Longer term Brose belt drive motor reliability is the question. Historically hasn't been great
Bosch or SRAM? The people need to know...
Do your own research ?
@@Tony_P this channel is research
Wish you would raise your saddle to the proper height while climbing. My knees ache watching you ride with it so low.
The downside is that the price is really high ... I would also love to see more bikes that support heavier riders there are not many in the market right now
What do you mean?
Are you saying the 90 torques on tons of emtbs is insufficient for you?
since when did the tactile experience of changing gear manually become such a problem? this system is an interesting oddity at best. far far to expensive and closed system that will break and be a nightmare to fix
This is nothing more than any other old car needing restoration , pull yourself together and crack on.
$12,000 USD my goodness...
Great review, but this direction for cost of these bikes is officially over and has been. I can buy three bikes that equal or surpass this bikes capabilities for this price easy, and im talking full carbon.
Yep, boycott this absolute bullshit.
that brose motor already looks outdated - too big and bulky imo - SRAM is about two/three years late with this
It’s the same size as the other full powered motors out there.
@@streddaz you stating that from fact? Share dimensions pls
@@chickenclips the Brose is 2.98kg the Bosch is 2.79kg, the Yamaha/Giant is 3kg and the Shimano is 2.57kg. So all about the same size. The dimensions vary as they all aren’t a square block but basically the same size.
Belts = time off the bike with unknown SRAM warranty service
They tried auto shift back in the day, didn't work then