Haibike XDURO AllMtn 3.0 2019
Reviews / Electric Bikes
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At A Glance
Haibike is an eMTB specific brand founded in Germany, which has been banging the eBike drum since 1995, long before some modern bike brands even had their first ‘traditional’ bikes out the front door.
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The XDURO AllMtn 3.0 fills the slot between Trail and Enduro bike in the rich and varied menu of Haibike’s offering. Packing 150mm of rear travel, a 160mm Rockshox Yari fork, and rolling on 27.5” wheels the XDURO AllMtn 3.0 cuts an interesting silhouette, which may not be to everyone’s taste.
The geometry certainly leans towards this being a trail bike over and above the suggestions from the fairly hefty travel numbers and the AllMtn tag. A 66-degree head angle is firmly in modern trail bike territory while the seat angle sits at a fraction over 75 degrees to aid pedalling efficiency on the climbs.
465mm chainstays put the rear wheel far back enough that climbing and straight-line performance should both be very good, but a short reach - at 481mm on an XL frame - makes for a cramped looking cockpit.
The pedal-assist motor is supplied by Bosch, backed up by a meaty 500 Wh battery nestled in the downtube below a lockable, easily removable access cover. A dirt-sealed charging port at the top of the downtube allows for hassle-free docking with a power outlet.
Up front on the bars, the XDURO AllMtn 3.0 runs a pair of 4-pot TRP G-Spec Trail S brakes and a SRAM NX 11-speed shifter allied to a matching derailleur. Also on the bars, you’ll find a Bosch Purion display for keeping tabs on the pedal assist motor, plus a lever for the XLC AllMtn dropper post. It’s certainly a busy place to be.
On The Trail
Visually the Haibike has a love or hate ‘Marmite’ character and it’s interesting to see the different ways that manufacturers are taking on the challenges of eMTB design. Cable routing is an interesting mix of internal and external, a combination which doesn’t appear to serve a purpose other than to tick a feature box. In reality, most cables can be found attached to the top of the seatstays, the rear derailleur cable cutting a particularly messy line, while the dropper post also gets external routing.
Charging the Haibike via the sealed port was as simple and clean as it could ever be but removal and reinsertion of the battery was a fiddle unless the bike was inverted. Bosch’s Purion display is simple enough to use and gives a very clear readout, although the walk mode wasn’t as intuitive as others to use. The other control elements were reliable without ever being plush. TRP’s Gwin spec brakes were reliable and the shifting was crisp and precise for the duration of the many test rides we did. The remote lever for the XLC AllMtn dropper post felt somewhat cheap and clunky in comparison to the rest of the bike’s build quality, however.
The Rodi Tryp 35mm rims offer good stiffness and were never an issue, and the Maxxis Minion DHF and DHR tyres were as dependable as ever, if not very spritely! However, not having the wheels set up tubeless out of the box, or even taped is a shame.
At 25.4kg this is not a light machine, even for an eMTB, so it’s just as well that the Bosch motor is able to keep things moving. There’s plenty of power on tap and it’s direct if not a little binary. At times, on technical sections, it felt difficult to regulate through the pedals, as though there was either no drive or too much, leading to a jerky riding style that took a few rides to master.
Once up to speed with which of the four modes – Eco, Tour, eMTB/Sport, and the savage Turbo – was best to use in which situation piloting the Haibike became good fun, especially over moderate terrain and, of course, when quickly munching through climbs. Point the Haibike downhill and it quickly becomes apparent that this bike would be best enjoyed by riders with some experience, as a lot of your weight is perched out front.
In fact, the riding position is the biggest area of concern for the XDURO AllMtn 3.0. The short reach really hampers confidence on steep descents, where the otherwise good length of the bike feels wasted out back. Pushing the bike into testing terrain yielded a few hairy moments where another few centimetres of reach would have settled things down, though the weight of the bike kept things planted if a little numb.
Moving the seat forward gave a better feeling of balance and improved the power output on really steep climbs (where eBikes really earn their crust) though only when a high cadence was sustained, such is the character of the Bosch motor.
The frame, although not necessarily pretty, is a manufacturing curiosity. By using advanced casting techniques Haibike has achieved an impressive modular system that allows quick and easy swapping of major components, making for a strong and relatively cheap bike.
And it’s on the frame where the XDURO AllMtn 3.0 holds its trump card. The high pivot rear suspension set up not only allows for the motor to be kept high and out of harm’s way but offers the additional benefit of removing pedalling influence from the rear suspension by bypassing the pivot point. The result is a buttery smooth pedalling experience over all but the roughest terrain and squarest of hits, even while seated, and it goes some way to make up for the short front end.
Overall
The XDURO AllMtn 3.0 just sneaks through to the All-Mountain category by virtue of its impressive high pivot rear suspension platform, which on an eBike, where you’re going to be pedalling up and over everything, makes a huge amount of sense.
Extending the reach on this bike would go a long way to improving stability, rider confidence, and ultimately enjoyment on steeper trails but there’s no doubting it’s a lot of fun as a jack of all trades mile muncher.
This review was in Issue 58 of IMB.
For more information visit HaibikeRelated
By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
