Not an ego problem and not an e-problem either!
I don't have an e-problem! I've long been electrified and electrified by the idea of riding a mountain bike with motorised assistance through the terrain - for even more fun, both downhill and uphill. In my eyes, e-bike shaming is rubbish. I don't think that mountain peaks should be reserved for an elite who have trained themselves to have 7-litre lungs and XXL calves, and I'm happy about the legions of pensioners who are riding bikes again thanks to e-bikes.
An absurd-o-mobile?
But e-road bike or e-gravel bike? Even I'm rubbing my chin. Really? Isn't the whole point of these speedsters to be sporty - and doesn't the "E" sabotage this very idea? What's more, doesn't the motor make an aerobic training device like this absurd? As I gravel through the forest on the Storck eGrix, it feels like I'm on a classic gravel bike. The motor - a Mahle X20 with 55 Newton metres - is hidden behind the brake disc in the rear wheel hub, the 242 Wh battery is stored in the oversize down tube - visually there is nothing to see. But acoustically!
The silence
The engine, although quite quiet, mumbles to itself, stops again and again on the straights when I get too fast and continues to mumble. Annoying! I love silence, especially when gravel riding. Ideally, I just want to hear the wind rustling in the trees and my ears. And I want to hear the birds chirping. Nothing else.
Engine off on the flat
On the flat, I switch off the engine. But now I feel the extra weight. It doesn't really bother me, but the sprightliness fizzles out, this beguiling acceleration of the light gravel bikes, which are more reminiscent of flying than cycling. Out of the saddle, pedalling in and already Vmax - this phenomenon! At 10.9 kilos, the Storck is still light and outperforms many an organic aluminium gravel bike, but it no longer wants to "fly". Too bad. But you can't have everything!
Engine on when steep
Long climb: I switch the engine back on. It pushes me up the slope with pleasant ease - past a fellow racing cyclist. Cringe! Can he hear my motor? I hear it - then he hears it too. I'm embarrassed and feel like a fraud. Probably because of the mimicry: the Storck looks like a super sports bike - with a dirty secret. As if I were flexing with monster dumbbells made of foam in the gym. It would look different with a full-assist motor, as it would be clear that I'm travelling with motor support, for whatever reason. So I do everything I can to avoid running into the guy - and smile at myself and my sporting vanity.
Conclusion
You guessed it! I say: No, thank you! I don't need the Storck e:Grix. I would opt for the Storck Grix - without the E. But that's because I'm fit and strong and want to get fitter and stronger - that's why I ride gravel bikes. And I ride gravel bikes and not road bikes because I want to ride where (ideally) nobody else rides. I love the acceleration and the silent glide. But for others it may be different - for example, for anyone who wants to go pass hunting in the Alps without the necessary fitness; as an equaliser for someone who can no longer keep up with the super sports bikes in their group but wants to; or for bikepacking tours with lots of luggage - why not use a motorised aid? However, power sockets are few and far between in the Finnish outback or on Iceland's gravel tracks.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
