The German electric bike motor specialist is launching a new model that could change the e-bike landscape somewhat. The Performance Line PX, as it's called, isn't Bosch's most powerful electric motor. In this ranking, it comes in second place with a torque of 90 Nm and 700 W of power, just behind the Performance Line CX and its 100 Nm of torque.
The new engine fits between the top of the range and the Performance Line, which until now was the intermediate model. Its goal: to equip fairly robust e-bikes, designed for touring, long rides or extended commutes. However, until now, most of these bikes, when they had a certain level of pretension, looked towards the Performance Line CX, which was more designed for e-MTB and very often oversized. This new reference in the German company's catalog could therefore allow for the production of more rational and... why not a little less expensive bikes.
High-end features
On the On paper, the new Performance Line PX isn't that far removed from the benchmark model, the CX. In reality, while the two groups look similar in appearance, they differ in a few key aspects, starting with the platform. The PX is built on the engine manufacturer's new platform (as is the new mid-range engine, the Performance Line). Although it has one less gear, it weighs 100 grams more (2.9 kg), since it swaps magnesium for aluminum, 40% of which is recycled.
In terms of assistance, we are looking at higher values than the CX motors, which will not be updated in the coming weeks. Indeed, Bosch will deploy a patch in mid-July to significantly increase the power and torque of its motors (100 Nm of torque and 750 W of power). With 90 Nm of torque and 700 W peak, the PX is just below and offers assistance of up to 400% of the effort.
As sharp as it is silent?
That's it for the technical specifications, but where Bosch claims to have made real progress is in two other areas: operating noise and starting power. After testing the new motor ahead of its official presentation, we can confirm that the German accessory manufacturer is right. On the one hand, while it is slightly higher-pitched, the whistle of the Performance Line PX is very muffled, probably imperceptible in an urban environment (our test took place in the countryside). As for the assistance setting, it offers exactly what you would expect from this type of bike. Bite at the start, progressiveness thereafter and above all the precision and naturalness that have made Bosch motors so successful until now.
Finally, the other notable improvement, also the result of the new platform, concerns the efficiency of the new Bosch motor. The accessory manufacturer did not communicate precisely on the performance gain, simply on a particularly striking figure: 280 km of autonomy. This Dantesque value could be achieved in the best possible configuration, that is to say with the largest battery in the catalog (PowerTube 800 Wh) associated with the in-house battery extender, the PowerMore 250 Wh.
For the rest, the new Performance Line PX is compatible with the entire Bosch ecosystem, also known as the "smart system." Bike manufacturers who want to use it can pair it with the battery and display of their choice. It will also work with eShift, the automatic gear shifting system, or even Bosch's ABS. The first bikes to be equipped with it will probably be marketed this summer after their presentation at Eurobike, the Mecca of cycling which begins in a few hours.
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