Market / Eurobike 2017: At the Centurion stand at the Eurobike 2017 there were some completely new e-bikes to admire. With its new Centurion E-Fire Street and E-Fire Country models, the Swabian manufacturer would like to serve the target group that cannot really decide between E-MTB, touring bike and city bike.
Centurion E-Fire Street: The E-MTB for the city
It's no longer a secret that E-MTBs are hugely popular. It is also clear to many manufacturers: only a fraction of the mountain bikes sold with an electric drive are regularly found on the trails. Instead, they are often converted into a comfortable everyday bike with the help of plug-in mudguards, support racks and makeshift side stands - an SUV on two wheels, so to speak. So why not build an e-bike directly for this target group? This is exactly what the Swabian manufacturer Centurion had in mind and presented the new E-Fire Street for the first time at the Eurobike, which was designed and constructed for precisely this area of application.
The ingredients of city and mountain bikes are mixed here to create an urban all-rounder with a high level of comfort and a powerful look. First of all, the thick tires from Schwalbe are striking - the Super Moto-X at the front and rear has a full width of 70mm and is therefore a genuine B+ tire - but with a somewhat reserved profile that is fully suitable for city use. The Centurion E-Fire Street's MTB origin is also noticeable in the drive: The Bosch Performance CX motor and the 500Wh battery are also installed on hundreds of E-MTBs and provide more than enough power for city and country.
These MTB components are then faced with the aluminum frame, which is more reminiscent of a city bike with its rigid fork, luggage rack and permanently mounted mudguards: With its striking appearance, however, it goes very well with the thick slippers and you get a very unique e-bike. The single-strut luggage rack is elegant and can be removed, just like the side stand, if desired. Of course, StVZO-compliant lighting should not be missing.
In the equipment variant shown at Eurobike 2017 as the E-Fire Street R850 with Shimano SLX drive, Deore brakes, Procraft cockpit and the aforementioned Bosch Performance CX drive, the Centurion E-Fire Street will go on sale for €3.299.
Centurion E-Fire Country: Rebirth of the ATB?
It was definitely one of the trends at Eurobike 2017 - with the e-bikes, the ATBs that were declared dead are apparently also celebrating a rebirth: ATB stands for All-Terrain-Bike and for a long time stood for the "preliminary stage" to MTB - i.e. somewhere between trekking bike and off-road bike. With the Centurion E-Fire Country, the Swabians now have exactly such a bike in their portfolio, which also steps a little out of line in this niche - the E-Fire Country is a step-through bike and is therefore comfortable enough even for older riders . Speaking of comfort: A suspension fork and 2,25″ wide MTB tires make the all-rounder suitable for off-road use to a limited extent.
The E-Fire Country is powered by Shimano's E-8000 E-MTB drive with a 500Wh battery attached to the seat tube. As with the E-Fire Street, a decision was made here against full integration: On the one hand, of course, for price reasons, on the other hand, removing the energy storage is also much easier and faster. Of course, the lighting system, mudguards, the single-strut luggage rack and a side stand should not be missing for everyday suitability. The seat post is interesting: The new Procraft DS-SP RI can not only be lowered by pressing the handlebar remote control to make getting on and off easier, but also springs, which provides noticeably more comfort.
In the equipment variant shown as the Centurion E-Fire Country F2500 with SLX/XT gear mix, disc brakes, Suntour suspension fork and Hermans lighting, the bike costs €3.599