Test: The Spitzing Evolution in the Bobby Root Edition from the Bavarian manufacturer M1 Sporttechnik stands out from the crowd of e-MTBs in many ways: The up to 120Nm strong TQ mid-motor and the huge 1043Wh battery in the down tube are particularly present in this combination unique. Unfortunately, the powerful drive and the large battery also increase the weight - the test bike weighed 27,7 kg despite the carbon frame. On the other hand, stable components and add-on parts are needed to tame the 170 or 160mm spring travel of the potent Rockshox chassis.
M1 Spitzing Evo Bobby Root Edition: The Facts
Suspension travel: 170mm/160mm
wheel size: 27,5 inch
Drive: TQ 120S
Display / control unit: Marquardt Comfort
Battery capacity (test bike): 1.043Wh
Frame material: Carbon
Weight complete bike (size L without pedals): 27,71kg
Maximum weight allowed: 130kg
Price: 9999 Euro
| Frame | M1 Spitzing Evo |
| Fork | Fox 36 Factory 170mm |
| Drive | TQ 120s |
| Battery | M1 1.048Wh |
| Suspension shocks | Fox Float DHX2 Factory |
| Wheels | DT Swiss H1900 |
| Tire VR | Schwalbe Hans Dampf Addix Speedgrip Apex 2,6" |
| Tire HR | Schwalbe Hans Dampf Addix Speedgrip Apex 2,6" |
| Derailleur | Shimano XT M8000 |
| Shifter | Shimano XT M8000 |
| Crank | FSA CK745 |
| Front derailleur | Without |
| Brake | Magura MT5e |
| Brake discs | Magura Storm HC 203/203mm |
| Seatpost | Fox Transfer Factory 150mm |
| Saddle | Selle Royal Rampage |
| Stem | Reverse |
| Handlebar | Reverse |
If a bike bears the name of freeride legend Bobby Root in its name, the expectations are accordingly. On paper, the M1 Sporttechnik Spitzing Evo Bobby Root Edition seems to live up to these expectations: With a lot of spring travel, a coil damper, wide handlebars and stable tires, at least the foundations for strong downhill performance have been laid. So that things move quickly upwards, a TQ mid-engine, which delivers up to 120Nm of torque, beats at the heart of the beautiful full carbon frame.
Similar e-mountain bikes on test
[blog posts_per_page=”3″ taxonomy=”post_tag” tax_term=”43559″ order=”desc” orderby=”rand”]Rich ride and accessible geometry
The powerful motor, together with the huge 1.043Wh battery in the voluminous down tube, is also responsible for the fact that the weight of the Spitzing Evo is very high at 27,7kg in size L, despite the carbon frame. But that's not necessarily to the detriment of the bulky E-MTB. While agility and maneuverability suffer as a result, the kilos also ensure a very full driving experience. Especially in combination with the really well-functioning rear end with steel spring damper, you get an extremely good-natured handling, which forgives a lot of mistakes and also enables fast descents without any problems. The geometry is quite inconspicuous, but overall with a short main frame it is more classic than ultra-modern. However, this also has some advantages: Less experienced off-road bikers will certainly get along much better on the M1 than on a progressive e-enduro. Speaking of geometry: one disadvantage that has to be mentioned here is that the M1 Spitzing Evo is only available in two frame sizes.
Geometry M1 Spitzing Evo Bobby Root
| M | L | |
|---|---|---|
| seat tube (in mm) | 450 | 500 |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 580 | 615 |
| head tube (in mm) | 120 | 130 |
| chainstay (in mm) | 465 | 465 |
| Wheelbase (in mm) | 1205 | 1240 |
| Steering angle (in °) | 66 | 66 |
| Seat angle (in °) | 75.1 | 75.1 |
| Reach (mm) | 420 | 454 |
| Stacks (in mm) | 602 | 611 |
The composition of the components fits the character of the bike very well: the stable DT Swiss wheels can take a lot and thanks to the 800mm wide reverse handlebars with a very short stem, you can enjoy very direct handling off-road. The Magura MT5e brakes are very easy to dose, but at the same time have large reserves for long descents. The only thing we can't quite understand is the choice of tires. While the Schwalbe Hans Dampf in the Addix Speedgrip variant is definitely a good rear tire, we don't necessarily think it's the best choice for the front wheel. Here we would have preferred to see the Magic Mary in a softer rubber compound.
Powerful but noisy motor
On the flat and uphill, the Spitzing Evo cuts a very good figure, of course also thanks to the powerful TQ mid-engine. Steep ramps are no problem at all for the powerhouse. Even at low cadences in gears that are too difficult, the drive calls for its power. Unfortunately, it does not work quite as sensitively as one is used to from less powerful drives - but many drivers are only too happy to make this compromise. The background noise also takes some getting used to. The motor is quite loud, but its low-pitched tone isn't as obnoxious as the high-pitched hum of some of its competitors. A tip from our side would be to deactivate the automatic engine shutdown of the MT5e brake. If you brake briefly in climbing passages, the motor is deactivated and takes a little eternity until it provides support again. In technical passages, this is usually extremely inconvenient.
The big Velomotion E-MTB test 2020: test fields, individual tests and background information
We set ourselves the daunting task of conscientiously and objectively testing 57 eMTBs. With our two large test fields "Highend" and "Bestseller" we had a huge range of different bikes.
Our test conclusion
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Our test candidates in the High-End category: BH AtomX Carbon Lynx 6 Pro-S | Bull's Sonic EVO EN 2 | Cannondale Moterra Neo 1 | Focus Jam² 9.9 Drifter | Giant Reign E+ 0 Pro | Greyp G6.2 | Haibike XDURO Nduro 10.0 | Husqvarna Mountain Cross 8 | KTM Macina Prowler Prestige | M1 Spitzing Evo Bobby Root | Norco Range VLT C2 | Nox Hybrid Enduro 7.1 | Orange Surge RS | Orbea Wild FS M10 | Santa Cruz Heckler CC X01 RSV | Scott Genius eRide 700 Tuned | Simplon Rapcon Pmax | Specialized Turbo Levo Expert Carbon | Storck e:drenalin GTS 500 | TrekRail 9.9 | YT Decoy Pro Race | YT Decoy Pro 29
You can also find this at the kiosk Velomotion E-MTB test yearbook 2020. There you will find all 57 individual tests of the bikes, exciting stories and advice on everything to do with e-mountain bikes on over 160 pages.
Here you can also order the E-MTB yearbook 2020 directly from us.
