Product news / E-MTB: As part of our major engine check for the 2022 season, we are taking a look at the Brose Drive S Mag today. In addition to the technical data, we also have laboratory values from the test bench for the performance and range of the E-MTB drive.
E-MTB motors and drives 2022 in check
For the start of the 2022 season, we take a detailed look at the common E-MTB motors: from the top dogs Bosch, Shimano and Brose to newcomers and challengers such as the Sachs RS or the Panasonic GX Ultimate Pro. We took each of the drives to the test laboratory and looked at the performance, range and energy efficiency under comparable conditions. In addition to the battery and controls, we also take a close look at the apps, which are now part of the standard repertoire of almost all drives.
| Bosch Performance CX Gen4 | Shimano EP8 | Brose Drive S Mag | Giant SyncDrive Pro2 | Specialized 2.2 | Sachs RS | Panasonic GX Ultimate Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum torque | 85 Nm | 85 Nm | 90 Nm | 85 Nm | 90 Nm | 112 Nm | 95 Nm |
| weight engine | 2,9 kg | 2,6 kg | 2,9 kg | 2,75 kg | 2,9 kg | 3,5 kg | 2,95 kg |
| Batteries | 400Wh / 500Wh / 625Wh / 750Wh | 504Wh / 630Wh | 630 Wh | 625Wh / 750Wh | 500Wh / 700Wh | - | - |
| Batteries (third party) | - | up to 900 Wh | up to 925 Wh | - | - | up to 725 Wh | 630Wh / 750Wh |
| launch | 2020 | 2020 | 2018 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 |
Brose Drive S Mag: The motor
In the late summer of 2018, Brose presented the Drive S Mag motor to the public for the first time and the drive could be found on the first E-MTBs in the following year. The biggest innovation at the time was its magnesium housing, which not only saved a few grams compared to its predecessor, but also enabled more power to be extracted from the unit thanks to better thermal conductivity. With a weight of 2,9 kg and a maximum torque of up to 90 Nm, it is still state-of-the-art today – around three years later. Especially since its greatest strengths cannot be read from the technical data.
On the test bench: performance
Anyone who has ridden more than one E-MTB motor will know: Although the technical data are usually very similar according to the respective manufacturers, the motors feel quite different in practice. In order to analyze and objectify these different impressions, we went to the test laboratory with various E-MTBs; Of course, we also looked at the performance of the individual engines there.
We also take a look at the maximum performance that the system delivers. For this we choose a very high input power at the crank of 250 watts and a cadence between 70 and 75, where most motors have their sweet spot. The Brose Drive S Mag places itself in the upper middle field and plays in a league with the somewhat more powerful Bosch CX. While it is clearly beaten by the powerhouses from Sachs and Panasonic, it easily surpasses the Shimano EP8 or the Giant SyncDrive Pro2.
But: As interesting as a look at the maximum performance may be and also provides insights into the performance reserves - the data is only partially relevant for practice. Because, let's be honest: very few e-mountain bikers push 250 watts for a longer period of time. For this reason, we looked at the performance in yet another scenario - at 100 watts of input power. This is where the Brose Drive S Mag flexes its muscles and proves to be one of the most powerful mid-drives in the field. Even with this rather low input power, the drive delivers a whopping 575 watts to the chain and thus beats most other comparable motors, which act a little more cautiously here.
On the test bench: range
In addition to performance, energy efficiency and thus the range of the various drives should also play an important role for most e-mountain bikers; It is not for nothing that high-capacity batteries are in increasing demand. It is often forgotten that the pure battery capacity does not necessarily say much about the range, since the drives require different amounts of energy. Reliable statements about maximum ranges are only possible to a limited extent anyway, as they depend on a large number of factors. However, in order to shed some light on the matter, we measured the range of the respective drive systems in several runs, often on different bikes. From this, we then calculate the energy consumption in Wh/km – this way, the efficiency can be determined independently of the respective battery size.
Here, too, two scenarios were simulated: Driving on the flat with a 0% incline and 100 W input power and consumption on the mountain with a 10% incline and 130 W input power.
In terms of efficiency, the Brose Drive S Mag is inconspicuous in a positive sense. On the flat it is one of the most efficient motors of all and on the mountain it is in the middle and only has to admit defeat to the Bosch CX.
Characteristic: Natural riding!
When the Brose display is switched on, it greets you with the words "Natural Riding" - and the Drive S Mag can keep this promise in practice. This is due to two properties that still make the engine unique today. On the one hand, it is still by far the quietest engine in its performance class. Even with heavy use and/or high cadence, the volume never becomes uncomfortable. In addition, the pitch of the drive varies little, which makes it very easy to block out the noise while driving.
In addition to the volume, the overall characteristics underscore the demand for the most natural driving behavior possible. Even if there may be competitors who are a bit more lively when accelerating, there is no other engine that supports you so calmly, gently and yet powerfully. The power is always there (our test bench measurements show that), but on an E-MTB with a Brose Drive S Mag drive you run the risk of forgetting that you even have a bike with a motor under your butt. The switch-off behavior between 25 km/h and 27 km/h is also unparalleled and is hardly noticeable.
Brose Drive S Mag: Batteries – from small to large
The topic of batteries is quite exciting with the Brose Drive S Mag: In addition to numerous batteries from third-party manufacturers, the motor specialist has also been offering its own battery with 630 Wh for some time. Together with the control elements and displays, which were also developed in-house, since 2019 they have also been offering a complete system like most of their competitors - the Brose Drive System. One of the advantages is the possibility of using the in-house Brose smartphone app, which also allows the motor to be customized. As the name suggests, the Brose Battery 630 offers a capacity of 630 Wh and is stowed in the frame. Weighing in at 3,8kg, it's a few grams heavier than the competition. Incidentally, more and more manufacturers are installing the Brose Drive System with motor, battery and display from a single source: In addition to Nox, this is also the case with all Brose e-bikes from M1 Sporttechnik and also with Rotwild.
Of course, numerous manufacturers continue to rely on batteries from third-party manufacturers such as BMZ. For example, the E-Stream EVO models from Bulls are available this season with up to 925 Wh.
Brose Drive S Mag: operation – great idea
Similar to the batteries, Brose has also been offering its own components for the displays and control panels for some time. The "all-round" control element is likely to be used most frequently on the sporty E-MTB. It combines a bright color display with all the buttons you need to operate the drive. Although the display is quite small, it is still very easy to read, bright and the colors help to recognize the most important information from the corner of the eye. The buttons are on the lower side of the display, which is a bit unusual at first, but then works surprisingly well in practice. They have a decent pressure point, but should be better separated from each other - operation with gloves is not always easy.
In addition to the Brose Allround, there is also a particularly compact Brose Remote that is hardly larger than the clamp on a handlebar grip. Not only are all the controls integrated in it, but LEDs on the edge provide information about the selected support level and the charge level of the battery. A thoroughly attractive solution for minimalists who can do without a full-blown display. Brose then offers the exact opposite with the Display Central. Here, the minimalist remote just mentioned is combined with a large color display in the middle of the handlebars - this solution should be used primarily on touring bikes and sporty trekking bikes.
Brose e-bike app: Convincing start
The Brose eBike app has been in the app stores for iOS and Android smartphones since last year and is free of charge. It only works on e-bikes that are equipped with the entire Brose Drive System - i.e. motor, battery and control unit.
On the one hand, the app can be used wonderfully as a display replacement. For this purpose, it comes with configurable tiles in which user-defined values can be displayed. In addition to the well-known data such as speed, power or the like, more exotic displays such as the temperature of the drive can also be set here. In addition, a map shows the current surroundings and also allows the current journey to be tracked. You can then transfer the data to other apps such as Komoot or Strava if you wish.
The Brose eBike app also allows the drive to be customized, albeit to a limited extent. The performance for each support level can be individually defined between 0% and 100% via the intuitively designed interface. However, there are currently no further adjustments such as the general characteristics, acceleration or a speed limit (yet?). An update function for the drive is also currently being sought in vain. Nevertheless, the app is a clear recommendation for riders of an e-bike with the Brose Drive System.