E-Performance / Product News: With the Fazua Ride 60, a completely new drive system from the Bavarian manufacturer will be available in the course of the year. You stay true to yourself and, in contrast to the exhibitor, you can reduce the weight even further - despite more power and a significantly larger battery.
In the summer of 2017, the then newcomer Fazua made headlines in the e-bike segment, which was already booming at the time: with a slightly weaker but extremely light and compact drive system, they offered a counterpoint to the thick mid-mounted motors, which had to deal with ever larger batteries and ever more power outbid each other. At the time, this approach was viewed somewhat critically - but it quickly became apparent that the Munich team had struck a chord. Today, everyone is talking about lightweight e-bikes, especially off-road, and this trend is likely to continue in the future.
Accordingly, it is not surprising that Fazua has continuously developed its drive system. So far, however, the focus has been primarily on software upgrades, last year there were major changes to the hardware for the first time with the Ride 50, but these were more of a technical facelift than a real new development. The latter will now follow in 2022 with the completely new Fazua Ride 60, with which the core remains true to itself, but sets different priorities and further exhausts the technical possibilities.
Completely new development - no longer removable
The basic technical approach remains the same: the entire drive is integrated into the down tube as a single unit – from the gearbox integrated directly into the bottom bracket and the motor connected to it to the battery, which in turn is connected to it – on the one hand, the partners in the industry are offered an extreme compact, but also very elegant to integrate drive unit. The technical data are quite impressive: In contrast to the predecessor, the drive unit itself weighs more than a kilogram less and sets a new record in this performance class with a weight of 1,96 kg. Because not only was the weight reduced, at the same time the performance could also be increased. With a maximum torque of 60 Nm, the difference to the predecessor (55 or 58 Nm) is not huge, but in view of the weight difference it is still significant.
Despite all the technical advances, this development naturally requires certain compromises - the detachability, for which the predecessor was well known, is completely eliminated. Matthias Leininger, Chapter Lead Product at Fazua says: "In contrast to the previous model, the FAZUA RIDE 60 can no longer be removed, because otherwise we would not have been able to gain design freedom, maximum flexibility and integration." This means that the Fazua system loses a real unique selling point, but in our experience this feature was only actually used by a few Fazua drivers. Nevertheless: That should disappoint one or the other fan of the first hour.
The separation between a variant for trail and street with different cooling systems, which was only introduced with the Ride 50, will (for the time being?) no longer exist with the Fazua Ride 60.
New battery with 430Wh - in two versions
It's not just the drive unit that has been completely redeveloped for the Fazua Ride 60 - the battery has also made a huge leap forward. With a capacity of 430 Wh, this has almost been doubled compared to the predecessor (252 Wh) - the weight only increases from 1,9 kg to 2,2 or 2,3 kg. This clearly shows that a lot has happened in the field of battery technology in recent years, even if the really big breakthrough hasn't materialized.
The approach of offering the battery in two variants for the manufacturers is interesting – namely as a removable and as a permanently installed version. The latter saves 100 g in weight and can be integrated into the frame in an even more elegant and space-saving way - of course at the expense of being removable, which many e-bikers would hardly want to do without in everyday use. Especially since Fazua is particularly proud of the new attachment mechanism for the removable battery variant. This is held in place by an integrated rail and slides very easily out of the frame for removal. The overall handling is of course much easier due to its weight; for comparison: a Bosch Powertube 750 battery weighs almost exactly twice as much.
Modern, sporty operating concept
What was particularly remarkable about the existing Fazua system was how well it was able to withstand the ravages of time. An exception was the operation, where Fazua had never had a really convincing solution - especially for sporting use. That should change with the Ride 60, at least we are extremely confident given the first information and render images.
From now on, the drive is controlled with the Fazua Ring Control: a compact, visually unobtrusive clamp that can be used to adjust the support level with a minimal movement of the finger. Due to the minimal space requirement, it should be easy to place it individually on the handlebars, depending on personal preferences and requirements. In addition, Fazua promises that it will remain optimally protected even in the event of a fall.
Fazua continues to do without a real display, which also makes sense in view of the minimalist, sporty overall concept. Instead, there is now space in the top tube for the new LED hub, which uses LEDs to display the support level and the charge level of the battery. It can be folded up by pressing it, which allows access to the integrated USB-C connection, which can be used, for example, to charge a smartphone mounted on the handlebars from the e-bike battery while riding. The LED Hub also offers a wireless interface for ANT+ and Bluetooth to either connect a bike computer or use the tried and tested Fazua app.
As a third option, manufacturers can also do without the LED Hub and use the so-called Control Hub instead. This is similar to the Ring Control, but offers integrated LEDs for the charge level and support display and provides connectivity for bike computers or smartphones.
First models with Fazua Ride 60 during the year from Canyon and Riese & Müller
Unfortunately, there is still no specific date on the availability of the new Fazua Ride 60 system. In the course of the year, however, the first models from Canyon and also from Riese & Müller should be available. In any case, we will try to get a corresponding test copy as soon as possible.
Website: www.fazua.com