E-MTB / Test: With the Corratec E-Power RS 160 Pro Team, we take a look at a current E-MTB with a Bosch Smart System, 160 mm travel and a mix of mullet wheel sizes. These key data initially suggest a pure downhill device, but in practice the E-MTB proved to be surprisingly versatile, although of course this is not entirely possible without compromises.
The Corratec E-Power RS 160 series has long been an integral part of the Corratec portfolio as an E-MTB all-rounder and is probably one of the most popular bikes from the manufacturer near Rosenheim. For the 2022 model year, the successful model is now getting a comprehensive upgrade, including the Bosch Smart System and the corresponding 750 Wh battery. The frame had to be completely redesigned for this, among other things to accommodate the large battery in the down tube. As part of this upgrade, the bike also gets a modernized geometry and some really great frame features.
Corratec E-Power RS 160: The technical data
Before we get to the smaller and larger details of the bike, first a few words about the key technical data: The E-Power RS 160 comes - as the name suggests - with 160 mm of spring travel at the front and rear and thus has some reserves for demanding terrain with. The frame is made of aluminum in all model variants and is constructed around a mullet wheel mix. This means that the large 29-inch front wheel is joined by a more compact 650b rear wheel, but with a much wider tire mounted on it. This combines the very good rollover behavior of the 29er with the agility of the 650b standard and, in the case of the Corratec E-MTB, you can also enjoy the better grip of wider tires at the rear. Our test bike in frame size M (42) weighs 26,2 kg without pedals.
Geometrie
The geometry of the Corratec E-Power RS 160 is modern, but not too progressive to overwhelm occasional or touring riders. The combination of the moderately long main frame and the steering angle of 65° promise a lot of safety off-road without forcing the rider into an active riding position, which the rather high front end also contributes to. With the almost 450 mm long chainstays, you can still get through tight bends properly, but at the same time you can look forward to balanced handling on steep uphill ramps.
frame size | 39 | 42 | 47 | 52 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seat tube length (in mm) | 390 | 420 | 470 | 520 |
Top tube length (in mm) | 613 | 633 | 654 | 677 |
Head tube length (in mm) | 145 | 145 | 150 | 160 |
Chain stay length (in mm) | 449 | 449 | 449 | 449 |
Steering angle (in °) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
Seat tube angle (in °) | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 1290 | 1290 | 1290 | 1290 |
Reach (mm) | 425 | 445 | 465 | 485 |
Stacks (in mm) | 655 | 655 | 660 | 669 |
Bosch Smart System with nice battery integration
As with the previous model, Corratec relies fully on power from Bosch for the drive. In the current E-Power RS 160, however, the Bosch Smart System introduced last year is used: the well-known Bosch CX motor with a maximum torque of 85 Nm is now joined by a large Bosch Powertube 750 battery in the down tube, which increases the already very good range further improved. In our laboratory measurements, we come to about 150 km on the level and a whopping 2.200 hm when it goes up. Even if such test bench measurements can only be transferred to practice to a limited extent, they are a good guideline and you can probably count on sufficient energy reserves even for longer tours.
In terms of operation, the Smart System has changed a lot compared to its predecessor. The "brain" of the drive is now in the compact LED remote, which does not have a display and instead shows the selected support level and the charge level of the battery via LED. On the E-Power RS 160 Pro Team, it is supplemented by the Kiox 300 display, which is strongly reminiscent of the original Kiox, but looks a bit more modern overall and is also a little larger. Incidentally, the drive can also be connected to the new Bosch Flow app via the LED Remote, which can also be used to adapt various drive parameters such as maximum support to individual needs.
All information about the Bosch Smart System in our detailed test:

E-MTB motors and drives 2022 on test: Bosch Smart System
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A highlight of the Corratec E-Power RS 160 is definitely its down tube and the integration of the large 750 Wh battery. Here they rely on a further development of the Shadow Edge Tube technology, which is intended to ensure a particularly high level of rigidity with a low weight and proper cable and cable routing by constructing the down tube in two chambers. Many detailed solutions follow the new "Bionic Design": This can be seen, for example, in the honeycomb structure of the battery cover and the motor cover. The structure of the battery offers additional grip when handling the 4,4 kg battery, and the cooling of the entire drive should also be improved. A lot has also been thought of for removing the battery: After removing a safety bolt with a special key, the lock can be opened using a sliding mechanism and the battery can be removed.


The equipment of our test bike
We tested the Corratec E-Power RS 160 Pro Team model variant, which has an RRP of 6.099 euros. The equipment is largely appropriate for this price in the upper middle class, even if you shouldn't expect any premium components, of course. The suspension components come from RockShox with the Deluxe Select+ damper in the rear and the Yari in the front. The latter has the somewhat simpler Motion Control damping, with which the rebound and compression stages (but only in three stages) are available as adjustment options. With its 35 mm stanchions, the fork is almost flimsy for modern conditions and its spring travel of 160 mm, but it should have enough rigidity for most areas of use.
frame | Corratec E-Power RS 160 Boost |
suspension fork | RockShox Yari Motion Control RC |
Drive | Bosch Performance CX |
Battery | Bosch Power Tube 750 |
Suspension shocks | RockShox Deluxe Select+ |
Wheels | ZZYZX Cross Attack |
Tire VR | Michelin Wild Enduro TLR 29 |
Tire HR | Michelin Wild Enduro TLR 650b+ |
derailleur | Shimano XT |
Gear levers | Shimano SLX |
Crank | ZZYZX E-Power Crank |
Front derailleur | Without |
Brake | Shimano MT420 |
Brake discs | Shimano 203mm |
Seat post | Kindshock 900i 150mm |
Saddle | Stamp Italy Model X |
Stem | ZZYZX SL Alloy |
Links | ZZYZX SL Alloy |
Gears and brakes are all made by Shimano. A 12-speed XT rear derailleur is responsible for changing gears, the other components such as the shifter or cassette come from the almost equivalent SLX series. The MT420 brakes have four pistons at the front and rear and, in conjunction with the 203 mm discs, offer plenty of reserves for longer descents. The long multi-finger brake levers, which are otherwise more familiar from touring or trekking bikes, take some getting used to.
The choice of tires is unusual - because here you will not find tires from the "usual suspects", but the Wild Enduro from Michelin. The French have also been represented in the bicycle and MTB sector for several years and the Wild Enduro in particular is enjoying increasing popularity. With its high and coarse lugs, it is reminiscent of a Schwalbe Magic Mary or the Assegai from Maxxis in terms of alignment - so plenty of grip. The decision to install a 2,8-inch wide tire at the rear is interesting. This "plus size" has now almost disappeared from the market after a brief boom a few years ago, but it offers a number of advantages over the standard widths, such as extra grip and cushioning.
The Corratec E-Power RS 160 Pro Team on the trail

For our practical test, we spent a few days on the dusty trails in Vinschgau around Latsch. During the preparations, we also stumbled across the bike's product page, where Corratec refers to the "all-mountain geometry" and describes the bike as ideal for long tours. Our expectations were accordingly: Despite a lot of suspension travel, we adjusted ourselves to a more touring than racy handling, especially on the trail. However, our practical impressions only partially confirmed this, because even if you let it rip properly, the E-Power RS 160 still cuts a good figure for quite a long time. The bike only reaches its limits when the terrain gets really rough and the speed very high. The chassis in particular starts to sweat a bit in this scenario - this applies to the fork as well as to the linear rear triangle, which then tends to bottom out a bit. On the other hand, the chassis offers incredibly high comfort and a lot of safety at moderate speeds, which is also supported by the extremely non-slip tires.


The Bosch Smart System convinced us again, as it did on numerous other test bikes - power, dynamics, controllability and operation - all at a very high level. Only the background noise of the engine could be a bit disturbing for one or the other. The other components hardly gave cause for criticism, our testers only had to get used to the long multi-finger brake levers at first.