Dan has been lusting after a trip to the Malvern Hills for a proper electric mountain bike challenge for ages, so he and Rufus took the Delite Mountain bike and a Delite GT Rohloff to enjoy the sites in Worcestershire (and the views of 13 counties beyond apparently!).
Who and what type of riding is the stripped down Delite Mountain bike really for?
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Climbing on a Delite Mountain
One of the most appealing aspects of the Malvern Hills is that you can get up into the best of it pretty darned quickly, especially if youâre on the right bike! Once youâre up on the rolling ridges thereâs endless stunning views for miles around (on a clear day). Dan and Rufus hit the big climb almost straight away, and Rufus did find a few challenges with the slimmer tyres on the Delite GT Rohloff on the steeper parts of the ascent, but the 27.5â Nobbly Nic Tyres on Danâs Delite Mountain just ate up the climbs.
After about 20 minutes of climbing they were up making fresh coffee in the sunshine with beautiful vistas all around.
As Dan says, the 11 speed cassette is perfect for the big climbs, you can stay in the saddle and keep pedalling all the way up. This touring spec also means the lighter weight is great for a free and fun ride but of course the downside is more maintenance, care and indexation of the gears. For those who prefer to cut away all of this extra work, at more expense and a little more weight, the Delite Mountain is also available with the 14 speed Rohloff hub – Danâs preferred specification and the one on the bike ridden by Rufus.
Both bikes have a Bosch performance line CX motor with 85 Nm of torque so thereâs oodles of power for the big climbs. The Mountain version of the Delite is stripped down without mudguards and racks to make it the ultimate e-mountain play bike.
Features
On this spec Dan had the Kiox display on the Delite Mountain which is a super-simple lightweight and minimal display. Itâs also available with the Nyon cockpit which Rufus had on the Delite GT Rohloff. The Nyon has satellite navigation which can be used with Komoot routes so Rufus was in charge of the navigation for this ride. Itâs mostly pretty easy to navigate in the Malvern Hills so Rufusâs skills werenât tested too much!
As with all things Riese and Muller this is the top end of e-MTBs so the Delite Mountain has really powerful front and rear lights as standard, both neatly connected into the main battery. The front headlight is the Supernova M99 which has a full and dipped beam and is perfect for those low light rides through the woods and when heading back on the roads where you need extra visibility.
Single or Double Battery?
For those looking for an e-mountain bike that’s lightweight and easy to maneuver, the Delite Mountain with a single 625Wh battery is ideal. For longer rides however, thereâs also the Super Delite Mountain which has two batteries integrated into the frame â double your ride distance!
Dan suggests a third option of carrying a spare battery on long mountain biking adventures rather than going for a full dual-battery frame set up; keeping it light and fun makes all the difference if youâre considering buying this as a pure MTB.
Downhills
The Malvern Hills have some pretty fast and fun descents and Dan found the features of the Delite Mountain perfect for make the most of them.
This X-Fusion Dropper Seatpost is a great option for these sorts of up and down MTB rides. Thereâs a control on the handlebars so you can pop the seat post up to get maximum pedalling efficiency and power on the ups. Then, when you roll off the top and onto a technical descent, you can simply drop the seat post on the go to get it out of the way, enabling you to get your weight back over the rear wheel and reduce your chances of any over the handle bar launches!
As you can see in the video, the Delite Mountain has some pretty amazingly grippy flat pedals that stick to your feet on the bumpy downs. The somewhat lethal studs are potential trouser and shin re-shapers but the effect of this is a real feeling of confidence on the descents.
The Delite Mountain is a full suspension bike with a Fox Float fork with 140mm of travel on the front and a Fox Float rear suspension unit. Both can be locked out for efficient riding but just remember to take the lockout off when you hit the big downhills!
Which bike?
The Delite GT Rohloff that Rufus rode is one our most popular bikes and for any multi-use circumstances itâs commonly the absolute best option, itâll do just about anything. However as Dan found in the Malvern Hills, if youâre looking for a play bike to ride off road, maximum glee, then the Delite Mountain is a joy and we reckon itâs the ultimate electric mountain bike available. Both bikes delivered us into the beautiful Malvern Hills perfectly, but the Delite Mountain had the edge for a pure MTB experience.
Watch the full video at the top to see how much fun Dan and Rufus had on their day out.