Finally, a properly designed, dedicated E-MTB

Im one of the lucky guys, I have got the Simplon Rapcon with the Pinion MGU.
Had I 3 weeks and done over 300 miles in that time, and loving it.
Is the way to go for sure.
 
I could’ve been tempted at around £7-8k but coming in at over £12k for the tourer and bigger battery I think it’s a tad rich. I can get a second battery for mine for less than £800. I do like the thought of not having a rear derailleur though, and a belt drive. I snapped a rear hanger on mine coming down a steep rough mountain section when I clobbered a big rock. :blast Again, I had a spare hanger with me ( a mate snapped his about 12 months earlier, they’re small and light so I got a spare, good job ) so after a bit of fannying about I was on my way.
I’ll see if they drop their prices in a year or so. :thumb2
 
Monkeynuts said:
Im one of the lucky guys, I have got the Simplon Rapcon with the Pinion MGU.
Had I 3 weeks and done over 300 miles in that time, and loving it.
Is the way to go for sure.
Click to expand...
Hi, Hows the Bike doing? any issues with the Pinion? thinking about getting one ( Nicolai Saturn platform )
 
I know a guy with a Simplon and he's had a few issues with the belt drive. He does however use it hard off road in all conditions regularly. I'll give him a shout and get the skinny on it.
 
The problem with the Rohloff and Shimano hub gears is the added unsprung weight affects the performance of the suspension and nimbleness of the bike. The Pinion gearbox is in the ideal position, low and central. The mgu doesn’t add a huge amount of weight (about 1.3kg) and the benefits outweigh the negatives imho.

There is a UK company (can’t remember the name) who has developed a mgu motor and will be launching it soon.

The Nicolai Saturn is certainly very pricey, but there are others using the pinion mgu now that are in the £7k to £9k range like the Bulls, Haibike, Moustache and simplon. The Nicolai is a very nice cnc’d alloy frame which is mainly why it’s about 26kg, but the 2024 e-enduro wcc Yeti weighed 27kg. You can buy the Nicolai frame/mgu for about £6k and build one up yourself using parts from an old bike.

The Moustache Clutch range look interesting starting at £7199 for the SUV https://moustachebikes.com/gb/en/electric-bikes/clutch/clutch-160-9/
 
The simplon MGU is going fine now. I had one of the first MGU units that had a problem with the torque sensor in the motor. as soon as pinion got the error data, they shipped a new MGU out straight away. I then had 2 x belts snap on me. that turned out to be the rear sprocket not being aligned correctly, causing the belt to jump. the bike has now done about 1800 miles.
I have also got my dirty little hand on the Nicolia S16 MGU. now that rides so smooth and plush.But and there is a big BUT, the MGU just failed this weekend, to me , it looks like it is exactly the same problem as on the simplon (torque sensor). as soon as I get it sorted I will report back.

when the MGU I working, I really do like it. It is different from the normal systems on a bike, and has its little quirks, but overall, I really do like it.
 
Hi Monkeynuts,
Can I ask where you bought your Simplon? The only dealer I've found so far is in Glasgow.
Thanks,
Chris
 
The simplon was from Scott up at Love E-bikes in Glasgow.
The Nicolia is secondhand from Rob. This is the bike being original being built.

And this is the actual bike I have after he had it for a while, and changed the suspension to ohlins. He only put 315miles on it !
 
Monkeynuts said:
The simplon was from Scott up at Love E-bikes in Glasgow.
The Nicolia is secondhand from Rob. This is the bike being original being built.

And this is the actual bike I have after he had it for a while, and changed the suspension to ohlins. He only put 315miles on it !
Click to expand...
jeeeeez i drooled over that video a few days ago! what a bike, best EBike channel on youtube
 
I have a nicolei G1 non Ebike and I completely agree with Robs comments about frame quality. For UKwinter riding the fully sealed double bearings are brilliant. Yep they are not cheap but IMO they are the best engineered bike out there either electric or regular. The ability to tailor the geometry to your preference with the mutators is brilliant too and quite different to other manufacturers flip chips.

It's interesting you mentioned the issue with the belt on the Simpson was due to rear end alignment. I know this is something that Nicolai check before a frame leaves the factory.
 
I looked at the Nicolai in Rob's video in October when I was contemplating my "retirement present" to myself. I hadn't heard of Simplon at that point, but was loving the idea of not having a derailleur. Unfortunately what I perceived as whine from the motor/gearbox combo put me off, and I bought an Amflow instead. Yesterday I spent an hour or so taking the derailleur apart and straightening it after hitting a tree stump in the forest!
Mark
 
I got away from the old derailleur years ago, started with a 14 speed rolloff hub bike. I liked it that much, I modified a couple of other bikes to run rolloff hubs, one is my hiybike with a gen2 Bosch motor. never any problems !
The Pinion MGU is getting quieter as it beds in, but the noise doesn't bother me to be honest .
Never going back !!!
 
Monkeynuts said:
The simplon was from Scott up at Love E-bikes in Glasgow.
The Nicolia is secondhand from Rob. This is the bike being original being built.

And this is the actual bike I have after he had it for a while, and changed the suspension to ohlins. He only put 315miles on it !
Click to expand...
Just followed a google link into this thread and posting for the first time in a while. It's interesting to see you bought Rob Ancil's bike, as he bought that with his own money, said it was awesome on a ride video and then... nothing. With only 375 miles on it, I have to question how good Rob really thought the bike was if he let it go that quickly.
 
He needed the money for his next build, and that bikes is a lovely bit if kit.
You also have to take into consideration, how many bikes he gets to ride as a journalist and tester, he has a place where he stores all of the bikes. Not much time to ride any one bike !
 
Monkeynuts said:
He needed the money for his next build, and that bikes is a lovely bit if kit.
You also have to take into consideration, how many bikes he gets to ride as a journalist and tester, he has a place where he stores all of the bikes. Not much time to ride any one bike !
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying. I had guessed that was the likely case, but if you don't ask, you'll always be left wondering. :D
 
I do know that the main parts of the frame are CNC milled from billet aluminium, hand welded, and then the frame is heat treated. Its not a Chinese made bike !
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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