Can Amazon's cheapest e-bike match a super climber on a super bike?
Si Richardson climbs aboard his trusty Myatu e-bike to take on Strava KOM record holder Andrew Feather on a vicious UK climb
GCN
The GCN team
You might remember our recent video on the Myatu, the cheapest e-bike Amazon has to offer. Simon Richardson put it through its paces around town and found it surprisingly enjoyable. But how does it fare on a proper climb, against a proper climber?
To put that to the test, we pitted Si and the Myatu up against Andrew Feather – the number 1 ranked male climber on Strava by voume of KOMs – and his Canyon Ultimate CFR.
The battleground? Haresfield Beacon, a nasty climb in Gloucestershire that measures 2.2km at an average gradient of 8.5%.
The bikes
The Myatu is a hefty e-bike, weighing in at 27kg, partly due to a massive motor mounted externally on the downtube. It has an advertised capability of 250 watts and just under two hours of riding time, with options for low, medium and high
It’s fitted with ‘all terrain’ tyres that are pretty fat and nobbly, and a range of 21 Shimano gears. It has cabled disc brakes, front suspension, and all the kind of componentry you’d expect on a pretty basic budget bike.
Feather's bike, by contrast, is a top-of-the-range Canyon Ultimate CFR, with carbon frame and wheels, and the latest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset. It's one of the fastest climbing bikes money can buy, but can it keep up with a motor?
The climb and the contest
Haresfield Beacon averages 8.5% over 2.2km but it's an irregular beast, starting out in relatively gentle fashion, before hitting some stupidly steep ramps in the middle, and then easing off towards the top.
It turned out to bee the perfect climb to set up a dramatic race.
Crucially, the Myatu is restricted to a speed of 25kph. Given the Strava KOM for the climb stands at an average speed of 20kph, this should, on paper, have been enough for Si to put Feather to the sword.
However, Feather would be able to go above 30kph on the top and bottom sections, and the 250 watts from the Myatu's motor would not be available the whole way up.
With the two riders starting side-by-side, it makes for a dramatic, see-saw contest. Watch the video above to find out who comes out on top.
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