Babia Góra E-xpedition

Trekking, roaming the countryside in unexplored places or, if you prefer, expedition, is not often associated with the e-bike industry. That is also why I was very interested in the invitation from the Czech representative office of Bosch Ebike Systems. It contained information about a joint event for Czech and Polish journalists, which took place on the Slovak-Polish border with the aim of exploring the surroundings of Babia Góra located in the Zawoja area on the border of the Slovak PLA Horná Orava. This expedition was prepared by Bosch in cooperation with KTM with the aim of testing the main novelty of this year, namely the new Performance Line SX drive. There are still very few models with the new drive. Thanks to KTM being one of the biggest partners since the beginning of e-bike development using Bosch drives, it was possible to test this new drive on the brand new Macina Scarp SX light concept e-bike models. So, for me, the perfect opportunity to compare the new SX drive with the constant on the market Performance Line CX. Two days full of fun and good company in a new environment awaited me. What was it? Let's go!

Day 1.

On the eve of the first day, I reached the place. I brought Keli (Filip Švrček, dolekop.com) with me as a passenger, with whom I had already completed Canyon testing in Italy. The journey went by very quickly thanks to the behind-the-scenes stories. After registering and studying the list of participants, it was immediately clear that the fun would be taken care of! The list included names such as Richard "Gaspi" Gasperotti (Ambassador Bosch), Štěpán Hajíček (bikeandride.cz), Filip Kůžel (zive.cz) or Petr Mazura (mtbiker.cz). The Czech group of journalists was supplemented by a roughly equal Polish group.

The morning of the first day was filled with a professional presentation of Bosch and KTM news. I was impressed by the PowerMore external battery with a capacity of 250 Wh and the new CompactTube 400 Wh integrated battery with a weight of only 2 kg. The Performance Line SX is the little brother of the more powerful CX model. Bosch completely redesigned the engine, used a new two-pin magnesium body attachment, lightened the central axis, installed new bearings with less resistance and "wrapped" all this in a smaller body with very interesting parameters - 55 Nm, max. 600 W and a weight of 2 kg . In short, as they say, "threw down the gauntlet" to the competition! The engine is designed for lightweight eMTB concepts, eGravely and possibly in the future the newly used eXC category. Its practical operation corresponds to its sporting use. If you want to get performance from the SX, you have to pedal more frequently compared to the CX model.

The afternoon was already taking place in the forest. More precisely, on local trails built at the foot of the Mosorny Groń mountain. Here you will find tracks of several difficulties, and the entire circuit is connected by a beautiful uphill trail, which is ideal for testing e-bikes. Our Czech group led by the organizer and author of the expedition route, Miłosz Kędracki, was equipped with models with CX/CX Race and SX drives. It was thus offered to test and compare a lighter, less powerful drive with a more powerful one. Also, being a rider who likes to ride with a higher crank cadence, I was able to keep up with the CX drivetrains. I was pleasantly surprised by the speech and performance of the SX model. The drive is very sporty. We ended a long day of intense riding with an honest American hamburger in the Polish style called Obledny bycek.

Day 2.

It hardened the next day. The plan included a route around Babia Góra (1725 m), 55 km and 1614 m climbed. It was immediately clear to me that with an ebike with a CX drive and a 625 Wh battery, it would not be free! The first part of the route led along a two-way trail called Tabakowy Chodnik. The origin of the name of the trail dates back to the days when tobacco was transported along its route. We continued via Mędralowá/Beskydok (1169 m) below the slope of Malá Babiej Góra (1517 m) through remote areas of Slovakia towards Poland. On the Polish side, we stopped for lunch in Orawské Dvor, where we had to recharge our batteries. Riders with SX drives and 400 Wh batteries were already almost at zero, I had 32% battery and I definitely did not skimp on the trips. The rest of the route led through the Krowiarki pass, Syhlec (1146 m), then along the red route to the highest point of the expedition, Pólko (1248 m). Mosorny Groń (1047 m) followed, and from its observation tower we descended back to the Babia Góra Trails complex. From there it was a reward to the hotel. The entire route of the expedition was interspersed with two racing inserts, which were driven in a very friendly spirit. From the first KTM Uphill Stage, I take home the first place, which was, as Gaspi would say, "about the breasts of a Korean girl", and the victory at the Bosch Flow Downhill will be won by his hussar's stunt Keli, who addressed the jury with a parakotoul over the handlebars in the steepest passage of the erzeta. Fortunately, everyone took away only positive experiences and a smile on their face!

At the end

I really enjoyed this! Thanks to Bosch and KTM for the wonderful experiences. I really enjoy the possibility of testing and comparing drives in this form. You can get a clear idea of which type of drive is suitable for which environment. I would recommend the new Performance Line SX drive to those who like a sportier driving performance and are looking for a light e-bike concept at the 18 kg limit. Athletes will be satisfied with the display of drive at a higher pedaling frequency. The drive power is sufficient for most situations. With the SX drive, Bosch has set a high bar in the category of light e-bikes, and it will be hard to beat. But if you are a tripper and want to enjoy driving, the CX will be a better choice. A separate category will be "patients" like me, where the clear choice will be CX Race. Bosch has expanded its portfolio of drives and thus proves that it is currently the market leader in the field of drives for e-bikes.

Author: Marek Bělovský, original wording of the article for the editors of Electric Bike magazine
Photo: Author + Pawlikowski Media (www.pawlikowskimedia.com)