MAHLE X35 Diary

 MAHLE X35 E-Bike Diary

Better late than never now that MAHLE's X35 is being replaced with X30, but X35-equipped bikes seem to be on close-out so if you're in the market?

Zio has seen plenty of video on this e-bike power system but most of 'em seem to be done by computer nerds who fret over how far they can ride on a single charge or how much power they provide. IMHO this range anxiety and power-envy are silly. Here's my non-computer nerd, long-time cyclist take on X35 after 3 weeks riding in the hills of Monferrato.

I thought this the perfect time to write-up my experience. Three great weeks riding my Bianchi E-Impulso Allroad (shown above with Heather's) over the exact same routes I've ridden for years on a classic steel bike with triple crankset. What better comparison can there be?

First, let me point-out that unless you're old or have medical issues, riding these routes as I've done for 20+ years is the most fun with a standard road bike, as long as you have low gears to get up the hills. I've ridden a triple crankset for longer than that, almost from the moment Campagnolo released their "Racing Triple" option.

But "there's no cure for the common birthday" as they say and in the Alps last year Heather was having way more fun on her e-gravel bike than I was having on my conventional one. I was hoping it was just the fat tires, low gears and disc brakes of the gravel bike when she was dropping me both going up and down, but it became clear I needed a bit of help too, so we added a slightly used one just like hers to our stable for me. The state of roads these days makes the gravel bike's fat, low-pressure tires and disc brakes nice to have - even if you're not in the Alps.

 

Cracks that would swallow a 25 mm tire can be laughed-at when yours are 38 mm! While we have no desire to ride on anything more challenging than a dirt/gravel road, we think gravel bikes can be a smart choice as long as they're not slack-angled/long chainstay MTB's with drop handlebars.

This year was finally Zio's change to play with his (though he'd been playing with his MAHLE X20-equipped gravel bike for a few months in Sicily) so after swapping-out the awful OEM tires for some fat slicks and the silly wide/flared "gravel" handlebars for something more road-like the bike was ready-to-go. The idea was to ride the bike around with assist level set at 0 even though the bike was turned-on. This way I get the readings from my (optional) MAHLE "Pulsar" brain unit (that works with both X35 and X20 and I assume the new X30) and also have an easier way to select the assist levels vs toggling the master control button that's kind of hidden on the downtube on this bike.

So when I'd reach the start of a climb that used to have me shifting down to the "granny ring" I'd just call-up assist level 1. I'd still shift down to a reasonable gear but enjoyed what seemed like a gentle push in the back. We set the bike up to provide 30% of its available power at Level 1. You're still working and depending on the grade, sometimes working hard, but you know you're gonna make it, even if you have to crank-up the assist to a higher level. When/if you doubt it's doing much, just switch back to 0 and feel the difference. As some have said, it's like having a strong pro put his hand on your back and give you a gentle push as you keep pedaling.

Once the climb levels out, switch back to 0 and enjoy the ride pretty much the same as an "acoustic" bike, though maybe you are doing a bit more work since the bike is heavier? These Bianchi gravel bikes are well over 30 lbs ready-to-ride, though unless you pick 'em up you don't really notice. And on a steep climb where you WOULD notice, assist level 1 makes you forget about it quickly!

I soon found all the rides I used to enjoy just as much fun on this bike with the descents being even more fun, though MAHLE has nothing to do with that. But I feared no climb, even taking-on one with 12+% grades that I rarely did on my "acoustic" bikes. I used assist level 2 for part of it but was still working hard, just as I remembered from back-in-the-day, turning things back to 0 as the grade eased near the top and feeling like the tires had suddenly gone flat! I wondered if I would have even made it up this climb on a standard bike with my current age/fitness level?

Using the bike this way, depending on how much climbing I did, I was using assist a max of around 50% of the time. The 250w/h battery was fully-charged when we arrived and was charged once for 2 hours about halfway through the 3 weeks (around 600 kms covered in total) then charged again to bring it up to above 60% before it was stored away until next time.

Data from a fitness tracker proved I was getting a good workout - most rides showed a 50/50 split between "Peak" and "Vigorous" heart rate levels so don't think this type of e-bike is little more than an electric moped. Ya gotta pedal 'em!

Do I wish I'd gotten one of these sooner? Yes, for the Alps last year! I was really glad I had one for this 3 weeks and glad I have one here in Sicily as well. Once you get into geezerhood and start to doubt just how far you might be able to ride or how steep a climb you can do, having the gentle assist of that "pro" to push you if you need it makes the difference between giving it a try vs staying on shorter/easier routes.

Having ridden almost 2000 kms on my MAHLE X20-equipped bike I can't say I can tell a lot of difference between it and X35. Reviewers say the power comes in more gently and the BB's torque sensor has something to do with that, but I can't say I can tell much difference. If I knew then what I know now another used or new Bianchi like this one would have been just fine and saved me a lot of dough. I've seen prices under $3K for new ones recently - my guess is close-outs on X35 bikes now that X30 is out?

Heather points out the gravel bike geometry makes for some slower and less responsive handling vs her Bianchi E-Aria (also with X35) road bike but Zio Lorenzo's kind of slower and less responsive these daze himself, so it's just fine with him, he had a blast on the twisty descents in Monferrato and never felt the bike wouldn't go where he wanted it.

We assume the new X30 system will be similar so if you're looking for an e-bike that feels like a normal bike when the motor's not working, MAHLE's a good choice based on our experience over the past couple of years with (now) four bikes with these systems.

Another plus for this system over some others is the ability to control the assist levels automatically via wireless connections to a heart-rate monitor for example. Heather's doc told her to keep her heart-rate under X so she sets the bike up to assist when/if her heart-rate nears this limit and forgets about it. She can then ride as hard/fast as she likes with no worries!

PS-Just like Heather's bike last year, this one acted-up a bit at first. Asking for assist level 1 might not do anything but show "1" on the display screen, then go back to "0". Just like your laptop, turning it off and back on fixed it every time but who wants that at the bottom of a steep climb? Just like Heather's a visit to a dealer who sells MAHLE for a 10-minute "update" took care of the problem. Our bikes in Sicily have been trouble-free so far but we're checking around for a shop that can provide this service here, just-in-case.