Photographer: Jordan Riddle | Examiner: Ryan Walsch
Ride experience: Race, modify, ride, and brake bikes since forever
He usually rides: Druid V2 not allowed to build more, Trek in Cargo
Heightheight: 178cm
Weightaww : 74kg
Bike Test Track: Greater Canberra's main routes
Superior Bikes is a well-known brand in other parts of the world, but new to Australia. In April 2024 BikesOnline revealed that they will now be stocking Superior Bikes through their popular web store. With a range of bikes including road, gravel, XC hardtails, double suspension bikes, and eMTBs, this seems like a great addition to BikesOnline, joining their extensive range of Polygon and Marin bikes sold direct to consumers.
Heavy hail from the Czech Republic, especially in the Beskidy. This area is very close to the border of Poland and Slovakia, with a strong history in both cycling and skiing. The hills are steep, full of paths full of rocks and roots. What's the best place to support a bike brand?
The Superior eXF 9019 B retails for $7999 on BikesOnline.com.au, as Bosch-equipped with 160/140mm travel 29er. Finding a trail-ready eMTB for the sub-$8,000 point without cutting back on key features has become increasingly competitive in recent years. So has Superior nailed it? At this price, the Superior is in the same market as the Merida eOne-Sixty 675 ($8699) with more travel and a mullet setup, and the Trek Rail 5 ($7499) which is also a 29” bike. So who will get enough of the Superior eXF 9019 B?
Original Impressions
As with all BikesOnline bikes we've received, they come very well packaged and especially packed with easy-to-follow instructions and links to online reference videos. The Bosch 625Wh PowerTube battery was fully charged and stored in the 750Wh battery compartment inside the 6 inch Alloy frame. The Bosch Performance Line CX engine, delivering 85Nm of torque and 340% support, is at the heart of the eXF 9019 eMTB. It's my favorite for its intuitive support and power, which makes high-tech climbing a whole lot more fun as the power is there when I give it the beans rather than coming out when you need it most.
The eXF has 29-inch wheels with 140mm in the rear and 160mm in the front, as well as a modern but still strong geometry. Our 19-incher measures 485mm and when combined with the 64-degree head angle takes the wheelbase to 1271mm in length. Taking care of the suspension is the RockShox Deluxe Select R, it's an incredibly smooth and stiff unit however the RockShox 35 Silver TK fork doesn't offer the bike's smoothest suspension as it could. It's strong enough under the brakes but lacks the smooth performance and comfort of finer RockShox offerings like the Yari or Psylo.
Superior rolls on Stars J30D tubeless rims and 29 x 2.6” Schwalbe Nobby Nic Performance tires, unfortunately not tubeless compatible. This is a minor oversight but something that can be easily fixed after purchase. We always recommend tubeless tires with a thicker sidewall and fitted to a trail-ready E-bike like the eXF 9019.
The delivery of one's power is taken care of by a large Shimano 12 speed Deore system, which shifts very well under load and enables the rider to continue pedaling, maintaining assistance and forward momentum. Superior also builds the wheels in a rugged and E-bike approved Shimano rear hub with reinforced flanges, a steel freehub with sealed bearings and bigger and stronger pawls than we've usually seen on hubs – this is a smart, creative hub move. that will last for years of service.
Finally, Superior has chosen one of the most reliable brakes that Shimano makes, the hydraulic 4 piston MT420. Sadly it's paired with an undersized 180mm rotor front and rear giving it as much stopping power as the wind in the EMTB. Swapping these out for a 220mm and 200mm rotor would be my immediate purchase. I wonder if a slightly cheaper Shimano Linkglide 10 or 11 system would have allowed for the upgrade to bigger rotors, food for thought.
The Superior eXF has clean lines and a moderate seating position thanks to a steep 77-degree seat angle, hardware connections appear to be well-designed and sealed and allow for a full-size bottle and storage space on the underframe. tube. Interestingly, across all 3 sizes the mainframe shares a common 120mm headtube which is fine for the two smaller sizes but may impact taller riders opting for the XL (505mm reach). Thankfully the steering has been left on too long and it's nothing a set of steel risers couldn't fix as the stock 760mm bars have just 12mm of rise, the same amount as a broom handle.
Setting up the eXF 9019 was easy, the Bosch system is brilliant, the wireless mini remote is paired and easily placed in a very convenient position unlike the other powerful Bosch remotes we've grown to deal with over the years, high marks there. Since the tires are tubeless we slipped Tannus Armor onto the tires to give the rims a chance to fight the rocks that destroy Stromlo rims and reduce the response to higher than normal pressures down a bit, heavy but effective.
On the road
At 178cm, I tend to float between the middle and the large or preferred 460-485mm. So I had a choice of medium (up to 465mm) or large (up to 485mm) and given the medium and rear width of 446mm unchanged in size I decided on the large as all the other calculations were wrong. on the conservative side.
The Superior has nailed the seat, the rider's weight is well centered and with the help of a couple of spacers for the volume I had at times the heavy-duty RockShox 35 TK Silver sits high in its travel and tracks well with even support at both ends.
A powerful Bosch Performance CX engine with a large 625Wh battery powers the eXF. This system is very good and accurate on technical climbs and has little drag when coasting downhill. There is a slight delay when running over an obstacle and returning power delivery, some engines cut out and take a long time to come to life and you end up stopped, dyed, and having to start over at the critical point you were left stranded. As mentioned earlier the 625Wh battery is actually housed in a 750Wh downtube storage compartment that can be expanded if desired. The higher spec model comes with a bigger battery and uses the same frame.
The air time feels balanced and instills confidence, the geometry is in the sweet spot and feels familiar, experienced jumpers or riders who want to attack rocky terrain or off-piste jank will find the 35 TK Silver fork shot and directed very blue. methods. It's disturbing how well the Superior's rear suspension platform works.
These big impacts raised concerns about the down tube battery storage cover which was moving and causing a hell of a racket on the very quiet bike. It pulled itself out of our tester twice, once making a nice jump that's maybe a little more than the Category 4 ebike standard of 3 feet or 120cm of air. Another example was howling between the rocks. On closer inspection, the very small key-style latch that secures the cover has a very small and light spring that is not up to the job. I put the Velcro strap in my pocket and did the race mods back at the shop.
I also packed the small space between the battery and its cover with bubble wrap which stopped the hold up and I packed the latch latch with rubberised mastic tape which preloaded the spring and kept the latch from coming out of place. Both held the position safely and quietly for the remainder of the test but I would like to see a little rework. This is a simple method that makes a lot of noise and a lot of noise trying to get the battery cover out of the way. It is worth noting that I OFTEN come across battery housing covers and cars on the road, from many different manufacturers who struggle to make an easily accessible cover that doesn't come off when they see a defect.
Our Take
Superior has designed a solid platform full of EMTB suspension paired with the radiant heart of Bosch and eXF. With a few tweaks and maybe a simple update to the Australian market specs like bigger rotors, tubeless tires and a stiffer fork with the pairing back of spending on a wireless remote control, the Deore 12 is as fast as say a Deore 10 or 11. The link glide setup or the excellent Fizik seat eXF9019 can raise its head with big names.
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