Bosch has released its new Performance Line SX motor, with a claimed output of 600W peak power and 55Nm of torque.
The Performance Line SX is the first lightweight motor from the German brand, with a claimed weight of 2kg.
Alongside the new motor, Bosch has released a new CompactTube 400 battery, which it says is the lightest in its range with the highest energy density, weighing approximately 2kg with a capacity of 400Wh.
Bosch says the motor and battery, with a combined weight of 4kg, will be seen in mountain, gravel and urban electric bikes from this autumn.
To achieve the claimed 2kg motor weight, or 4kg, combined weight, Bosch has constructed the new motor housing from magnesium and fitted lighter internals.
This is similar to the Fazua Ride 60 power system, which has a claimed weight of 4.2kg for the battery and motor.
Compared to the Ride 60, the Performance Line SX pushes out a higher peak power of 600W – compared to Fazua’s 450W – but has less torque, peaking at 55Nm compared to the Ride 60’s 60Nm.
Bosch say the sensitive response of the new motor gives a natural riding sensation, with high-power, high-cadence efforts rewarded with plenty of support.
The Performance Line SX features similar riding modes to the full-power Performance Line CX motor, with customisable ‘Tour+’ and ‘EMTB‘ modes that enable you to tune your motor through Bosch’s eBike Flow app.
A Sprint riding mode has been developed with the new motor. This should enable riders to accelerate quickly and maintain speeds close to the motor’s power cut-off limit.
In this ride mode, the motor supports you disproportionally to your power output – the higher your cadence, the higher the level of support.
Bosch claims the new motor has 50 per cent less pedal resistance than previous Bosch power units, which it says enables gravel bikes to remain easy to ride above the 25 km/h speed limit.
The brand says it has achieved this thanks a new sealing concept in the motor and by using narrower cranks with a Q factor of 160mm.
Bosch has also developed a new drop-bar remote for electric gravel bikes called the Mini Remote Dropbar, which can be mounted on handlebars with a 31.8mm width.
According to Bosch, bikes with the new Performance Line SX will be available to buy from autumn 2023.
