Pairing dual front- and rear-hub motors, a chainless 'energy recovery' drivetrain, extensive connectivity and a French-made carbon frame, the CIXI Heritage Chainless Altitude is claimed to offer more power and traction than a conventional electric bike.
Designed in collaboration with Ateliers HeritageBike, the eMTB eschews a belt drive or chain drive in favour of a crankset that drives the PERS energy recovery unit.
This sits where a typical mid-mount electric bike motor would, converting pedal power into electric power.
This transmits power to the rear-wheel drive, extending range even when the battery is low, according to the brand.
CIXI says that "algorithms automatically adjust the [energy recovery unit's] behaviour according to the desired comfort or effort cadence, regardless of the bike’s speed or slope".
The PERS system entered production earlier this year, with four bikes equipped with the system due to be available at Eurobike following 40,000km of lab testing and 5,000km in real-world conditions, according to a report published on BIKEeurope.
With a peak power of 1,125W and 50Nm of torque, CIXI says the two-wheel drive offers improved acceleration and traction versus a traditional electric bike, accelerating from 0 to 25km/h in 9 seconds on an 8 per cent incline in its two-wheel drive configuration. This compares with 23.6 seconds with a single motor.
Likewise, CIXI says the bike can climb slopes as steep as 24 per cent. The brand says this compares with "15.5 per cent for a conventional configuration" – although it doesn't specify which bike or system it is comparing this to.
Built around a French-made carbon frame, the bike's pricing and availability are to be confirmed.
