Lidl (yes, the supermarket) has an intriguing middle-of-Lidl item on sale in mainland Europe this week – a punchy-looking electric mountain bike called the Crivit Peak 709.
The supermarket isn't exactly synonymous with selling bikes, although its occasional middle-of-Lidl lines of workshop tools, accessories and clothing are always popular (and returning to UK stores from 27 March).
So, we were surprised to see this €1,699 eMTB popping up mid-store in the Netherlands, France and the Czech Republic – full credit to notebookcheck.net for spotting it.
Lidl's electric mountain bike
The Crivit Peak 709 is a hardtail electric mountain bike with a mid-mounted motor that packs a real punch.
While brands such as Shimano and Bosch are pumping out ebike motors with around 85Nm of torque, the Peak 709's Mivice X700 motor boasts 100Nm of torque.
While the Wattage figure is often shouted about, it's motor torque that makes the real difference on the trail. The torque helps keep the wheel turning when you're pointed up a steep slope, or trying to accelerate with pizzazz.
Neither the information from Mivice nor Lidl talks clearly about peak power figures, but it hits the legal maximum continual power output of 250W.
Three modes – Eco, Tour and Race – are provided, along with a time-limited, 20-second Boost mode, although at the time of writing we can't ascertain what gets boosted in this mode, over the Race setting.
Keeping the bike rolling is an integrated, removable 709Wh battery, neatly concealed in the down tube.
This should mean there's enough juice to keep you rolling over a good distance, or up plenty of hills. Lidl claims a range of up to 120km, although I think you'll be lucky to achieve that off-road.
Interestingly, the motor has an IPX5 rating – this means it's able to withstand jets of water (although not continuous submersion).
Comparatively, Shimano's EP801 motor has no IP or IPX rating, while Bosch's Performance CX Motor 'only' has an IP54 rating. This protects it from water spray and dust, but presumably not jets.
Impressive stuff.
The full package?
We can't say too much about the bike's frame details and geometry, because there aren't many details about the bike on Lidl's website.
However, picture snooping reveals this isn't some hastily constructed, featureless bike.
The proportions look 'good'. The seat tube seems short for the length of the bike, implying that the reach figures might not be horribly short and nervous, and the top tube is low-slung. It's aimed directly from the head tube to the rear axle, resulting in what looks like a low standover height.
The fork certainly doesn't leave the frame at a near-verticle angle, either.
I'd wager the bike's geometry is pretty good.
Three sizes are offered, for riders ranging from 154cm to 200cm.
Spec selections
Your €1,699 buys you a fair bit of bike, considering the inclusion of a motor and battery.
At the front, there's an SR Suntour XCM34 fork with 120mm of travel. It's a coil-sprung suspension fork, so sadly less adjustable than an air-spung fork.
The bike is driven by a Shimano Cues 10-speed drivetrain – this groupset is built to a budget, but still with performance at its heart, so it's a great option on a pocket-friendly eMTB, in my eyes.
You also get Shimano MT200 brakes with either 180mm or 200mm rotors, depending on which bit of Lidl's website you look at.
Somewhat embarrassingly, I can't make out whether the bike has 29in or 27.5in wheels, although I think the hot-patches on the side of the specced Maxxis Rekon read '27.5x2.6'.
[Update: the Medium has 27.5" wheels, while the Large and XL have 29"]
Regardless, they're fast-rolling tyres, in either wheel size.
The bar comes in at 760mm, while the stem looks nice and stubby.
There's also a Fidlock baseplate on the frame – a nice high-spec touch.
Will we see Lidl's eMTB in the UK?
At present, the Crivit Peak 709 is only listed for sale in two European countries – France and the Czech Republic.
It's possible we'll see the bike offered in other EU territories in the coming weeks or months. Lidl operates on a quick turn-around system, where items only appear for a few weeks at a time.
This could open the doors to the Peak 709 being sold elsewhere soon.
I'm not convinced we'll see it here in the UK though.
It's a high-value item, which could make it expensive to import in the relatively low numbers I would expect Lidl to bring here, thanks to the associated costs of taxes and duties.
Would I like to see it here? Of course. More mountain bikes seen in more places that non-riders frequent can only bring benefits to the UK riding scene.
And, I'd love to sling a leg over one to see just how punchy that motor really is.
