Propain Ekano 2 CF Ultimate review | Electric Mountain Bike of the Year contender

Setup

Thanks to tried and tested suspension dampers and a wide setup window, getting the Ekano dialled in was easy.

For my 75kg kitted-up weight, I set the ZEB fork to 60psi, but didn’t install any volume spacers and opened all the external rebound and compression adjustments fully.

I inflated the shock’s air spring to 210psi, with the stock zero volume spacers installed, giving me 32 per cent sag. I fully opened all the external rebound and compression adjusters.

I fully opened the hydraulic bottom-out (HBO) adjuster, but the shock needed to be removed to access it. Trail-side adjustments of the HBO – while possible – aren’t exactly easy, so it should be dialled prior to riding.

The Super Gravity front and DH-casing rear tyres were a great bonus. I initially inflated them to my preferred pressures – between 24 and 26psi front, and 27 to 29psi rear – but the Schwalbe carcasses felt too hard and lacked grip. I dropped pressures to 22psi front and 24psi rear, which felt much better.

Propain Ekano 2 CF Ultimate climbing performance

Defying its monstrous 180mm front and 170mm rear travel, the Ekano 2 is a riot on the climbs, nipping up, over and around obstacles at your every whim and desire.

Picking up the front wheel with a gentle tug, or hopping the back wheel over a root or rock steep by dipping your toes feels like second nature.

A low weight means laboriously exaggerated movements aren’t needed to get it to behave, even when you’re tackling the tightest jank around.

While cranking, the suspension remains totally inert. Pedal bob is virtually non-existent, but the rear end remains massively supple and active, absorbing bumps while providing grip and comfort.

Scenarios where you’d expect the rear end to slip are mitigated, stopped even, by the rear suspension’s appetite for bumps.

Although sofa-like in feel, it’s no slouch. Crank hard and it picks up its heels instantly.

Generous chainstays (453mm) and a balanced front centre (830mm) combine to create a centralised and stable riding position. Your weight is neither overly rearward or forward, but is placed comfortably through your sit bones.

Dipping your shoulders weights the front end for more steering control but doesn’t cause the rear wheel to spin uncontrollably. Point up a steep gradient and the rear centre’s length helps reduce front-wheel lift and improve grip.

The steep seat tube angle keeps your hips above the cranks, not only improving comfort but also aiding efficiency and control.

Motor performance and battery life

SRAM’s Powertrain gives it a premium feel. The wirelessly controlled motor, derailleur and seatpost leave just the brake lines, giving a clean look. With all the controls confined to two Pods, clutter is minimised.

The motor is quiet-running, even when its assistance is jacked up in Rally. It’s also natural-feeling; the harder you pedal, the more power it gives, but not in a spin the wheels up, launch you into the bushes kind of way.

Using Rally exclusively, I managed to hit 1,100m of ascent on a single charge. While similar to Shimano’s EP-8, also fitted with a 630Wh battery, it pales compared to Bosch’s 750Wh battery and Performance Line motor combo.

Auto Shift and Coast Shift are the meat of Powertrain. Relinquishing control to the bike, gear shifting is done automatically according to SRAM’s algorithms. Its aim is to keep you within a certain cadence window, whether you’re ascending or descending.

Rattling around undulating trail-centre loops, it’s marvellous, game-changing even, taking the fumbling out of some gear changes. Left to its own devices on certain trail types, Powertrain genuinely enhances your riding experience.

However, faced with abrupt decelerations, it can’t shift quickly enough to maintain a sensible cadence; you end up grinding until the derailleur forces its way up the cassette.

Not reading the trail ahead, it can’t predictively change gears as you would. Of course, manually overriding the system circumvents any issues, but also slightly defeats the automatic nature of it.

Most of the time, I used the manual mode, but that’s because of my preferred winch-and-plummet riding style.

Trail-centre lovers, and riders who are less au fait with when to change gear and what cadence they should be spinning at, will love and benefit from Powertrain.

Propain Ekano 2 CF Ultimate descending performance

Angling over the Ekano 2 in the turns feels as if you’re carving a smooth, clean line through the trail’s dirt.

Leaning it onto the tyres’ edges is gradual, with grip and control building up to the side knob’s bite point. Once sat in a turn radius, it’s virtually impossible to upset, sticking to your chosen line impeccably.

It doesn’t wobble, falter or buck unpredictably. Your body remains virtually stationary and solid, needing only the subtlest of movements to master control.

After it squats into place, the suspension’s mid-stroke support keeps it hunkered, creating solid dynamic geometry. You’re never left guessing what the Ekano is going to do next.

The low bottom bracket helps the hook and rail cornering feel.

While pedal strikes through deep ruts and bash-guard hits over high-angle crests were both frequent, the on-the-floor figures create a brilliant feel when the going gets tight and technical.

Also easy-going and adaptable, it can be placed onto lines with pinpoint accuracy; the front and rear wheels can be put exactly where you want them.

Sit back and relax, and the bike irons out the trail beneath you, resisting seesawing well. Undulating, successive bumps have little effect; destabilising yaw is absorbed by the suspension and dissipated by the geometry, leaving you to focus on line choice or speed.

The suspension plays its part. Forgiving, with plenty of travel, there are few bumps the Ekano can’t absorb.

There’s nothing frenetic about it. It sits almost dormant atop the terrain, waiting patiently for your next command.

Dual 29in wheels boost stability, grip and control, culminating in a high-speed, race-ready feel.

A tall 653mm stack and low bottom bracket give an ‘in’ rather than ‘on’ the bike feel; not only is the hand-to-feet relationship balanced, you can push confidently onto the front wheel to generate even more grip and control.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however. I wrote off the rear rim during the test period, cracking it. I also damaged the non-drive motor cover and underside protection, also both beyond repair.

Whether I was unlucky or the failures were indicative of deeper issues such as rim and protection strength is hard to say. Taking the single test sample failures at face value, I’d guess it’s more down to luck than a design problem.

Propain said that if the motor’s cover and frame’s underside protection were damaged during “normal use” they’d be replaced free of charge.

However, if a customer stated they’d hit a rock or damaged these components while fitting or removing them (as examples), a small charge would be applied.

The brand also said it had seen very few production samples fail, so it shouldn’t be an issue for consumers.