Bimotal Elevate Review | Adding the “e” to MTB

Bimotal has a live app on the Android Play store, while the iOS (which is what I used) app is currently in beta.
The app itself is fairly minimalistic, but it does allow for useful customizations.

If you use a phone mount, you can check the real-time power output in watts and torque, and it has a temperature gauge of the motor to know if it’s running too hot.

There are three different ride models to pick from: Range, Trail, and Boost. Each comes with preset torque, watt, and throttle responsiveness levels and a cap at 20 mph speeds.

You have the option of tailoring the outputs to your preference across the three modes. We didn’t deviate much from their preset limits, but it’s nice to have options.

One way Bimotal could improve the experience is by adding a button you fix to the handlebars that allows you to toggle the different modes. We really didn’t feel the need to change them too much, but since trails can vary wildly, it would be nice to be able to change the settings on the fly rather than having to stop and get your phone out.

The app is still in its infancy, and there’s a lot more data we’d like to see added to it (like odometer settings, maintenance reminders, etc.), but for now,w it’s straightforward, easy to tailor, and easy to use, which is a solid start.

Bimotal sets range expectations at either 10–20 miles or 1,500–2,500 feet of climbing. To test this, we rode it on our standard eMTB test course, which features a mix of green, blue, and black singletrack. The Elevate works best when it supports pedaling, not replaces it, so we did the test in the bike’s standard middle setting of Trail — providing power when needed without overboosting on technical sections — and to help conserve battery.

In our testing, it covered 15.7 miles with 1,179 feet of elevation gain, and that’s with near-constant use of the motor.

The results lined up with the brand’s expectations, and since we likely used the system a bit more aggressively than necessary (again, it’s really intended for key climbing sections, not constant engagement like most eMTBs), it was a pretty solid showing.

This is a one-of-one unit we’ve tested so far, so I don’t have comparative data yet — but honestly, I was expecting something closer to the 10-mile mark. My gut reaction was that it was impressive how much climbing we got out of a 300Wh battery.

Since the battery packs are small by design (to more easily fit inside different bike frames), it’s also nice that you can pick up a spare and quickly swap batteries when needed to keep the ride going.

While the Bimotal Elevate review is far different from the standard eMTBs we typically cover, we’re putting it through the same paces by running it on two of our regular hill test locations.

The first is our standard test for every e-bike we review — the beloved Hell Hole Trail — where everything from cargo bikes to commuters gets a turn. It’s a ⅓-mile paved climb with a steep 12% average grade. The second is the Water Tower climb, an eMTB-exclusive dirt trail spanning 0.86 miles with a 5.5% average grade. We did both tests on the maxed out Boost setting.

On Hell Hole, we made it to the top using just the throttle in 1:16, with a 14.3 mph average speed. When we ran it again with a mix of throttle and pedaling, the time improved to 1:06, with a 16.4 mph average. The throttle-only result currently ranks 30th out of 151 throttle tests accomplished by our main tester, Justin, while the pedal-assisted result ranks 19th out of 227 bikes he’s tested.

When taken to the Water Tower climb — where we tested it with a mix of throttle and pedaling to match the conditions of other eMTBs we’ve reviewed (which don’t use throttles) — it reached the top in 3:14 at 17 mph. That blazed past the average of 3:35 and 14.6 mph.

Here’s what I love about those results: that kind of power is seriously impressive and speaks to the level of engineering here. Yes, this setup has some advantages since it’s one of the lighter systems we’ve tested, and the total weight with the bike its on also undercuts most eMTBs, but still — those are blazing times.

Another nice part about the system is that it doesn’t add significant stress to the chain, cassette, or wheel — at least not in the way you’d expect from standard hub drive conversion kits. Applying the power directly to the rotor gear localizes most of the stress there. Bimotal says the plastic gear on the motor should be good for 1,000 miles, while the metal gear on the brake is rated for 3,000. That’s a lot of mileage, and it’s nice that both parts are replaceable when the time comes.

The results further support the argument that if the shuttle is shutdown, you might be able to find ways to still get laps in by blazing up the trail with the help of a surprisingly capable motor.

In terms of overall execution, Bimotal has done a really impressive job with the engineering. The motor has more power than I originally expected, and the ability to transition your ride from an electric bike back to an acoustic one in seconds is genuinely applaudable.

I appreciate the sturdiness of the materials, too. The mounts all feel solid, and the cables running from the motor to the battery to the throttle are well-insulated, meaning you can ride in any weather on any trail with little worry.

Most of Elevate’s downsides aren’t specific to the model itself but are part of the natural give-and-take that comes with conversion kits.

eMTBs have the advantage of being designed around a motor, so they can address a lot of quirks you’ll otherwise have to accept with a kit — like exposed cables, batteries replacing bottle cages, and smaller battery sizes.

The Elevate delivers great power, but it’s difficult to deploy that power on technical climbs. Holding the throttle and pedaling at the same time is tricky when grinding up a techy climb, and while the throttle is modular, it’s not something you can easily control when climbing over chunky or rooty terrain.

Also, the motor is pretty loud. For something so small to put out that much power, maybe that’s part of the equation, but if you do a lot of Boost-level riding, the noise is hard to miss. Since it pushes the rotor directly — and can’t leverage the bike’s drivetrain like mid-drives do or, you know, just be muffled within the frame itself— the extra noise isn’t unexpected. But still, it’s pretty noisy.

But if deployed correctly, using it to spot you on smoother sections when you need a breather and to help you sail up greenline and doubletack, the utility of the Elevate is hard to deny.

To me, this product reminds me of the iPhone’s debut. When it debuted, it was shockingly well done, it felt futuristic, and it combined several gadgets into one. Even though it was a bit limited as the app store took a year to come along, it was still a smooth experience that people enjoyed, and once the app store was there, it felt like the full potential of what it could be was realized.

With that in mind, the Bimotal Elevate works surprisingly well. A motor I can pop on and off feels futuristic, while the power it produces is seriously impressive. I can outfit it on multiple bikes to “bring them all online,” so to speak, and even though I think PAS functions are it’s full potential, the throttle plus pedal experience now is still a good one when deployed correctly to climb more easily and gain some speed on flats.

This product works great for extending the rides you take now. For those who are only able to squeeze in one lap before work at their favorite local loop, this could be what helps you get in two in the same amount of time, or turn a 10 mile ride into a 15 miler.

It’s a really cool product, and just like I remember early iPhone users sharing their phones with people who had heard of it before, I think there will be a growing contingent of people using this on the trails showing other mountain bike riders what an Elevate system can do, leaving people imaging how it would feel on their own bikes.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Bimotal Elevatedown in our comments section.