E-mountain bikes: Test: BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus - New Yamaha E-MTB with plus tires

Test: We recently had the opportunity to extensively test the brand new BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus e-mountain bike on Mallorca. The 140mm trail bike is powered by the new Yamaha PW-X and comes with 3 inch wide plus tires for plenty of trail action.

BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus: frame and geometry

Those familiar with the model series of the Basque manufacturer will be particularly drawn to the name suffix Lynx of the brand new E-MTB Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus: This is also the name of the non-motorized fullies from BH, which – not only in our test – with their excellent rear end know how to convince. As the name suggests, the new E-MTB offspring from BH is based on the same Lynx platform with the so-called Split Pivot rear triangle. This was designed and constructed by Dave Weagle, one of the luminaries in the field of mountain bike chassis.

When it comes to the wheels, the new 140mm fully uses the plus size, which is particularly popular with e-MTBs – the Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus even comes with 3″ wide Nobby Nics as standard. This is worth mentioning because many other bikes in this class are limited to 2,8″. The advantages of the thick tires are obvious: more grip, more comfort with an insignificantly higher rolling resistance, which the electric drive easily compensates for anyway.

The frame can also shine in the features area: Here you can find everything you can expect from a modern mountain bike in 2017: The very well-made aluminum frame has internally routed cables, of course also for an optionally available dropper post (more on that later). with Boost standard for more tire clearance with shorter chainstays and an optimized chain line and 10 years guarantee from BH on top.

Most of the geometry of the BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus is also in line with the spirit of the times: At 67°, the steering angle is slack enough for steep descents and rough trails, but not so slack that it loses liveliness on leisurely tours. An effective seat angle of 74° also ensures high efficiency when you pedal yourself. At 485mm, the chainstays are quite long even for E-MTB conditions - the plus tires naturally take their toll here. With a little over 1200mm, you can still keep the wheelbase of the e-trailfully within the agile frame - the main frame is therefore a bit shorter.

BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus: Drive

The heart of the Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus is of course the drive: Here the MTB drive from Yamaha, new for this model year, is used: The PW-X is based on the direct predecessor PW, but the differences are already apparent at first glance more than clear: The PW-X has shrunk in size and is much narrower than the previous generation. There was also a significant reduction in weight – the PW-X now weighs almost 400g less than before.

Anyone who assumes that the Japanese bought the smaller dimensions with technical losses is wrong: Yamaha is particularly proud of the new Extra Power Mode - this should bring noticeably more power with up to 80Nm than the drives of the competition - of course only for a short time, for example on particularly steep ramps. But the new 'Turbo' is not the only technical innovation. With motor support up to a cadence of 120rpm, one of the main criticisms of the predecessor could be eradicated, which tended to run out of breath at high cadences.

The control unit and the display are also new. Both are now much more geared towards mountain bike use. The display has shrunk in size and appears almost indestructible with its voluminous hard rubber coating. The smaller dimensions now also allow for a protected, less exposed placement next to the stem – very nice! The control unit has a new, almost futuristic design, but is almost a tad too big for our taste.

The motor gets its power from a 500Wh battery, which sits on the down tube, but thanks to its pleasing lines it fits nicely into the overall picture of the bike, which is already bulky - also due to the wide tires.

BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus: Features

Even if the main focus of most E-MTBs is on the drive and battery, a lot stands and falls with the equipment of the bike. This should also be clear to the boys and girls at BH and that's why the BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus comes with consistently high-quality equipment. At the start of sales, the new BH bike will only be available in one version, which costs €4.499.

When it comes to the chassis, they rely fully on proven quality from Fox. At the front, the new Rythm trail fork provides traction and comfort. The fork is currently only installed on complete bikes and is technically a slightly slimmed down version of the Fox 34. However, the somewhat simpler design in the area of ​​the damping cartridge is unlikely to be of great relevance to most riders. The other half of the Fox duo is the Fox Float DPS Performance shock. This can be operated in three modes via a small lever on the damper itself: open, medium and hard. In this way, you can adapt the behavior of the rear triangle to your own needs and the terrain.

When it comes to gears and brakes, you trust in proven quality from Shimano. Components from the new M7000 SLX series are used for the shifters, cassette, chain and brakes. Only the rear derailleur uses a slightly higher quality XT component. However, the shift quality does not suffer from the mix of components, because for some time now the SLX has not had to hide from the renowned XT in this respect. The same applies to the brakes: the SLX brakes should have more than enough power for a trail bike in the class of the Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus. For heavier riders, however, the 180mm disc on the front wheel may be a bit tight, depending on the riding style.

The wheels used consist of unspecified aluminum rims with a generous inner width for the wide tires and hubs from Joytech. Schwalbe's Nobby Nics are excellent all-rounders for almost any terrain - even the demanding conditions on the test trails in Mallorca don't pose any major problems for the tires.

The cockpit area comes entirely from BH's own production: stem and handlebars are made of aluminum, the grips are rather thin and sporty. The short stem fits well into the concept of the bike, but the handlebars with a width of only 740mm are no longer up-to-date - here it could be a few centimeters more.

The seat post is an issue in itself on the BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus. By default, the Basques install a normal 31.6mm post made of aluminum - but the lack of a dropper post significantly limits the trail bike's capabilities. This is also known at BH and will therefore be offered a so-called trail kit, as is the case with some other models. As a rule, this consists of a KS LEV Integra dropper post and more powerful tires for a price of €369. Since the Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus already has very good trail-ready tires with the Nobby Nics, the trail kit will only consist of the dropper post. This is also the reason why the price for the trail kit is currently still open.

BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus: The truth on the trail

We had the chance to extensively test the BH Rebel Lynx 5.5 Plus as part of a press camp on the beautiful trails in the biker's paradise on Mallorca. Anyone who has ever been on a mountain bike on the holiday island can get an idea - for everyone else, the test run is briefly outlined: Steep, rocky, winding - home terrain for a bike in the class of the BH Rebel Lynx 5.5.

At first we were concerned about how the bike would fare on tight trails given the long chainstays. To our surprise, the 485mm was less noticeable here than expected. On the contrary: The Rebel Lynx was actually quite playful - this is certainly also due to the rather short wheelbase for an E-MTB in this class, which is 'bought' with a shorter main frame and shorter reach, but this didn't change during our ride made a negative impact.

When it came to the chassis, the rear end, which worked really well, stood out. On the one hand, it was easy to absorb, but on the other hand it didn’t lack the necessary tautness on transfer passages. The gears and brakes worked unobtrusively well, even the 180mm discs didn't cause us any problems on the rather short but crisp descents.

The Yamaha motor knew how to convince with a pleasant support - the additional watts are noticeable - depending on the support level - sometimes more or less - but you never have the unpleasant feeling of being pushed over the trail. The new Extra Power Mode is one of the strongest we've ridden on an E-MTB and is particularly useful on extremely steep ramps. However, at high power, the motor becomes quite noisy. The display is easy to read despite its compactness, the position next to the stem is great and the control lever works excellently.

The unspectacular tire combination with Nobby Nic and Nobby Nic also worked excellently thanks to the 3 inch extra width and brought grip en masse - if you just let it go, you can simply let line selection be with the Rebel Lynx 5.5 and really shoot down the trail.

So is everything great? Not quite: We were not entirely happy with the cockpit during our test drive. On the one hand, the handlebars are simply too narrow at just 740mm. That costs a lot of control and is simply no longer up-to-date. Especially since you could easily shorten a wide handlebar if you wanted. The handles are also more of a case for die-hards. The grip is decent, but there is almost no cushioning at all.

All of our test bikes had dropper posts installed, which we would strongly advise all buyers to have and which will be available as part of the trail kit. Nevertheless, we find it a bit disappointing that it was not included in the standard equipment - especially in view of the otherwise high-quality components and the high price.