A few weeks ago, Conway presented the eWME Bikes, the electric versions of their successful and established Conway WME Enduro Bikes. As part of the Eurobike Media Days, we finally had the opportunity to take the exciting eMTB to the right trails for a short test ride. We took a seat on the eWME 727+, the top model in the series, which will also be available in a version with plus tires in the future. Just like the slightly cheaper 627, it offers ample 160mm of spring travel at the front and rear and thus plenty of reserves for rough terrain. The 427, on the other hand, comes like the 327 with 140mm of travel and a geometry that is not quite as downhill-heavy for trail use. All equipment variants have the drive in common: Conway uses the Shimano E-8000 E-MTB drive that was introduced last year.
Our test bike already shows visually where the journey is going. The beefy tyres, the mighty aluminum frame and the flat steering angle lure us towards the trail as quickly as possible. Speaking of the steering angle: the geometry of the eWME is modern and would also look good on many non-motorized enduro bikes. The reach is nice and long, the steering angle, as already mentioned, is really flat and the chainstays are extremely short for E-MTB conditions at 435mm.
A small visual flaw is the battery on the down tube. Here one gets used more and more to the integrated variants, which can be seen from more and more manufacturers. With the adapted decal and color design, Conway elegantly conceals this small optical disadvantage. The other equipment is of high quality and appropriate for the price of €5.699. The RockShox chassis made of Pike RC and Monarch Plus meets a drive from Shimano. Here the decision was made to use the electronic Di2 variant of the XT circuit, which in combination with the Shimano motor can fully exploit its advantages - but more on that later.
Conway eWME 727: First impressions of the trail
Shortly before our agreed test ride, the sky darkened and a summer cloudburst broke over South Tyrol. However, we were not deterred by this - on the contrary: Now the Conway could really show what it's made of. Our test trail wasn't particularly long at almost 600 meters in altitude, but it offered something of every type of terrain, even if the focus was on tight curves and steep berms. Precisely the terrain where E-MTBs were not always convincing in the past due to their long wheelbase and somewhat sluggish handling.
First things first: we had a lot of fun with the Conway eWME 727. Thanks to the short struts and the resulting compact dimensions, it was easy to maneuver through tight corners and didn't feel like an "e-bike" at all. The Shimano motor spent most of the time in the great trail mode, which dynamically adjusts the support depending on the force on the pedal. The interaction with the XT Di2 circuit is just terrific and even enables gear changes under load at the highest support level. This is made possible by the very good tuning of the Shimano components, which briefly and imperceptibly reduce the support when changing gears.
The chassis of the Conway E-MTB is good-natured and overall more plush than firm, which suits the character and orientation of the bike quite well. By the way, the fender for the damper works really well. Since the spring element is actually located directly in the "dirt track" of the rear tire, the designers have attached a small mudguard here, which did a really good job even in the rather muddy conditions of our test and protected the sensitive piston rod from dirt and stones. A similar purpose is pursued by the plastic cover under the compact motor, which is intended to protect the drive from flying stones. This also works very well, but due to the cavity between the motor and the cover, there is always a loud click when a stone hits it, which can get really annoying in the long run.
We started our test with a full battery and alternately slammed our test trail up and down: It was only after more than 1.800 meters of altitude and the battery was completely empty. A remarkable value that should be completely sufficient for most tours - especially since we put the bike under much more strain than we would in everyday use.
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