Product news / E-MTB: The new Bulls Sonic E-MTB can certainly be described as a bang for the 2020 season. The Cologne-based manufacturer is not only bringing a completely new range of models onto the market, but also shaking up some established standards in order to be able to present a bike that has been consistently developed as an e-mountain bike.
It wasn't that long ago that the relationship between e-mountain bikes and mountain bikes was unmistakable and it was also clear: the e-MTB was nothing more than an MTB with a motor. A few years later in the fast-moving world of bicycles, the situation is no longer quite so clear: the e-mountain bike has now become the economic and technological driving force of an entire industry and has moved away from the former handicraft image and its big "brother" mountain bike with each passing season.
Clever motor and battery integration, special components and constant progress in frame construction and material processing make the question more relevant than ever: what do mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes have in common? Today's E-MTB is less a mountain bike with a motor than a mountain bike is an E-MTB without a motor. Perhaps no other current E-MTB underlines this as clearly as the recently introduced Bulls Sonic.
E-mountain bike through and through
Bulls has been focusing on e-bikes and e-MTBs in particular for a number of years - with great success. This success story gets a completely new chapter for the 2020 season with the heading Sonic: This is much more than "just" a new model; Rather, the Bulls Sonic is a complete range of models from entry-level e-hardtails to high-tech carbon shooting machines. However, they all have one thing in common - they were consistently developed as e-MTBs from the very first development step and the people behind the new Bulls didn't shy away from breaking unwritten MTB laws, which in times of modern e-mountain bikes are not seemed to have fallen over time. “When you design an eMTB, you have to think in terms of eMTBs. We did that consistently." says Marc Faude, head of the development team for the new E-MTB.
But what does that look like in practice? Think E-MTB consistently? One result of this approach is, among other things, the considerable tube diameter of all frame parts, from the head tube to the down tube to the chainstays. All in all, the overall picture is unusually bulky, but overall very coherent - the massive down tube that houses the battery no longer looks like a foreign body, but fits naturally into the overall shape of the frame. In addition, the battery is not squeezed by hook or by crook into the slimmest possible tube, but is deliberately given a little more space - this has advantages for the driver in everyday life as well as for the designers and screwdrivers: For example, there is comfortable space to route all cables and Cables are easily accessible through the frame, and the battery can be removed even at a 45° angle. That's a lot more comfortable than many bikes from the competition.
New head tube size – soon to be the new standard?
One shows particular courage with the decision to say goodbye to established standards for the head tube, steerer tube and head tube and instead to rely on their own solution. The head tube of all Sonic models measures the usual 1 1/8″ at the top and – as we know it – gets thicker towards the bottom. Here, however, the diameter is now 1,5″ instead of the usual 1,8″. Of course, there are special headset shells and bearings that were developed with the specialists from Acros, as well as matching fork shafts. Here Bulls throws everything into the balance – respect for that. On the one hand, you want to improve the rigidity here with the larger diameter, on the other hand, the wheel also looks so much more harmonious. The transitions from down tube to head tube and then to the fork crown are actually much nicer.
Without an extensive test ride, we can't say whether the difference to conventional tapered head tubes is actually noticeable. Only the future will tell whether Bulls can be immortalized as a trendsetter in the mountain bike annals, or whether the 1,8″ head tube will end up in the dark basement of failed bicycle innovations. In view of this drive for innovation, features such as the standard Monkey-Link brackets for compatible lighting or a sensor integrated in the dropout for measuring the speed of the Bosch motor seem almost ordinary.
Bosch Performance CX Gen 4 and free choice of battery
The fourth generation of the new Bosch Performance CX motor beats at the heart of all Bulls Sonic models, from the entry-level hardtail to the high-end carbon fully. The new engine from the Swabians combines compact dimensions with unbridled power like no other drive from the competition at the moment and is therefore also the logical choice for a progressive bike like the Bulls Sonic. Of course, the drive feeds its energy from the integrated Powertube battery - here the buyer is spoiled for choice with all models: 400, 500 or 625Wh.
Product news: Bosch Performance CX 2020: All information and first driving impression
E-Performance: The time has come! Bosch lifts the curtain on the new E-MTB drive - the Bosch Performance CX 2020. Smaller dimensions, lower weight, better performance - can the new drive fill in the large footsteps of its popular predecessor? The Bosch Performance CX should - without downplaying other drives - at least in this country still […]
Models, equipment and prices
With the Sonic, Bulls is launching a completely new e-MTB product series for the coming season, which will probably serve the entire range of conceivable e-mountain bikers. From the hardtail to the freerider, every spring travel class and riding discipline is represented here, there are variants with aluminum and carbon frames and there are also special bikes for women and young people that have a particularly low step-through.
Sonic Evo EN 2: Baller bolide with 180mm spring travel
The Bulls Sonic Evo EN 2 is the spearhead in the Sonic portfolio, at least as far as the spring travel is concerned: With a generous 180mm of spring travel at the front and rear and a mixed wheel size of 29″ at the front and 27,5″ at the rear, the Evo EN 2 is consistently on the ball, designed for departure and large reserves. Thanks to the Bosch CX motor, you can go up to the trailhead without a lift. Great: The EightPins dropper post integrated into the frame offers a generous 220mm of travel!
Travel (f/h): 180 / 180mm
Wheel size(s): 29″ front, 27,5″ rear
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: RockShox Lyrik Select / RockShox Super Deluxe RT Select+
Circuit: Shimano XT 12-speed
impellers: DT Swiss H1900 Spline
brakes: Shimano XT BR-M8120
Price: € 5.399
Sonic Evo AM 6 Carbon: Carbon all-rounder for almost every application
The Bulls Sonic Evo AM 6 Carbon is the noble all-rounder among the new models. Here, too, a mix of wheel sizes is used, but the carbon E-Fully “only” has 150mm of travel. For most demands, however, this should be absolutely sufficient, especially in view of the high-quality RockShox suspension with Lyrik Ultimate and Super Deluxe. Incidentally, there is also the integrated dropper post with over 200mm adjustment range.
Travel (f/h): 150 / 150mm
Wheel size(s): 29″ front, 27,5″ rear
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RCT3/ RockShox Super Deluxe RT Select+
Circuit: Sram XX1 Eagle AXS
impellers: DT Swiss HX1501 Spline
brakes: Magura MT7
Price: € 6.999
Sonic Evo 26: 26 ain't dead!
A 26 inch bike in 2020? Sounds strange, but makes sense in the case of the "little" Sonic. With its compact frame with a low top tube and low step-through, it is perfect for teenagers or even small adults. Such a compact frame harmonises much better with the small wheels. The equipment of the 3.000 euro e-hardtail is consistently solid: the Deore gearshift also offers a good range, although it only has 10 gears.
Suspension travel: 100 mm
Wheel size(s): 26"
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: SR Suntour Lytro 34 LOR Air CTS
Circuit: Shimano Deore RD-M6000
impellers: Rodi Tryp30
brakes: Shimano BR-MT420/400
Price: € 2.999
Sonic Eva TR 1: Girl power with smaller wheels
As with other E-MTB model series, Bulls also offers some special bikes for the ladies for the Sonics. Not only is there a different color and maybe a women's saddle, but the Sonic EVA TR 1 gets its own frame with compact dimensions and smaller 27,5″ wheels instead of the big 29er in the men's model.
Travel (f/h): 120 / 120mm
Wheel size(s): 27,5"
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: SR Suntour Lytro 34 LOR Air CTS / SR Suntour Edge R
Circuit: Sram SX Eagle
impellers: Rodi Tryp30
brakes: Shimano BR-MT420/400
Price: € 3.399
Sonic Evo TR 4 Carbon: Lightweight trail tourer
The Sonic Evo TR 4 Carbon is the somewhat tamer counterpart to the Evo AM 6: Here too there is a light carbon frame and high-quality add-on parts, but only 120mm of spring travel and a somewhat more relaxed seating position overall. Ideal for ambitious touring riders who don't shy away from one or the other trail.
Travel (f/h): 120 / 120mm
Wheel size(s): 29"
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: RockShox 35 Gold RL / RockShox Deluxe RT Select+
Circuit: Shimano XT 12-speed
impellers: DT Swiss H1900 Spline
brakes: Shimano XT BR-M8120
Price: € 4.999
Sonic Evo 3 29: High-quality e-hardtail
Hardtail fans will also find what they are looking for in the Bulls Sonic portfolio: Despite the lack of rear suspension, the Evo 3 29 shows that it is a "real" MTB: With 120mm spring travel, a high-performance RockShox fork, dropper post and 4-piston brake system are also here Trail rides are far more than just chores. Nevertheless, the bike should also cut an extremely good figure on tours or even in sporty everyday life.
Suspension travel: 120 mm
Wheel size(s): 29"
Engine: Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
Landing gear: RockShox 35 Gold RL
Circuit: Shimano XT 12-speed
impellers: Shimano WH-MT620
brakes: Shimano BR-MT520
Price: € 3.799