BH Core GravelX 2.6 in review: Innovative newcomer with a convincing mid-engine

Test: With the Core, the Spanish manufacturer BH presented a completely new e-bike platform for racing bikes, gravel bikes and sporty urban bikes some time ago. With a self-developed mid-motor, large battery, minimalistic look and innovative operating concept, we were curious as soon as we saw it - now we finally had the opportunity to test the BH Core in its Gravel version.

Self-developed motor with large Intube battery and pragmatic control unit

After initial skepticism, the e-racing bike or e-gravel bike has now clearly arrived on the market. With an increasing number of different models, the selection of the drives used and designed for this also increases. While the compact drive system from Fazua could definitely be described as the top dog up to now, it is not only getting with the compact new ones Bosch motors serious competition. Likewise, more and more manufacturers rely on their own drive systems, such as Specialized with the new Creo. BH Bikes is taking a similar path with the Core, which was presented in spring.

The heart of the new BH e-bike is a self-developed, compact middle motor, which with a maximum torque of 65Nm is significantly stronger than the compact solutions from Fazua, for example. Yes, it is also a bit larger and at 2,5 kg not quite as light either, but in both areas it is placed below the classic mid-engines known to date. Also exciting, especially for sporty riders: the motor unit is pleasingly narrow, which means that a Q-factor of 163mm can be achieved, which hardly differs from that of classic bikes. Also nice: According to the Spaniards, the drive provides support up to a high cadence of 110 rpm - so racing cyclists hardly have to change when switching.

BH promises that the new motor will decouple when it is switched off and also in the range over 25 km/h and thus does not provide any noticeable additional resistance while pedaling.

The motor is powered by a battery hidden in the down tube with a full 540Wh capacity. This is a real announcement for such a drive system and also surprising because the down tube is significantly slimmer than is known from bikes with a Bosch PowerTube battery, for example. One reason for this is the closed construction of the frame. Closed means: The battery cannot be removed for charging and can therefore only be charged in the frame. Speaking of charging: BH promises that the battery can be charged from 90 to 0% in just 80 minutes and can supply the bike with energy for up to 165km.

The control unit for the drive on the e-racer is always such a thing: There is basically enough space on the racing handlebars, but due to the different grip positions, no spot is really optimal. Accordingly, there are different solutions from manufacturer to manufacturer - sometimes classic via remote and display on the handlebars, sometimes without a display with a control unit in the top tube or sometimes completely invisible and only controllable via smartphone. BH also goes its own way and integrates all operating and display elements under the ahead cap of the integrated FSA ACR Cockpit. A circle of LEDs is arranged under transparent plastic, the color of which indicates the support level and the number of which indicates the battery charge level. The entire system is operated via a single button that sits where the Ahead screw is located on the conventional system.

Using a free smartphone app, the color of the LEDs can be changed via Bluetooth and the parameters of the individual support levels can be adjusted to personal preferences. Unfortunately, the drive does not offer an interface for a bike computer to read data such as speed or performance - a pity!

BH Core: From racing bikes to urban bikes

The core platform with its compact mid-engine and the large battery in the down tube is not only offered in the gravel version we tested. There is also an endurance version, a fitness bike, a sporty trekking bike and even an urban bike with a low step-through. Nice: In all variants, the large 540Wh battery can be found in the down tube.

Versatile aluminum frame for different scenarios

For testing, we had the BH Core GravelX 2.6, the most expensive Core model and at the same time the top e-gravel bike in the series. The aluminum frame, which is unfortunately only available in three sizes, has a very sporty geometry with a noticeable raised saddle, pleasingly short chain stays and modern angles on the head and seat tube.

Also thanks to the generous tire clearance, you get a wonderful all-rounder that should not only bring a lot of joy on gravel, but also on asphalted roads. Tip for racing cyclists who keep an eye on the core: The GravelX frame is designed to be much more sporty than the "Race" frame of e-racing bikes. If you are considering using the Core GravelX for everyday use or touring, you should be happy about the mounting options for mudguards and a luggage rack.

Attractive equipment package on the top gravel model GravelX 2.6

At 4.099 euros, the price of the BH Core GravelX 2.6 is in the range of what you have to pay for a well-equipped, modern e-gravel bike with good equipment. At 17,5kg, it is also relatively light - after all, the frame is not made of carbon and the battery is significantly larger and therefore heavier than comparable bikes with a Fazua drive, for example.

The built-in components are of high quality: A Shimano mix with components from Ultegra and GRX is used for the gears. While the STIs come from the Japanese road group, a new GRX rear derailleur changes the sprockets on the wide 11-42 cassette at the rear. Incidentally, the Gravel versions of the Core all come without a front derailleur - only the Road models are equipped with two chainrings for narrower gear jumps.

The wheels also come from the new GRX gravel group and find a very good balance between weight and rim width: Despite the rim width of almost 22mm, which is quite generous, the set only weighs a little more than 1.700g - a very good value. Mounted on it are Schwalbe's G-Ones, which are perhaps the best all-round tires currently available - in the case of the Core GravelX with a width of 38mm.

One of the highlights is the ACR Cockpit from FSA. ACR stands for Aerodynamic Cable Routing and refers to the cables and lines that run completely inside the handlebars and stem, from where they are routed directly into the frame. The result is an inimitably clean look, which, however, involves a little more maintenance if you have to change the cables or outer casings.

The BH Core GravelX in practice

It's always extremely exciting when you sit down as a tester on an innovative bike like the BH Core. Motor developed in-house, innovative operating concept, new frame – there's a lot to discover here. First of all, before the first turn of the crank, the “control unit” and “display” want to be examined – both are extremely pragmatic on the core. Completely invisible at first glance, all components that could indicate an electric drive in the cockpit are hidden in the ahead cap of the stem.

The LEDs hidden under the transparent plastic provide information about the charge status and support level and are bright enough to remain clearly visible even in direct sunlight. A single button is responsible for operation; this sits where the Ahead screw would otherwise have its place. The operating concept is similarly simple: pressing once switches up a support level, pressing twice down. As friends of inconspicuous operating concepts, we are quite impressed at first glance.

A few weeks ago we already had the opportunity to test the core on a few short laps in warm (and at that time still corona-free) Spain, most recently we deepened these first impressions in Bavaria at home. Let's talk about the motor right at the beginning: If you look at the technical data, it is somewhere between the Fazua system and weaker, full-fledged mid-motors such as the Active Line Plus from Bosch. This is also confirmed in practice. The compact unit pushes you noticeably even in the lowest of the four support levels, the ride is accompanied by a quiet, but never intrusive or annoying hum. This positive impression of the background noise is fortunately confirmed even when you give the engine full power. The humming gets a bit louder, but it is almost completely lost in the general background noise even on light gravel.

The drive behaves similarly positively in terms of support power. The motor accelerates the Core much more than a Fazua drive and can also cope well with steep sections, although there are of course limits here depending on the rider's weight and the selected gear ratio. The delimitation of the four support levels is not quite as good. It feels like the weakest and the highest are so close together that an intermediate step would actually have been enough. After all, the respective parameters can be adjusted to your own wishes via the special core app.

Overall, however, the tuning of the drive is one of its great strengths. This is particularly evident when you exceed the magical 25km/h limit. The engine takes the power back very gently and harmoniously, so that the unpleasant "driving against a wall" that one is familiar with from one or the other drive does not occur here at all. Especially nice: The same applies when you come back into the support area. The engine does not start again abruptly, but increases its performance harmoniously. This creates a very natural driving experience. Sporty riders should also like the fact that the motor copes better with rather high cadences than with heavy gears. For example, you hardly have to change when switching from the "analogue" racing bike. Speaking of analogue racing bikes: If you are traveling faster than 25km/h or with the drive deactivated, the motor does not offer any resistance that we can feel and is completely decoupled.

The operation of the drive turned out to be not quite as convincing while driving. The fact that you have to take your hand off the handlebars to change the support level or (de)activate the motor is not so tragic. Unfortunately, the only control button is very small and doesn't have a really good pressure point. With big fingers or gloves, it is not that easy to operate anyway and the operating logic makes it even more difficult: If you want to switch from the highest to the lowest support level, for example, you have to press the button eight (!) times.

Reliable statements on the subject of range are always difficult to make with e-bikes anyway. This difficulty is all the more relevant for an e-racing bike or gravel bike like the Core, because many riders will move the bike for large parts above the 25km/h limit or sometimes without support on the level. In the hilly terrain of the Costa Blanca with quite a few meters of altitude, a tour of around 100km was no problem - if you rely completely on the motor and don't contribute much to the propulsion yourself, the core should run out of breath well before the end of the tour.

But now enough with the words about the drive, motor, control unit and battery - after all, the Core is still first and foremost a bicycle. The seating position is quite sporty overall and if you do without stem spacers, the Spaniard's e-gravel bike comes with a stately raised saddle. Overall, however, we found the ergonomics to be really good, with one small exception: the top link is very narrow for a modern gravel bike and can therefore be gripped rather modestly with large hands.

The handling itself is extremely good-natured and strikes a successful balance between smooth running and agility. Here you can already feel the expertise and experience that the Basques bring with them as a traditional racing bike manufacturer. The comfort is also decent thanks to the wide 38mm tires - but not outstanding. On the one hand, this is certainly due to the rather stiff aluminum frame, on the other hand, to the also fairly direct fork, which implements steering impulses immediately, but also passes impacts on to the hands quite clearly.