Ananda’s Racing Debut:
Last May, from the 24th to the 26th, Ananda made its racing debut at the eMTB Enduro French National Championship in Brassac. Our French colleague, Thomas Lecoq, an ebike enthusiast with over 20 years of enduro mountain biking experience, successfully qualified for the elite category of the national enduro EMTB championships.
As a passion for the sport at Ananda this championship gave us a lot of excitement because we see this as a serious test for our M230 mid-motor, competing against top riders on, riding with the best components on a challenging, sandy course with steep elevations. In this article, we delve into Ananda’s performance, and I can already reveal—we are very happy with the results.
About the Motor and Its Development
It may come as a surprise to those within the enduro sport that Thomas was at the start with our M230 Mountain Bike Performance motor line. However, for those who have known us for a longer time and for our customers, it is certainly no surprise. The e-mountainbike market is booming, and we were frequently asked why Ananda haven’t made its debut. With this in mind, our R&D team got to work, and voilà, here we are
“Ananda M230 is our lightweight and compact motor designed for modern Emtb riding, offering a balanced blend of performance and agility. With a powerful 85N·m of torque, this motor is ready to tackle challenging climbs with ease. The high-precision torque sensor ensures a smooth and natural riding experience, adapting seamlessly to varying terrains“
The days before the event
The beauty of having a motor compared to regular mountain biking, where you have to rely on your own strength to ride uphill, is that as a rider, you’re no longer alone. This makes preparation before the race more important and time consuming. For Thomas, we further developed and personalized our firmware of the Ananda M230 mid-motor, adjusting the responsiveness and power of the different modes (Later more about this) to perfectly suit his preferences. Thomas wants maximum control over his motor, requiring it to engage only when force is applied to the pedals. For trail riding, the more technical the rider, the more control they need over the motor.
By thinking along with our customers and tailoring our parameters to the end user’s needs, as the brand desires, we can offer the ultimate rider experience. This allows a manufacturer to develop a bike that truly fits their riding style, whether it’s in the city, on the traisl, or for commuting to work.
Various riding modes
M230 POWER MODES
Eco mode
Torque: +/- 40
Eco mode is an excellent feature for those looking to prioritize battery efficiency and range, particularly in environments where high power is not essential.
Tour mode
Torque: +/- 50
An excellent choice for a balanced, riding experience. It offers enough power to handle a variety of terrains while maintaining good battery efficiency.
Sport mode
Torque: +/- 60
Offers a perfect balance between assistance and physical effort, providing great control over the motor. Most used riding mode by our riders.
Turbo mode
Torque: +/- 70
Suitable for challenging trails with alternating flat and steep sections. Supports an aggressive riding style. Consider taking an extra battery. For an aggressive riding style
Boost mode
Torque: +/- 85
Racing mode with rapid battery depletion. Ideal for quick starts and steep sections up to 20%. Maintain a high cadence for optimal performance.
Battery range
The display on the handlebars provides an estimate of how long the battery will last. When you switch between Eco and Boost modes, it adjusts the estimated range accordingly. This reduces stress while riding and allows you to decide on the go if you want to take an extra loop yes or no.
The day at the event
We are eDrive solution expert, focusins on Motor, Display and controller but e are constantly collaborating with some of the best engineers to develop our own frames, enabling us to produce and assemble some bikes for testing our systems under real-world conditions. We have been riding and testing our products with riders in Europe, collecting important feedback for continuous improvement. So for this race Thomas used a eMTB platform developed internaly.
“We survived 2 days of intense racing, covering 95km with a 4500m elevation gain using our M230 ! It was a hard race, very intense with many long climbs between each stages.
We finished the race without any issues; the motor worked perfectly for the entire two days. Overall I was really happy with how the bike performed. The firmware and parameters we worked on with the team on the motor were great. Big Thanks to the team! said Thomas after the race””.
A total of 28 riders are starting today, whom most are professional riders. At 43 years old, Thomas is one of the oldest in the field, and it would be unrealistic to expect a top 10 finish. It could have been better, but we definitely achieved our goal: lining up with the best riders and best bikes on the market, and most importantly, Thomas crossed the finish line safely, both physically and mechanically. The main focus was on how the motor performed under tough conditions. The motor did not overheat, continued to respond well to the varying elevations, and the boost mode, with its quick response time, really made a difference on short, steep climbs.
eMTBMotor M230
Physical Features
Weight : 2.6 Kg (250W)
Construction : Gear Drive
Shaft Standard : ISIS..
Performance & Technical
Rated Power : 250/350 W
RPM : 110/120
Max Torque : 80/100 Nm
Key points
Compact and light weight
High precision torque sensor
Throttle option. (US market)
After the race
Where Ananda previously took a quiet approach to communication, our performance at the eMTB Enduro French National Championship is another excellent step in the right direction. People are becoming really interested in the Ananda brand and products; some riders tried the bike, and some professional riders are even interested in riding the Ananda M230 next year.
Curious about this motor? We’ll be sharing more details about this motor at Eurobike. Will we see you there?
Motor eBike System