Brinke Bike XFR+ The athlete’s opinion

 

In August 2018 we gave the athlete Andrea Utzinger the XFR+, the top model of the eMTB Brinke Bike category. After 7 months of testing we asked him to give us his impressions.

For the past few months I have been given the opportunity to whip up the new Brinke XFR +the first full suspension e-bike of the Italian company, which with this model aims to appear in the Trail / Enduro segment. It is no coincidence that I wanted to combine two different terms such as Trail riding and Enduro, which apparently do not have much to share, just to underline the versatility and potential that this bike offers. After just the first few kilometers on the saddle, the most surprising thing is the immediate feeling and the ability of the bike to put the rider at ease right immediately, a quality that is certainly not typical of other e-bikes I have tested. These performances are made possible thanks to the agility and smoothness, which are the strong points of this Brinke.

What relevance has the choice of the components for this type of bike in your opinion?

“As well as the geometries, also the components plays a fundamental role: the short tail and the 67° steering angle, the most typical measure of a trail bike, make it quick and easy to handle even on narrow paths, or with many technical parts where the precision and cleanliness of driving is more required than the speed, in order to maintain the right trajectory and pass even the most complicated passages without great difficulty.

This could make you think of a bike that is not very stable in fast or uneven stretches, but it is precisely here that its versatility is most noticeable; thanks to the 160 mm excursion, the 2.8 plus tires and the low center of gravity given by the presence of battery and engine, the XFR+ has proved to be a real stone crusher even on trails with insidious bottom and with little grip, transmitting an excellent confidence in driving and consequently leading those who ride to push more and more on the pedals …..”

Do you want to see Andrea Utzinger's exploits on the XFR+ of Brinke Bike?

An e-bike therefore particularly versatile, easy to handle and agile on narrow paths and at the same time stable on fast and uneven sections, thanks to the lightness of the frame (only 21 kg) and the quality of the components.

Andrea adds:

"All these features make it  an excellent weapon even for e-enduro races, which are becoming more and more popular in the last period, with a few small tricks”

So what would you recommend to maximize the performance of XFR+ in these races?

".......I would insert more gravity oriented tires, given its responsiveness in the race, it can certainly help in the relaunches and exit in the shortest possible time from the most difficult sections. Its stability on the fast and especially the safety that transmits on any type of trail is certainly ready to race.”

Do you want to watch also the XFR+ test, made by Stefano Chiri from the editorial staff of MtbCult.it?

Test Brinke XFR+

After several months of use, how is the ebike behaving?

"During these months of testing all the components performed very well ,without showing any particular signs of wear or failure, even after very demanding laps.”

Just to conclude…what are your final considerations?

"An excellent product that is perfectly suited both to the needs of a more experienced user, who demands a top product, and for those approaching the world of e-bikes for the first time thanks to its intuitiveness and ease of use.

With XFR+  fun is guaranteed  with nothing to envy to a standard bike!

With XFR + the fun certainly does not lack, with nothing to envy of a normal muscle, given its agility! The advantages given by the engine are not limited to giving help only in conditions of fatigue or very demanding laps, but also allow you to tackle uphill, technical paths that normally we would only face downhill.

This ebike therefore guarantees excellent physical and balance training on the pedals, and in general on our ability to overcome obstacles.

A 360-degree fun and ,above all, the possibility to ride really hard. This is the proof for all those people, who say that with these bikes you can’t train or work hard !!!"

Andrea Utzinger