Electric bikes weigh a bit more than unassisted ones for the simple reason that they have all that extra stuff on them. Motors and batteries tend to add a kilo or two. As such, you don’t come across many that weigh less than 10kg. German e-bike brand Ponomarets reckons their new Eidolon comes in just under this mark though at 9.9kg.
Ponomarets was founded in Dresden in 2022 to make bespoke e-bikes.
"Our vision with Eidolon was to create more than an eBike – it’s a piece of moving art,” said co-founder Roman Ponomarets, unashamedly. “Every element, from its featherweight frame to its bespoke braking system, speaks to our relentless pursuit of perfection."
Grand talk, but you can certainly see where he’s coming from. It’s a slick, minimalist-looking thing that’s a little reminiscent of the Lemond Prolog that we reviewed a couple of years back.
Like the Prolog, it is built around a Mahle hub motor, but in this case the more powerful X20, which offers up to 55Nm of torque versus the 40Nm produced by the X35.
We couldn’t actually find what battery they’re using with it, but the Mahle X20 is available with either a 236Wh or 350Wh pack (integrated into the down tube), so we’d assume the former if they’re looking to keep the bike’s weight down.
There’s a choice of drivetrains: either a mechanical system with the Italian-engineered Ingrid RD1 rear derailleur or SRAM RED for wireless electronic shifting.
Unusually, it has its own braking system, developed exclusively for the Eidolon with Swiss engineering specialists 612 Parts and Belgian design house VoyagerCo.
Ponomarets is billing it as “the world’s lightest bespoke e-bike” – but as ever with these things, they may well be imposing narrower definitions to some of those elements than you or I perhaps would.
Prefacing this with the significant disclaimer that we haven’t actually had chance to weigh any of these bikes ourselves, our guide to the lightest electric bikes lists a couple of electric road bikes that are supposedly lighter – the HPS Domestique (8.5kg) and the ARES Super Leggera (9kg).
Both of those bikes make use of the Watt Assist System, which is available with a rather piffling 85Wh battery – make of that what you will.
Every Eidolon is made to order, meaning customers can choose their own paint jobs and componentry finishes.
Which brings us on to the big question: price. Ponomarets says what it bills as the “Eidolon experience” will begin at €12,600 excluding VAT and shipping.
More details on the website.
