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TECH NEWS
Focus develops 12.5kg Project Y e-bike that looks scarily like a normal road bike
Last week Tony pondered if the new 3T Strada was the future of road cycling, but could the future actually be this new Focus e-bike? That's the bold claim by the Germany company behind an e-bike that is unlike other e-bikes, because the power only kicks in when you really need it, such as on a steep climb, and a 12.5kg weight should ensure it’s easy to pedal without assistance.
It’s called Project Y and is the first e-bike we’ve yet seen that very closely resembles a regular road bike. It's scarily similar to a regular road bike, just the fat downtube really gives it away. The low weight is courtesy of a full carbon fibre frame with a lightweight Fuzua Evation drive system adding just 4kg and built into the bottom bracket, with the downtube housing the battery and motor.
Where the Fuzua Evation differs from the more common Bosch and Shimano Steps systems is that it can be removed entirely and you can ride the bike without power assistance. With the motor and battery removed only the gearbox remains in place, but it only weighs 1kg so the whole bike comes in at under 10kg in race bike build.
Key to the lightness of the system is the smaller capacity battery, 250Wh compared to the more common 500Wh on other e-bikes. That obviously means a shorter range but Focus is pitching the addition of the motor as providing assistance only in those times when you really need it, such as climbing, where it can deliver up to 400 watts of additional power, instead of having pedal assistance all of the time, as with regular e-bikes.
“We want maximum performance at all times and on every leg of the ride, so we are integrating an electric motor to provide assistance in those critical situations. However, the assistance only kicks in when you really need it. On slopes, off-road or when setting off – whenever it's possible to eke out a little more,” explains Focus.
Because e-bikes are limited by law to 25km/h Focus has worked to ensure a seamless transition at this speed, the assistance feels completely natural it says. You clearly spend a lot of time above 25 on a lightweight road bike but it’ll be interesting to ride the Focus to find out how it feels and performs when the motor cuts out.
The bike is built around providing clearance for up to 32mm tyres with mudguards fitted, or 35mm tyres without mudguards, providing plenty of setup options. All cables and brake hoses are routed internally and it’s compatible with a variety of drivetrain configurations. Naturally, it’s a disc brake only bike, using 12mm thru-axles but in the wider Boost standard that has rapidly become standard on the latest mountain bikes. That means extra width - while the axle diameter is the same, the front is 110mm wide and the rear is 148mm. Be interesting to see if this catches on in the road market because it obviously means none of your old wheels will fit!
Interestingly Focus has demonstrated different possible builds, including adventure, cyclocross and road focused options. While it’s still at prototype stage the German company is serious about putting it into production, but when that is and how much it will cost we don’t know at this stage.
Sister site e-biketips.co.uk had a closer look at the bike at the recent Eurobike Media Days event and chatted with Senior Product Manager Andrew James about the bike in the video below.
More at www.focus-bikes.com/gb_en/project-y-future-racing-bikes
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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47 comments
I thought the point of Strava was to see what you can pass off as a KoM whilst riding a scooter, so an eBike limited to 25kmh has no chance.
oooh all this ebike stuff could really play havoc with Strava...
Only for people who use Strava... And they have an e-bike category now anyway
Well, quite, I don't really envisage that people who don't use an app will be impacted by it being impacted.
Be interesting to see how they respond though - if they even deem it necessary - if ebikes take off. A huge part of its appeal among its core users is the leaderboards. If faith in those was to be obliterated, due to suspicions that everyone's going uphill on motors...*
*Just had a look at the strava forums - plenty of grumbling on there about ebikes, but to be fair, there's plenty of grumbling on there about anything and everything.
It may get to the point where you can only partake in leaderboards when your ride's GPS data is accompanied by matching power data from a pedal or crank-based system (because you could still upload authentic power data from a hub-based system with a motor that powers the crank).
eCycles could broaden the appeal of cycling as a practical transport option for an awful lot of people who are genuinely put off by an inconvenient hill.
Personally I will definitely be using one should I get to an age and state of physical decreptitude that the other option is to give up cycling. I would even consider an assisted cargo bike right now instead of a second car in the family.
I think I know of a Italian who could use one of these so he wins the hamper next time out
I'd love to convince my other half to get one of these with a road focused build.
She doesn't enjoy the training side of cycling the same as I do, and this would mean that we could do longer rides together in a way that's tough but enjoyable for both of us.
I was thinking just the same thing. My other half doesn't mind a flat ride but if she sees a decent hill it's panic stations. This sort of thing would be ideal.
Hopefully I won't need it myself for another 15-20 years (50 now) but I would have no problem riding one if it got me out and let me keep up.
And how about a front hub dynamo to regenerate on descents. Though I suppose that only would work if you could eliminate the drag of the generator on the flat/uphill. I'm talking out of my hat aren't I?!?!?
Make one small and light enough and you'll be quids in.
These days the drag off a dynamo hub is pretty negligible. Somewhere around the 3-4W range, if I'm not mistaken.
It's a great idea, but you'll need to turn the generated electricity from the hub into something the battery + gearbox unit can use for the regeneration to happen. I'm no electrician but the usual quoted output from most dynamo hubs is 6V, 3W.
I have a custom Ti bike (well in fact 2) with cross geometry. One of them has 40mm gravel tyres and a Hunt dynamo front wheel as well as the Vivax motor system. I too can drop the battery to leave only the 1km motor inside. All the systems work really well. The wheelset is only 1900g and I got notice the drag from the Son hub. The motor give a nice bit of assistance - it's like being pushed along by a decent tailwind. I only commute and it's nice to get some help from time to time when I get tired or if I have dead legs the day after a hard ride.
You could have the dynamo engage only when the bike is moving without any input at the pedals.
Regenerative braking is what you really need.
Maybe just what older riders need to stick with clubmates. Nice. I'd certainly be tempted when I get older and weaker.
Why is this scary? "Project Y e-bike that looks scarily like a normal road bike"
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