Opening to preorders a couple of months ago, Atherton’s first-ever e-mountain bike, the S.170E, sold all 50 of its units in just under two hours. That’s all without really knowing what motor it’s equipped with. Now, we know, and I headed out to Dyfi to see what the fuss was all about.
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Aside from the e-MTB, there’s a lot of fuss floating around the Atherton name. Of course, it’s owned by the dynamic trio of Gee, Dan, and Rachel Atherton, but the brand goes about bike design a little differently.
Having taken over Robot Bike Co, Atherton has adopted its approach in bonding 3D printed titanium lugs to carbon tubes. However, more recently, it has applied a very similar process to aluminium with the S (or subtractive manufactured) range of bikes, and the S.170E is one of them. So it’s made of aluminium tubes, bonded to CNC-machined 7075 aluminium lugs.
The S.170E takes the foundations laid by the original S.170 mountain bike, but it does a little more than throw a motor into the mix. Atherton has taken into account the fact that an e-mountain bike is going to be climbing much more, so its chainstay is five millimetres longer, the bottom bracket height is five millimetres taller for pedal clearance, the stack is 13mm higher, and the effective seat tube angle is a touch slacker.
Then, there’s that incredibly neat downtube. Yes, it’s round, and yes, it contains a battery – Avinox’s round battery, in fact. This has been done for two reasons. A square tube is inherently stiffer than a round one, but Atherton wanted to transfer the stiffness/compliance dynamic of its enduro bike to an e-bike. Then, well, it looks better, and much more like a regular mountain bike.
The biggest headline hovering above the S.170E is that it’s one of a remarkable number of bikes to adopt one of Avinox’s new drive systems, the MS2. This bit of kit knocks out a sizey 150Nm of torque and 1,500W of peak power. It’s combined with a 700Wh battery, too, but Avinox aficionados will recognise the display and remotes, as they’re essentially the same. The brand then reckons that a rider can squeeze up to 2,000m of elevation from the battery.
Going for an Avinox meant that the brand’s designers could get a better handle on weight distribution, proportions and geometry across its vast range of sizes.
With Atherton’s focus on sizing, and its aim to offer a bike to fit nearly everyone, each size frame gets the very same battery and full dropper post insertion. The compliance and stiffness for each frame are also tuned specifically, promising “balanced handling and confidence”.
As for the geometry, the S.170E boasts a 77.6-degree effective seat tube angle and a 63.6-degree head tube angle. The chainstay stretches from 435mm up to 445, depending on the size you choose and reaches start at 405 and go up to 515mm.
Last but not least, part and parcel of an Atherton bike is the DW link suspension design. This particular bike uses the DW4 system, which has been tuned especially for an e-MTB but to maintain similar performance regardless of rider weight, power input and terrain. It helps the bike deliver 170mm of squish at the rear, combined with 180mm at the front.
Oh, and the battery can be removed, too. Though it’s not designed for trailside or quick removal. Rather, it’s a more involved process allowing it be removed for transport and flight.
Atherton S.170E – Componentry
I was treated to the top whack, S.170E Build 1, which cuts absolutely no corners. Up front, there’s a Fox 38 Factory fork, while a Fox X2 Factory damps the rear travel.
Shifting is provided by SRAM with its X0 Eagle T-Type setup, and the bike is slowed thanks to a set of Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, with 203mm rotors at both ends, a great choice.
It then rolls on a pair of Mavic E Deemax wheels in a 29/650b configuration, and my bike was wrapped with a pair of Continental Argotal tyres, though customer bikes will get Kryptotals.
The dropper post on my bike differed from the customer spec, too. Rather than the Fox Transfer Factory on the spec sheet, I rode a RockShox Reverb AXS.
All of this will set you back £8,999, while prices start at a somewhat friendlier £6,999.
Atherton S.170E – Ride impressions
To get one thing out of the way, with rather large hail hammering down outside moments before I swung a leg over the S.170E, it’s safe to say that the conditions I rode it in were far less than favourable. But either way, I got a very solid taste of what the bike was all about, having snaked my way around a tasty perimeter trail that spanned the Dyfi valley and one of Dyfi Bike Park’s red trails, led by Dan Atherton, no less.
Now, I had no idea what size bike I would ride before pulling up to Dyfi bike park, but the bike I was given felt very well proportioned and comfortable from the first pedal stroke. Later in the day, I found that I was riding a size 8, with a 475mm reach, which I’d say is spot on for my tastes.
Blasting uphill, aided by Avinox’s mighty M2S, was super comfortable. The motor required almost no effort to get up to speed and the bike itself is shaped well enough to achieve a very central-feeling riding position, despite being built with a slightly slacker seat tube. Though, that seat tube did help weight the rear when needed, helping the bike to develop an extra hint of traction.
In fact, traction is what the S.170E is all about. The bike rustles up flipping tonnes of it. When cranking up steeper climbs, the front end is super planted, even with the taller stack. I never needed to adjust my weight distribution to keep the front wheel in check.
That translates superbly throughout the rest of the trail, where I had a tough time of forcing the rear wheel to break free, unless I was riding over the unfortunately slick roots, and through hail-filled holes.
Most of my time with the bike had me riding through a fairly technical trail that had me focusing on line choice, while threading the needle through roots and trees. That’s where the S.170E dialled itself back from its enduro intentions, and I mean that as a compliment.
The bike feels light, lively and super manoeuvrable. Twisting it through tighter sections required no effort and very little forethought. That’s while the rear end used only what suspension travel was needed, keeping the bike feeling communicative and engaging. In fact, I felt like I was riding a bike with much less travel. Again, that’s a compliment.
But when it came to the faster stretches of bike park trail, that’s where the bike really came to life, and began to make a lot more sense. Though spritely through slower, techier sections, the S.170E relishes in speed, where it becomes more stable and begins to use more of its suspension to absorb harsh impacts, and keep the traction coming.
During my short time with the bike, I found it to be much more versatile than you would expect of a big travel enduro e-mountain bike. It doesn’t suck up all of the fun little morsels of trail, keeping the whole ride feel alive, but that’s all while being capable and confident when the speed and tech ramp up. With it, Atherton has managed to hit a level of balance that I’m yet to find on an enduro e-MTB.
To touch on the new motor, it’s impressive. The power is definitely noticeable, but that’s not what impressed, and to be honest, it’s not what’ll sell the motor to me. Instead, it’s how it delivers its power. It’s a gentle and natural feeling. It’s not like pulling back on the throttle all in one go, rather it ramps up. I rode it mostly in trail mode, and it was certainly manageable; the power just made tricky climbs more doable.
As for range, I managed three full climbs of Dyfi and was left with 12% in the tank on a mighty cold day.
Atherton S.170E – Early verdict
The Atherton S.170E is for people who want something a little different from the cookie-cutter e-mountain bike market. Not only is it a great-looking machine that highlights its subtractive manufacturing through the grain in the aluminium lugs, but it’s one that has the ride to back it up.
Unlike most long-travel enduro e-mountain bikes, it’s fun and surprisingly lively when the going’s not particularly tough, but when the dial cranks up, it’s got the goods to deliver a confident and capable ride. Being powered by Avinox’s super punchy motor only makes it more attractive to potential customers and in its aesthetic.
