Cilo Kyano HC1 e-MTB review

Returning kid on the block, Cilo, is all about employing everything possible with Shimano’s EP8 drive system, while building it into an attractive and versatile enduro e-MTB. Although the sizing is interesting, the result is a mega agile and well-equipped big travel machine that’s more about threading the needle and general trail larking about than it is all-out stability.

• Best e-MTBs 2026 – Top-performing e-mountain bikes for every situation
• Specialized S-Works Levo 4 e-MTB review
• Electric bike motors explained: How to choose the best e-MTB drive system for you

Cilo Kyano HC1 – Technical details

The Kyano is all about delivering the complete enduro experience. Cilo has done that by building the bike with a stiff, but certainly not heavy, carbon fibre frame. Although sorted with stiffness claims, the brand reckons that it can absorb vibrations for comfort.

That said, most of the bike’s comfort comes from its suspension, as there’s 170mm up front and 160mm at the rear – figures that aren’t too out of the norm for an enduro setup. Cilo has then developed the rear suspension to balance uphill and downhill performance. So there’s 100% anti-squat to keep pedalling efficient and 50% anti-rise to keep the suspension working under heavy braking loads.

The Kyano then runs Shimano’s EP801 motor, combined with a removable 800Wh battery from Darfon. This unit knocks out 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power. Now, with the EP8 being a little long in the tooth, that may be a bit off-putting, but Cilo has chosen this motor to take full advantage of Shimano’s e-MTB ecosystem.

That means that Cilo’s motor choice unlocks the Freeshift and Autoshift functions of its wired-in Di2 drivetrain. The former allows for shifting when not pedalling, and the latter does all of the shifting for you. Both of these features together are pretty hard to come by on rival systems, unless that’s SRAM’s Powertrain, or the Avinox M1, which has a similar Freeshift function.

As for frame features, there’s internal cable routing that exits the headset, some space in the front triangle for a bottle, with a Fidlock mount included, and the bike runs a mixed wheelset as standard. There’s then a geometry-adjusting flip chip found on the shock linkage, which allows riders to pick from a more stable geo, to something a little more responsive.

The Kyano’s geometry is a little interesting. For the most part, it features all of the usual enduro bike numbers, such as a 64-degree head angle and 77.1-degree seat tube angle. But the brand has taken full advantage of its 650b rear wheel and has gone against the grain of longer chainstays, as there’s a 440mm measurement.

Then, the brand has jumped on the adaptable sizing bandwagon like the brands such as Merida and Specialized. Each size features a low standover and an adjustable dropper post, so larger riders can fit smaller bikes and vice versa. However, Cilo has really gone for it in the Kyano’s reach measurements, as the medium frame tested gets a 455mm reach, but the large frame features a mighty jump up to 495mm. This really hammers home the agility vs stability choice.

Cilo Kyano HC1 – Componentry

The HC1 is the range-topping Kyano with a price of £8,500. Rightfully, it comes with a very impressive specification, including Fox’s Factory 36 fork equipped with the Grip X2 damper, paired with a Float X Factory shock. These units open up all of the adjustments anyone would ever need.

Enabling the rider to take full advantage of everything the EP8 motor has to offer is Shimano’s XT Di2 M8250 drivetrain combined with the latest XT M8220 brakes, hooked up to 203mm rotors at both ends.

This model rolls on a pair of carbon DT Swiss HXC 1501 Spline wheels, which are wrapped with a Schwalbe Magic Mary in its Trail casing up front, and a Big Betty with the same specification at the rear.

While some more basic components, such as the Velo grips, finish off the build, Cilo has thrown on the excellent Race Face Era carbon handlebar, which rustles up a good helping of vibration reduction. Oh, and there’s a Limotec 200mm dropper post offering infinite adjustment within that 200mm.

Thankfully, especially at this money, there’s not much I’d change. If I were a harder rider, I’d move to a tyre with a more robust casing, but otherwise, I’d just swap the rather stiff grips for something a little more comfortable. But something well worth mentioning is the Limotec dropper post. It’s very sensitive to dirt ingress, and during my time with the bike, I ran into problems with it compressing and extending. A very thorough cleaning brought some life back into the dropper, but it’s still not running as well as before.

I’ve weighed the bike to come in at a smidgeon over 24kg, which isn’t far from the norm for a bike like this.

Cilo Kyano HC1 – Performance

Two main points of the Kyano need addressing. It’s EP8, and the jump in reach figures. To start with the motor, yes, it is a little dated compared to the current crop of modern units, but even today, it’s by no means a bad motor. Its variable Trail mode doesn’t quite have the seamless finesse of Bosch’s eMTB+, but it still does the job, and perfectly well at that. The only gripe that may be off-putting is that it’s not as powerful, but as someone who’s not fussed about numbers and mostly rides alone, 85Nm is still plenty. I can’t comment on its efficiency properly as my test bike was equipped with a non-standard 700Wh battery, but I still managed to wring out around 28km and 1000m+ of ascent with some battery left in the tank.

But Cilo’s choice of motor does grant Shimano’s Freeshift and Autoshift features, which are pretty cool. Admittedly, they won’t sell a bike for me, but flicking the drivetrain into autoshift makes for thought-free climbing, and Freeshift takes some brain-power away when it comes to shifts on the descents.

Though I reckon the biggest hangup is the jump in reach measurements and overall length between sizes. It’s huge, to be blunt, and as someone who usually rides a large, I went for the medium because I enjoy a smaller e-MTB, and I predict that the large would lean very heavily towards stability. However, its low standover and adjustable seat tube would certainly make it rideable, if all-out stability is what you’re after. To compare, Merida’s jump in measurements is much smaller, with its Mid-size featuring a 459mm reach, and a Long using a 479mm reach on the eOne Sixty.

Onto the bike’s ride, and it’s an awful lot of fun. It’s a smaller bike than I’m accustomed to, but even with that in mind, the Kyano does not skimp on agility. With its low standover and short chainstay, the bike changes direction as if its life depends on it. It’s massively responsive but flickable and really easy to get on with. With that, I’ve found the bike to be in its prime when threading the needle through trees and slithering through tight sections as fast as possible.

The Kyano’s no slouch when the corners open up either. The bottom bracket is placed excellently where it’s not pedal-smashingly low, but just low enough to keep the bike’s centre of gravity in a good position. This helps the bike hold its line confidently, while employing the heft of traction its fairly aggressive tyres provide.

Now, in the short chainstay and shorter (although common-ish) reach, there is a bit of a setback. Although pushing the bike into steeper sections of trail is by no means off limits, it pushes a fair bit of weight over the front of the bike, which makes that otherwise responsive handling a bit of a handful to keep pointed straight. I can’t help but think that an extra five or 10 millimetres added onto the reach would deliver a better and more manageable blend of agility and stability where it’s needed.

Those measurements also bring an interesting character to the climbs, though it’s one that’s easy to learn. The bike is more than manageable on mellower climbs, but when things get steeper and more technical, there’s a fine window in weight distribution to keep the front wheel down, and the rear wheel gripping. Lean too much fore or aft, and you lose traction at either wheel, but nail that balance, and it’ll get the job done. Because of that, it’s not exactly a bike that’ll climb itself; rather, it needs careful and considered weight management to eke out its best. This does come as something of a benefit, however, as it doesn’t require huge shifts in body position to find traction.

Cilo has developed a very adaptable suspension kinematic for the Kyano. Out of the box, both the fork and shock were loaded with volume spacers, which gave the bike a much more playful character, but one that didn’t feel especially ‘enduro’. After pulling all of the spacers from the shock, and leaving one in the fork, only then did the bike settle into a more plowable, capable and confident character. It’s certainly a more linear kinematic, but when it comes to chunky enduro trails, it makes perfect sense as it’s comfortable but encouraging. It doesn’t dive through all of its travel, either, with just enough support to stay propped up when pushing into the terrain and corners.

The rear suspension is absolutely solid under pedalling loads, too. Usually, I wouldn’t be all that fussed about an e-MTB’s pedalability because there’s a motor doing the hardest work, but a quick peek down the window cut into the top tube reveals a shock that doesn’t move while pedalling. It does, however, open up over bumps. So with a dialled weight distribution from the rider, it rustles up plenty of rear wheel grip, while keeping pedalling as efficient as possible.

Cilo Kyano HC1 – Verdict

An EP8 bike for £8,500? Yeah, and although its specification is awesome, the value is a downside of the Kyano HC1. For example, Norco’s Range VLT CX is £8,400, and it’s an awesome bit of kit. It gets the modern Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor and a top-shelf build kit, but importantly, it strikes that enduro balance much better as it’s super agile, but there’s a little more length to it, with a medium equivalent utilising a 466mm reach, a number that I reckon the Kyano would really benefit from. However, the Range doesn’t get carbon hoops, nor does it have the Shimano shifting features.

It could be argued that the Kyano offers better value than Orbea’s Wild M-Team, which is priced at £9,000. This bike gets the Bosch CX Gen 5 motor, but the rest of the build is very similar, apart from the alloy wheelset, making the posh carbon wheels on the Kyano HC1 a string to its bow. The Wild gets the same reach measurement, but a longer chainstay and slacker head tube, which should achieve a better balance of stability and agility than what the Kyano delivers. Here’s my review of the Orbea Wild H10.

While it leaves a little to be desired in the stability department, the Cilo Kyano HC1 is all about nailing sneaky lines and absolutely destroying corners with a somewhat approachable ride. It requires some finesse on the toughest of climbs, and with an EP8 motor, its price does make eyes wander, but it brings an unarguable build and a good deal of versatility to the enduro sector. It’s a solid first crack at an enduro e-MTB from Cilo, but some geometry changes would bring great improvements. Just be sure of the size you’re after.

• cilo-ebikes.com

You might also like:

• How to race an electric mountain bike – Five top e-MTB racing tips from Tracey Moseley
• Has Pivot perfected the all-mountain e-MTB? Pivot Shuttle AM Pro X0 Eagle first ride review
• How to store an e-MTB – storage solutions and best practices