Review: Ergon BA2 E Protect Pack

Ergon's latest pack was developed in conjunction with Canyon during the creation of their first eMTB, the Spectral:ON. During the press camp earlier this year, we were given the new BA2 E pack to try out, and it opened up a new world for me in terms of epic electric-MTB-ing, if that is a thing.

The BA2 E Protect offers a secure storage space for a spare battery, spine protection, along with the usual tool and water storage. The pack can be bought through Canyon at the same time as a bike for a discounted €139 (you can buy a discounted second battery too) and usually retails at €169.





Features

The BA2 features Ergon's CE Level 1 certifited BP100 back protector, which slots into the pocket closest to your spine, and also has room for a hydration bladder. The battery pouch is in the next compartment, with one Velcro strap to secure the battery, and a second to attach the pouch to the bag. There is also a small pocket inside this main compartment to take a phone, money, credit cards, etc.

The next compartment has five pockets to look after your tools, pump, spare parts and whatever else you want to lug around. On the outside of the pack, there is an adjustable helmet pouch that will hold a full-face, kneepads straps, and GoPro camera mount.

The waist strap is Velcro first, with an adjustable buckle strap on top and a small hip pocket on the right-hand side. There is also a chest strap and buckle that can be adjusted for height. The back of the bag can also be adjusted to suit different torso lengths with S-XL options.




Performance

Most of the time, I try to avoid wearing bags, but after testing more and more eMTB's, which often do not have space for a bottle and tools, and where weight saving is less important, I will just take a bag and get on with it. On average, a one battery ride will get me around 30km, with 1400m of climbing in about two hours. Every time I get back from one of these rides I am stoked on the riding, but don't have the 'spent' feeling of a normal bike ride of the same distance. Enter the second battery (let's not talk about the cost of a spare, though) stored in the pack. 60-70km epics are now possible, with more than 2500m of vertical – and if most of that ride is tech up and down, it's going to be a good four to five hours.

The battery is easy to store and remove from the Velcro pouch, and in the same main compartment I typically store a lightweight jacket and sometimes a small water bottle – I found trying to use a hydration bladder behind the battery compartment made the pack too cumbersome, and where I ride there are plenty of water fountains and café's on every ride. The speed and distance you can cover carrying 3kg's of extra battery is much more important than 3kgs of water in this case.


Initially, I found the 2.6kg weight of the battery was pressuring my lower back and making it ache, but after adjusting the length to L-size it dropped the main mass of the bag onto my pelvis and spread the weight. The battery is secure and does not move inside the bag, and with the correct adjustment, the pack was stable at the worst of times.


The rest of the pack did its job and the tool compartments kept everything in the right places, the right hip pocket is useful for a quick access mini tool. The only negative I found with the pack I found there were too many long straps for my liking on the outside for carrying kneepads and helmet – I find with the eMTB I can ride wearing these no problem, as you tend to heat up less on the climbs and get to the top 2-3 times quicker than a normal MTB.


Pinkbike's Take:

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