Shimano Offers 'Race-Specific' Update For EP801 Motors
Shimano's EP801 e-bike drive units have a reputation for intuitive power delivery, but for those who want to go as fast as possible up steep slopes - or even race one of these machines - there are punchier options. In particular, the Bosch CX motor was notably dominant in electric enduro racing until recently, and the Race edition made it even more suited to that particular niche.
Shimano is fighting back with a firmware update for their current EP801 unit, which has a range of benefits for those who want to race - whether between the tape or just to get home in time for dinner.
Shimano is keen to stress that the system has been developed with and used by top E-EDR racers, particularly Mick Hannah of Yeti / Shimano EP Racing team and Orbea’s OOLab and Rotwild Schwalbe Enduro teams. But it's available as a free update to all EP801 owners. For now, you'll have to visit an authorised dealer to install it, but Shimano says it will be possible to do it yourself via the E-Tube app from this fall. Also, new EP801 bikes assembled after June 25 will come with these new capabilities pre-installed at the factory. So it looks like the "race-specific" software will become standard.
What is it?
The update has four main features or changes.
More aggressive Boost mode
First, there's a higher assistance ratio in Boost mode. That doesn't mean you get more power (it's still 600 watts), but it ramps up to the maximum 400% assistance more readily. In other words, the motor will add four times the power you're generating more of the time. So there's a quicker, snappier response when you start turning the pedals. If this is too aggressive you can always use another mode or de-tune the assistance in the app.
Customizable max speed cutoff
You can now tune how the assistance eases of as you approach the maximum speed of the assistance limit (25 kph in the UK, EU and Australia or 20 mph in the US). You can choose a more natural wind-down of power or maximize the assistance right up to the cutoff point.
Extended assist carryover
Perhaps the most significant feature is what Shimano calls the "extended assist carryover" (overrun) so the motor keeps working for a short time after the rider stops pedalling, helping to get up and over tricky obstacles. This in particular could help it compete with Bosch's CX Race unit. The duration of the overrun can be customized between short, medium and long - there's no word on exactly how long those modes are, but I suspect any racers using it will keep it in "long."
Interestingly, the assistance can be cancelled by the rider backpedalling, so it is possible to control it while riding too. I'm not sure how easy that is going to be while tackling a tight switchback on the side of a cliff, but it might be better than using the back brake to control the power on tricky climbs.
Updated Auto Shift
Finally, Shimano's Auto Shift feature has been tweaked thanks to development input from Mich Hannah, who has been racing with it. It now shifts faster and more aggressively when slowing down or accelerating. Also, the automatic shifting will pause for a time after the rider manually overrides it by picking a gear with their shifter, before resuming automatic mode thereafter.
mtb.shimano.com
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Read a lot about it on the internet but for me is a total non issue
Whoever is responsible for the rules overseeing ebike "racing" need to specifically ban any of this "overrun" stuff, otherwise you might as well throw out the last semblance of pretence and just have a throttle.
This is a great upgrade and one which I and I'm sure many others would appreciate being available for the EP8 as well
That said good lord, stop comparing riding a class 1
ebike to riding a motorcycle. If you’ve ever ridden both you’ll know the experience is nothing alike. Maybe the best thing to love about class 1 ebikes is that they don’t require climb switches or flowing uphills to make that part of riding tolerable or fun. You go from tolerating that part of a ride to looking forward to making your way back up. Hate all ya want!
E-bikers really wanna FEEL like they are just riding a bicycle with extra power.
I’m on an EP800 bike so tuff titty for me. I wanted to adjust the speed limit threshold and overrun within a couple of rides .
First world problems though, it’s still a blast.
I went to my dealer and they couldn't update it as the Shimano software isn't the new version. They tried Shimano customer support but they were ultra busy with phonecalls apparently (Probably dealing with customer complaints.)
Bottom line, owners can update the firmware through the app but need to go to a dealers to make it work and the dealers have not got the latest software so will have to wait until they do.
Brilliant eh?
what next?
Tbh its seems kind of boring, because they don't change the courses for the ebikers (no up-hill stages, no more pedally stages etc.) so its literally just racing the same courses, but way easier day of it lol
They dont even race enduro properly, They just do DH stages...
Ebikes get proper timed up hill aswell, "enduro" not endu.... oh just downhills.
Man the PB hate comments about Ebikes are petty asf, Are these people Riding bike parks at all? Or just ride XC?
We're all out there trying to have fun outside, which is a rarity for way too many people in the world. Be nice, and if you're getting annoyed by too many e-bikers just keep riding deeper into the woods - those batteries only last so long.
I am ridng MTBs since 1992 (age of 12),
When I got my first eMTB in 2018, I still had my quite recent XC, Enduro and DH Bikes.
One year later only the 140/150mm eMTB was left (family duties, wanted more downhills, in very limited riding time).
I am still riding mainly eMTB, and only recently bought a regular trailbike (RAAW JIbb).
I am not an mountain biker any more, because after 26 years I switched to an eMTB?
Fun fact: where I live, in Germany, in 2023 9x more eMTB were sold than regular MTBs. Let that sink.
So smetimes i really feel like a time traveller (5-8 years back), reading these comments here, because it had been exactly the same on mtb-news.de (you can call it the the german Pinkbike) back then.
I mean generally speaking trails have downs and ups. If you're going up a down that's on you regardless of your bike. If you have an mtb and an emtb both going up hill on the same trail the emtb can chill out and pace the standard person or politely ask to pass. If you can't check your ego long enough to let them go by... that's on you. There's absolutely no reason to split the trails between the two. Beyond that, the more time goes by the more the lines will be blurred and the harder it will be to tell. Who's going to be out there checking every single bike to make sure there's no emtb's in fantasy land?
E-motos are a very different beast.
Using split trails for anyone is the same. Most of the issues are caused by one of 2 things. Headphones. a*sholes.
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But here you are... lmao