Adding to its expanding lineup of high-end electric bikes, Bianchi has just unveiled its new flagship electric gravel bike: the Bianchi e-Arcadex.
The Bianchi e-Arcadex was designed around a full carbon frame with a geometry that the company says will “guarantee you are able to pedal comfortably on some of the harshest surfaces the world has to offer.”
The new gravel e-bike can roll on tires as wide as 700x45c and the frame includes eyelets to add racks, fenders, or other accessories. With the ability to carry up to 20 kg (44 pounds) of extra gear on the frame, the e-Arcadex is a gravel bike designed for bike-packing and other gear-intensive rides.
To help smooth out those rides, an 80mm stroke dropper seat post with 40mm-travel suspension keeps things comfortable when the trail starts to fight back.
The Bianchi e-Arcadex includes a 500 Wh battery mounted in the downtube that can be easily removed for charging off of the bike.
Charging takes four hours and a fully charged battery can provide 115 km (71 miles) of range.
Power comes from a Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive motor with a strong 85Nm torque rating. That motor has a 250W continuous power rating, but is well known to put out peak power of over twice that figure.
The Bosch drivetrain uses a Kiox color display mounted on the handlebars to give quick access to ride data like speed, power level, and battery charge level.
A 13-speed Campagnolo EP EKAR shifter powers the drivetrain and integrates with the Campagnolo brake levers.
The Bianchi e-Arcadex comes in three colorways of Glacial (blue), Forest (green), and Desert (tan) and in five sizes of XS, S, M, L, and X. Pricing starts at €6,249 (approximately US $6,260).
The bike also comes in a touring version that includes integrated racks and fenders, as well as built-in LED lighting, making it more appropriate as an everyday commuter e-bike. It also comes with slightly lower spec Shimano shifters and brakes, helping reduce the price to €5,349 (approximately US $5,360).
Gravel e-bikes like the Bianchi e-Arcadex have remained a popular and quickly growing segment of the e-bike market.
Yamaha recently updated its own popular gravel e-bike with the Yamaha Wabash-RT. Yamaha’s flagship gravel bike also offers a similar drop-bar setup, dropper seat post, and tire-width compatibility up to 45c.
The bike uses Yamaha’s own PWseries ST motor and somewhat lower-spec Shimano brakes and transmission, helping drop the starting price by around $2,000 compared to Bianchi’s more high-end model.
Bianchi hasn’t just stuck to gravel e-bikes, though. This summer the company released two other city and touring electric bikes known as the T-Tronik C-Type and T-Tronik T-Type.
In a nod toward affordability, those e-bikes use Shimano E6100 mid-drive motors with a maximum of 60Nm of torque and include 417 Wh batteries produced by the major e-bike battery manufacturer Phylion.
With the Bianchi e-Arcadex now adding to a wide range of Bianchi electric bicycles designed for mountains, trails, cities, and touring, the company is well-positioned in the European electric bicycle market.
Have you ever tested a Bianchi electric bike? It’s been a while since I was on one. Let me know what I’m missing in the comments section below!
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
