Two years ago, California's Hi Power Cycles (HPC) set out to make its premier hardtail e-mountain bike. Four prototypes later, and the Scout Pro is born. Riders can engage the motor to zip up to 36 mph, or pedal hard for a top speed of 45 mph.
"The Scout Pro represents years of research and development," said HPC's Chris Hunt. "We are very excited about this e-bike. There is no other hardtail like it and I couldn't be more proud of our engineers for building such a quality e-bike."
Riders can expect to go for at least 80 miles (128 km) per charge with the optional 48 V/1,680 Wh battery unit mounted to the down tube of the 6061-T6 aluminum frame, or up to 160 miles in Eco mode, though a standard 596 Wh battery offers significantly less range – 28 miles per charge (or over 60 miles in Eco mode).
Hitting the thumb throttle can tap into the 3,000 W torque-sensing mid drive for a motor-only top speed of 36 mph (58 km/h), with up to 45 mph possible with pedal assist (when Off-Road mode and the highest of the five available power levels selected). Gradients shouldn't be a problem either, thanks the availability of up to 240 Nm (177 lb.ft) of torque.
An SRAM EX1 eight speed e-bike drivetrain comes as standard, or buyers can option in a Rohloff Speedhub IGH. The 49 lb (22 kg) Scout Pro rides on 27.5 inch Spank rims wrapped in Maxxis Minion tires, and stopping power is provided by Magura MT7e Quad Piston hydraulic disc brakes front and back. The factory-tuned DVO Diamond fork has 150 mm of travel, and being a hardtail, there's no rear suspension.
A color display integrated into the handlebar shows speed, range, current power draw, power mode info and pedal assist level, and distance traveled. And there's a built-in USB port to help keep your phone topped up too.
The 2019 Scout Pro has been "designed to be best performing electric 27.5+ hardtail on the market" and commands a retail starting price of US$6,995.
Source: HPC
