Mondraker Dune XR
£11,999 | Long travel meets lightweight motor
Mondraker have revived the Dune name for their latest e-bike, aimed at riders on the fence about buying an e-MTB or an enduro rig.
SPEC
Fork Öhlins RXF 38 M.2 29l, 180mm travel
Frame Carbon fibre, 165mm travel
Shock Öhlins TTX22m.2
Drive system Bosch Performance Line SX motor, 400Wh battery
Gears SRAM X0 Eagle AXS T-Type (1×12)
Wheelset e*thirteen Grappler Race Carbon wheels, Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5in (f) and Minion DHR II 27.5×2.4in (r) tyres
Brakes SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth
Bar/stem Onoff Krypton Carbon 1.0, 800mm/Onoff Krypton FG, 30mm
Seatpost/saddle RockShox Reverb AXS/fi’zi:k Terra Aidon Slim X5
Weight 19.7kg (claimed, medium)
THE FRAME
The Dune XR is made from Mondraker’s ‘Stealth Air’ carbon fibre, rocks a ‘mullet’ wheel set-up (29in front, 650b rear) and uses the Spanish brand’s twin-link ‘Zero Suspension System’, with either a coil- or air-sprung shock. Features include headset cable routing, a set of bottle cage bosses and a tool mount under the top tube.
Pedalling assistance comes from a Bosch Performance Line SX motor, which pushes out 55Nm of torque and 600W of peak power, while weighing only 2kg. This is connected to a 400Wh integrated battery, with a 250Wh range extender available separately (£439.95). A Bosch Kiox 500 display sits on the bar.
Four sizes are available (S-XL), each with a slack 63.6-degree head angle, steep 77.1-degree seat tube angle and reasonable reach figure (480mm on the large size we tested). The chainstays are 445mm long, which is short for an e-MTB, and means no room to fit a 29in rear wheel.
THE KIT
This is the range-topping model, with an Öhlins’ fork and coil shock, a wireless SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission and RockShox Reverb AXS post, and lightweight carbon wheels and cranks from e*thirteen. The bike rolls on Maxxis rubber – a 2.5in Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO on the front and a 2.4in Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra DD on the rear. SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth brakes bite onto 200mm rotors. Most of the finishing kit is from Mondraker’s in-house OnOff brand.
THE RIDE
Riders coming from a full-power e-bike will feel the drop in torque, with low-cadence efforts not resulting in the same propulsion as with Bosch’s CX motor. Pedal faster, though, and the SX drive unit rewards you with almost full-fat power on the climbs, along with an overrun function that keeps driving you forward for several meters after you stop pedalling, helping you to clear technical trail features.
Climbing with a coil shock often results in pedal bob, due to the spring’s high initial sensivity. On the Dune, this actually helps the bike find grip on technical ascents. There is a climb switch on the shock, but we never needed it. The SRAM wireless transmission works brilliantly for e-bike use, shifting well under load, if not offering the fastest gear changes.
Going back down, this rig descends like an enduro bike. The mullet set-up contributes to a playful feel, with the rear wheel cornering fast and the front lifting with ease. Out back, the shock feels silky-smooth and slips into its travel with ease, without making the bike feel wallowy, while up front, the stiff fork chassis gives a direct steering feel. The bike’s low centre of gravity helps in the turns, too. Even through janky sections of trail, the motor on our bike was silent.
Early impressions suggest the Mondraker Dune XR should be on your shortlist if you’re looking for a lightweight, gravity-focused electric mountain bike with plenty of punch to get you to the top of the trail.
MBUK VERDICT
Balances an almost full-fat feel on the climbs with amazing agility on the descents