2024 Mondraker

DUNE RR

Mondraker bills its Dune e-bike as the natural evolution of enduro. And the Spanish brand has a point. With many enduro race bikes tipping the scales at around 16kg, who has the time or the fitness to slog up and down a hillside on one? Except maybe pro EDR racers. Especially when the best lightweight electric bikes only add a few extra kilos and effectively halve the time it takes to get back to the top for another run. – Short of time? Click here to skip to the verdict – Sounds like a no-brainer, but how does the Mondraker Dune RR stack up against one of its main rivals – the YT Decoy SN? I got hold of both bikes and put them head-to-head to find out which one has the X-factor. – Read my head-to-head test against the YT Decoy SN Core 4 e-enduro bike here – Mondraker Dune RR need to know Lightweight enduro e-bike with Bosch SX motor Carbon frame delivers 165mm travel 400Wh internal battery and optional 250Wh range extender Up to 600W assistance at high revs Under 20Kg in size large Ohlins suspension with 170mm travel fork MX wheels Motor and battery To give the Dune enough pace on the climbs while retaining the mobility and excitement of a conventional enduro bike, Mondraker has opted for the Bosch SX motor. It’s a drive unit that encourages a high cadence, preventing the temptation to sit back and rely on the engine entirely. Peak power only arrives at about 120rpm, which is extremely difficult to sustain. It’s also impossible to achieve on steep, technical climbs even with a wide-range cassette, so the motor doesn’t have the same rock-crawling ability of its stablemate – the CX. Since most enduro trails tend to be accessed by gradual fireroad climbs, this isn’t a big deal, but it’s worth noting if you like to take on hillclimb challenges. On the other hand, the motor keeps on giving the faster you pedal, and it feels strong once up to speed. Riding back-to-back with the Fazua Ride 60 on the YT Decoy, I immediately noticed how much more support the Bosch SX unit gave me. And the gap only grew as I became more fatigued. To help encourage those revs, I’d like to see Mondraker switch the stock 170mm cranks for shorter versions. You don’t get something for nothing, so given that the Bosch unit feels more powerful, and uses a smaller capacity 400Wh battery than the Fazua, it stands to reason that there’s an impact on the range. In our recent SL E-Bike of the Year test, using exactly the same tyres, on the same trails, in full power mode, the Bosch SX managed 860m climbing, while the Fazua racked up 1,200m. Clearly, if range is your top priority then the Fazua is your best opton. But the scales tilt back in favour of the Mondraker if you factor in the optional range extender, since Fazua doesn’t offer one (yet). There’s …Continue reading »

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Long travel meets lightweight motor with Mondraker's new Dune XR

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Dune, that’s a cool name. And just like the movie, the Mondraker Dune is out in it’s second iteration. The first Mondraker Dune was an enduro pedalbike released in 2009. Mondraker already have a long travel emtb, the Level. But they brought back...

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