Class 2 ebike with Bosch motor and belt drive, plus ....?

AlmonteGuy

New Member
Region
Canada
Lots of Class 1 and 3 in this category but I'm looking for a Class 2 (with throttle) that has these features:

Full Suspension
Steptrough
Bosch motor with belt drive
Akin to a Moustache J, or Riese & Mueller Homage 5.

Is there such a bike? Cheers!
 
You won't currently find a Class 2 e-bike equipped with a Bosch motor - that's not something they have done yet. We've been pushing them for a few years now to add throttles to their city/commuter/trekking bikes, but we haven't seen one yet from them.
 
Lots of Class 1 and 3 in this category but I'm looking for a Class 2 (with throttle) that has these features:

Full Suspension
Steptrough
Bosch motor with belt drive
Akin to a Moustache J, or Riese & Mueller Homage 5.

Is there such a bike? Cheers!
Lots of Class 1 and 3 in this category but I'm looking for a Class 2 (with throttle) that has these features:

Full Suspension
Steptrough
Bosch motor with belt drive
Akin to a Moustache J, or Riese & Mueller Homage 5.

Is there such a bike? Cheers!
Really interesting ChatGPT response!

You said:
I Want an ebike with the following features:
Throttle
Full Suspension
Steptrough
Bosch motor with belt drive

ChatGPT said:
Here’s the honest situation with your ideal ebike wishlist:

Throttle
Full Suspension
Step-through frame
Bosch motor
Belt drive

There isn’t really a production bike that ticks all five boxes at once* — especially Bosch + belt drive + throttle + full suspension. Bosch mid-drive systems (and most premium mid drives) typically don’t include throttles in the U.S. market, and belt-drive + throttle combinations are extremely rare on factory bikes.

However, you can get really close or make intentional trade-offs. Below are the best options that meet most of your criteria, plus notes on where they differ from your ideal:

Batch Bicycles The Step Thru E-Bike
Batch Bicycles The Step Thru E-Bike
$2,299.99

Bixby Bicycles + others
Batch Step?Thru Plus E?Bike
Batch Step?Thru Plus E?Bike
$2,799.00

Belcopia Bicycles + others
Cyrusher Trax 2.0 Step?Thru Full?Suspension
Cyrusher Trax 2.0 Step?Thru Full?Suspension
$2,699.00

Cyrusher.com + others
Magicycle Deer Step?Thru Full Suspension
Magicycle Deer Step?Thru Full Suspension
$1,899.00

Magicycle
Centauri II Electric Bike
Centauri II Electric Bike
$2,399.00

Vvolt eMobility + others
Polygon Siskiu TE?N Bosch E?MTB
Polygon Siskiu TE?N Bosch E?MTB
$4,499.99

BikesOnline USA


Closest to Your Ideal (But Still Missing Some Features)
Bosch Motor + Step-Through

Batch Bicycles The Step Thru E-Bike – Bosch Active Line mid-drive, step-through frame, very comfortable for city rides.
Does not have full suspension or throttle.

Batch Step?Thru Plus E?Bike – Similar to above with a suspension fork for smoother rides.
Still no throttle and no rear suspension.

Bosch-Powered Full Suspension (but not step-through & no throttle)

Polygon Siskiu TE?N Bosch E?Mountain Bike – Great Bosch mountain ebike with full suspension.
Traditional frame (not step-through), no throttle.

Options With Throttle + Step-Through + Full Suspension (But Not Bosch / Not Belt)
These bikes tick most of your wishlist except for Bosch + belt drive (they use powerful hub motors instead):

Cyrusher Trax 2.0 Step?Thru Full?Suspension – Step-through + full suspension + throttle. Powerful hub motor and good range, but not Bosch and not a belt drive.

Magicycle Deer Step?Thru Full Suspension – Full suspension step-through with throttle and tough off-road capability. Again, no Bosch / no belt.

Middle-Ground / Special Interest
Centauri II Electric Bike – Mid-drive + belt drive without full suspension and throttle. Nice low-maintenance drivetrain and internal gears, but no Bosch and no throttle.

Why You Can’t Find Everything Together
Bosch mid-drive systems typically ship without throttles in North America — many major brands reserve throttles for hub-motor systems or markets outside the U.S.

Belt drives are often paired with internal gear hubs or Bosch mid drives, which again usually don’t include throttles by default.

Full suspension + belt + Bosch + throttle is currently not a standard factory combination — you’d be looking at a custom build or aftermarket modifications to get all five.

Best Ways to Get All Your Features
1. Compromise One Feature
Most people give up Bosch or belt drive to get throttle + full suspension + step-through.

2. Custom Build
Start with a full-suspension step-through frame

Add a mid-drive or hub motor that supports throttle

Pair with a belt drive kit (like Gates Carbon)
This can be pricey and takes expert assembly but can get all your criteria.

3. Aftermarket Mod
Add a throttle kit to a Bosch-equipped bike that supports it (if controller allows)

If you want, I can tailor these suggestions based on your budget and where you’ll ride most (city/terrain) — just let me know!
 
It seems like a step through with full suspension would be pretty rare and hard to engineer.
Yet I ride one every day. 🙃
Screenshot_20260116_152204_Photos.jpg
Throttle and Rohloff... but not a belt drive.
 
What is it? Looks interesting ... Thanks
Mine is a 2023 one off prototype from Zen which still hasn't made it to production.

Since then Biktrix has started selling a very similar bike.
 
Just to be clear:
It's either a Bosch motor and you cycle, or
It's a throttle and you carry your ass while you pretend you cycle :)

Regarding the belt, @AlmonteGuy. My friend rides a belt driven Bosch E-Bike. I cannot wait until she catches a flat in the rear wheel. Fortunately, she has a big family with cars, so she can get a pickup because I even have no idea how to remove her rear wheel for the repair.

Now, the Full Suspension. If you look for an extra comfort, learn that the primary role of Full Suspension is to maintain the traction. The comfort is an extra effect. A good suspension fork, a suspension seatpost and "Bob is your uncle" as the Brits say :)

Probably all of us fantasised about the "unicorn e-bike" when we were noobs. My most expensive mistake was buying a full suspension e-MTB from a known brand. I loved that e-bike off-road but hated it on the pavement. I got rid of that bike for good but it was a good lesson at least.
 
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Mine is a 2023 one off prototype from Zen which still hasn't made it to production.

Since then Biktrix has started selling a very similar bike.
RE: the Juggernaut FS MTB... they really need to stop calling this type of bike a Mountain Bike (MTB)! they are not legal on any public trail system given the Class category / Power output range. Who would want to ride a 70lb bike with minimum suspension (only 50mm rear) on real MTB trails? It is very misleading. They could call them All-Terrain Bikes or similar.

@AlmonteGuy, Full-suspension bikes require chain growth during active suspension movement. This is accomplished by the derailleur on a chain drive train. Therefore a belt driven would require a very complicated linkage to address the belt drive full-suspension bike. Or as mentioned an internally geared hub motor rather than a mid-drive.
 
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Mine is a 2023 one off prototype from Zen which still hasn't made it to production.

Since then Biktrix has started selling a very similar bike.
Gionni, I am curious... what does your bike weigh? it looks very similar to the Juggernaut!
 
Just curious how you came up with your list of must haves? Theres nothing wrong with any of them, but honestly shopping for a bike this way seems kinda backward. Better to put forward the use to which you intend on putting it (Commuting? Leisure? Pavement only, or some dirt? Carrying a load or not? Do you live in a hilly area? What bikes have you ridden before and what did you like/not like about them?) and working from there. At the most basic level, a belt drive bike that doesn't fit you well is inferior to a chain drive bike that does...

As others have said, Bosch doesn't do throttles, so if class 2 is a must have you probably need to look elsewhere for your motor. Or cross your fingers and wait and hope they offer that option in the future.

Belt drive and full suspension are (outside of some very weird, niche bikes) mutually exclusive. Belts need super high tension to not skip, and suspension requires a variable length chain. Usually the chain is kept tensioned by the derailleur or some sort of tensioner, but derailleurs and chain tensioners give nowhere near the tension necessary for belts. The only solution is to design a bike with a single pivot suspension system and have the pivot concentric with the crank. This was the approach of the Kona A from the 2000s (which predates belt drives, it was a singlespeed FS mtb), but you compromise the suspension design a lot doing that.

Step through and FS aren't mutually exclusive (they do exist) but IMO probably should be. I've never seen one that had an impressive suspension design. They are usually single pivots without even a linkage to control shock leverage because you just don't have space for anything else. Fine if all you want is a little pavement cush. Performance probably sucks compared to more sophisticated systems.
 
Gionni, I am curious... what does your bike weigh? it looks very similar to the Juggernaut!
The bike is HEAVY @75 pounds... with a high torque motor and large 21Ah battery being 1/3 of that weight. Then there's the Rohloff. That said it's not as bad as it sounds. It can easily be riden without the motor and I have it tuned efficiently and can achieve 8wh/mi on my daily 25mi ride on mixed hilly terrain with about 500 ft of rise. I rarely use the throttle and I'd estimate its use at <0.1% in both time and distance on the days I do use it. That said I will never own a bike without a throttle. Sure you can get by without one... but why? What's the advantage?
At 60yrs I mostly ride to exercise but I also love the feel of power and find accelerating up an ascending tight turn intoxicating. Being a torque sensing bike and having to push harder to get that feeling is also rewarding. So the Bosch d_bags just don't know what they are talking about and more so what they are missing and/or not allowed to have.
Everything is a compromise, weight, suspension, battery size, motor output and there's more than a handful of variations and variables to consider. So do I wish it was a little lighter, or maybe had a more sophisticated suspension... sure. But this works surprisingly well and since my bike use is multipurpose from running errands to romps through the woods, I'm very happy with what I have. I do agree it's no MTB and more of an SUV
The o_p suggested bikes are about 10lbs lighter but with a smaller battery and significantly less torque. That said if you don't need/desire more, then I'm sure they are more than capable of making you happy. But the R&M comes with a very high snob tax.
ymmv
 
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The bike is HEAVY @75 pounds... with a high torque motor and large 21Ah battery being 1/3 of that weight. Then there's the Rohloff. That said it's not as bad as it sounds. It can easily be riden without the motor and I have it tuned efficiently and can achieve 8wh/mi on my daily 25mi ride on mixed hilly terrain with about 500 ft of rise. I rarely use the throttle and I'd estimate its use at <0.1% in both time and distance on the days I do use it. That said I will never own a bike without a throttle. Sure you can get by without one... but why? What's the advantage?
At 60yrs I mostly ride to exercise but I also love the feel of power and find accelerating up an ascending tight turn intoxicating. Being a torque sensing bike and having to push harder to get that feeling is also rewarding. So the Bosch d_bags just don't know what they are talking about and more so what they are missing and/or not allowed to have.
Everything is a compromise, weight, suspension, battery size, motor output and there's more than a handful of variations and variables to consider. So do I wish it was a little lighter, or maybe had a more sophisticated suspension... sure. But this works surprisingly well and since my bike use is multipurpose from running errands to romps through the woods, I'm very happy with what have. I do agree it's no MTB and more of an SUV
The o_p suggested bikes are about 10lbs lighter but with a smaller battery and significantly less torque. That said if you don't need/desire more, then I'm sure they are more than capable of making you happy. But the R&M comes with a very high snob tax.
ymmv
That is a hefty one! but you can handle it. that is cool.
I get the rush from acceleration...I rode street motorcycles for a dozen years, but haven't for over 10 years. BTW I am also 60yrs old.
 
The weight is mostly an issue when you need to manhandle the bike but like everything, you teach yourself best methods and it's manageable.
I ride my ebike as it is named and don't care/need for it to emulate a bicycle as closely as possible. That said in lower PAS the power delivery is very natural, efficient and unobtrusive. But a few taps of PAS Up and it'll climb a tree and that's just so much fun. I could care less that a "cycle" bike can't do that. The mix of exertion with measured high output has added a whole new dimension to what riding can be.
Biking+Motorcross/less physical stress+longer ride times = whole lotta fun.
The ideology of some of the stuck people on this forum I find hysterical.
 
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