Atherton Bikes has today released its first eMTB, the S.170E, and I was one of the few people invited to Machynlleth to ride the bike before its launch – with the brand's co-founder Dan Atherton.
Given the pre-launch teasers, and its official unveiling on the same day as the new Avinox M2S motor, it should be no surprise that the bike features the punchiest ebike motor on the market.
What might separate it from the bulk of electric mountain bikes is the lug-and-tube construction that Atherton has relied upon for its alloy range of non-assisted bikes, as well as the round down tube that as yet has evaded pretty much any other full-power eMTB on the market.
On paper, at least, it’s a pretty incredible-looking machine.
The team at Atherton were kind enough to give me a tour of their facility, where their bikes are developed and (to some extent) built.
To see that process in action with the S.170E, you’ll have to subscribe to MBUK TV on YouTube, where we’ll bring you that story (and some ride impressions) soon.
As with any decent bike launch, there was the chance to ride the bike. What came next was definitely a bucket-list opportunity, and turned into one of the most intense rides of my life.
Buckle up
In case you weren’t aware, Machynlleth is close to Dyfi Bike Park in Wales, the pet project of Dan Atherton. It’s one of the UK’s most foremost bike parks, with an enviable reputation via its world-class DH and enduro tracks. Rock up on any given day and there’s a decent chance you’ll be rubbing shoulders with DH World Cup racers.
I’d never ridden there, but when Dan arrives at Atherton HQ with a couple of bikes, ready to take you out for a spin, you’re not going to say no.
We took the first lap up the hill fairly steadily, chatting on the climb and giving the M2S motor a chance to show off its capabilities – this thing absolutely flies, with 1,300W of power in Turbo mode and a whopping 1,500W in Boost.
We dropped into the first descent, Turns In The Ferns, running into (I think) Helter Skelter.
I’d forewarned Dan that I’m definitely not a World Cup racer, so I was relieved we weren't dropping in full-gas. After a few turns, there was some heat in the brakes and I was getting used to the shape of the bike.
Some of the chunkier bits of Helter Skelter give an impression of what this 170mm enduro eMTB is capable of, with the DW-link suspension offering up pretty smooth suspension at the back to calm the way.
What goes up…
From the bottom, we worked our way up to the Upper Mountain Drop Off, burning through a bit of the battery, to take a spin on some as-yet unopened tracks.
These ranged from a vaguely scraped line in the hillside through to some fairly established tracks, and should be open at some point this year.
The bike was coping well with the trails, and I was getting into the swing of it by this point. I’ve ridden a lot of DW-link bikes, and the sizing of the bike I rode was well within my usual range – I felt pretty comfortable early in the ride.
From here, though, Dan pointed to the top of the mountain in the distance. I thought he was joking when he said we were heading up there, but as the soon-to-be-opened eMTB climb disappeared beneath our tyres, and we pushed on towards the summit, it was clear he certainly wasn’t.
At this point, we were 660m above sea level, with the car park down at 60m – a solid 600m vertical below us.
Must come down
There was little to go off in terms of ridden-in trail. Dan set off on a barely scratched-in line, and I followed.
There was exposure, there were deep holes and there was an awful lot of steep, janky, algae-covered bedrock.
Dan rode it all, with only a few adrenaline-fuelled whoops. With one of the world’s best riders watching, I was compelled to push well outside my comfort zone and try to follow his tyre tracks.
There became a well-worn phrase of ‘It rolls!’ as I approached the numerous death-defying rock slabs and rock gardens, and I had to simply put my trust in the bike and my slightly weedy arms as I tried to commit and drop into whatever Dan had lined up for me.
For the most part, out in the open, I did myself proud, although I’m not ashamed to admit there were occasional moments where I deployed my legs as a tripod. After watching Dan drop into a horrible gully and have to hop onto the off-camber, wet muddy side, I decided to deploy both legs and carry the bike down.
By this point, I was past being bothered by the vast disparity in our riding capabilities – watching Dan from a distance, hopping and flowing down some incredibly technical trails, was a joy. We were having a laugh, and I was pretty confident there was minimal judgement coming my way.
Having negotiated the wind-swept hillside, we eventually dropped into the forest for more of the same, but with huge roots, bigger holes and more damp slabs of rock.
The riding was intense, the adrenaline was flowing, but the bike more than proved its worth.
Atherton has put together a package with solid geometry, sorted suspension and a punchy motor. I’ve no doubt the engineers behind the S.170E played a big part in me getting down the hill and back to my van in one piece.
Atherton S.170E details
The S.170E is available to order now in the UK and Europe, with three builds on offer.
They range from £6,999 for a RockShox ZEB/Vivid Air Select and SRAM Eagle 90 build, up to £8,999 for a Fox 38/X2 Factory and SRAM X0 Transmission build.
Hayes Dominion brakes and Mavic wheels feature throughout the builds, along with Continental tyres.
