Icelandic brand Lauf, best known for its gravel race bikes, has joined the eMTB market with the eElja – an electrified trail version of its Elja XC bike – and a keep-it-simple philosophy.
The eElja is a ‘true’ SL eMTB, with a lightweight 130mm-travel frame, 140mm fork, compact 360Wh battery and TQ’s latest lightweight HPR60 motor contributing to a claimed weight of less than 17kg.
Lauf wanted to build an eMTB for those who are happy to put a bit more effort into their assisted rides, who value the bike’s handling and motor feel over all-out power.
As per the non-powered Elja XC bike, Lauf employs a simple single-pivot design, while a bit of digging through TQ’s catalogue revealed a simpler solution to motor and battery displays.
In doing so, Lauf has built an electric mountain bike that blends on-trail capability with a bit of subtle assistance in a package that’s as fuss-free as they come.
I travelled to Lauf's home in Iceland to see the new eElja and get in a first ride in its natural habitat.
- Read more: Best lightweight electric mountain bikes 2026 – 7 top-rated light eMTBs, plus our buyer's guide
Simple but effective
The relationship to the non-assisted Elja is clear, with the two bikes sharing an almost identical silhouette.
The front triangle has a deep head tube, which is slightly bulkier than the XC bike to cope with weight and the additional travel on offer, while the tubes’ form is a little more angular than on the XC bike.
The down tube’s svelte cross-section holds the 360Wh battery, with the charging port at the top of the tube.
The motor is non-structural to the frame, so it shouldn’t impact ride quality. Given its prominent position at the base of the bike, there’s a guard to protect its leading edge from damage.
Above and forward of the motor is the main pivot, from which the asymmetrical rear triangle emerges.
In a nod to durability and serviceability, the main pivot consists of a SRAM DUB bottom bracket – no proprietary or difficult-to-source bearings here, and as long as you have a DUB BB tool to hand, no bearing presses are needed when the bearings wear out.
This system, says Lauf, is durable and stiff, while simplicity is a definite side benefit.
Towards the back
The main pivot is a touch lower than on the non-assisted Elja.
This reduces the anti-squat value of the frame, providing a smoother ride, because there’s less interaction between the chain and the suspension.
With a motor adding some extra oomph, there’s less requirement for the suspension to be as pedal-efficient as the XC-focused Elja.
The swingarm has two thin arms driving the shock, dubbed LSP. The Lauf Single Pivot system’s arms are laterally flexible, designed to isolate the shock from lateral loads, which cause stiction and wear.
The forward portion of the swingarm is built to be stiff, while flex is allowed further rearward in the arms, to ensure the rear wheel can track off-cambers and roots effectively.
To give the extra 10mm of suspension travel the eElja has over the Elja, Lauf has mounted the shock lower in the frame and lengthened the chainstays by 13mm.
How it’s powered
The Lauf team wanted to use TQ’s new HPR 60 motor because of its "elegant and fascinating" harmonic drive system.
The brand was originally founded by a pair of prosthetic engineers, whose experience with glass fibre springs in prosthetic blades gave rise to Lauf's unique Trail Racer and Grit leaf-sprung suspension forks.
Prosthetic knees, which founder Benedikt Skulason also worked on, use harmonic drive system motors, similar to those found in the HPR60.
The recently updated motor is IP67-rated against water and dust ingress – something useful in Iceland, where rides frequently involve river crossings, and the wind can whip up rolling clouds of lava-based dust.
The motor has up to 350W of assistance, with 60Nm of torque, placing it squarely in the lighter-weight and lower-assistance bracket.
The three modes are pre-programmed to give 50%, 100% and 150% assistance up to 350W, although the modes can be tuned via the TQ app.
While the 360Wh battery is small in comparison to most other eMTBs, this works with Lauf’s intention of building a true SL eMTB. The battery capacity and motor strength are subtle rather than punchy, with an aim of giving a more natural ride feel.
Should you want a little more juice, a 160Wh range extender can be fitted into the frame triangle, while still leaving room for a 500ml bottle, even on a small-sized bike.
I measured a size-medium bike at 16.7kg, although it had lighter Goodyear Peak tyres fitted, rather than the more aggressive 2.6in Goodyear Escape Trail Max that will come fitted to the bike.
Should you want the faster-rolling Peaks, they can be specced when ordering the bike.
Keeping it simple
It feels like simplicity has been a key consideration during the construction of the eElja.
The single-pivot suspension, with its DUB bottom bracket, is as pared down as it gets.
This extends to the motor’s implementation, too.
Rather than fit a large screen into the top tube, which increases weight and price, Lauf noticed the TQ catalogue included a small road bike bar-end display.
This simple five-LED display shows basic battery and mode selection data.
Lauf has used this as the only on-bike display for the system, placed on the top of the top tube.
Its argument goes that if you need more data on the motor, its modes and other information, you’re able to get this via your computer.
With bikes designed for riders looking to go further, many will double up on displays, adding a bike computer to the bar for ride data and navigation.
Likewise, with the frame being wireless-only – gears and dropper – the spare button on the SRAM AXS left-hand pod can be used to toggle through the motor’s three modes, thus removing an item of hardware from the bar.
In practice, it’s an incredibly elegant solution.
Well kitted out
As hinted at, both models are fully wireless to keep the bike as fuss-free as possible. SRAM’s AXS Transmission groupsets and AXS Reverb dropper keep the battery count high and cables non-existent.
To keep handling calm, FSA’s damped ‘Honey’ stabilising headset bearings are fitted. These help filter out trail chatter through the bar.
The Weekend Warrior build, priced at $6,990, comes with a GX Transmission, RockShox Pike Select fork and a Deluxe Select shock.
The Race build ($8,490) comes with Select+ level Pike and Deluxe suspension, an X0 Transmission, carbon rims and cranks, and, in a nod to keeping the ride as smooth as possible, e*thirteen Sidekick hub.
The hub disengages itself while freewheeling, so the chain can’t tug on the rear wheel when the suspension compresses – as such, there’s little to no pedal feedback.
Lauf eElja initial ride impressions
So, how does the eElja ride?
From the off, as per any lightweight eMTB, the eElja rides trails much like a non-powered mountain bike, but with a hint of additional smoothness and stability.
The suspension system may be simple, but it's effective, offering decent control over hits – large and small.
With the pivot placement designed to give less intersection between chain and suspension, as well as the Sidekick hub in the rear, it’s incredibly smooth over trail ripples. On bigger hits, the bike eases into its mid-to-late stroke without any harshness.
I didn’t spend enough time on the bike with the more aggressive Goodyear Escape tyres, but my experience of the Peaks is that, even with minimal tread, in all but muddy conditions, there is far more grip on tap than the tread pattern might suggest.
The Escapes have much chunkier tread blocks, so I should imagine grip levels will be high.
While Lauf hasn’t gone wild with the geometry, the bike's shape is definitely modern.
The head angle sits at 65 degrees, while reach figures across the four sizes range from 416mm to 502mm. Chainstays are moderately long at 448mm across all sizes, boosting the wheelbase for increased stability.
The eElja proved confident on swooping woodland trails, wide-open rocky tracks and through the bike park – at least in the context of it being a shorter-travel, lightweight trail bike.
I was certainly happy giving it as much of a hammering as I was able to on blind tracks.
The lightweight motor and battery don’t offer the same punchy uphill performance as a full-power ebike motor does, and so if you were moving from a full-fat eMTB to a bike such as this, you will be putting more effort into your ascents.
But if you’re coming from a non-assisted ride and are looking for a little extra help, the TQ HPR60 motor is one of the best out there.
It’s quiet, with minimal whirring or buzzing, adding to the very natural ride feel the motor provides.
There’s no jerk as you set off from standing, instead a nice feed-in of power. Likewise, on rolling terrain, the motor doesn’t give you a boot up the backside when you put in a few pedal strokes; it massages your efforts into something just a little more impressive.
Lauf’s simple integration of the motor and battery is a nice counterpoint to the jungle of wires, displays and controllers that some eMTBs can suffer from. The system is integrated very neatly and not in your face.
If you want a simple but effective assisted ride, where the motor’s performance isn’t front and centre of your experience, Lauf’s eElja might be right up your street.
Four colours will be offered – Sóley Yellow, Basalt Black, Geysir Gray & Borealis – with bikes available directly from Lauf.
