eBike Review: GasGas ECC5

It’s not often a brand releases an ebike that’s visually different to anything we’ve seen before. But the new GASGAS ECC5 certainly has a look of its own that draws heavily from the Austrian brand’s moto heritage. Read more in the first of our eBike content collaboration with [R]evolution MTB Magazine and their electrically aspirated [E]volution annual.

Tell us about your first impressions of the bike when it arrived at the office for testing?
I had been following the development of this project through GasGas’s E-EDR race team since it started popping up on social media, the striking design features, the whispers of the included development alongside SRAM and their long anticipated entry into the e-MTB motor world as well as a motorbike brand giving it a red hot crack made for something super exciting to watch from the sidelines.

The culmination of all these factors certainly didn’t disappoint when we got our hot little hands on the ECC test bike after a heart wrenching wait. There is so much to unpack around what GasGas have brought to the table with this new range of bikes, all the factors of which we will go into finer detail.

The first impressions are nothing less than that of pure excitement and awe around how much work has gone into making the full package come together. 

Can you hit us with the bike’s key figures? 
My medium test bike is boasting 29inch wheels front and rear. On the suspension travel front, we are working with 170mm up front and 170mm out the rear, taken care of by a traditional 4-bar linkage setup. The geometry numbers are on the longer side of things, a 475mm reach and 465mm chainstay make for a super stable “racey” feeling ride. With the headtube angle at 64 degrees and seat tube angle of 75 degrees it’s nothing too crazy considering how modern everything else on the bike feels. 

Is the frame full carbon or a mix of alloy as well? What is the finish detail like? 
The ECC frames are a full carbon fibre configuration which from the outside look to be high quality as you’d expect from a high-end bike. The carbon is coated in some bling paintwork to top it off with, the actual finish looks and feels fantastic. The overall fit and finish of the frame components comes together to make a top tier finished product. 

Let’s dive a little deeper in the aesthetic component that really sets the bike apart, tell us a bit about those fairings – they’re clearly a very striking design piece on the bike but they also serve a practical purpose as well? 
The most striking aspect of the new ECC range of bikes are the fairings, while they do get some mixed opinions when people see the bike in the flesh, I love them! I think they are a very cool take on GasGas’s differentiating design tactic, playing homage to their moto-x heritage while also acting as super functional frame protection, not some pissy clear sticker that will realistically offer minimal protection. And while they aren’t for everyone, they absolutely don’t have to be in place, they are completely removable and replaceable. 

So, the bike clearly looks epic but the other thing that sent our hearts racing when it was first announced by GasGas was, of course, the bike’s motor. Let’s talk about the much anticipated PowerTrain unit? 
The heartbeat of the ECC 5 is SRAM’s much anticipated all new powertrain   e-MTB motor. This has been a hugely anticipated entry into the industry that a lot like myself, many people have been hoping that it would be worth the wait and boy, were our prayers answered! Working hand in hand with SRAM’s Transmission drivetrain, to offer the optional ‘Auto-shift and coast-shift technology‘ setting as well, the whole package is seamless out on the trails.

The motor itself is made by Brose who have been at the top of the e-MTB game since the very beginning. It offers a familiar feeling to a super modern setup. With an impressive 90Nm of torque and 680 Watts of peak power you won’t be left wanting more on the performance front. While it may seem odd that there are only two ride modes, Range or Rally, once you setup the bike to your specs in the AXS app around your shifting preferences it becomes super obvious that these are the only two modes any e-MTB needs.

It does give a completely new take to the e-Bike experience however just like the fairings on the frame, the Powertrain can be setup to be ridden like any other e-MTB if that’s what you would prefer. 

What size battery comes as stock in the bike and is there any after-market battery options? 
The energy source behind the powertrain is a 630Wh battery, hidden within the down tube of the GasGas, I found this to be a great size for the riding that the ECC 5 was leading me to do and although we weren’t supplied with one there is an aftermarket range extender type external battery available that is compatible with the Powertrain systems, which will add 250Wh of battery juice to the permanent battery. 

Given that you’ve ridden pretty much every e-MTB motor on the market, how would you describe the ‘feel’ of the Powertrain unit compared to others? 
The very familiar feeling of the previous Brose made Specialized motors is still present within the Powertrain motor and I am absolutely fine with that! With a very solid yet smooth delivery of assistance it’s evident that SRAM didn’t want to change the roots of how the Brose motor felt out on the trails. This coupled with the Auto-Shift and Coast-Shift functionalities means that you are always in the right gear for maximum efficiency and performance from the whole package. 

Staying true to their motorbike roots, GasGas have spec’d this bike with some pretty unique suspension front and rear – can you tell us a bit about the fork and shock?
DVO who are long term players in the high-end MTB suspension game have collaborated with WP suspension, one of the leaders in the motorbike suspension game to create some bespoke units for the GasGas bikes. From the outside you have the familiar look of the DVO Onyx fork and Jade rear shock, however on the inside they are controlled by WP’s proprietary Cone Valve technology which you will find on high end GasGas, KTM and Husqvana motorbikes, how bloody cool is that! We haven’t seen anything like this for quite some time, maybe the most notable instance of this was the Honda DH team project where we saw Showa suspension being developed on MTBs for moto use, sadly, the MTB elements never saw the light of day. This is super exciting stuff to see these partnerships being made and leaves a lot to be pondered upon for where they will lead in the future. 

And so, how did the fork and shock feel/perform out on the trails? 
Naturally with no setup baseline to go off of like I normally would with a Fox or Rockshox setup, it was back to basics to get myself going out on the trails. The first few rides were a bit of trial and error, things were feeling quite different to what I’d expected. Once I’d gotten to know the bike as a whole a little better, that’s when the suspension came into its own. The Cone Valve setup really shows its true colours when being pushed hard out on the trails, it wants you to push into it through corners and rougher terrain and offers great traction and trail feel when doing so. When just cruising through tougher sections of trail it doesn’t offer as much feel as other brands, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it was quite refreshing to have a fresh feeling coming from the bike. 

Given that it’s a big full powered e-MTB how does the Gas-Gas go on the scales and what does its weight feel like to throw whilst you’re riding? 
Clocking the scales at the advertised 24.4kg the ECC 5 is certainly no SL, but with more power than you can poke a stick at and a pretty burly, race reliable build nor should it be. For me personally with the 29er rear wheel and being a shorter guy the weight made it a bit harder to throw around like I normally would given the reasonably long geo numbers, but on the flip side this bike was designed from the ground up around a top tier E-EDR team so it shouldn’t be any surprise that it hauled ass when pushed hard, there will always be compromise depending on what the main objective of the bike is set out to be. 

Overall, what was the personality of the Gas-Gas like out on the trails – where did it feel great and were there any times that left you less impressed with its performance? 
The ECC 5 feels like the epitome of a bike that has been developed by a race team, from the geometry, to the WP influence over the DVO suspension and everything in between. I found it very exciting following along the journey (or what I could piece together) from GasGas and SRAM throughout the development, it gives more meaning to the end product I feel. The ECC 5 thrives on being ridden fast and it will return serve with how hard you push the bike, it will always come back for more.

The only performance issues I had with the bike overall were with the brakes and wheels. While we didn’t have the top tier spec option, it certainly wasn’t a budget build either and I was definitely left wanting more from the SRAM G2 RS brakes, although there are appropriately sized rotors, the G2’s did struggle pulling up the 24.4kg bike plus myself when barrelling down the trail at race pace. The wheelset on the bike wasn’t up to scratch either, the Mach 1 Trucky rims were no match for what is a pretty treacherous testing ground, ultimately they didn’t last too many rides without showing signs of not being the right choice for such a heavy hitting bike. 

To wrap this up, what sort of a rider would you recommend this bike to? 
The nature of this bike will definitely appeal to riders that like to push themselves and their machine. Not necessarily a racer to be specific, but someone who is always wanting to push their limits. The bike as a whole feels at its best when the rider is very active and has a lot of input into the trail, rather than being a more passive rider. 

GasGas ECC5

Frame: Carbon construction with large removable ‘plastic’ protection panels
Travel: 170mm fork, 160mm rear. 
Wheelsize: 29’er
Motor: SRAM Powertrain
Battery: Powertrain custom 630Wh
Display: SRAM Eagle Powertrain AXS Bridge Display
Key spec: DVO Onyx D1CV SL fork, DVO JadeX CV Coil shock, SRAM GX Eagle Transmission 1×12, SRAM G2 RS brakes, SRAM AXS Pod Ultimate Controllers, Maxxis rubber front and rear. 
Weight: 24.1kg 
Price: $14,099.00

Browse: www.gasgas.com/bicycles/en-au

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