eBike Review: Husqvarna Hard Cross HC5

The name Husqvarna is obviously synonymous with premium quality products and the brand has been making 2 wheeled cycles for over 120 years – which is pretty mind blowing! This is the first bike from the Swedish company that we’ve had the opportunity to review.

Beyond its very striking appearance what were some of your ‘first impressions’ when the Husqvarna Hard Cross HC5 arrived?
It looks sweet in the flesh! Whilst the MTB division of Husqvarna is totally separate from their motorbike division, it’s clear that the designers took cues from other aspects of the company. With an industrial and rugged looking aluminium construction, the frame has some unique features, while maintaining functionality and an approach of “nothing you don’t need, but everything you want”. While these are the first models, we have had available for sale here in Australia, Husqvarna have been at this for some time and there’s no doubting the quality and finish of these machines. 

Clearly Husqvarna’s approach to the design of the HC’s frame is quite unique and it definitely looks burly as it just wants to rip the arms and legs off any trail – would that be fair to say?
Absolutely! With its oversize tubing and more travel than you can poke a stick at, you don’t even need to throw a leg over the HC5 to know it’s ready for gravity warfare where it is more excited about rough trails than you are! We were treated to the top-of-the-line spec for the Aussie market, but there are certainly no compromises on the reliability of components used either, with pure gravity in mind and the need to hit the hard lines lap after lap with confidence that the bike will be there no matter the riders input. The Hard Cross was certainly in its element when the trails were at their most challenging, making for a damn exciting ride. 

Run us through some of the key numbers and details of the bike? 
At the heart of the HC5 is an all-aluminium frameset, offered solely in a mixed wheel setup, 29” front, 27.5” in the rear. It’s then balanced with a 180mm travel fork and 170mm of rear travel. There are no options of geometry adjustment within the frame and the overall geometry is on the conservative side of things, my test bike was a medium so I will quote those numbers for reference. With a reach of 455mm, chainstay of 445mm and a stack of 661mm, fitted with a 50mm stem from factory the general feel of the bike is not cramped, nor overly spacious, it sits right in the middle ground. On the angles front, we have a 64.5 degree head tube angle and a 77.3 degree seat tube angle, so it is on the steeper side of the spectrum in the head tube department for a bike of its travel, however given the overall weight of the bike this is somewhat negated on steeper descents due to the added stability.

Sounds like a real weapon indeed. What motor and battery have Husky matched this bike with?
Husqvarna went with the latest iteration of the Shimano EP801 motor and coupled that with a 720Wh battery mounted through the underside of the downtube. A solid option for the long travel rig, the only real issue I’ve had to date with the bike is to do with the ABUS/Shimano battery lock however. With the lock and latch essentially failing on the first ride, which was then replaced and I haven’t had an issue since. With the battery being quick and easy to remove makes the option of charging away from the bike attractive to some, however the plastic battery cover that is no different really to many other brands is a little tinnie sounding out on the trail and doesn’t quite suit the quality of the rest of the bike. A small gripe though in the grand scheme of things. 

Husqvarna offer the Hard Cross in 3 models down here in Oz and this particular version, the HC5, is the top of the line spec. Give us a run down on some of the HC’5 key components and do you think they’ve done a pretty good job of making it all mesh neatly?
Husqvarna Aus treated us in terms of the spec level they provided for testing. Dripping with Kashima on it’s Fox Float 38 Factory grip 2 fork and Fox Float X2 Factory rear air shock. The groupset has been taken care of by a SRAM X01 ensemble, paired with Magura MT7 brakes and big rotors. My first time riding Newman wheels and their Evolution SL mixed wheelset stayed perfectly tensioned and true throughout, which was a true testimony to their strength and quality on my local trails, they were wrapped in some super sticky Schwalbe rubber. The build kit was rounded out by a Husqvarna branded cockpit which felt nice, but at the end of the day it’s a super personal thing. 

You stated before that the bike has gravity focused DNA running through its electric veins, what type of trails did you venture to throughout the time you spent reviewing it?
While my first venture out on the HC5 was at a mellow XC type trail centre, from then on it was dealt with nothing but punishment on my normal Blue Mountains local trails which given the super dry then stormy conditions of late are particularly rough and chopped out, with steep and twisty climbs back up.  So, what better place to test a long travel e-MTB! A few things that my local trails generally highlight is the installation quality of linkage bolts and general frame assembly, which was a non-issue with the HC5. All pivot bolts retained tension from factory which is generally only a trait of “super-bikes” in much higher price brackets than this. It was also where the quality and strength of the Newman wheelset was highlighted. I have seen Newman wheels overseas for many years, but they may not be a common name in Aus. This shouldn’t be a deterrent though; they are the real deal! 

Did the HC’5 handling live up to your expectation when you pointing it down a hill?
It certainly did! As I mentioned before in regard to Husqvarna’s general design of “nothing you don’t need, but everything you want”, the ride feel is the same. There are no surprises in the handling of the bike in any circumstances, it is a super solid performer when the going gets rough, but at the same time is happy enough trotting around the trail centre without feeling like a Clydesdale. But the rougher the trail, the more the long travel beast just eats it up. With a solid suspension platform and the super adjustable Fox Factory suspension it was an easy task to get the bike setup comfortably for the chopped out trails of the Blue Mountains. 

We know that you’re into big jumps and sending drops – how did the HC5 handle some airtime?
With a predictable feeling and a central riding position there was no issues with the confidence levels from the first ride at all! Admittedly, as you would imagine with its advertised weight of 24.6kg this bike is never going to be the most agile when airborne, but as I discovered it’s still plenty capable of hitting any jump out there. 

Given that it’s such a big burly bike did you find that it struggled when you had to climb or traverse sections of trail?
While it is a long travel brawler, the Fox Float X2 that came on the HC5 model does have a pedal platform lever fitted, which stiffens the rear end up nicely for climbing. The overall geometry numbers aren’t particularly slack or long either, so there was so issues blasting up the climbs, especially with the 85Nm and plenty of battery life at your toe tips.

How did you find the performance of the Shimano EP8 motor?
The latest iteration of the EP8 motor, coupled with the latest version of its controlling software still seems to be the rock solid middle ground of motors on the market. To be honest, it doesn’t stand out above the pack in any one aspect, but on the flip side it doesn’t fall over anywhere either. It does everything as you’d expect, which rings true to all Shimano products. In the last 12 months Shimano have been investing a lot in their race sponsored teams, who to the naked eye aren’t running any new hardware, so it leaves me wondering if we are going to see some massive leaps forward soon with the software side of things, or are they developing a wolf in sheep’s clothing in front of our eyes, time will tell! 

We know that you’re a fan of mixed wheel size bikes at the best of times and the HC comes spec’d as stock with a mullet. Did you feel that the mullet set-up enhanced the way that the Hard Cross handles?
We are seeing more and more as time goes on, that e-MTB’s are being released at a mixed wheel size. With the constraints of mounting the motor in position, from a geometry point of view mounting a 29” rear wheel stretches the rear end out to a point where making the manoeuvrability of the rear end a lot to handle, when taking into consideration the added “E” weight of the bike. My personal feelings aside, I think mixed wheel size on long travel e-MTB’s is the way forward, with the extra weight and slacker head tube angle, the more manageable rear end makes up for any loss in control over the back end of the bike. 

Having spent a bunch of time testing this bike what kind of rider do you think the HC5 is going to suit the most?
The HC5 will favour those that are hungry for as much gravity descending as they can sink their teeth into and require a bike that will put up with the punishment. With a high end spec and a sturdy, reliable frame the Husqvarna won’t leave you wanting more in my eyes other than potentially swapping out the controls depending on personal preferences. It’s super exciting to me that brands like Husqvarna continue with their e-MTB ventures and look forward to the future to see how much they push the bike industry itself! 

eBike Review: Husqvarna Hard Cross HC5

Frame: Alloy 6061 Alloy throughout. 
Frame sizing: S, M, L, XL
Travel: 180mm/170mm
Wheels: ‘Mullet’ 29”/27.5” specific
Motor: Shimano EP8 85 Nm
Battery: 720Wh
Parts: FOX 38 Grip 2 Factory fork, FOX Float X2 Factory rear shock, Shimano XTR/Deore mixed drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes, DT Swiss HX 1700 wheels, Schwalbe rubber. 
Weight: 24.6kg
Price: $11,999.00
Browse: www.husqvarna-bicycles.com

For more eBike content head to www.revolutionmtb.com.au Now in its 20th year of print!