Riese & Müller have form for making some very interesting bikes, and the Delite is certainly that. We weren't sure that the world needed a dual-battery, full-suspension, 650b gravel/touring electric bike, but now we want one.
Dual battery technology is Bosch's latest thing. Until such a time as batteries get three times as good, range will always be an issue when you're heading into the unknown. A standard Bosch system will give you up to about 100km from a 500Wh battery, if you're very sparing with the assistance, and it's not too hilly. Adding a second battery doubles that at a stroke, and also builds a bit of redundancy into the system: if one of the batteries develops a fault, you can still keep going under power.
The Delite fits both batteries into the main triangle of the bike. That's neat enough, but it does mean there's nowhere for a water bottle to go, which could be an issue if you're planning some remote riding. Riese & Müller have some up with a neat solution though...
At the front of the bike, behind the head tube, there are two studs on either side of the frame. And on those studs can be fitted one of fabric's clever cageless water bottles. So you can carry as much water as you normally would.
The bike is full-suspension, with a standard telescopic fork up front and a single pivot suspension system at the rear. Riese & Müller have sensibly kept the pannier rack attached to the main frame so it's unsprung weight, which means that the suspension response should be better. There's no front pannier racks but the rear (and a bar bag at the front) would give you plenty of carrying capacity.
The bike is available either with a standard derailleur setup, a chain-driven Rohloff 14-speed hub gear, or a Gates Carbon belt drive running a Nuvinci continuously variable rear hub. Single- and dual-battery options are available, and you can have the standard Intuvia display or the more fully-featured Nyon. A 45km/h speed pedelec version of the bike is also available. Depending on the spec you choose, the Delite will cost you at least £4,319 and not more than £6,659. Not cheap, but it's a lot of bike and a really interesting option if you fancy heading out into the great unknown. With a helping hand.
