KTM MACINA LYCAN 273
£3,949.99 Trades less stability for a light, agile feel
KTM’s shortest-travel e-MTB has the lighter handling feel and kit to match. That leaves it undergunned when gravity gets behind the extra motor/battery mass.
The frame
While the Macina Lycan follows the classic ‘battery where the bottle would normally be’ e-bike layout, it was the only Bosch bike on test where we didn’t have significant rattle and security issues with the big trapezoidal 500Wh power pack, which sits in a precision-made gravity-cast cradle. The shock drives back and down through a split seat tube to keep suspension weight low and central. Four sizes are available, but the reach of each one is short by modern trail bike standards.
The kit
The Bosch motor is coaxed into life via flimsy-feeling KTM cranks that were already slightly bent on our sample when it arrived. An Intuvia central display and lefthand controller are attached to the crowded 740mm bar, which also holds a shifter, dropper post lever and twin-trigger remote lockout for the RockShox Revelation RL fork, which has skinny 32mm legs and relatively simple damping. Boostwidth hubs stiffen up the wheels but the 25mm rims and 2.35in tyres look and feel skinny next to the plus-size wheel packs on other bikes here, and high pressures are needed to avoid pinch flats. The broad, flat saddle won’t suit all, and the KS dropper is externally routed, with a short stroke.
The ride
The KTM has the lightest wheels and fastest tyres on test. So, while the torque of the motor is the same as on the other Bosch bikes here, it’s quicker to pick up speed in the first few metres. It’s also easier (a relative term) to pedal if the battery dies or you push past the speed limiter, although the Shimano-driven Focus just edges it overall. Shifting needs care on steep slopes, as the Shimano mech and 11-46t cassette don’t lift the chain into the bigger ratios as smoothly as a SRAM set-up. The Bosch motor is as noisy as ever too.
Lighter wheels and a steeper head angle make it quick to turn into tighter technical situations, particularly on climbs, where slacker bikes can wander off line. The 740mm bar also fits through smaller gaps. You have to allow for the long 490mm chainstays when turning though, and the super-low BB (315mm) and motor belly meant we regularly sumped out or hit the crank ends.
While the suspension weight is well centred and the ride height very low, the steep steering and short reach mean the front end is less stable than on the other bikes here. The skinny fork and narrow bar provide less steering muscle to force the KTM in the direction you want, and 180mm (not 200mm) brake rotors make it harder to slow its 23kg mass down or initiate a slide to help the steering. The shorter-stroke suspension combines with the longer leverage and increased inertia of the distant back wheel to make the shock thump to the limit of its impact capacity a lot quicker than on the other bikes too.
We can't help thinking that most riders would be better off with the marginally heavier but theoretically more controlled 160mm Kapoho LT 273, which gets a RockShox Yari fork and 760mm bar.