Bulls Grinder Evo Lite – Capable Gravel eBike

As the gravel scene continues to grow, e-bikes have been an inevitable future segment for bike makers. Their ability to help riders extend their capabilities has been seen on the road and dirt, so they should have a similar benefit when the road gets dirty. Bulls has built a reputation of making some solid e-bikes and I had had a chance to ride their Grinder Evo Lite for a number of months.

One of the biggest questions I have with e-bikes is, is the added weight of the battery, motor, and electronics worth it? In the first e-bike I had the chance to use, it was a definite yes. The Tern Vektron was a great compact folding bike, and the boost from the system made commuting a joy, even through rolling hills. But for road and gravel, where I could be spending hours in the saddle at high and low speeds, the Grinder Evo Lite was going to be put to the test compared to a regular gravel bike.

The Grinder Evo Lite is the evolution of the Grinder Evo line. The foundation is an aluminum frame with a carbon fork with a 15mm thru-axle up front and a 12mm outback. The drivetrain is mainly Shimano R7000 105 2×11 with hydraulic disc brakes and an FSA 50/34 crankset. It uses a Fazua Evation Black Pepper 255W motor with Fazua 255wh/36v/7Ah battery, which maxes out at 20 mph when assisting your pedaling. There are three different levels of boost to use that can be changed on the fly with the button on the downtube. These levels will increase boost with shorter battery life, or decrease the boost for more endurance.

The Fazua Evation system is comprised of four main parts, the battery, the drive pack, the bottom bracket gearbox, and the sensors/remote. The nice thing is that the battery/drive pack combo is removable so that the bike can be ridden conventionally at a lower weight (reduced by 7.3 lbs) and no drag on the drivetrain. It still makes for a heavier bike, but it gives you options.

The cockpit is pretty standard. Aluminum bars, stem, and post, and a pretty generic saddle that an average rider will probably find comfortable (a little soft for me). The seat post collar and stem have mounts for Monkey Link accessories. They are powered mounts that you can swap in various lights and other accessories and provide a sleek, integrated look. Wheels are DT Swiss E1800 Spline 23 wrapped in Schwalbe G-One Allround RaceGuards in a 40mm width. Nothing fancy, but they definitely do the job for an e-bike.

On The Road

Getting the Grinder Evo Lite out on the road (and gravel), it feels like a normal bike, just heavier. Going from an 18.5 lb carbon conventional gravel bike to a 32-39 lb bike, you can definitely feel the difference. When the Fazua Evation system kicks in though, it helps to overcome the additional weight. The boost is smooth and predictable as you pedal up to 20 mph, but once you hit that point, you are on your own to push to a higher speed. Standing and climbing, the bike felt solid, with no flex in the frame, even with the carved out sections of the downtube for the battery. Bulls did a great job incorporating everything to keep it sleek and solid, with or without the battery. The Grinder Evo Lite handles well on both road and gravel, creating a stable platform that inspires confidence. Due to the weight, it definitely is not the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden, but it was comfortable and would be fun for anyone looking for a little assistance in their ride.

I do have a few gripes though.

First off, the Grinder Evo Lite only comes in two sizes, 54 and 58. This means someone like my wife, who is 5’2″ and could use something like this to join me on some gravel rides, it would be too big for her. My demo bike was a 54, and it was definitely too big. The geo chart pegs the 54 as the bike for people that are 5’8″-6’2″, or an inseam of 32″-24″. The 58 covers 6’2″-6’7″, of 34″-38″ inseam. Unfortunately, shorter riders are out of luck.

Next, is the stem. I usually go with a smaller frame anyways, but the geo chart confirms it. I forgot to measure the stem length before shipping it back, but it was REALLY short. I’m hoping that when you purchase a Grinder Evo Lite from a Bulls dealer that you can possibly swap out the Monkey Link stem to a more appropriate length, but it was probably a solid 3-5cm shorter than what I typically ride (100-110mm). Due to the mount below for various accessories from Monkey Link and the wires to power them, I’m doesn’t seem like something that can be swapped for just any old stem.

Finally, the weight. For someone that averages closer to 20+ mph on the road, I could definitely feel the weight. Don’t get me wrong, the bike rode well, but when it came time to push on the flats, it took more work to get to and maintain speeds over 20mph. The boost was nice to get there, but when you max its speed out, you simply start to feel the weight. Even with dropping the battery, the Grinder Evo Lite is still almost double the weight of any of my carbon road or gravel bikes. Even a fairly standard aluminum gravel bike would still undercut the Grinder Evo Lite by about 7-10lbs. If I was a more casual rider, the weight and boost limit might not be as much of an issue. But for a rider that is looking for performance, it is possibly a deal-breaker.

Overall

I’m torn on the Bulls Grinder Evo Lite. It is a sold bike with a decent spec for a gravel e-bike. The Shimano mini-group works impeccably. Swap out a stem for a more appropriate length, and it would have gotten me into a better position I would have been more comfortable with. But for someone that likes to push for speed on shorter rides, or wanting to push my limits on long, 7+ hour endurance gravel events, I’m not sure there is any e-bike that would be right for me. Also, the lack of a smaller frame I think is a big missed opportunity.

At $4,499.00, the Grinder Evo Lite is an investment. Not as much as some of the other performance level bikes from brands like Cannondale, Niner, and Look, but you can get a really nice conventional gravel bike at that same price. But, if you are sold on a gravel e-bike, the Bulls Grinder Evo Lite is a bit of a deal compared to offerings from the other brands I mentioned.

http://www.bullsbikesusa.com