Stealth Electric Bikes
Stealth Bikes Drops Their Best eMTB Lineup Yet For 2021
Australian-made electric bike manufacturer Stealth Bikes has rolled out their full line of burly e-bikes for 2021, and continues to push the boundary between mountainbike and dirtbike even further with their high-speed, high-adrenaline two-wheelers.
Stealth took a unique approach to the eMTB game back in 2008 with the original Stealth Bomber, and they’ve only gotten wilder since. You’re more likely to mistake a Stealth for a motocross bike than a bicycle, and that’s the way they want it.
In fact there’s only one bike in their lineup that actually utilizes a rear derailleur or even a single crown fork, with all other models opting for their own unique combinations of high-torque motors and innovative transmissions.
These bikes defy all convention, but certainly guarantee a good time regardless of which one you’re throwing a leg over. We’ll dive into the full range of Stealth bikes for 2021 below to highlight some of the unique aspects of these powerful off-roaders.
Stealth Bikes B-52
The Stealth B-52 is something of a singularity in the electric bike world.
It has an ignition key, but also a set of SR-Suntour cranks and platform pedals.
Stout 24-inch spoked wheels look like something taken from a demonic BMX bike, but the dual-crown 200mm fork they’re sitting in defies all explanation.
And honestly, we can’t explain it to you either. You just have to ride one.
A quick glance at the spec sheet will have you wondering if the pedals actually play any part in propelling the 112-pound B-52 up to its 50mph top speed.
But pedaling is actually half the fun on a B-52, and that’s where Stealth’s unique Vboxx technology comes in. The Vboxx is a 9-speed sequential gearbox that utilizes pedal strokes to double torque output when accelerating.
Think of it as a pedal-driven supercharger, because that’s certainly what it feels like.
Stealth advertises a 60-mile range for the B-52’s 2,000Wh battery, but that figure is based on “economy” mode, which only utilizes a fraction of the bike’s ludicrous 6200-watt peak output to keep things moving.
To the B-52’s credit, however, even at full power Stealth claims a full 25-mile range from the battery.
That’s pretty impressive considering that even KTM’s modern electric dirtbike, the Freeride E-XC, struggles to travel even 20 full miles in performance mode and shares the same 50mph top speed.
In terms of suspension, the B-52 comes with a factory-tuned Fastace fork, which delivers a full 200mm of travel in the front and is fully adjustable for preload, compression, and rebound. A DVO Emerald fork is also offered as an optional upgrade if you like your front-squish extra premium.
Out back the B-52 is even more impressive, packing a full 250mm of travel from a DNM Burner coil shock.
Magura four-piston hydraulic brakes bite down on 203mm rotors to ensure all that power and weight stays under control at even breakneck speeds, and grippy Duro Razorback tires supply the teeth to back it up.
What may surprise riders the most about the B-52 is that just like every other model in the Stealth Bikes lineup, all that power can be fully recharged in just three hours…
Stealth Bikes F-37
Rowdy little-brother to the B-52, the F-37 is a high-powered eMTB designed to plow through the rowdiest singletrack, and fits into the Stealth lineup at a balanced 50/50 mountainbike/motorbike hybrid.
The F-37 shares many components with the B-52, including the same 200mm Fastace dual-crown fork and 24”x3.0” wheels and tires, but opts for a shorter-travel DNM coil shock in the rear (relatively speaking, it’s still a full 200mm).
The same powerful Magura MT5 four-piston hydraulic brake setup comes from the B-52 as well, so stopping power is available in spades on any terrain.
Top speed on the F-37 is a bit slower, with the 1500Wh battery maxing out at 38mph, but the range figures are the same as the B-52 on a full charge in both the economy and competition modes.
Pedaling efficiency and a much lighter curb weight of 88lbs make those distances possible, with some help from the efficient 2-speed transmission housed inside the F-37’s bottom bracket.
The F-37 also features a switch to engage regenerative braking, which can extend the bike’s range even further by scavenging energy from the rear wheel and feeding it back to battery pack.
Stealth Bikes P-7R
Half electric commuter, half enduro bike, the P-7R is the is the only model in the Stealth lineup that could be accused of resembling a traditional mountain bike.
That’s because although the sturdy utilitarian frame is unmistakably a Stealth Bikes creation, the P-7R gets a full suite of traditional eMTB parts.
The front fork, for instance, is a 180mm Durolux, a premium single crown model from the folks at SR Suntour that is fully adjustable for high and low speed compression damping.
Suntour also supplies the squish at the rear, with a shorter 120mm travel DUAIR shock that is adjustable for rebound and also has a lockout funtion for technical climbs.
Speaking of climbing, the P-7R features a wide-range 9-speed mountain bike cassette designed to allow the bike to climb using only pedal power. That’ll come in handy if you can’t quite make it home from the trail or office on a single charge.
Of course with a claimed 100 mile range from the P-7R’s optional 1500Wh battery upgrade, you’d have to put in a pretty long day in the saddle to run the battery dry.
As you might expect from a bike spending some amount of time on public roads, the P-7R won’t keep up with the off-road focused B-52 and F-37 models. Although it shares a peak output with the latter, the top speed cuts out at 28mph.
And although the P-7R is by far the lightest of the three models, weighing in at only 63 lbs, Stealth still specs it with the same powerful hydraulic brakes and rotors from Magura, so stopping distances should be even more impressive on this daily rider.
It’s also worth mentioning that anyone digging the Stealth Bikes aesthetic who isn’t planning on any serious offroading tcan opt for a commuter-focused package called the Stealth P-7.
The P-7 shares the same quality components as the P-7R but keeps the power down to a conservative 250w output, which will still manages to propel the P-7 up to a full 20mph with a 100 mile range using the available 1500Wh battery.