Review: Ari Timp Peak 2.0 E-Bike

The New Ari Timp Peak 2.0 Is A Lot Different Than The Previous Model But Is It Better?

It's taken me longer than anticipated but I finally got out on the new version of the Ari Timp Peak 2.0. I rode the older version a little over a year ago and did a short review on it. I liked it, but there was something missing. It honestly felt a bit dead. It was good at going fast through the rough but in all other aspects it just felt a bit dead. Hopping on the new Timp Peak, I could quickly tell this was going to be a much different bike. Even just looking at the new Timp Peak you can see it's a totally different bike. The have completely changed the suspension layout and it is now powered by the Bosch CX Gen 5 drive unit, which offers up 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power. Geometry has changed a bit as well. Here is a look at the new vs old geo charts. Someone at Ari told me the Top Tube and reach got shorter and while the bike did feel shorter, looking at the geo charts it looks like the top tube got a bit longer and the reach stayed the same. At least in the configuration I rode it in which was full 29'er in the higher setting. There is a flip chip you can swap to a lower/slacker setting that does shorten the reach up a bit due to the head angle getting slacker and you can choose to run it in a mullet set up as well. The stack height grew by quite a bit and I definitely noticed that out on the trail. Climbing felt a lot more comfortable and I felt like I was in a much more confident position on steeper downhill sections.

Current Timp Peak Geometry

Previous Timp Peak Geometry

Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 Drive Unit

The new Timp Peak is powered by the Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 drive unit. It has 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power. I felt like it was a bit more powerful than the older motor from Shimano that was on the older Timp Peak but not my much. I feel like it delivers the power in a more predictable, smoother manner however. In full turbo mode, I feel like the power comes on in a more natural way and I didn't feel like I was getting looped out or spinning out at all. The bike pedals and coasts very natural without much or any hang up with the motor off. When the power is on you have an Eco, Trail, Adaptive and Turbo mode. The adaptive mode essentially gives you more from the motor as you put more into the pedals and as the terrain changes. With this bike you get an 800WH battery and the option to run a 250WH range extender. Ari says In testing, a 6’4”, 240lb rider can hit over 8,000 feet of vert using the 800Wh battery + range extender combo in turbo mode. Most of my rides on the Timp Peak had around 10 - 12 miles and 1100-1300 ft of vert mostly running in turbo mode and at the end of a ride I had about 1.5 bars of battery used.

Specs

I tested the Pro Build.

Price

$9,699.00

frame

Ari Timp Peak 2.0 CleanCast™ carbon frame, 4-way adjustable TetraLink™ suspension platform, 170mm travel, 29er or mullet compatible, tube-in-tube cable routing, Bosch PowerMore 250 range extender compatible

fork

Rockshox ZEB Ultimate RC2, Charger 3.1 Buttercups, 170mm travel, 15x110 Axle, 42mm offset, tapered steerer

rear shock

RockShox Vivid Ultimate RC2T, Hydraulic Bottom Out, 230x65, Custom Tuned

drivetrain

SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, Wireless, 12-Speed

wheels

Crankbrothers Synthesis Alloy V2 Tuned Wheel System, Crankbrothers Ratchet Hubset (36T ratchets) Carbon wheel upgrade available at checkout

brakes

SRAM Maven Silver, HS2 200/200mm

headset

Cane Creek 40 Series ZS ZS56/ZS56

shifters

SRAM AXS Pod

rear derailleur

SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, 12-Speed

cassette

SRAM XS-1295 XO Eagle, T-Type, 10-52t, 12-speed

crank

SRAM X0 (BDU38), S-L: 155mm, XL: 160mm

chainrings

Praxis E-Spider Bosch BDU38, 104BCD, 34T, Steel

drive unit

Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 (BDU38)

battery

Bosch PowerTube 800 or PowerTube 600, range extender available at check-out

chain

SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, T-Type, 12-speed

handlebars

Ari Team 35, width 780/800mm, 25mm rise, 9° back sweep, 5° Up sweep, bar-customized sizing through Ari Custom Setup (this demo had a OneUp bar)

stem

Ari Charger CNC 35 stem

tape/grips

ODI Elite Pro

saddle

Ergon SM10

seatpost

Oneup V3 Dropper, 31.6mm- customized sizing through Ari Custom Setup (This demo had a TransX dropper)

rims

Crankbrothers Synthesis Alloy V2 Tuned Wheel System, 29, F: 28 Hole, R: 32 Hole, Tubeless ready

hubs

F: Crankbrothers EMTB Ratchet 28H, Disc, 15x110 thru axle, R: Crankbrothers EMTB Ratchet 36T 32H, Disc, 12x148 thru axle, XD

spokes

Pillar PSB34 J-Bend

tires

F: Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5WT, MaxxGrip, DD, TR Protection, Tubeless Ready. R: Minion DHR II, 29x2.5WT, 3C, MaxxTerra, DH, TR Protection, Tubeless Ready

The Pro Build is spec'd with a few of my favorite bits. The Rockshox Zebb, Rockshox Vivid Air and Sram Maven brakes are all items I would put on my long travel bike if I were personally building it myself. If you are a bigger rider like me (I weigh 265 lbs) this is such a good set up! The Zebb and the Vivid feel super buttery and plush even at higher air pressures. Some shocks and forks end up feeling harsh after getting enough air in them to carry heavier riders. The Maven brakes offer up loads of power and I never feel any lacking of power from them. For anyone over 200 lbs, especially on an ebike, Mavens are my personal favorites. Also, as much as I hate having to worry about more batteries to charge, I really do love the SRAM Transmission drivetrain. Shifting is a bit on the slower side but it works so good. Shifting is really crisp and precise. And it just feels good. The ergonomics of the shifter is really comfortable and intuitive too.

Climbing

Climbing on the Timp Peak 2.0 is good, maybe even great. With a 77.7° effective seat tube angle I felt super comfortable and centered over the bike while climbing. With the higher stack height I never felt like I pushing too much into the bars on flatter sections of trail and on steep climbs I never felt like the front end was going to lift at all. The suspension felt like it stayed pretty active through bumpy technical bits and the bike always felt like it was getting plenty of traction. In turbo mode I felt like the bike had plenty of power to get up and through most stuff however when things got really steep I could feel the motor struggle a bit due to my large and heavy stature but that isn't the bikes fault and it never bogged down or didn't make anything I tried. The bike feels really balanced on climbs.

Downhill

Once pointed downhill is where I really noticed how much different this Timp Peak was than the previous generation! Going fast through rough stuff it feels like you would imagine a 170mm travel bike feeling but better. I attribute a lot of this to the Zebb and the Vivid Air but off the top and through the first 25 - 30 percent of the travel this thing is so buttery smooth and so plush. The Timp Peak is super stable and holds a line like the 1986 Chicago Bears offensive line. Where things start to differ is how much more alive this version of the Timp Peak is. This bike is noticeably more precise. Point the bike where you want it to go and it goes. It is super responsive and moves like a much smaller bike in both travel and length. I felt like it is more of a trail bike the way you maneuver and manipulate this thing. The front end is very easy to get off the ground whether you are lifting up and over obstacles or doing small manuals through bumps. Pumping is rewarded by gaining speed and there is plenty of support in the mid range of the travel to pop and boost off smaller trail features. For a full power e-bike this thing is plenty playful. I would say this felt pretty comparable to my Specialized Turbo Levo 3 after I had bumped up the travel to 165 in the rear and 170 in the front by swapping the rear linkage with the Cascade Components Long Shock Kit. This version of the Timp Peak also seems to be much quieter than that last one. The motor and the rest of the bike is a lot more silent.

Warning: Fun Will Be Had On This Bike!