E-Gravelbike Urwahn Waldwiesel.E: Busy at the Clearing

We’re looking for a German start-up in the bike industry with six letters that just won’t stop delivering. First letter: U. Admittedly, that was low. But in fact, the introductory sentence describes Urwahn absolutely aptly. The Magdeburgers fulfil pretty much every cliché that comes to mind when you think of the term start-up. Mind you, in a positive sense. Their own ideas. Unusual approach. Breaking with customary market practices. Success.

Steel as an springboard

The latter goes back to the Platzhirsch, especially in e-bikes. The urban speedster also performed above average in our test. What struck us even then was the riding comfort that the steel frame without seat tube conveyed. In the language of Urwahn, this is called “Softride Design”. In fact, we had the feeling that this bike could also be a lot of fun off the road. Apparently, some others felt the same way. And so, the manufacturer is now introducing its next model – the Waldwiesel.E.

Urwahn obviously has a weakness for the animal kingdom, so the Stadtfuchs and the Platzhirsch have now been joined by a weasel. The little rodent is definitely suitable as a symbol for this e-gravel bike. Its habitat stretches across meadows, small hedges, natural banks of small streams and the edge of forests. In all these places, the Waldwiesel.E can be very well imagined.

Gravel with Urwahn Waldwiesel.E ebike

Familiar and surprising

The bike has inherited its manoeuvrability and calmness in the face of slight vibrations from its counterpart for the city. Both bikes are based on the same frame with identical geometry. Due to the racing handlebars, the seating position on the e-gravel bike will probably be a little more sportily stretched. Otherwise, everything remains the same, because Urwahn has kept to small details such as the mudguard and rear carrier mounts.

Besides the drop bars, Shimano’s GRX groupset exudes the necessary gravel flair. Both the single-speed gears with the 11 sprockets and the hydraulic disc brakes are well known in this category. The Urwahn shop has a special treat waiting for you. Here you can change the standard equipment of the Waldwiesel.E at the points that seem appropriate to you. As a replacement for the rigid fork, you can choose the True Grit SL fork from the Icelandic manufacturer Lauf, which works with leaf springs. With this option, the price immediately jumps up by 1,000 euros. However, these forks with a travel of around 30 millimetres are considered extremely stable and are an absolutely worthwhile upgrade for a gravel bike.

Light, lively drive

For the electric drive, Urwahn continues to rely on the X35+ from Mahle. This means a relatively low additional weight of just 3.5 kilograms for the motor, battery and control unit. Both the performance of the motor with its 40 Newton metres of torque and the 245 watt hours of battery capacity suit this rather sporty e-bike very well. If you want, you can purchase the range extender for an additional 208 watt hours. That’s enough for another 40 kilometres or more.

Since Mahle does not yet offer a control unit that is 100% compatible with a drop bar, Urwahn had to make a compromise. In the end, the decision was made in favour of the iWoc Trio remote, which can be operated with the thumbs. The two arrow buttons allow you to switch up and down between the support levels Eco, Sportiv and Burst at the touch of a button. The control unit is mounted to the left of the stem. If necessary, you have to reach from the shift-brake unit to the handlebars to change the mode. However, this does not work any more comfortably on much more expensive bikes.

Timing deliberately chosen

When you first look at the newcomer to the Urwahn range, you also notice the tyres. With its small, round knobs, the TerraSpeed from Continental is very reminiscent of the G-One from Schwalbe. But if it rides just as well, this is hardly worth mentioning.

While some of the big manufacturers will only present their new products for the 2022 season at the Eurobike at the beginning of September, Urwahn comes out of hiding earlier and thus catches a piece of the undivided attention. The manufacturer has another advantage over the well-known competitors. It presents the Waldwiesel.E and actually has it available.Okay, as available as it can be in 2021. The shop currently predicts a delivery time of 60 to 90 days. But even with that, the start-up is a nose length ahead of large parts of the industry. Or a weasel’s tail length. As you wish.

Urwahn Waldwiesel.E at a glance

• Frame: Urwahn CT1-FR1 (CrMo steel)
• Motor: Mahle ebikemotion rear hub motor, 250 W, 40 Nm
• Battery: Mahle ebikemotion, 250 Wh
• Control unit: Mahle ebikemotion iWoc Trio
• Fork: Urwahn CT1-FK1
• Drive: Shimano GRX 600
• Brakes: Shimano GRX 600
• Colours: Asphalt black, concrete grey, cobalt blue, oxide red, golden yellow
• Weight: 14.8 kg (frame size M)
• Maximum load (rider and luggage): 97 kg
• Price: from 5,499 euros

Pictures: Urwahn Engineering GmbH