Video Bike Check: Andi’s Custom Patrol E-Six long-termer eMTB

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Andi takes us for a look around his highly modified Patrol E-Six, a rare Indonesian eMTB that hopes to make it big in the U.S and Europe.

Patrol isn’t a household name in the U.K, but that could be set to change as the Indonesian mountain bike maker has taken aim at the international market and is hoping to expand into Europe and the U.S.

I first learned about Patrol a few years ago at Fort William during a round of the World Cup. At that time I was standing in the FS Funn Patrol pits trying to figure out what bike the riders were on, but it wasn’t until 2019 on a trip to Bali that I meant the team behind the brand and got the chance to ride their bikes.

Video: Patrol E-Six eMTB Bike Check

2020 Patrol E-Six

patrol e-six bike check
Patrol E-Six

This Patrol E-Six arrived with me ahead of the winter and has been bombed up and down hills around the Peak District in every weather condition possible. The out of the box build is actually very good with a Fox Performance 36 fork with 160mm of travel, a mix of SDG and Patrol own brand parts and a wheelset made from Sun Ringle Duroc 40 rims (37mm internal width) on SLX hubs.

Although this is Patrol’s first eMTB it is well sorted and comes with a proven Shimano E8000 STEPS motor, and an SMP developed 630Wh battery (the same company behind the YT Decoy battery).

Because the E-Six has a larger internal battery the centre of gravity is low, and while heavy, the E-Six can be nimble. The internal battery also frees up plenty of room for a water bottle on the inside of the frame too.

2021 Factory Fox 38

patrol e-six bike check
Oh them forks!

I have a feeling that the next few months are going to be filled with new eMTB models featuring this fork. The Fox 38 might be aimed at EWS race performance, but that burly chassis suits a chunkier eMTB both for that additional weight and the appearance.

This Fox 38 is a 170mm travel model so does lift the front of the E-Six slightly giving the frontend a slacker 64-degree head angle and also adjusts the seat tube angle by a degree to 73. This has also increased the wheelbase slightly to 1273mm just short of the XL’s.

2020 Shimano SLX 4 piston brakes

patrol e-six bike check
Shimano SLX 4 piston brakes.

The stock Magura brakes were powerful enough, but this change was a personal preference as I much prefer the ergonomics of a Shimano lever. The SLX 4 pot are as powerful as an XT brake and with those finned pads and huge IceTech rotors brake fade isn’t something I need to worry about even on such a big eBike.

2020 Shimano XT Wheelset

  • Price: TBA
  • From: Madison
patrol e-six bike check
Deore XT wheelset

Shimano’s XT wheels are a great fit and forget item, they might not be as flashy as some wheels but they quietly get the job done with very little fuss. I don’t really think that Shimano had a heavy, long travel eMTB in mind when designing this wheelset, but they’ve stood up to plenty of abuse and are still running true.

Vee Tire Snap Trail

patrol e-six bike check
Vee Tire Snap Trail on the rear

The VeeTire Snap Trail has already been tested by me and I’ve been running them on both this and the Commencal Meta AM 28. They offer a ton of trip, and the narrow 2.35in design makes them a faster rolling alternative to the Snap WCE. Top 40 rubber compounds is soft and grippy meaning amazing traction but faster wear than normal especially in dry conditions.

Burgtec Enduro Mk2 Stem

patrol e-six bike check
Burgtec 35mm stem.

Perhaps the only item on the Patrol E-Six that needed to be changed out of the box was the long stem. I’ve chosen the Burgtec Enduro Mk2 as it’s a proven reliable unit and the brown finish looks great with the Earth tones of the E-Six frame.

Burgtec Bartender Pro Grips

patrol e-six bike check
Burgtec Bartender Pro Grips

Designed and developed with the aid of Syndicate rider Greg Minnaar the Bartender Pro grip is a wider grip than most with a 31.5mm diameter. My first impression of the grip was that they were a little wide for me, but I now really like the larger feel and the soft compound means great comfort and vibration damping.

Burgtec Cloud Saddle

patrol e-six bike check
The Cloud

Yeah, there is a theme here. While I have used the rest of the Burgtec components on other bikes, this is my first time on a Cloud saddle. Let’s just say it won’t be my last! The Cloud has so far offered a very comfortable perch for eebing up Peak District climbs.

Burgtec Penthouse Mk4 Composite Pedals

patrol e-six bike check
Burgtec Penthouse Mk4 composite pedals.

I tested the composite version of the Penthouse MK4 last year and even awarded the budget flat a Singletrack Editors Choice award. These are great performing pedal for not a lot of money, but riders wanting something a posh should take a look at the fantastic Penthouse MK5.

Burgtec Ride Wide Enduro Bars

Wide, comfy and not too stiff. That’s what I like from a handlebar, and these 800mm wide Burgtec Ride Wide Enduro bars fit the bill.

patrol e-six bike check
Burgtec Ride Wide alloy enduro bar

RRP Proguard Rear

  • Price: £23.99
  • From: Extra

RRP’s Pro Guard Rear does a great job of keeping mud and dirt of your back in winter, and the small design actually looks very smart too. Sturdy ABS plastic holds it’s shape well and simple zip tie fixing make it super fast to fit.

RRP mudguard.

Shimano SW-E7000-L

You can see the SW-E7000-L in the picture below, I think it makes for a much more ergonomic and neater control for the Shimano STEPS motor system compared to the E8000 unit. The push button control is not only more compact, but it is also compatible with underbar dropper post remotes. The plug and play nature of the STEPS system means that it’s easy to customise your e-Bike setup using the Shimano components you prefer.

PNW Dropper Post Lever

patrol e-six bike check
PNW Dropper post lever.

Last but not least is the PNW dropper lever. This is a beautifully machined and finished alloy remote with a large rubber covered paddle for comfort and grip. The lever mechanism runs on a large sealed bearing and it will work with pretty much any cable operated dropper.

Want to see more videos and bike checks?

We’ll that’s another look at the Patrol E-Six, I’ll work on a final review soon, but if you have questions or comments let me know below.

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