Get out there and explore: the Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV is part of a new breed of off-road electric touring bikes.
There’s a new breed of bike, and the Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV is the latest addition. An electric hardtail mountain bike, it’s designed for exploring and touring on mixed terrain, combining a raft of features like a dropper seatpost and GPS tracking.
While the original Pathlite:ON was released in 2020, the updated version offers a newer motor, larger battery and sleeker design.
Available with a regular or step-through frame for a more accessible ride, it comes with integrated pannier racks which can take up to 25kg of weight and are compatible with Ortlieb QL 3.1 pannier bags, plus mud guards, a kickstand and lights which run off the bike battery.
Integrated lights are powered from the bike battery
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) on the bike also prevents the front wheel skidding and rear wheel lifting should the brakes be applied hard and fast, which is particularly important for a heavily laden bike heading downhill.
The Bosch Performance Line CX Smart System provides the power
The bike is powered by the Bosch Performance Line CX Smart System with a 750 Wh battery. This provides 340% pedal assist with 85Nm of torque. That battery capacity allows for longer adventures than previous batteries due to the increased capacity, though the exact range will depend on the system weight; the more weight from rider and luggage, the more juice is used when rolling, and the smaller the range.
There are two choices of display with the Pathlite: ON – either then Bosch Kiox 300 which is a handlebar mounted heads up display that sits on the handlebars, or the SmartphoneGrip which allows your own phone to be mounted. For the former, the Bosch system offers GPS tracking, route planning, navigation and compatability with apps like Strava and Komoot. For the latter, riders can download the Bosch eBike Flow app, then choose the Ride Screen option which will then display speed, ride time, distance and battery charge level on the phone screen.
Front suspension is provided by Suntour
Additionally, either of these options when linked to the Bosch eBike Flow app allows use of Bosch’s anti-theft technology, where the riders smartphone can be used as a digital key to turn off motor support once the ride is completed.
While not an out-and-out mountain bike, it does include many features more commonly seen on one such as front suspension, dropper seatpost and chunky mountain bike tyres to provide off-road grip. The clue is in the name – SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) – and this is one of a new breed of electric bike that’s becoming increasingly common, designed for off-road and gravel exploring and touring.
There are two frame options; regular, or step-through
The Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD is available from Canyon.com at a retail price of €5,499. There are other bikes in the Pathlite:ON range which start from £2,399 / €2,599. US availability is yet to be confirmed.