French e-bike brand, Moustache, has a step-through off-road e-bike in its line-up with a unified rear triangle suspension design last seen in the late '90s.
Joining Haibike in the quest to make step-through frame designs great again is Moustache, with a rival mixte e-mtb design that goes one step further – it uses a unified rear triangle suspension design (URT). Common in the ’90s and even the early ’00s, this design tried to reduce pedal-induced bobbing and chain influence on suspension performance by placing the whole drivetrain on the swingarm. While the design stuck around for a while, and was adopted by the likes of Trek, Klein, GT, and many others, it’s safe to say that it wasn’t a success from a performance perspective. With the whole rider weight being carried by the swingarm when standing, URTs behaved much like a hardtail when you hit a bump. As such, suspension performance was not their strong point. Not to mention the fact that the bike’s geometry changed dramatically as the suspension compressed, altering fundamentals like the saddle height when seated and pedalling.
The Moustache J. Off e-bike looks like a cross between a e-mtb and an urban utility bike with a little nod to ’90s suspension design.
But Moustache clearly feels there are legs for the design, particularly when aimed at the more leisure-orientated market. And to be fair, if you spend 90% of your ride sitting down, then a URT will be totally fine. Having said that, Moustache doesn’t muck about in the description of the J. Off, saying this is a ‘a real MTB!’ It goes on to claim that ‘its open, low-step frame will surprise you with its incredible rigidity, ensuring responsive riding worthy of a real mountain bike!’
The Bosch Performance Line motor is mounted to the swingarm, which doesn’t do much for the unsprung weight, especially when you add a rider.
Quite the sales pitch, but it’s not a model I can see appearing in our shortlist of the best e-mountain bikes anytime soon. So, what about the other details? Well, as you can see, the J. Off uses the Bosch Performance Line motor, which is a recreational-level drive unit with less power and torque than the flagship Performance CX. It gets a 625Wh removable internal battery in the alloy frame, as well as integrated lights and lock. And this is where it gets interesting, because the J. Off frame is a clamshell design, with the two sides of the frame cast in a foundry, then machined and bolted down the middle. No welds at all. To keep supply chains short, the metal fabrication is done in France, hundreds, rather than thousands of miles, away from the assembly plant and the Moustache dealers. Very cool.
Sliding dropouts are there for the belt drive version.
The swingarm is also cast in the same foundry and features an adjustable chainstay length. Not for tuning weight balance and handling, but to accommodate the belt drive and internal gear hub found on the urban model. Fork travel is 130mm, while the URT swingarm is said to deliver 115mm of travel through the Moustache Magic Grip shock, using similar principles to the one I tested on the Moustache Samedi a few years ago. Wheels are 29in front and rear, and there’s a sit-up-and-beg riding position with a massive stack height on the 65mm stem, 760mm bars and a 75mm dropper post. Claimed weight is a chunky 27.3kg, but the max system weight is generous at 160kg.
A frame of two halves: the J. Off bolts together its two cast frame elements.
Turning to the geo, there are some eye-opening numbers. All three frame sizes get a diminutive 359mm reach. That’s tiny given that most small frame sizes start at around 430mm. And the chainstays are absolutely massive at 524mm. That’s around 85mm longer than an average e-mtb. Presumably this is give sufficient rear wheel clearance from the seat tube at full travel. But it does somewhat contradict Moustache’s assertion that this is a serious mountain bike, while being totally in tune with upright stance. The J.Off seems more like a tough commuter, or fire-road cruiser, than anything suited to fast or technical singletrack. But there’s nothing wrong with that, and I commend Moustache for making an e-bike that works for riders who just want to get out and enjoy off-road cycling, without some of the elitist barriers that can be seriously off-putting to new riders. And I love the fact that Moustache has found manufacturing solutions close to home, creating jobs, reducing carbon emissions and forging a more sustainable business model. That’s something to be applauded.
For more info on the Moustache J. Off, as well as serious e-mtbs such as the Game, check out the website: moustachebikes.com