Haibike AllMtn CF SE (2023 - ) review

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but let’s just say the Haibike’s brutalist aesthetic is somewhat confrontational compared with the smooth looks of its rivals. That’s clearly a deliberate choice in keeping with brand traditions, and one you’ll either appreciate or run a mile from. Say what you like about the style, then, but the substance is much easier to appreciate. It may sound like a joke at the expense of the Haibike’s German origins but, just like the haircut, the ‘mullet’ (or MX) wheel configuration of a bigger 29-inch rim up front and a 27.5-inch one at the back is very much on trend for modern mountain bikes and the suspension uses a proven linkage-driven design recognised for its all-round effectiveness. The chunky front section of the frame is made from carbon fibre and includes space for the battery within it while the rear half uses tough aluminium tubes. This is indicative of a reassuring burliness throughout the AllMtn CF SE, which gives you confidence it can take the kind of beating its suspension travel and components encourage. Which is a diplomatic way of saying it feels built like a tank!

Folk buying bikes at this level know what they’re about, and will obsessively compare every last measurement of their shortlisted choices with their equally well informed (and opinionated) riding buddies for validation. Good news? Haibike has obviously done its homework, and the AllMtn CF SE matches highly respected mountain bike brands like Santa Cruz and Specialized in terms of crucial measurements like wheelbase, reach (the ‘roominess’ of the cockpit area), stack height (how high the bars are in relation to the pedals) and the angles that dictate things like steering response and pedalling feel. So, it’s long and low for stability at speed in the rough stuff, you can drop the seat out of the way at the push of a button on the bars for downhill sections and the smaller rear wheel helps with manoeuvrability and clearance when you’re hanging off the back. If we were to nitpick we’d say the front end of the Haibike felt a little tall and short compared with the likes of the equivalent Santa Cruz Heckler we also tried, and the more upright riding position is a little towards the ‘safe’ end of the spectrum for serious riders.

The AllMtn CF SE is built for one job – going fast in the most extreme terrain you can find. And it does that very well indeed. But beyond that the fat, knobbly tyres drag on smoother surfaces, the full suspension design means you can forget adding racks or mudguards (not that the target audience will be bothered) and the sheer weight of the thing is an issue both when riding and if you ever have to heave it up a set of steps or try and load it into a car. You can forget roof racks as well – at the very least you’ll need a tow-bar rack to transport it to the trails. Nor does it have any of the integrated storage compartments for tools, spares or snacks many rivals now include on their frames. While you can apparently buy an accessories rail as an extra there aren’t even any bottle cage mounts as standard, so anything you need to carry will need to go in a drinks pack or bum bag.

The Bosch battery and motor at the heart of the Haibike’s drive system are both proven bits of kit, and the AllMtn CF SE’s assistance provides a powerful kick on even the steepest climbs. Indeed, even with a 10-year-old on tow it absolutely romped up the 350 vertical metres to the top of the famous ‘Golfie’ trails in the Scottish Borders, without either rider breaking too much of a sweat. Ridden solo you can even bang into the legally mandated 15.5mph limiter for the electric assistance on relatively steep off-road climbs in Turbo mode, which feels a bit silly. But fun, though it does eat into the range. Dialled back to Tour or e-MTB it feels more natural and goes further, but it’s good to know the power is there when you need it. What goes up must come down, of course, and we’ll admit we weren’t overly sold on the Magura brakes. These thankfully have plenty of staying power even on a top-to-bottom Golfie descent but they’re hard to modulate and too quick to lock up for our tastes. Saying that brake feel is a very personal thing and every brand has its advocates, so each to theirs. And by choosing Magura (and Bosch for the motor) Haibike is sealing its identity as a German brand.

The Haibike’s riding style is as brutal and unapologetic as the looks. Weighing a good few kilos more than other bikes in its class it feels a bit of a lump in tighter, slower and more technically demanding terrain where it’s simply too heavy to throw around as you’d like. More often you’re just left clinging on as the extra kilos have it running away with itself. On faster, swooping tracks it feels much more in its comfort zone, though, the stability of its long wheelbase helping your confidence as the speeds rise while the centred weight of the battery and motor help drive the tyres into the ground through the corners. The suspension meanwhile batters even the gnarliest looking roots and rock gardens into submission, making you feel invincible. On new-school ‘flow trails’ with berms and jumps the AllMtn CF SE feels better still, absolutely railing the turns with a surprising sense of chuckability from that ‘mullet’ wheel arrangement while also feeling super confident over sizeable jumps into heavy landings. With the caveat it works better on some trails than others, and you need to pick your battles accordingly, the Haibike generally feels unstoppable. In a good way.

A bike like the AllMtn CF SE encourages you to ride at absolute maximum attack, and the muscular motor assistance means you’ll be riding harder, more often and for longer than you would on an equivalent non-electric mountain bike. That’s great fun, but you can expect increased wear and tear on things like chains, gears, tyres and brakes, especially if you ride all year round. None of those items come cheap, and you could be spending several hundred pounds a year on this kit if you’re keeping up with mechanical wear and tear as you should and replacing with components of like-for-like quality.

The quality of the parts on the AllMtn CF SE is a cut above more mainstream rivals of the same price, which builds confidence it should be able to stay the course. We were especially encouraged to see things like e-bike specific Mavic Deemax wheels and chunky Maxxis tyres, while the 12-speed SRAM gear system is all proven kit in the most extreme conditions. It was as much user error as anything but the bike did fail to power up after we slid the replaceable battery pack into the frame with a little too much vigour, dislodging the connecter at the end. We were able to fix it with a bit of fiddling about but take care if you are removing the battery to charge it remotely, and take care when putting it back in the bike. After doing some pretty big jumps we did get an error code on the Bosch control system a couple of times as well, but that cleared itself and didn’t affect how the bike actually worked. We were also slightly concerned at the vulnerability of the Bosch power remote control and KIOX display unit, which stands proud of the bars on a prominent mount. This and the tangle of wires look pretty ugly for starters, but they also seem more prone to accident damage compared with the neater, frame mounted displays the likes of Specialized and others use.

E-bike drive units are complicated bits of kit that need proper care, but we were reassured to see a Bosch system at the heart of the Haibike on the basis these are more serviceable than others on the market. That means faults can be fixed without having to junk the whole motor unit, which inspires long-term confidence if you plan to keep it beyond the two-year warranty for the motor and battery. The rest of the bike uses regular parts from respected suppliers, so any bike shop or half competent home mechanic should be capable of keeping it sweet.

When you drill down into the component list and compare it with other bikes at this price the Haibike’s relative value for money really shines through. Things like electric shifting for the gears, those quality wheels and other detail fixtures and fittings are all a cut above what you get from more mainstream brands at this price as well.

If you’re not hung up on buying from a boutique mountain bike brand the Haibike AllMtn CF SE packs a serious punch in terms of its power and the quality of the components compared with others at this price. And if perhaps not quite as sharp to ride for the really expert e-bikers out there it’s near enough, and very much on trend in terms of sizing and geometry for a hard-hitting, all mountain e-bike built to take a real beating.