The Advanced Trekking Pro FS Wave could be fairly described as an SUV e-bike. This term seems to appear everywhere in the e-bike world these days without ever really being defined. Originally applied to cars (sports utility vehicles) with raised ground clearance and perhaps four wheel drive, SUV e-bikes are similarly geared towards off-road riding. They are also known as ‘adventure’ or ‘crossover’ e-bikes, or even ‘all-mountain’ or ‘urban e-MTBs'.

Really, they are e-bikes that take a pick and mix approach to design, combining elements of town, hybrid and mountain bikes to result in a vehicle that is capable across the widest array of tasks, on and off road.

Advances in e-bike motor tech and frame design in recent years have made such bikes not only feasible, but one of the most exciting new categories of e-bike. After all, who wouldn't want an e-bike designed to go anywhere and do anything?

Advanced Trekking Pro FS Wave, by Richard Peace

Whilst Advanced are relatively new to the UK they have been around in their home country of Germany since 2011. We have already looked at their e-gravel offering and were impressed. We were therefore keen to try one of their full-suspension, off-road capable, step-through models, the Trekking Pro FS Wave.

We were lucky enough to get the top of the range XT11 spec - so called because of the Shimano XT11 derailleur gearing that hails from the world of mountain bikes. Deore 10-speed gearing is found on the lower spec Trekking FS option.

Other 'upgrades' include a bijou Kiox 300 display (rather than the more basic Purion display on Deore option), better lights and a dropper seatpost.

Both versions of the bike get the same frame and drive system - the super-powerful Bosch Performance Line CX with the wireless-capable Smart System.

The Trekking Pro has a lovely low step-through making it a doddle to get on and off, even though my medium-framed review bike was actually quite a big, heavy bike (weighing in at 32kg). That weight is partly explained by the fact that step-through e-bikes need a more robust downtube as, unlike diamond frame models, all the strength is in that one piece of metal.

In other words, this kind of weight is entirely reasonable for a step-through e-bike with a Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive motor paired with a biggish 625Wh battery (750Wh is also an option).

The Trekking Pro has lovely clean looks despite those huge welds (reassuringly huge given this is a step-through e-bike meant to take almost anything you can throw at it short of hardcore e-MTB use).

The cover on top of the downtube removes easily and quickly and a key lock means the battery is a cinch to remove for charging (or of course it's easily charged on the bike). 

Medium travel air suspension is provided by the solid choice of Suntour XCR34 120mm travel forks at the front and a Suntour SUV Edge 190 at the rear. You can adjust compression and damping at the front.

Whilst there is apparently compression and damping adjustment at the rear – intended so you can set up the bike correctly for your weight and riding preferences – I never quite got to grips with exactly how to set it up for myself. It always seemed to be a little soft or a little hard. Other rear suspension units I have tried out have been more intuitive and easier to set up. Given this, it’s probably best to get a good bike shop to set the rear suspension up for you, unless you are used to fiddling with them yourself.

This is a fully-equipped e-bike, as you would expect, with powerful front and rear Lezyne lights (the front with full beam option offers a floodlight-powerful 1000 lumen rating), tough aluminium mudguards and a sturdy rear rack and kickstand.

Those looking for a more comfortable ride will also be delighted with the angle adjustable stem that allows you to get your seating angle just right. I noted mounting points for a front rack too.

In the saddle

I rode the Trekking Pro FS Wave over the course of a few weeks and it became my 'go-to' e-bike as I knew it didn't really matter where I was going or how far - it would get me there.

The 354% range of the XT gears will take on just about any gradient and, as I have come to expect, the Bosch Performance Line CX motor is about as powerful and capable as they come. 

Generally, the suspension worked well for my mix of pothole-ridden roads and moderately challenging off-road tracks and bridleways in hilly Pennine Yorkshire. The dropper post is also handy for steeper descents and for easier mounting and dismounting.

My only real quibble was the fiddliness of getting the suspension just right in order to get the sensation the bike was just floating over the ground. My own bike is a Riese and Muller Homage and I'd say the suspension setup is much more user-friendly on that.  

Continental Ruban tyres - designed to perform on asphalt and off-road - gave plenty of grip in all conditions during a rather wet June. I'd have liked to have seen them a bit wider. The latest version of the Homage (the Homage4) gets 2.45" Schwalbe Moto tyres as standard, for example, and the off-road GX option is presumably of a similar width (though I couldn't find that part of the spec on the Riese & Muller website).

As this is a Bosch Smart system, you get a plethora of detail on the Kiox display. Most useful for me were the % battery remaining and the estimated range, but you also get navigation prompts once it is linked to the eBike Flow app, as well as electronic locking and the ability to alter the power profiles to make the motor perform more or less aggressively in each of the four power levels.

My only complaint is that - as on other Bosch Smart System e-bikes - the predictive routing works well until you go off route, at which point the re-routing system appears not to work.

I have used the Smart System navigation features with GPX route files from Komoot (the system also links with Strava) and it worked well. 

Other options

Advanced produce hardtail versions of this bike but with a diamond rather than a step-through frame.

The brand clearly want to compete on the same terrain as Riese & Muller and after sales support is part of that offer. Stickers with free security registration and warranty are visible on the frame and the UK agents for Advanced, Alsobikes, are clearly making strenuous efforts to get the bikes into high quality, long-standing UK bike shops, which is hugely encouraging to see.

Advanced don't yet have as many spec options as the latest Riese & Muller competitor model, the Homage4, which can offer super-premium features such as belt drive, dual batteries and even the mega-pricey Rohloff hub gears. But to its advantage, Advanced start the FS Wave range at £4,699 which is very competitive against the nearest spec of Homage4 which starts at £6,209. 

The full suspension SUV 'do anything' e-bike space has become crowded of late - good for buyers of course who want plenty of choice. 

A faulty magnetic speed sensor aside, Rebecca loved the Specialized Turbo Tero X 6.0 and at £5,500 it's in similar price territory to the Advanced - though it lacks the low step-through frame which is one of the Advanced's real strengths against competing models. It's also worth noting the Tero X range starts at £3,750 although that means you get a toned down 50Nm version of Specialized's own motor. 

Moustache's Samedi 27 Xroad FS6 range starts at £4,499 and for that you get the top of the line Bosch Performance Line CX Smart System motor making that hefty price tag actually decent value for money.

Other models to look out for include Velo de Ville's Fully Tour model (the range starts at £4,529 and is built around a low step full-sus frame), the Corratec Epower MTC 100 Wave and Haibike's Adventr FS 9. 

OK, these are all pricey bikes but I'd argue they can do the job of several e-bikes with very large capacity load hauling and full-on e-MTB territory the only gaps in their capabilities. (Having said that, I've towed some very big loads with my Riese and Muller Homage). They are all premium brands and as such should really be considered lifetime purchases. The Advanced Trekking Pro FS Wave is a welcome addition to the fold. 

advancedbikes.uk