IN BRIEF
BH is renewing its iRS1 electric road bike and fitting it with a motor that is unusual for the discipline: the SEG BLM, claimed at 80 Nm of torque and up to 700 W, for 2.1 kg. According to the range page, the 630 Wh battery housed in the down tube is fitted to every model, and the additional 180 Wh XPro battery takes the combined figure to 810 Wh. BH claims 150 kilometres of range, and 190 with the extra pack. The frame takes tyres up to 32 mm and adopts Kamm Tail tube profiles. On the brand’s French shop, the range runs from €3,699.90 for the iRS1 1.2 to €6,999.90 for the iRS1 Carbon 1.6.
| Motor | SEG BLM, 80 Nm, up to 700 W |
| Motor weight | 2.1 kg |
| Bike weight | 12.9 kg in size M (iRS1 Carbon 1.6 only) |
| Internal battery | 630 Wh, integrated into the down tube |
| Total capacity with the extra pack | 630 Wh + 180 Wh (XPro battery, Dual Discharge technology) |
| Claimed range | 150 km, then 190 km with the extra pack |
| Maximum tyre width | 32 mm |
| Tube profile | Kamm Tail |
| Thru-axles | 12 mm, with quick-release levers |
| iRS1 1.2 price (EC127) | 3 699,90 € |
| iRS1 Carbon 1.6 price (EC167) | 6 999,90 € |
Eighty newton-metres is the torque you expect from an electric mountain bike or a loaded cargo bike. It is the figure BH claims for its new electric road bike, the iRS1. The Basque manufacturer has rebuilt its endurance machine around a unit the brand describes as « ultra-light », the SEG BLM.
The BH iRS1 moves to the SEG BLM motor
This is the main change. « The new iRS1 is equipped with the SEG BLM motor, an ultra-light unit weighing 2.1 kg that delivers up to 700 W of power and 80 Nm of torque », BH writes on the range presentation page. On a road bike, where the ratio between the weight carried and the assistance delivered governs everything, those 2.1 kg count as much as the torque.
Take care not to confuse the two generations: BH is still selling the previous iRS1, with 65 Nm, under neighbouring reference numbers. The models described here are those whose reference ends in a 7 — EC127 for the iRS1 1.2, EC167 for the iRS1 Carbon 1.6.
630 Wh in the frame, 810 with the extra pack
« Every model gets a fully integrated 630 Wh battery, housed in the down tube », the brand states. The additional 180 Wh XPro battery takes the combined capacity to 810 Wh, and the claimed range from 150 to 190 kilometres.
These figures are BH’s own: the range page says nothing about the protocol used to obtain them. In electric assistance, a claimed range mainly serves to compare models with one another — terrain, rider weight and the assistance level chosen weigh heavily on the outcome of a real ride.
An endurance frame, with room for tyres up to 32 mm
The frame gets Kamm Tail tube profiles — an aerodynamic profile truncated at the rear, common on road bikes for a decade — and takes tyres up to 32 mm, which BH presents as a gain in comfort and versatility. The official page files 12 mm thru-axles that « make it easier to remove the wheels quickly » under « quick-release axles ».
According to the brand’s French shop, the range lines up four builds: the iRS1 1.2 (EC127) at €3,699.90 and the iRS1 Carbon 1.4 (EC147) at €4,599.90, both with mechanical Shimano 105 12-speed; the iRS1 Carbon 1.5 (EC157) at €5,999.90 with 105 Di2; the iRS1 Carbon 1.6 (EC167) at €6,999.90 with Ultegra Di2. It is the drivetrain, more than the frame, that stages the €3,300 gap. The same page claims « only 12.9 kg in size M » for the Carbon 1.6 alone.
