Ducati goes electric – and adds pedals – with new electric mountain bike

Ducati, the famed Italian motorcycle manufacturer, hasn’t released an electric motorcycle – yet. But they have dabbled in electric bicycles with various partners.

Today at the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show they unveiled their newest electric mountain bicycle, the MIG-RR.

Ducati MIG-RR electric mountain bike

Ducati’s booth at EICMA was understandably packed. Press and industry representatives alike were jockeying for position around their motorbikes.

But off to one side, and surrounded by its own decent yet admittedly smaller crowd, was Ducati’s new electric mountain bike.

The Ducati MIG-RR electric bicycle was created as a partnership between Ducati and Thok E-bikes.

The duo joined forces to combine Thok’s e-bike building experience with Ducati’s legendary design.

According to Ducati:

“E-mountain bikes let cyclists take on climbs that, without the motor boost, wouldn’t be possible and, at the same time, they allow everyone to live off-road on two wheels in total freedom. E-mountain bike sales are booming worldwide. Ducati has now entered this market segment relying on the experience of a specialized company, Thok Ebikes, born from the passion of the BMX and Down Hill champion Stefano Migliorini.”

The Ducati MIG-RR is an upgrade to Thok’s current MIG line of electric mountain bikes. The MIG-RR features a 250 W Shimano Steps E8000 mid-drive. The motor is capable of 70 Nm (51.6 ft-lbs) of torque.

While 250 W may not sound like much, don’t compare this to little 250W hub motor bikes. Between the high torque and mid-drive gearing, the MIG-RR will be capable of slinging some serious dirt.

For power, Ducati’s new e-bike relies on a 36V and 14 Ah (504 Wh) underslung down tube battery. That should help keep the weight lower than conventional battery packs that sit on top of the down tube.

But those are just the e-bike components. In order to function well as a proper downhill mountain bike, the Ducati MIG-RR is well equipped in the bicycle component department.

Suspension is achieved with a Fox 36 Float 29 Factory Series Kashima fork featuring 170 mm of travel in the front and a Fox DPX2 Factory Series shock with 160 mm of travel in the rear. Combined with a carbon handlebar, dropper seat post, 4-piston Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and 11-speed Shimano XT gear set, the MIG-RR is trail-ready right out of the gate.

One of Ducati’s additions to the MIG line was to equip the MIG-RR with non-matching wheels. A larger 29″ wheel up front tackles obstacles more easily while a smaller 27.5″ wheel in the rear is quicker off the line.

The Ducati MIG-RR tips the scales at 22.5 kg (49.6 lb) – heavy for a downhill mountain bike, but quite light for an e-bike.

US customers will have to wait to get their hands on one. The MIG-RR will first be available for order online only by European customers. It will be distributed via Ducati’s existing dealer network starting in early spring 2019.