Cycles Toussaint’s Le Taureau ebike: Comfortable quick, and versatile

“That’s an ebike?” This was the first thing I said when I saw the Cycles Toussaint Le Taureau ebike show up at the Canadian Cycling Magazine office. It’s a striking, titanium build, but unlike some of the other road or gravel ebikes out there, which have a noticeably thick downtube, Le Toureau looks like a traditional ride. That’s because the motor is hub-driven, so you’d never really know at first glance.

Road, gravel, touring or commuting

The Le Taureau is built for road, gravel, and commuting, so there’s plenty of options with the ride. The aim is that those who want to be able to let people ride with faster friends or faster partners, as its pedal assistance turns steep challenges into chances to connect with stronger peers whether that means being able to hang up hills or stick in a fast group ride. This way, the barriers between people’s fitness levels no longer become a problem. Or, if someone wanted to go longer but was worried about climbs or getting too fatigued, they can use one of the assist modes.

Looks good, feels good

After I checked out the bike and was impressed with its appearance, I was curious to see how it felt. I took it out for a rip and was pleasantly surprised. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden a ti bike and I immediately remembered how comfortable they are. My ride began at our office, so I had about 5 km of asphalt before I tested it out on some light gravel roads. Turns out, it not only looks like a traditional bike, but feels like one too. When I was giving a few efforts I was pleased with the responsiveness and stiffness. But it still has a bit of give on the rough stuff, absorbing the bumps and occasional roots I’d encounter on the gravel paths.

Lightweight motor

The bike is equipped with an FSA E-System hub-drive motor, which comes it 4 kg. The bike brand’s goal was to make the ebike lightweight, and it certainly is. My test ride had a Shimano Ultegra groupset, carbon forks, FSA handlebars, and FSA alloy wheelset, but I’m told that Dura-Ace Di2 and GRX 1 x 12 Shimano groupsets as well as FSA carbon wheelsets will be available.

Smooth assist modes

All together, the whole bike comes in at 13.5 kg, which can be attributed to the 3Al-2.5V titanium used in the frame, but it’s still quite impressive given that there’s a motor and battery in the build. To be honest, the bike felt smooth and quick when I was riding on the flat sections so I forgot it even had a motor. Once I got to some hills though, I quickly remembered about the assist.

When I did try each one of the three assist modes, I noticed that unlike some of the other ebikes I’ve tested, the assist was far less “jerky.’ It was a steady boost, and I can totally see this being helpful on climbs or if someone was riding in a group ride that had some folks that were a bit fitter.

I rode a medium, and there will be plenty of sizes available for all body types: extra small, small, medium, large and extra large.

Cycles Toussaint Le Taureau All-Road Ultegra, $12,516.00