Bike Check: Levy Batista's Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay

After shifting his focus to mountain bikes in 2015 following success in motocross racing, French eMTB racer Levy Batista was hoping to compete at the new EWS-E series in 2020. Racing for the Rocky Mountain’s e-MTB team, Levy will be riding its Instinct Powerplay once racing restarts. His race bike features a whole host of top-spec componentry with Factory Fox suspension and a TRP drivetrain.

For 2020 his eMTB was set to be used at EWS-E and other eMTB events including the eBike French cup and championship but while we wait for the season to get started check out all of the details from Levy’s new electrified race bike below.

What will this bike be used for?

The 2020 EWS-E racing series, and the eBike French cup and championship.

Can you run us through your suspension setup?

Yes, first I set my balance with the sag, 30% at the rear and 20% at the front. Then I spend a lot of time searching for plushness with the rebond and damping with the compression setting while keeping the balance. Then for the end of travel I add spacers if needed.

Could you give us a few more specifics and numbers on clicks with pressures, rebound, etc…?

I run 72 psi on the fork, LSC 10, HSC 10, LSR 2, HSR 4 with two spacers and 190 psi on the shock, LSC 14, HSC 8, LSR 8, HSR 10 with 2 spacer. All numbers are from fully closed of course.

What does your cockpit setup look like?

I like the bar to be narrow at 750mm wide. It is not a big deal, but it saves me some contacts with trees.

What about tire setup?

I like to run the DH casing on front for the precision with a Tire Invader Effetto Mariposa for security. On the rear I run the double-down casing with a Cush-Core, I love the way it holds the tire and save the rim. Pressures are 1.65 bar (24psi) at the rear and 1.55 bar (22 psi) on front.

Is there anything custom on the bike?

Only the hand guards are custom with my name and the team logo.

Do you know the weight?

It’s around 25 kg.

Do you have any personal setup tricks that are unique to you?

You can’t see it yet on the pictures but I like to shorten the grips so the iWoc motor remote is closer to my hand and it is easier to access. Again, I like to position the iWoc in reverse. When in ECO I have 100% of power while in turbo mode I have 40%. The down arrow is easier to access than the up arrow so, in a hurry, I can switch to full-gas even faster and easier.

Have you brought any setup choices over from Motocross?

I would say that my levers are set flat and my suspension is dialed.

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