Forum menu
That heckler price is good, but they are too big for me. I think of all the systems, the one that would give me the eeby jeebies on warranty and reliability would be that Fazua. I’d expect decent warranty support from Santa Crus though as they always get a good shout for buyer backup. And hasn’t the range extended been imminent for ages, and not materialised.
First ride on my Levo Turbo today, chose Ilkley Moor as our maiden voyage on a beautiful Yorkshire day.
Up to now my Eeb experience is a hired Kenevo Sl for a day up the Golfie and a hungover couple of hours on my mates 5 yr old Whyte E160 27.5, which was suprisngly nimble.
I have ridden a lot of the trails before but not for a year and never regularly.
The hardest thing to get used to was the rear brake (Mavens), it is so sharp compared with the E4's on my Edit but after a while it felt natural enough. I am used to 27.5 wheels and the Kenevo hire bike (29r) felt slow to turn, the mullet Levo felt great, I never gave that another thought. I had to stop and swap the spacers to above the stem to get the bars lower, it felt like a shopping bike!
Now for the important bit I guess, the climbing bit. I'm obviously new to that bit as the Golfie fireroad is not too technically taxing. As my ride progressed I started to climb steps, choose the rocky line or just point it straight up the hill from the Cow and Calf car park, wow 🙂
Almost 7000 ft of climbing in 13 miles, mostly trail but with a mix of eco and turbo and I still had 42% battery left so went out again when I got back to Brighouse!
Clearly I don't know enough to help you decide but I have no regrets with my choice. This is the bonus to not trying lots of bikes out, I will never know what I'm missing.
42% is plenty to get you up the yellow brick road to the top of Elland woods then!
I had to stop and swap the spacers to above the stem to get the bars lower, it felt like a shopping bike!
How tall are you and what size Levo?
I'm 5'11" and on an S4. Initially it felt a bit on the small size. I've put a 42mm stem and 50mm risers on with 20mm spacers under the stem and 10mm above - I'm quite leggy though. Feels great now
I had to stop and swap the spacers to above the stem to get the bars lower, it felt like a shopping bike!
How tall are you and what size Levo?
I'm 5'11" and on an S4. Initially it felt a bit on the small size. I've put a 42mm stem and 50mm risers on with 20mm spacers under the stem and 10mm above - I'm quite leggy though. Feels great now
First ride on my Levo Turbo today, chose Ilkley Moor as our maiden voyage on a beautiful Yorkshire day.....
Almost 7000 ft of climbing in 13 miles, mostly trail but with a mix of eco and turbo and I still had 42% battery left so went out again when I got back to Brighouse!
Wow, that's some climbing
I'm a smidge under 5'8" on an S3. The bars were noticably higher than my Edit but I thought it was worth trying first. Definitely felt too high for my liking but we are all different.
@dave661350 yes, mental isn't it. On my previous visits to the moor, one climb up Keighley Rd, a climb up past the Cow and Calf to the top of Rocky Road, a climb up past White Wells and a push up here or there and I'm sick of it. Yesterday I was just doing laps of all of it. I only left to beat the rush hour home (its an age thing..).
Just to throw a little potential spanner in the works...
I should be picking one of these up this week or next...
OK so it's not £5k... But it isn't a huge amount over. It's also a brand new 2025 model bike, has a Bosch CX Gen 5 motor, great spec with full Fox suspension and full XT groupset and brakes, carbon main frame and alloy back end... And it's getting rave reviews!
My point...? It feels like slowly, eBike prices are coming back down to about where they should be... £5k doesn't need to be a 1/2 price 2yr old bike any more.
In fact, if we look at the new Whyte Kado... Whyte themselves have fallen foul of steep price increases over the last few years, so the new alloy Kado S with Gen 5 Bosch CX itself, launching at a price that significantly undercuts the RRP of its predecessor at £4499, is worthy of note too...
How much is the Mondraker?
As for base Kado, I’ve been told to expect a very heavy bike, but I’d agree, the price is getting more realistic. As illustrated also with the new IBIS, OSO. New iteration RRP is half its original RRP.
There's a Dune R here mate, M (long M)
https://mtbmonster.com/sale-mondraker-dune-r-2025-silver-black-red-last-one-medium/
I have been more than half tempted to buy it.
Thanks, would need a large.
I almost bought a Mondraker eeb when my LBS had some really cheap, but it turned out to have very limited seatpost insertion.
Just thought I'd mention that, as I can see the shock goes through the seat tube on these ones too.
Shame, as they're probably the best-looking eebs on the market IMO and I used to really love riding my old Dune and Foxy circa 2013ish.
I have that Dune R - Such a capable bike but yes, seat post insertion is limited. That said, I've gone from a 200mm drop on my old bike, back to 150mm on this (could fit 170mm One-Up in a M) and I don't find the saddle gets in the way. That might be partially related to the high stack meaning I've more centred on steep stuff. Either way, it's not been the issue I thought it might be.
I see a few budget ebikes come with RockShox Psylo forks. Any experience with these?
I have that Dune R - Such a capable bike but yes, seat post insertion is limited. That said, I've gone from a 200mm drop on my old bike, back to 150mm on this (could fit 170mm One-Up in a M) and I don't find the saddle gets in the way. That might be partially related to the high stack meaning I've more centred on steep stuff. Either way, it's not been the issue I thought it might be.
Me and the boy spent 2 weeks on the Dune XR and we didn't notice the seatpost being an issue in the slightest.
I almost bought a Mondraker eeb when my LBS had some really cheap, but it turned out to have very limited seatpost insertion.Just thought I'd mention that, as I can see the shock goes through the seat tube on these ones too.
Me and the boy spent 2 weeks on the Dune XR and we didn't notice the seatpost being an issue in the slightest.
I had heard it mentioned it might be a problem, so wanted to get a sit on one before I committed to purchase... For sure, if you're long in the body and short in the leg, you're gonna have problems inserting a long dropper post. Fortunately I have slightly longer legs than average for my height, and with the full 180mm drop post that comes standard on the M/L size I've ordered, I have 10-15mm further I can insert the post if I needed to... But yeah, if I was a 31" inside leg rather than a 33, I'd have to drop to a 150mm post and it'd be absolutely slammed in the frame! It's one that needs trying before buying for sure, to see if it fits the individual...
How much is the Mondraker?
£6299 rrp... Suspect if you're friendly with your local Mondraker dealer, you might be able to haggle a little.
As for base Kado, I’ve been told to expect a very heavy bike, but I’d agree, the price is getting more realistic.
For sure it won't be light... Alloy frame, relatively budget spec. But crucially it'll be lighter than the E160 model it replaces, as well as being cheaper, having a better spec etc etc... The £5999 Kado RS looks interesting I must say (well it would do, if it wasn't such a boring colour!), SRAM Eagle 90 transmission, carbon mainframe, 800Wh battery...
I took my “budget” bike out for its first big spin today. Hopton first and it really was surprisingly brilliant; plush but still very controlled and planted, you can chuck it very quickly down some pretty serious trails, I’m a definite fan of the Fox 38 Performance Elites 🙂 I then did the Long Mynd and Minton Batch etc. Really pleased with it, well done Lapierre. Had a play with the motor settings too which make a difference and the joy of sticking it in turbo on hills that are normally push up only 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just back from a week’s holiday and these now start appearing….
So, £1500 premium over the rsx, but straight away includes £500 of range extender. Then lots of hope bling, improved suspension spec. Worth the premium? But it’s knocking on the door of the next category of bikes up, and the new (albeit base) model Levo isn’t then far away.
Any thoughts on Whyte having an issue with the SX motor models, they have both come down by a third recently.
Any thoughts on Whyte having an issue with the SX motor models, they have both come down by a third recently.
It's not just Whyte... Nobody can sell mid power eBikes right now unless heavily discounted! The market just hasn't warmed to them like people were predicting.
My theory on why...? Well for most of us that have been riding for a long time, they are the perfect blend of a "more natural feel" than a full power eBike and they reward a higher cadence riding style too. The weight saving is a nice bonus too... The reality is of course, that whilst a bike like the e-Lyte would be the ideal eBike if I only ever rode on my own (or if everybody I rode with was on them), just about everybody else is on full power Levo's or Bosch powered bikes (or worse now, with sales of the DJI Avinox motor picking up momentum) and turning up on a bike with a 400Wh battery and 55Nm of torque max when everyone else has 600-800Wh batteries and 85Nm or more to play with... You're basically taking a knife to a gunfight! And whilst your bike may be 3kg lighter than theirs, it doesn't begin to make up for the lack of torque or range!
I'd love an SX powered bike... But I'd want it with a 600Wh battery not a 400, it'd need to be sub 20kg with a 160 Enduro setup and big brakes and Gravity spec tyres, and that's just unrealistic to be honest... The Bosch SX motor is about 900g lighter than the CX, so it's not saving enough weight really... So they fit a 400Wh battery which saves another kilo over the 600, but of course it reduces your range further...
As it is, I can take my new 24kg bike with Bosch CX and 800Wh battery, drop a kilo by going to the 600Wh battery, lose 500g with nicer wheels/drivetrain/contact points, retune the motor in the app slightly so it gives a bit less assist at lower cadence levels to make it feel a touch more like an SX motor but still maintains the full 85Nm assist if called for whilst getting the range I want from the 600Wh battery, and being able to keep up with my lazy mates on their "all of the power all of the time" tuned Levo's if required.
Mid power eBikes are the new singlespeed sadly... If everybody is on them, they a riot, and arguably deliver a more pure riding experience and usefully less weight... But if only one or two people are on them, those guys are gonna suffer on a group ride!
@rockhopper70 I'm a few weeks into the discounted Turbo Levo now and do not regret my choice at all. I do think that I am fit enough to have got away with an SL but they weren't as cheap to buy.
Its a different kind of workout, I'm very glad I have spent the last 18 months getting stronger, after a 2 to 3 hours of steep trails I am all over tired. I have proper bikes for going for a ride, this one is for steep sesh places with the emphasis on fun.
As you suspected, it makes Ellands yellow brick road fun. Last week, I gave all the steep lines a rake and rebuilt some blown out corners then rode every single line, some twice over. No way would I normally go back up that hill more than 3 times...
In an earlier post I claimed to have done 7000ft of climbing over at Ilkley but now I'm not so sure. There is a large discrepancy between what the Specialized app says and the Strava upload so who knows which to believe. A recent ride showed almost 7000ft but once its uploaded to strava it shows 2,364ft less.
I rode with a friend on an Ampflow recently and we did 24 miles of fast riding as I showed him 'all' my local riding spots. At the end of the ride the Levo had 20% left and the Ampflow 11%. This reflects the difference in our builds and fitness. My friend just a bigger guy and has a lung condition.
He generally just leaves it Auto and loves it. I switched constantly between all 3 but mostly Trail, apart from when I got stuck in Microtune by accident and didn't know how to get out of it !
He could if he wanted use Boost and bugger off but that 11% would soon be 0%...
So after all that waffle, maybe the question is how fit and strong are you? If you are fit then an SL would (probably) be fine and less tiring on your upper body.
Thought I'd keep this post seperate but here's a few more thoughts to consider.
I surveyed all my ebike buddies before buying (thats everyone I know, bar one these days...) for their thoughts, and I think their answers are interesting.
4 or 5 of them are building or buying new non ebikes again as there weight/fitness is suffering.
1 of them feels guilty everytime he rides his.
And one of them now finds that he rides a lot less. Before the eeb he had to ride regularly to be fit enough for group riding. Now it doesn't matter as he can just let the eeb do the work.
And the lad that runs my local cycle shock hasn't ridden a bike since selling his full fat Mondraker in November because he just can't face pedalling without the motor. He wants an SL because he is very light and found that he runs out energy long before the full fat does.
So taking all that on board, I am still riding proper bikes more but now I sometimes get home, get out the Levo and go out again 🙂
4 or 5 of them are building or buying new non ebikes again as there weight/fitness is suffering.
Thats the complete opposite to me. Got my first emtb in November, done 1000 miles on it now.
Lost weight, not been this fit in years.
Yes if you just go and ride 10 miles in turbo you are not going to get fitter on them, but use them differently and you can ride further, longer , with more fun
Yesterday I did 30 miles and 4,500ft on mine, I was knackered after
Thought I'd keep this post seperate but here's a few more thoughts to consider.
I surveyed all my ebike buddies before buying (thats everyone I know, bar one these days...) for their thoughts, and I think their answers are interesting.
4 or 5 of them are building or buying new non ebikes again as there weight/fitness is suffering.
1 of them feels guilty everytime he rides his.
And one of them now finds that he rides a lot less. Before the eeb he had to ride regularly to be fit enough for group riding. Now it doesn't matter as he can just let the eeb do the work.
And the lad that runs my local cycle shock hasn't ridden a bike since selling his full fat Mondraker in November because he just can't face pedalling without the motor. He wants an SL because he is very light and found that he runs out energy long before the full fat does.
So taking all that on board, I am still riding proper bikes more but now I sometimes get home, get out the Levo and go out again 🙂
I recently sold my Rise, partly with the suspension creaking issues, partly the motor death, but mostly for the reason that once the motor was broken i was on the manual and i'd found (like above) my fitness has suffered, more than you'd like to admit.
6 weeks later i'm starting to get back to something i consider OK now, but that's putting in 7-8 hours a week out riding on a manual and the legs really are feeling it and are pretty knackered. But i've been taking advantage of the dry trails and trying to get as much in as possible. I am still missing a bit of 'punch' on the short climbs and the legs don't last quite to the top of them without fatigue, but i'm a lot closer to acceptable than i was.
I'm sure you CAN ride hard and maintain fitness when you get an Eeb, but honestly, it's a lot easier to NOT. Leaning on the power of the motor is sooooooo easy and you don't really grasp just how much assistance you're getting at the time.
I still feel there's a place for an Eeb in my world, but it's more as an uplift bus/tow-up truck than as a trail too. The problem is, if i buy one, i'll end up using it as a trail-tool as well and the cycle of doom starts again. Hence the fact i'm still manual only, despite some good deals about.
It’s been 4 months, did you ever get around to buying an ebike?
Imagine if you had stumped up nigh on £10K for that Whyte Works less than 7 months ago and you saw that Wheelbase ad 🙄
Probably bought on finance, so probably have the next 41 months to regret it as well.
Or, no one bought it at £10k in the first place hence the huge discounts.
Lots of the above posts ring true. I had one of the original Whyte e-bikes but sold it 3 years ago. My fitness definitely suffered from having it. It was great for winch and plummet riding but at 26kg wasn’t a great trail bike, so I found myself changing what I rode to suit the bike. Full power bikes hit the limiter to soon on flatter flowing trails and the extra weight makes it hard and not fun to pedal through the limiter. Kept it three years then sold it.
Just bought a bargain Levo SL but still getting to grips with it. Really missed the extra power on the first climbs until I changed my attitude to how to ride it. The weight saving is very noticeable on normal trails and feels like a big trail bike but with a fitter me on board. My riding mates also have SLs so it’s a good fit for me, although one has just bought an Amflow. We’re hoping he’s not goi to be too big a knob about it. 😀
I'm nearly 3 years on my Rise , still working on how I ride it , using boost a bit more and it's not negatively affecting the range and yes you have to keep the cadence up Trying to be a hero on a half fat stubbornly staying in Eco doesn't work 🙄The latest software update has helped as well..Half fat suits my riding the full fat I had was too much of a supertanker .
@weeksy mentioned creaky suspension, mine was sorted super quick by Orbea with a replacement linkage under warranty.
Imagine if you had stumped up nigh on £10K for that Whyte Works less than 7 months ago and you saw that Wheelbase ad 🙄
Paid £7.5k for my £12.5k Levo recently
A few rides in now and can only say good things about the bike. It absolutely flies and behaves so much more like a normal bike than the tank of a Kenevo - really manoueverable. Got 43 miles and 4300ft out of it with 6% left on Friday in mostly eco with that set at 25/50. At 22kg stock (23kg in my set up) had no problems shouldering it over big stiles yesterday.
Eco is fine for 90% of the ride feeling like you've got olympians legs, but the Trail and Turbo definitely get used for sprints, get me home, or technical climbs. Wouldn't want to be without full power.
There don't seem to be too many stellar deals on them at the moment though, which I thought there would be with the new model coming out. Alloy Comp with Fox 36's for example only £800 off at £4450
I suspect intent is important and you do have to think about training and monitoring intensity a bit more on an ebike. Nothing too complicated, just getting in enough higher intensity sessions during the week; I do these on my normal enduro bike. It all means I recover better and I can do a lot more resistance training, mega important as I’m heading towards my mid 50’s. And you can do high intensity sessions on an ebike, it just needs to be purposeful 🙂
Last year I made a concerted effort to go out on my HT once a week - then I did a load of work on the ebike so it was out of action for a good few weeks. I let it all slip in the latter part of the year
Trying to get back to fitness this year and only been riding the ebike. We were due a group HT ride this morning, but that's gone south - rain and one of the group getting too pissed lat night. Will definitey be making the effort soon though.
What I find with the fitness debate in mind is that yes, you can get the cardio workout on an eeb, but the leg muscles don't develop fully unless you are riding a normal bike
Full power bikes hit the limiter to soon on flatter flowing trails and the extra weight makes it hard and not fun to pedal through the limiter.
I would agree to that to some extent, but its mainly at trail centres. ie the first section after the first long climb at Llandegla. its only slightly downhill. It feels hard and slow on an emtb and would be more fun on an analogue bike.
using boost a bit more and it's not negatively affecting the range
Yep on my Rise 85nm uses very little more battery than say using 45nm.
Interestingly I watched a vid on YT of a chap riding his Amflow up Snowdon. It killed his battery. I think he said it used 70/80%? I did it in very similar time on my Rise and only used 50% of the battery.
What I find with the fitness debate in mind is that yes, you can get the cardio workout on an eeb, but the leg muscles don't develop fully unless you are riding a normal bike
I disagree my power numbers are up riding the road bike, all from riding roughly 1000miles on the emtb over the winter. Do most people just sticker their emtb in Turbo everywhere though, and ride short distance?
Having said that though, riding yesterday I did 30miles 4,500ft climbing all in 85nm, my legs were short afterwards (as was the rest of me, at least its a full body workout on emtb)
I disagree my power numbers are up riding the road bike, all from riding roughly 1000miles on the emtb over the winter. Do most people just sticker their emtb in Turbo everywhere though, and ride short distance?
Having said that though, riding yesterday I did 30miles 4,500ft climbing all in 85nm, my legs were short afterwards (as was the rest of me, at least its a full body workout on emtb)
I tend to use mine with minimal assist and only occassional turbo with cadence and gearing similar to normal bike use. On my 40+ mile 4000+ft ride the other day, could definitely feel tiredness in my legs. It's always the legs (and some lung capacity) for me that are the weak point though when I get back on the normal bike. We all different though
Just back from 20 miles on the Levo, after thankfully ignoring the crappy weather forecast. After yesterdays 36 miles/4000ft on the Airdrop, I doubt I'd have been quite as keen without the eeb.
For me, there are times and trails that I'd rather be on the Airdrop due to its lighter weight (steep and tight) but by God does Levo inspire confidence everywhere else.
Not yet no, I was contemplating it when I started this thread, but now getting very close to pulling the trigger but these deals always throw a spanner in the works. Other points raised, I’m not fit per se, and my riding buddies have the gen 1 rise, so 60Nm, so none are going to be blasting off into the distance.
Doing the usual online trawl, I saw a video for Guy Kesteven and he did three laps of Dalby on one of those elyte Whytes, 114km. Whether that was on lowest settings wasn’t too clear but that’s a decent range for a 650wh equivalent.
I had been hoping to demo a SX motored Whyte but struggling to arrange it at the moment. Benji of STW reviewed the £10k works one and said the motor trait was the weak point, just too spinny. That’s putting me off, certainly putting me off buying one blind.
So yes, I am world class at deliberating. The most I have ever spent on a bicycle is £1,900, and that was the last bike I purchased in 2018. I need to be sure whatever I buy isn’t going to obsolete on unrepairable in 18months time, and I feel that Bosch might be the best in that regard, no idea why, but that’s my gut feeling.
I need to be sure whatever I buy isn’t going to obsolete on unrepairable in 18months time,
and my riding buddies have the gen 1 rise, so 60Nm, so none are going to be blasting off into the distance.
All fine until you've bought your mid powered bike, then all of a sudden they upgrade to full power.
At one point, I was the only one of the many that I often ride with on an ebike at all. Considered an SL for the group rides with all them on normal bikes. Next thing you know, they all have ebikes - full powered
@weeksy, I was thinking about your comments around the rise and your positive feedback on the fuel. Have you thought about the fuel exe? They look like a decent spec and the assistance is low level, so might be just right for your needs as a one bike does all. The exe is still a possible for me, but there is now talk of a new version inbound, with 60Nm TQ motor and a 500 wh battery.
@weeksy, I was thinking about your comments around the rise and your positive feedback on the fuel. Have you thought about the fuel exe? They look like a decent spec and the assistance is low level, so might be just right for your needs as a one bike does all. The exe is still a possible for me, but there is now talk of a new version inbound, with 60Nm TQ motor and a 500 wh battery.
I've massively thought about the exe yes and it could well be the perfect Eeb for me. With one minor downfall, towing the DH and rider. I think it'd struggle at that job potentially. I know it's a daft reason, but for me it's a fairly valid one.
I've not looked into a demo of one but think if I did I could easily be sold. I do read the long exe thread on Ebike forums with a bit of hmmmm
Today was trails in the morning and again the legs are fried, well I thought so until I came around a junction and had 3 roadies about 100m ahead of me. Lol.
With one minor downfall, towing the DH and rider.
Not a dig mate, but do you think this possibly contributed to the death of the motor? I generally (and probably seem quite selfish) shy away from giving analogue mates a tow. I think it's akin to grinding uphill in too high a gear, it's causing unneccessary stress to the motor.
But if that's what you've bought it for, then I suppose it's serving it's purpose, just wont survive as long...
With one minor downfall, towing the DH and rider.
Not a dig mate, but do you think this possibly contributed to the death of the motor? I generally (and probably seem quite selfish) shy away from giving analogue mates a tow. I think it's akin to grinding uphill in too high a gear, it's causing unneccessary stress to the motor.
But if that's what you've bought it for, then I suppose it's serving it's purpose, just wont survive as long...
According to 'Bearing Man' then no, he's the place that rebuilds the motors on Eebs and he says towing shouldn't be an issue. The Rise only towed up once, 3 runs at Cwmcarn and the motor it seems was on it's way out before that. But you could certainly think of it in the same way as towing a caravan, which some seems to think can kill cars, so it's not completely impossible. It really isn't as much of a factor as i make it sound in some ways, but that's certainly part of the reason i'd be buying it. But for me anyway, i'm going to wait it out for another year, maybe more, partly because of percieved reliability, partly because i am enjoying the manual and as long as my riding mate doesn't complain about me slowing him down, i'll keep using it.
@rockhopper70 repairability is why I went with the Specialized. The companies that repair ebikes say that Brose supply everything that they need. Hopefully that won't change and hopefully it won't spend the next two years constantly going back to the shop for a new motor.
Although a new motor just before the warranty runs out would be nice 🙂
Crikey, check the discount on that - https://www.biketart.com/products/pivot-cycles-shuttle-lt
That’s a lot of bike, a proper steam roller of a spec.
conversely, i can't see the value in it at that discounted price
As your only contribution to the thread, that's spectacularly useful.