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Just reading the Hope topic and watching the video got me thinking if that's one of the projects they've got in mind , HB160E any time soon? My first guess is it would be eye wateringly expensive and heavy? I suppose the same could be asked of Atherton as well?
Maybe they know their markets and will concentrate on those.
I'd certainly consider an electric 916 but only if it was available as a frameset.
Hope not...a very expensive commitment given motors need minimum orders so more pressure on selling more bikes.
Hope is in a good position in the sense that a complete bike (or frame set) isn't there bread and butter. It's the parts sales that make the money... suspect an ebike would be appealing but it will sink a huge amount of cash and require returns.
Guess its a question of whether they think it'd make sense from a business perspective. How many bikes do they sell/what %age of their profit comes from bikes/framesets vs components? I'd assume its quite small (I think I've seen 1 Hope bike in the wild before but every other bike I see has Hope components on it).
Maybe another small scale UK manufacturer like Pace would be a good comparison - they're a bike manufacturer and have been messing with that ebike mule for years and years now and still nothing on the market.
i'm pretty sure an Atherton ebike is coming.
As for Hope, seems like a big challenge against all the established ebike manufacturers.
Be niche, keep making proper bikes. There are enough of us that want to use our own steam!
I'd have an e HB916 frame in a heartbeat. With an avinox motor and 600Wh battery it'd be perfect for me. As it is, i have a Druid Core on order via Bird and I've been waiting long enough for that without another 9-12m wait for Hope.
Think it was a 3-4m wait for my 160 and 5-6m for the 916, and that was after they were announced.
Cotic said they couldn’t do frame only. My memory is that the motor they use, Shimano, was the only one available in small numbers. Shimano won’t supply motors to them if they are sold as frame only.
My guess is that there will be an ebike with Atherton written on it. They are a bike seller and there is clearly demand for ebikes. I think the question is do they do something really clever with all their geometry options or do they just get some one else to make an ebike to their spec with their name on it.
I think Hope won’t do an ebike unless they see a gap in the market for a piece of tech they can innovate with. Or some one comes to them to make a crucial component
I think the reaction to how the Cotic bikes look has had an effect on other small scale companies looking at doing an ebike, for example eighteen bikes
I asked Hope this question at last year's Core Bike show and the answer was a pretty firm no. Too many parts from external suppliers was one reason they said iirc.
Thanks Ben , yeah I thought that would be the case and @ampthill nailed it re the Cotic , each to their own and all that .
My guess is that there will be an ebike with Atherton written on it.
I seem to recall Gee pretty much confirming this on a podcast a while back.
But as mentioned above, Hope don't need to jump on the bandwagon when they have a very solid core business (that sells strongly to eeb owners anyway).
Atherton only sell bikes/frames, and are still rather niche at that.
Cotic said they couldn’t do frame only. My memory is that the motor they use, Shimano, was the only one available in small numbers. Shimano won’t supply motors to them if they are sold as frame only.
Cotic do sell the Rocket as a frameset.
Who's that company who were making a gearbox/motor combo in the UK? It showed up on an Orange. That might be a good option for a Hope bike.
Cotic do do frame sets but they cost £6099 which is more than both my complete e-bikes together plus some change.
I'm sure I've read that DJi will supply the Amflow motor in any amount, no need for big orders.
Who's that company who were making a gearbox/motor combo in the UK? It showed up on an Orange. That might be a good option for a Hope bike.
That was my thought. If we see an ebike from Hope I expect it to be different in some way whether that’s a gearbox/motor unit or something else I don’t know but it would have to stand out
Atherton I’d expect to come out with something but I really wonder what it would look like. Their current bikes are the very distinctive lugged construction, can that be used with a chunky motor and battery to house?
the answer was a pretty firm no
Risky position for an MTB brand, but if Hope are a components brand then they're doing the right thing staying out of e-mtbs, I think.
MTB is becoming a motorised activity. But e-bikes turn the product from a bike brand thing to a motor brand thing, or a mix of the 2 brands at best (at best for the bike brand). Motors to MTB brands are what carbon molds are to road brands - they work fine for the big brands and help push small brands to the sidelines.
Who's that company who were making a gearbox/motor combo in the UK?
Intradrive.
MTB is becoming a motorised activity.
Very true. I believe that bike sales are still falling, and the proportion of new bike sales that aren't ebikes is very small now?
I think the reaction to how the Cotic bikes look has had an effect on other small scale companies looking at doing an ebike, for example eighteen bikes
I had a look at another UK manufacturers un-released e-bike a few weeks back and it looked bloody brilliant... so its not impossible!
(slightly different style of bike, granted...)
Static sell there ebike as a frame only and it has a Shimano motor
https://share.google/M2bhJWyDHRe4hgIH j" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shred-E Frame | Static Bikes https://share.google/M2bhJWyDHRe4hgIHj
MTB is becoming a motorised activity.Very true. I believe that bike sales are still falling, and the proportion of new bike sales that aren't ebikes is very small now?
This is true according to my mates in the LBS. They still sell BSO's and kids bikes to people who want them. All the enthusiastic bikes are e-bikes now.
I'm aware of Static but I'd never buy a bike with headset brake hose routing. The new one looks nice but it's been 'coming soon' all year so who knows what's happening.
I believe that bike sales are still falling, and the proportion of new bike sales that aren't ebikes is very small now?
Could be, may depends on the area. Bike sales are fairly flat or only growing at a low level and still below pre-covid levels, mainly e-MTB and gravel that's growing. At the price you can get an FS e-MTB for it does seem that there's more e-MTB sold than non electric. But I expect there's a fair volume of hardtail frames and build-ups that don't show up in the data as easily.
i'm pretty sure an Atherton ebike is coming.
Sometime in the first half of 2026 was last I heard.
Be interesting to see how they mount the battery and whether it's removable.
Suppose they could go for an oversized downtube with the battery internal - would look better than the Cotic.
When I see the Cotic I think £500 Halfords special - not £6k boutique.......
Orange were testing the intradrive gearbox/motor a while back.
Mate owns a bike shop and he told me 18 months ago that the only bikes that are selling are Ebikes and gravel bikes
^ exactly.
As said above, can't imagine Hope need the bother? I'd have also thought that if the market for top end normal bikes dries up they could quite happily mothball theirs and carry on as normal, unlike other brands.
I will never consider an electric mountain bike.
Ok so cotic will send out a frame. My memory is that, on release, you had to send them the bits and they’d build it.
Looks like that is an actual memory
https://singletrackworld.com/charged/2024/10/new-cotic-rocket-ebike/
One day I’ll buy an ebike. The Cotic aesthetic is fine with me. But it’s probably too steep price wise
I wonder if the reason e-bikes and gravel bikes make up the majority of sales over normal mtbs is because not much has changed in Mtb tech in the last 5 years. Geo seems to have settled, there hasn’t been any major step changes in wheel size or components for a while and bikes are generally built better now so they last more than a few years anyway. So for your Mtb enthusiast that already has a decent bike your next bike is likely to be an ebike or gravel bike.
Maybe that’s just wishful thinking as I don’t want to see a time when manufacturers end up with just 1 or 2 models of normal bikes in their line ups and a vast range of emtbs and gravel bikes. Maybe 32 inch wheels will be the saviour of mtbs.
Maybe 32 inch wheels will be the saviour of mtbs.
32" Superboosted e-MTBs with gearbox drive units.
Could be, may depends on the area. Bike sales are fairly flat or only growing at a low level and still below pre-covid levels, mainly e-MTB and gravel that's growing. At the price you can get an FS e-MTB for it does seem that there's more e-MTB sold than non electric. But I expect there's a fair volume of hardtail frames and build-ups that don't show up in the data as easily.
"Bike sales" at Halfords up 9% this year. Some of that will be price increases but I'm not sure how much Halfords focus on £5k e-bikes?
