Yeah, all you can ever do is buy the best available, there’s always something new and better on the way.
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<div class="bbp-reply-author d-flex align-items-center flex-wrap">doomanic
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<div class="bbp-reply-content p-0">A friend of mine has a whyte E150RS and has had the 504 error twice now, both due to impact from falling off (even though the error is ‘tuning detected’).
Interesting. How has he linked the crashes to the error code? Is it just because they happened on the same ride? How long between crash and error code? I had a pretty big crash the day I got my 504 error code but there was at least 30 minutes between them.
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Almost instant, first time he stacked hard, we had to pick him up and dust him off! Went to the bike and the error was there straight away. Second time was within 5 mins of getting back on. He's afraid to ride it now, he crashes a lot!
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Thanks for the info all, lots more to think about, especially the new motors coming inline and whether I'm being too harsh on the orbea, given good warranty experience cited above.
Has anyone got experience of Whyte warranty claims?
There's an owners group on Facebook for the Orbea and lots of people seem to have paint issues with the Wild FS. Add to that that the Large is only 455 reach and you cant size up due to the seat tube height/seat post insertion.
I was previously dead set n the Orbea but not really sure where to go now.
Has anyone got experience of Whyte warranty claims?
Only with bearings on the frame. You send them off, get new ones back. no discussion, no debate.
Someones always releasing a new motor, Brose seem to do one a year, Bosch just released the Gen 4, Yamaha have been tweaking away as well and so on, Shimano E8000 was a decent enough motor, i liked it, bar the switch over the speed limit being a bit harsh, the new one i dare say will be a bit smaller, a bit lighter but do the same as the E8000 i'd guess.
How do people carry their bike in/on cars? It seems all the roof mounted bike racks are lacking in weight capacity and not sure i'd be wanting to lift a 20+kg bike over my head to mount on a roof mounted rack. Is the only sensible option, for those without vans, tow bar mounted racks?
I stick mine in the car, wheels off and in the boot, main bike in the back seat with a bike cover on it.
If i have to stick it externally, i have a saris that i put on the back, i again take the wheels off and stick in boot, then put the bike on the rack and secure with all ties, and a back up ratchet tie. I find this best as you can check the rear view to see if there's any slipping going on and pull over to correct if needs be.
battery out, fit onto old Thule towbar rack.
Yakima towball rack for mine. Not cheap, but works a treat :
Been having a browse at ebikes myself, I won’t be flinging it down any black runs, more local woods, forest roads and such like.
I may already know the answer to this... but why are most of the good ebikes 150mm + travel? Perhaps I’m just stuck in the “I don’t need loads of travel, 140mm max is all you need” camp or is a case of why wouldn’t you give it a fair bit of travel? It’s a heavier bike that’s potentially carrying a bit more speed?
I definitely want a FS for the comfort but I have always had the opinion that I don’t require 150mm travel, I could easily get away with much less but the options seem to be thinner on the ground? Am I just a Luddite?
The theory goes that a 150mm ebike feels similar on trails to a 120mm regular bike. The assist helps keep the pace up, the weigh is kinda irrelevant and the extra weight is balanced out by the extra travel.
I have a 150mm Spesh Levo SL and it feels really nimble and pretty much like my old 12mm Anthem but with a much better me riding it !
Thanks for clearing that up Iain, that is kind of what I assumed. Ideally looking to go 27.5” wheels aswell because I’m im a short arse and think 29” wheels on small bikes looks daft.
Canyon Neuron.
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/e-bikes/e-mountain-bikes/neuron-on/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH89jBMaqr4
I would try both wheel sizes before you decide.
Hard to tell the difference looking between them, both mediums
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The short arse is on the 29er
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Also short, on a 29er 😎
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I'm 1m77 on a Medium Rail (29er)
I wouldn't worry too much about travel, 150mm on ebikes is equaling out some of the things like bottoming out and additional bike weight, etc. They tend to have quite conservative geometry, which is what you'd notice more, so a 150mm has similar geo to 130s in many instances, of course there are some proper enduro geometry style ebikes, but in many instances i tend to see quite conservative geometry.
I went with the 27.5 as i like that size, but easily could've done the 29er in the cube stereo hybrid 140s, again the motor and power that you can use to assist provides a balance to the 27.5/29 question, leaving you with just feel.
Thanks for the info folks, I like the Canyons but the mail order thing puts me off. I was speaking to somebody this morning and they mentioned that when you hit the max speed the motor resits so you can’t go faster. Is that right or do some disengage the motor after that speed?
Im going to go and see a Trek Rail and try and find an Orbea dealer near me in Dundee to see them on the metal. The more I see the Orbea the more I like it, but the Trek is still out in front.
Ps, what bike are you riding Iain? Looks good. I’m only 5ft 6 so.. I definitely class myself as vertically challenged.
^^^ it’s a Spesh Levo SL, I’ve only had it a few weeks. I am 5ft 9.5 with short legs and it’s a large with a 150mm dropper. I did wonder if I’d need to get the dropper swopped to 125mm but the 150mm one fits with about 3mm to spare. Geometry is spot and and it’s an absolute blast to ride.
Glad you are enjoying back on the bike.
Just got the forks and brakes to do on ours and then we can do a side by side test on Turbo Levo and Levo SL.
Thanks Tracey, just gentle trails within 5 miles of home as thats the deal here in Scotland for the next few weeks. Best for shoulder rehab anyway ! I’m quite impressed with the battery life, been doing a bit over 20 miles, with about 1500 feet of climbing, mix of road and gravel and coming home with 40% battery remaining. Haven’t used the extender yet.
Will be interesting to see how you find it compared to the regular Turbo Levo..
I carry our Ebikes on a towball rack, my car is a subaru forester, no way could i lift even a road bike up that high, never mind an ebike.
It’s a buzzrack scorpion, one of the relatively few racks rated for 2 ebikes.
We bought a Thule Velospace XT to replace our old Thule. E Bikes fitted great on the one time we used it before we got a great Black Friday deal on a Tourneo Custom.
Bikes fit in the back with bike shrouds and clamped down between second row of seats and rear boot lid
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Where in Scotland are you Iain? How do you find the bike for assistance etc? Been doing some reading up on the Levo SL today and it’s what I’m looking for in terms of what it offers.
Never ridden or even sat on an ebike before so I have no idea what a “full power” ebike is like. The Levo SL looks like a good compromise.
East Kilbride, and I got the bike from Dales. It is perfect for what I need, which is a little help on steep bits due to a bit of a heart problem where I need to stay away from peak HR spikes. Easy to control on road and gravel but not so much on MTB terrain. I did have an Orbea Wild briefly last year but had a silly fall on its first outing at Cathkin with an unfortunate shoulder injury that had me off the bike for 7 months. I sold the Orbea as it was just too much bike for me. I find the Levo SL a great compromise of a bit of assist but still feels like a slightly heavy regular bike and rides like a regular full susser. It’s also easy to pedal with the power off !
I had a ride yesterday on one of the latest e-bikes to come on the market, the Liteville 301CE Mk1. Very impressed. Liteville 301CE Mk1
I had a ride yesterday on one of the latest e-bikes to come on the market, the Liteville 301CE Mk1
That interesting that Liteville have released that with the ‘old’ shimano 8000 motor, when the rumour mill suggest a new motor is to released imminently
I have been in touch with my local Specialized supplier to hopefully book a demo on a Levo SL, looking forward to my first outing on an Ebike. I’m thinking it will be ideal for my failing knees and get me out riding more often and on more challenging terrain.
Yaaay, be ready to empty your pockets ! Whereabouts are you ?
In Dundee so I have contacted Nicholson’s as they are the local Specialized dealer and I’ll get in touch with somebody who does Trek and I’ll take it from there. It’s a very early 40th birthday present to myself..
Bit of feedback on the Trek Rail(s) for anyone who’s interested. The OH and I have both got Trek Rails, hers is a 7, mine a 9.8. They were insurance replacements for our ‘nice’ acoustic bikes that were pinched out of our van last year.
Fortunately, we’d got some old bikes to knock about on, so took our time demoing and researching ebikes before we bought. I really like the way the Spesh Levo’s ride, but one of the sales and mechanics chaps at Evans showed me the pros and cons of the both the Rail and Levo, and there were a couple of things on the Levo that weren’t as user friendly as the Rail. The main one being removing the battery. On the Rail you just unlock the battery with a small key, and handle pops out the top of the battery, and you lift it out the side of the down tube. It’s so quick to do that if we have to leave our bikes locked outside a cafe for a couple of minutes, we take the batteries out of the bikes. If you also leave them in top gear, no-ones gonna make a quick getaway on the with no batteries😄
The other big thing that put me off the Levo was when I popped into one of the big local shops that sell a range of brands (JE James’s). The workshop had three Brose motors on the bench for warranty, and the mechanic said ‘oh yeah, that’s this weeks batch going for warranty’ That rang alarm bells a bit!
We ended up having several demo rides on the Trek Rail from one of the shops in the Peak and, based on the dealers background and reputation, we bought the bikes from him. My wife paid the difference to upgrade the standard 130mm dropper on her Rail 7 to a 170mm, and I swapped out the 470g! Alu handlebars for some carbon ones I had spare. I borrowed her bike a few times while I was waiting for my 9.8 and really liked it.
The main reasons I went for the 9.8 was the weight difference, as I have to lift it to chest height to load it into our van - and the red and black colour😁
Ride wise, I actually prefer the ride of the aluminium framed Rails, and if the 9 had been available in a colour I liked, I’d have definitely gone for it, because the weight difference is negligible. The Alu frames seem to have just the right amount of give to feel like they’re floating over chattery ground, whereas the carbon has more of a ‘race tuned’ feel about it. TBH, in hindsight, I wish I’d have gone for a Rail 7 or 9 and saved the difference in cost.
My wife’s had no issues with her 7, but I had a couple of minor things that Trek have had to sort on my 9.8. I started to realise the value of a decent shop and warranty. Ttek also replaced the shock under warranty when it got slightly scratched while it was in for its 100 hour service. They're also going to replace the 150mm seatpost that came on the bike because I realised that the bike should have come with a 170 dropper from new - I wasn’t arsey about it, I just If the spec had changed - but when I mentioned it to the dealer, he said he’d query it with Trek, and they came back and said they’d swap it FOC!
In fairness, I’ve had a few Specialized full sus bikes, and when I had a warranty issue with one of them, it was sorted very quickly without issue.
Anyways, hope these ramblings are useful.
Scott seems to meet your spec, might be worth a look.
Morning,
I took the plunge in Nov 19 and bought a Merida E140. After 1600 miles I can say the following about the E8000 and 504WH battery combo
1. Its a lot lounder than the Bosch systems but its never intrusive and I pretty much tune out to it.
2. Like you I bought it for range, gaining altitude rather than sticking it in boost and playing 25kph until the battery died. I am 102kg and with camelback etc probably nearer 106kg on the bike. In Eco my range limit is consistently around 50km and 950m of ascent. That is in a mix of estate roads and singletrack climbs. If you climb less the range goes up and vice versa. I have never found the range a major issue.
3. The Merida specifically, I know the 140 is the oddball choice given its the same price as the 160, but I wanted something that would climb better and be a bit more playful on my local trails (stuff that I would ride on 80% of the time) Its been perfect. Not put a foot wrong in 1600 miles. Eats chains in the winter time when the abrasive grit etc is at its worst. Experimented with expensive chains (although not tried e bike specific yet) and they all wear. I typically wait until CRC or similar has a 50% discount offer on bobby base 12sp chains and buy 3 or 4 and keep them "in stock"
I don't think you will regret any of your shortlist. Also, I don't think there is any merit in waiting for better technology. If we did that nobody would own a laptop, phone etc...
Hope this helps
Dave
z1ppy
That interesting that Liteville have released that with the ‘old’ shimano 8000 motor, when the rumour mill suggest a new motor is to released imminently
Not really new to the market been around since the start of the year or before.
I was in the same situation and went for a Base YT 29 in XL (I am 6ft).
Very well built and reliable so far despite the miles piling on - happy with the power of the Shimano motor (they're all capped to 250W anyway so the extra torque only brings limited benefits at the right cadence).
Very concerned about having to send it back to Germany of course but on the other hand, the value for money is far better than UK indirect pricing, obviously. But only if nothing major goes wrong. I understand that YT are about to open a UK service centre too.
The bike also happens to be a fantastic ride, particularly downhill.
I don't see much of a bright future for analogue mountain bikes I'm afraid.
