[Closed] Ebikes...I want one...which one?

First bit of advice would be to buy locally from someone who has all the diagnostics kit because you really don't want to be posting an E-MTB.

I've got a Focus Jam2 which I love, the new Levo's do look good and the Brose motor is super quiet but the Shimano Steps system has a nicer feel IMHO, it's lighter and it seems to be the easiest to pedal if the battery dies on you in the middle of nowhere.

I'd strongly suggest doing as many test ride as poss before you spend your money though as motor choice seems to VERY personal, I know people who love the Bosch but I just didn't like the feel of it at all.

Rob from Rob Rides EMTB/EMTB Forums has ridden more E-MTBs' than most, maybe ping him on social media, his review videos on Youtube seem pretty balanced too.

I have a 2017 Levo and 2018 Merida eOne-Sixty. The Levo is good, but the Merida is better. Steps is more adaptable and agile, Brose is more brute force. Would highly recommend the Merida and very well priced too.

“My budget is around £5k which doesn’t seem to bag much and I’m at a total loss as to what motor/battery I should be looking at.”

For £5k you can get the base model Levo, swap the fork for a good one, the brakes for good ones and add a dropper post. That’s what I did and it’s BRILLIANT!!!

Yes, the carbon one would be a bit lighter but it has a motor so I really don’t care. The forks I have are as good as the top model, the brakes are better and the dropper post is better. The gears work absolutely fine and I see no problem with the wheels. And it’s half the price!

Vitus eSommet for more gnarr extreme riding. Very well spec’d and under £4K.
Gary Extreme has one so it must be good. 😉

Rob's a member here too.

Be less vague about what you want.

more travel?
for what? (ie. what sort of riding, Where? and what level of rider are you?)
Guess you think longer travel will be more fun for descending?
sorry.
tunbridge Wells means nothing to me.

Basically choose a bike with the same geometry/travel you would for the riding you're wanting to do whether it's an Emtb or an mtb.
Then choose the one with the best motor for your preferences.
in that order.
Components (other than suspension) are not massively important above mid range.

Fashionably Loooong Emtbs are a chore if you're a playful rider. As are plus tyres

No. he doesn't Dom

He broke the motor again.

He told me the jury is still well and truly out on E8000 durability Vs Gnar

It is however the closest to ideal geometry for him out of any Emtb on the market.
DH length stays
DH bike reach (in small)
Low (similar to DH bike) BB height
64deg HA
160/170mm travel with great suspension characteristics/components and light (47lb).
I'm not sure Tunbridge Wells is the best place for putting such traits to best use. 😉

most Emtbers are massively overbiked though

Tunbridge Wells is in Kent, not far from the Sussex border and rather short of big hills!

Components (other than suspension) are not massively important above mid range.

I would have to disagree to a degree there, E-MTB's eat cheap OEM wheels (especially rear hubs) for breakfast and beefy DH brakes are also a very good idea.

I fully agree with decent suspension though, a divey fork is not good on steep stuff with the battery adding that much high and forward weight on the bike.

Sorry to hear you’ve killed another one G, that’s a PITA.

OP did say he wanted something for bigger days out, hence the Vitus recommendation.

The Levo is a great trail bike but just far too much money at all spec levels.

I would have to disagree to a degree there, E-MTB’s eat cheap OEM wheels (especially rear hubs) for breakfast and beefy DH brakes are also a very good idea.

No they don't
Shit riders and too low pressures kill wheels
rear freehubs also see very little extra abuse under a decent rider

Large rotors and decent brakes are required but they all come with those anyway. Mid range is fine. Guide RE for eg. are awesomely powerful, great feel, reliable and cheap.

I fully agree with decent suspension though, a divey fork is not good on steep stuff with the battery adding that much high and forward weight on the bike.

What are you even talking about now. fork dive is incredibly easy to fix.
and the battery/motor are both mounted LOW and CENTRALLY on any decent modern EMTB
The weight distribution is BETTER than most non-Emtbs

For £5k you can get the base model Levo

Sweet Jesus, thats eye watering!

Dom

It's cool I have loads of other bikes I prefer.

I'm actually loving not having it. I've been taking my 25lb 100mm 4X hardtail with it's 11-25 cassette up ridiculous climbs and descending Enduro tracks on it's 60psi street tyres.
Rob's "Get out of your comfort zone" vid made me laugh.

Having said that driving to a field for a day of queuing is well out of my comfort zone though.

😉

Sweet Jesus, thats eye watering!

Yes, it is, if you don't read what he actually said.

Bikescene have last years fsr comp carbon levo for £3800 down from £5000.it's a fantastic bike great spec and specialized aftercare for e-bikes is great.

Thanks for all the replies folks, appreciated.

Yes, Tunbridge Wells is lacking in both hills and anything half decent to ride - however I do head to Wales quite a bit and am often in the Peaks so something with around 130 to 150mm would be ideal. I like to think I'm pretty competent (don't we all) - I like doing wheelies, jumps and skids and am more interested in pissing about that smashing Strava times.

The Specialized seems like an obvious choice but as per above it looks like I need to test ride them. Which puts the canyon out which is a shame as it's decent money for the spec

My budget is around £5k which doesn’t seem to bag much

😆

Canyon have a demo weekend coming up in the Forest of Dean. Check out Pedalabikeaway on FB for more info.

Got an XL E-Sommet and mate has an L, down in Worthing if you want a go Flange, got some decent trails over Steyning. Surrey Hills meet up might also be possible. We both love them.

Thanks Davosaurusrex, might well take you up on that. Did you buy locally or online if you don’t mind me asking?

I generally always buy stuff online but bought my ebike from local shop and they’ve been great - had a noisy motor after 18 months - popped it into them for a look and they just put a brand new motor in no bother and no charge - and it has 5 year warranty so they just say bring it back if you need to and we’ll sort...

Who is giving a 5 year warranty on the motor?

Online, you can only get them from CRC or Wiggle being an in-house CRC brand. If you have the wiggle platinum discount you can get 12% off which is a fair few hundred quid

Who is giving a 5 year warranty on the motor?

Haha

10 motors? Cool! 😉

Lapierre

Flange - Canyon have a demo day on the 17th March at Holmbury St Mary (surrey hills) where they will have the Spectral ON and Neuron ON to have a play on.

Also, of the e-mtbs are there any that could be run without the battery? Can you get a blanking box where the battery is, or better still any where the battery is in the downtube so it could just be removed and run without it for a few days. I am tempted but do one, maybe two trips to uplifted locations which generally involve flying so couldn't take the battery with me. As its uplift i don't see the bit of pedalling required sans battery being an issue with the extra weight of the motor but getting the connections all filthy because the battery is not there may cause an issue.

Shimano and Brose have no motor drag, so wouldn't take much to cover the battery contacts and ride it normally.

Why doesn’t anyone do frame only e-bikes? I’ve already got a load of good finishing kit.

Foes Racing are designing a frame only e-bike.
Lapierre’s new e-bike with 250W motor & weighs 18.4kg can remove battery & ride as normal bike.

I looked carefully at what was available for what price, and read a load of reviews and plumped for a 2018 Levo Comp for £3150.

I know the newer model is lighter, and had a better range in the higher spec models, but the same will be true next year too.

Find something you like. Buy it. Ride it.

Frame only is available jambo. lots of the Shimano frames are made by Astro eng.
Better option would be to buy a base model vitus and sell the parts. it'd work out far cheaper than a imposting a frame only. considering an E8000 motor is £900, Battery £600, display £200, controller and wiring another £200
also pretty pointless considering the spec of the VR off the shelf though.
and like I said earlier anything above mid level kit is not going to make a huge difference anyway.

Geforce - there's no need to cover the motor contacts.
any Shimano Steps ebike can be ridden without the battery in. infact the manufacturers recommend you wash them with the battery removed. (I disagree, but then.. I would 😉 )

Mine descends better with the battery in. Yes I've tried it. it's more balanced, the suspension works better and it holds more momentum and is more stable. I have no issue pedalling a 47lb bike up a hill without the motor being switched on either though. (slower obvz)
I'm not sure anyone will actually ride their new lighter removable battery/motor ebikes without the motor/battery installed more than once or twice for novelty sakes.

The Merida E160-800 is £4700
Steps 8000 motor / full Shimano kit
And bombproof Merida wheels with quality Maxxis DHR tyres, Yari forks and S deluxe rear can

Ran mine for around a year and 10 months now and the motor and parts have all been faultless

Rides well and I like an external battery for heat management and also the fact I can use the second battery from my wife’s E120 !!

Demo as many as you can tho and you’ll get to feel the differences in the motors

Bosch are powerful but not natural peddlers at all and a ball ache to pedal when they loose charge, also the wee 14t chain ring causes chain suck as it gets worn and wrecks your mech & hanger = big bill

Shimano - normal chaining , less friction off battery and more natural assist profile

Nobody has mentioned the Kona Remote Control. Had mine about a month, such a hoot to ride, I'm lovin' it 😎

Tried posting a picture. Fail.

I think the Norco Sight looks good; between than and a Levo for me.

Steps motor, good geometry and 600+ whr battery. About £1,500 less than a similar Levo.

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Up Snowdon yesterday, Cader Idris today. Stuck it on my old Ti 456.
If you've got a decent bike already that you're not using much it's a great option. Spare parts available on AliExpress.

Another vote for the Focus Jam2, I absolutely love mine, now spend about 50% riding time on the Focus and the rest on my Orange 5. I was really not sure about getting an eMTB, but now I love it, wouldn't be without it now (or the Orange) love both.

I don't think I'd consider any one that couldn't piggyback another battery.

A mate has the Focus Jam 2 so that's the only one I've got experience with, and from what I've seen, it's got to be about the best.

I borrowed it one weekend and did an awesome 40 odd miles around the long Mynd.

My Radon Swoop Ebike arrived this morning. 😁

My Radon Swoop Ebike arrived this morning.

I'm really enjoying the Swoop - Let me know what you think of it.

Rob’s “Get out of your comfort zone” vid made me laugh.

I do aim to entertain 😉

Is now the time to buy one or would I be better waiting until the technology has improved? My budget is around £5k which doesn’t seem to bag much and I’m at a total loss as to what motor/battery I should be looking at.

Loads of good options at that price point. This year is going to be ultra competitive in ebikes as the direct to consumer brands are banging out some amazing bikes for the money 😉

Top entertainment as always Rob

#smilesnotmiles

😉

@robridesemtb have you had much time on the Mondrakers? E Crafty or factor?

Interested in the trek powerfly's and the cube e stereo, does anyone have any opinions on these?

I have a 2017 Powerfly LT. I really like it but I wouldn't buy anything with the current Bosch motor at the moment; it's a bit long in the tooth now, doesn't decouple when off or over the assist limit and the small chainring is a design flaw that kills motors in the slop.