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Lighter weight eMTB options?*
Mrs a11y currently rides a full-power Cube eMTB with a gen4 Bosch CX (85Nm, 600w peak) and 625Wh battery but struggles with its near-26kg weight. It was inherited from her late dad so not her choice. Great for towing kids up fireroads etc but she’s not comfortable descending on it and considering replacing with something that rides “more like a normal MTB”. She’s seen how I ride my own 20.5kg Heckler SL and wants a bit of that…
In true STW-style my first thought was a Heckler SL. And although my motor/battery has been faultless in 1.5yrs or riding so far, I’m hesitant about another Fazua bike in the family. Am I worrying unnecessarily about Fazua support going forward?
Or would an alternative with the Bosch SX - 60Nm, 600W peak, 400Wh battery - such as the Norco Fluid VLT or Cube AMS One44 400Wh be a more sensible choice? Bosch is more common and appears to have more aftermarket support options than Fazua, but I’m struggling to ignore the Heckler SL.
The above bikes I’ve listed are all sub-£4k, sub-20kg, 140-150mm travel eMTBs. I've only singled out those three because a mate has the Cube and rates it highly (I’m not fully convinced), I know the Heckler SL well, and the Norco reviews well. Plus, importantly, I’ve found deals on all. There’ll be others not on my radar and I’d welcome suggestions that fit that criteria. Anything less powerful / with significantly less battery capacity than my Heckler SL (60Nm, 450w peak, 430Wh) not an option.
Thoughts?
* An Amflow PR is hard to ignore for a sub-£4k eMTB but we’ve ruled it out due to weight – with the posher Amflow PL weighing a real-world 21.3kg, a real-world 23.5kg Amflow PR holds little appeal.
this bike would require a range extender or spare battery to boost the battery size as its 360 standard. But would still be under £4k. Only other one I can think of.
it has 50nm and weighs 19kg. I’ve had a couple of rides on mine now and am very happy with it. Motor is much more natural feeling than multi old Levo sl.
Chris
The Cube AMS One44 or the Norco Fluid VLT would have been my suggestions, along with the Orbea Rise SL H30 (EP600 RS motor with 54Nm is RS mode and 85Nm in RS+ and a 540Wh battery) which is under budget and should be under 20kg in small/medium.
Oh, you seem to have written off Shimano motors, so I shall delete my suggestions and move on. 🙂
I have the CF9 and really like it.
I've had a good experience with my Trek Fuel EXE - Since i got mine theyve brought out a new version with a bit moe power/battery
Mine is perfect for a couple of hours blast which is all i really have time for at the moment but you can dial the power down and still do a bigger trip if requried.
Might be some deals on the older model still kicking around too
The Trek Fuel + with the updated TQ motor is around that ball park for price and weight I think. Decent reviews as well.
this bike would require a range extender or spare battery to boost the battery size as its 360 standard. But would still be under £4k. Only other one I can think of.
Can't see a link?
The Cube AMS One44 or the Norco Fluid VLT would have been my suggestions, along with the Orbea Rise SL H30 (EP600 RS motor with 54Nm is RS mode and 85Nm in RS+ and a 540Wh battery) which is under budget and should be under 20kg in small/medium.
I'd not thought to look at Orbea, thanks. Will be looking at size larges as she's around 177cm.
Oh, you seem to have written off Shimano motors, so I shall delete my suggestions and move on. 🙂
Not at all, just hadn't given them any thought! I'm really not that familiar with everything that's out there in eMTB land.
I have the CF9 and really like it.
Canyon... I'll take a look. Couple in my riding group, one likes them but I believe another had major customer service issues with Canyon themselves which puts me off, especially with an eMTB.
I've had a good experience with my Trek Fuel EXE - Since i got mine theyve brought out a new version with a bit moe power/battery
The Trek Fuel + with the updated TQ motor is around that ball park for price and weight I think. Decent reviews as well.
I've ruled Trek out on basis of feedback from a bike mechanic friend who no longer refers to them simple as 'Treks' but as '****ing Treks'. Obviously not a blanket experience but it's enough to put me off them.
Giant Trance E? You can get a top of the range one from a couple of years ago for 3.5k from Giant's website or through a dealer.
Light, full power, 400w battery and comes with a 200w range extender
Giant Trance E? You can get a top of the range one from a couple of years ago for 3.5k from Giant's website or through a dealer.
Light, full power, 400w battery and comes with a 200w range extender
Sorry, one stipulation I should've made clear was absolutely no Giants. Not after the Giant warranty debacle. Shame as I owned a couple of Reigns in the past which I liked.
I'd not thought to look at Orbea, thanks. Will be looking at size larges as she's around 177cm.
177cm would but her at the top end of a medium or middle of a large according to Orbea's size guide (see below). I'm a bawhair over 180cm on a large Rise LT and it's perfect. I think that weighs just over 20kg but that's with the 630Wh battery, heavier duty tyres and longer fork (160mm Fox 36 Performance). So, a large SL should be lighter. To be honest though, I don't feel the weight of mine when riding it or even moving it around.
There is a better spec'd H10 version of the SL, but that would be pushing your budget at £4799. Then there's also the M-series carbon models, but the cheapest I can find one of those is £4999.
As for the Shimano motors... this place will service them and Shimano themselves are meant to be pretty good for free replacements just outside of the warranty period, plus they offer a sliding scale discount on new motors if you're beyond their grace period.
I really like my EP801-RS, but I should add I've never used anything else other than one of those city bikes or my mates folding bike with a Bafang Hub motor.
