The Rise does look good but the Wild looks like a tank.

Oi! That’s the one I’m getting! 😂

But yes, it’s all subjective but they’re different bikes for different intentions.

The Rise is essentially a trail bike with less torque, lightweight and slender, the Wild fs is an enduro/big hitter/gnar to the max bike with a way burlier build to suit its intentions and with around twice the battery capacity.

You currently can’t not have that massive battery, but I think they’ve done an amazing job with what they have.

I think the top tube flowing into the seat stay always seems to make for a bike that looks right to me. I think because I’m coming from a diet of jump hardtail aesthetics.

would put me off

for me

Lucky for (or more likely, planned for by) Specialized, there’s hundreds (thousands?) that aren’t you.

I think the semi-fat e-bikes like the Rise and Levo SL are kind-of the exceptions that prove the rule, in that they show the compromises needed to get closer to an appealing aesthetic.

But I wonder whether standard e-bikes only look grotesque to us habitual MTBers? Do newcomers or non-bikers see them with a blank slate? (to mix my metaphors)

And yes, the Mondraker you posted and also the Commencal Meta e-bike (and maybe the YT Decoy) are all examples of eebs which look kind-of good until you notice how they’ve concealed the downtube and motor.

Lucky for (or more likely, planned for by) Specialized, there’s hundreds (thousands?) that aren’t you.

Far from the only ones who have noticed Specialized are overpriced, often unreliable, with poor warranty support and take far too much unwarranted legal action against other companies.

But I wonder whether standard e-bikes only look grotesque to us habitual MTBers? Do newcomers or non-bikers see them with a blank slate? (to mix my metaphors)

I’d imagine 99% of the newcomers who are coming in with ebike desires couldn’t care a monkeys what it looks like, as long as it has pretty paint and a motor they can easily derestrict.

Do newcomers or non-bikers see them with a blank slate? (to mix my metaphors)

I was given a backhanded compliment when out with my v1 Levo,’Bikes are starting to look much better, since they’ve become middle class status symbols.’

Thanks, dick.

The looks of ebikes don’t bother me – remember when we all baulked at 29rs?
It’ll just become a new norm.

The lines follow down beautifully on this Wild fs.

They also don’t flow so well around the seat stay area, snappy snappy 🙂

But I wonder whether standard e-bikes only look grotesque to us habitual MTBers?

Admittedly, there are a lot of hideous looking e-bikes out there. Pretty much every single Whyte, Haibike & the older stuff with external batteries etc. I admittedly ride mine more than my normal bike these days (weekday laps/power hours) and leave the other for the weekend when I have more time, or not knackered from doing too much in the week. But I don’t wince at it’s uglyness – the Rail is one of the more normal looking bikes, with a fatter downtube, but the Bosch motor is quite compact to others.

Where Bosch lets the side down is UX controls. If they came out with something similar to Shimano’s system (so they can sell across brands), they would clean up.

They also don’t flow so well around the seat stay area, snappy snappy 🙂

Got any links/ more info on the snapping – this is the first I’ve heard about a problem, and as an owner I’d like to understand more – if there’s a problem.

Is this thread still rumbling along?

All these bikes will be sold out by now anyway.

“But I wonder whether standard e-bikes only look grotesque to us habitual MTBers?”

I wonder if it’s like motorbikes pre and post aero fairings?

I rather like how my Levo looks but maybe I just see it with rose-tinted glasses because I enjoy riding it so much?

From my perspective what I like about this new Levo is that there’s almost nothing I prefer vs my older one – I like my 29” rear wheel and longer chainstays, I don’t need the head angle any slacker (mine’s at 65 deg), I don’t want a steeper seat tube, I’ve already got a 160mm short offset fork, my legs are long enough that I can fit a 185mm dropper in and I don’t want a screen on the top tube, a few lights is plenty of info.

Hopefully if my motor fails I’ll be able to get the new version with the stronger belt. I haven’t had water/motor issues but the new charging port sealing is giving me some ideas about ghetto solutions for really wet days out.

The brand in this case would put me off, especially at 13k…. the ‘value’ of the own brand parts would also put me off for the money they are asking. I’m obviously not the target market but I’d rather buy from a smaller manufacturers than the likes of specialized/Trek/Giant etc.

Brand is subjective isn’t it, that’s the point. Some will value the widely recognised premium level of the S-Works name over a small brand’s specialist credibility or rarity value. All a brand needs to do is be in tune with its market and what will build brand value there (‘all’… as if it’s that easy/cheap/predictable)

I rather like how my Levo looks but maybe I just see it with rose-tinted glasses because I enjoy riding it so much?

There’s definitely an element of both habituation to looks (e.g. 29in wheels mentioned above) and of bonding with bikes and loving them for what they can do (rather than just their looks).

I don’t wince at it’s uglyness – the Rail is one of the more normal looking bikes, with a fatter downtube

Yep the Rail and other eebs with the chunky downtube and less pot-bellied sump are getting there. Even the new Vitus is alright. I could imagine growing quite fond of one if I was fitting 1,000m descending in a quick hour’s post-work spin.

Might be a bit churlish to say it, but they’re all “good looking for a e-bike” rather than just “good looking” still, in my mind.

Purely from a looks perspective – Trek E-Caliber for me please!

“There’s definitely an element of both habituation to looks (e.g. 29in wheels mentioned above)”

When I put my Levo back together after sending the fork and shock off for a service it looked really weird and I couldn’t work out why – something out of balance visually with my relative skinny (not a 2.6″ 2.6) front tyre and all the space around it. Then I realised that I hadn’t put the mudguard back on, just one of those little bent bit of plastic things RRP Enduroguard. Mudguard back on, bike looks normal.

Got any links/ more info on the snapping – this is the first I’ve heard about a problem, and as an owner I’d like to understand more – if there’s a problem.

If you do Facebook, join the Orbea Wild fs group. There’s quite a few on there but, as has been pointed out to me a few times when I get my worried head on(I have one on order), the few on there is an absolute drop in the ocean to the amount of folk with no issues.

There seems to be a pattern with hairline cracks developing in the aluminium swingarms near to where the cable exits the chainstay near the brake mount welds.

As I understand it, Orbea have been providing replacements that are beefed up in that area.

Far from the only ones who have noticed Specialized are overpriced, often unreliable, with poor warranty support and take far too much unwarranted legal action against other companies.

S-Works are premium priced for a specific group of people, same as Yeti and Santa Cruz I don’t think there’s any evidence that Specialized are any more or less reliable than any other bike manufacturer is there?  You’re plain wrong on the warranty support as many here (including me) will tell you how painless and easy it is, You want SRAM for legal disputes…(see SRAM vs Fox, SRAM vs Shimano, SRAM trigger shifter, cassette hyperglide patent violation and so on and on and on…)

If you do Facebook, join the Orbea Wild fs group. There’s quite a few on there but, as has been pointed out to me a few times when I get my worried head on(I have one on order), the few on there is an absolute drop in the ocean to the amount of folk with no issues.

There seems to be a pattern with hairline cracks developing in the aluminium swingarms near to where the cable exits the chainstay near the brake mount welds.

Cheers – I dont do facebook.

Is it just the alu chainstays/seats stays? or are the carbon ones also affected?

13K? I could be hitting up Swinley with my homeboy on a pair of Sur-Rons for that.

You’re plain wrong on the warranty support as many here (including me) will tell you how painless and easy it is, You want SRAM for legal disputes…(see SRAM vs Fox, SRAM vs Shimano, SRAM trigger shifter, cassette hyperglide patent violation and so on and on and on…)

No I’m not wrong. I’ve actually bought a lot from Specialized over the years, including 3 bikes, 2 carbon wheelsets and probably a hundred smaller items. Each time I’ve had a warranty issue they’ve been slow, unresponsive and either failed to fix the issue or tried to blame the customer and charge for it. Contrast that to dealing with Kona, Trek, Giant and others who were lightning quick and bent over backwards to help.

Have a look back at Specialized legal disputes for yourself, particularly with regard to naming of their products.

Have a look back at Specialized legal disputes for yourself, particularly with regard to naming of their products.

yeah I know what you mean, trouble is they kind of have a point. They have got the trademark on some things like Roubaix and Epic, in the same way that Trek have for “Alp d’Huez” in some territories* and Cannondale have for “All Mountain” in some places. You might not like it, and you can guess at the value of the PR disaster of threatening smaller companies over it, but legally, they have the right…

Specialized warrantied a Roval carbon wheel that I’d broken (not manufacture defect) no questions asked, just sent a new rim. Given the experience I’ve had with other companies, that’s a win in my book.

* Nope, I didn’t know that either…

Cheers – I dont do facebook.

Is it just the alu chainstays/seats stays? or are the carbon ones also affected?

Just the aluminium ones.

No I’m not wrong. I’ve actually bought a lot from Specialized over the years,

I’d suggest your talking rubbish too or old experiences. For all of the Levo motor issues, no one has complained that Spesh haven’t stepped up & dealt with the issues asap. Yep, some dealers are rubbish, but that the dealers not spesch support. Look at them now, a large fire at their UK head quarters not long back, yet business as normal.

I’d suggest your talking rubbish too or old experiences

Really!? Most recently last year and before that three years ago. I dealt with Specialized directly here and in the US on the last two occasions because the dealer wasn’t getting anywhere, not their fault, or I bought directly in the first place.