Have discussed this previously, but I feel I need to stop my denial about my chronic fatigue issues and consider jumping on the e-bike wagon. I have some issues with them, but if it means getting back to some lovely happy all-day rides instead of 90 minutes around the local woods leaving me completely shagged, then maybe it’s worth it?

Maybe the cynical, not-a-thing Black Friday might throw up some deals? I’ve seen the Vituses on CRC – https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/r-pm/vitusblackfriday2019?icn=week48_2019_bfvitus&icb=bspot2-bc-week48_2019_bfvitus – and as I already have a 2015 Sommet which I adore, they seem like a good deal.

However, I’m picky about components. How sensible is it to swap stuff onto e-bikes? How much of their componentry is e-specific? e.g., I prefer Shimano brakes – would I need ebrakes, or will a set of SLXes that I have lying around work ok? Same for handlebars (big fan of Vibrocore).
A general discussion from people who have done this in the past would be lovely.

Also, anyone seen any other good deals to rival these?

Yeah, I’d swap the brakes and bars as well. Nothing “e” specific required of either. Big fan of both Vibrocore and Shimano brakes myself.

Let us know how you get on. Hope that if you splash the cash it helps you get out and enjoy yourself.

Note: the Deore 1×10 on the cheapest models there is great stuff, I’m using it on my main bike now.

Worst case scenario is that you have to sell off the Guides and buy Deore 4-pot brakes, but if your SLX brakes work for you now, chances are they will on the ebike – the majority of the weight is still going to be you, going by your username (!).

Not too much E-specific really – decent brakes are always a good idea and I’d consider swapping these even if it wasn’t an E-bike, just down to personal preference – I prefer to have my cockpits the same on all bikes.

A tough rear tire is a good idea (DH casing maybe or run an insert) but not too much else.

FYI, my wife has been through the mill with ME too. Got an e-bike, hasn’t looked back. This is her in the article here:
https://ebike-mtb.com/en/reconnecting-back-life-with-e-mtb

Feel free to PM me with any questions if that helps. Good luck!

90 mins round the woods shags me out and I don’t have ME. Which says more about me than you!

But joking aside, why on earth not. As said above the components aren’t e-specific. Get one, enjoy it and get out there, it’s what it’s all about.

All the best, hope it works out for you

Easy enough to swap stuff around. Run all our bikes on Saints and the ebikes came with Guide REs. had some spare Saints that we were going to swap across but cant fault the REs so have left them on. Also wanted to run 29 wheels on one to see what it was like so just swapped some out.
Only thing thats not compatible is cranks and motor.

FYI, my wife has been through the mill with ME too. Got an e-bike, hasn’t looked back. This is her in the article here:
https://ebike-mtb.com/en/reconnecting-back-life-with-e-mtb

What a lovely read, thank you!

One of the things I have missed the most is riding with a group. I’m really reluctant to join up with others as I worry that I’m going to break and cut short their ride, or otherwise embarrass myself.

DONE IT. TRIGGER PULLED.

Great enjoy!

Some of the drivetrain parts are e-bike specific. Some e-bikes have specific shifters that limit the shifts to one up, one down. This is to avoid wrenching the chain sideways across multiple sprockets – this is bad on any bike but worse on an e-bike that has your legs plus the motor pulling on it.

The chains are often specific too – stronger pins to handle the extra torque.

Absolutely nothing stopping you swapping brakes and bars though.

Superb! Enjoy it!

Seeing my wife out with the group again was amazing. Such a mental health benefit too.

The only negative about the whole thing was me getting beasted up the hills with her chatting away to me calmly as I struggled to breathe… 🙂

DONE IT. TRIGGER PULLED.

Awesome, have fun! I don’t have chronic fatigue but do have MS and having an ebike has been a total game changer (the playing on bikes game would have ended by now!), had mine for 3 years now. I don’t think that mine has anything e-specific on it. I’ve certainly never replaced any parts with anything ebike specific (except the obvious bits like motor and battery…).

One of the things I have missed the most is riding with a group. I’m really reluctant to join up with others as I worry that I’m going to break and cut short their ride, or otherwise embarrass myself.

This is pretty true for me too. It’s taken me a long time to be comfortable riding with groups who aren’t already my friends but I moved house to where I am now around 7 months ago and initially ventured out on easier social rides. Now I head out on bigger/harder rides with small groups, a few of whom know about my MS (I’m open about it, and it’s pretty obvious something isn’t right with my legs) and are very understanding when we have to push uphill or I disappear over sideways when we come to a stop. I do still mostly ride alone though, but always have.

I have an E-Sommet and its great.

Nothing is really E-specific but I’d recommend 4 pot brakes if your riding steep / fast for that extra braking power.

Bars are the same as normal MTB so will be a straight swap and even with a smaller gear range it’s fine, as you have the motor for assistance.

Enjoy!

Nothing is really E-specific but I’d recommend 4 pot brakes if your riding steep / fast for that extra braking power.

I’ve long been contemplating getting a couple of 4-pot Zee calipers to retrofit to my SLX levers.

We have fitted Saint calipers to XT and XTR levers on two of the bikes as the cheaper option and so as not to have to re thread for internal routing and they work just as well.

I’m heavier than you and use my fs ebike for bikepacking.
Upgrades I’ve made are 200mm front disc, and i did break a chain not long after i got the bike.
I use a rock razor rear tyre, 29×2.35, this isn’t a heavy duty tyre, and has been fine.
Nothing is ebike specific.
I don’t have chronic fatigue or anything like that, but I definitely find i can go a bit further on mine without feeling totally borked.
I also find i can ride in groups too, something I haven’t been able to do since the 90s.

I have the 2019 e-sommet which came with shimano 4pot Deores, & shimano 1X10 put saint brake on front & swapped rear to Saint lever, & most important shifter to Saint shifter I had which is such a smooth & light shifter better than XT 11 speed I tried even my XX1 Eagle was playing up more than Saint shifter. Have Vibrocore bars on had Joystick Analog carbon bars on before 35mm not ridden back to back to compare

Why would an ebike work for the OP? I thought ebikers had to work just as hard as those on fully analog bikes? That’s what is said in every thread on here…

Lunge. That argument only applies when it suits them!

I would also just consider the fact the bike itself weighs quite a bit more so will need more muscular strain to ride it through and carry it.

Why would an ebike work for the OP? I thought ebikers had to work just as hard as those on fully analog bikes?

You have misunderstood. Ebikers do not HAVE to work as hard, they CHOOSE to work as hard.

“You have misunderstood. Ebikers do not HAVE to work as hard, they CHOOSE to work as hard.”

Exactly. It’s like riding a really really heavy normal bike, with the option of switching on and increasing the power of an immense tail wind.

I recently got a stumpjumper with guide brakes… normally i’m a fan of shimano (xt 4 pots etc)… i thought i’d be selling on the brakes, but actually they are fab!

Give them a try before you swap over, tbh!

DrP

So here’s a question which didn’t occur to me until today – if I want to take it abroad, obviously I can’t take the battery on a plane. Going to the alps, I’d probably contact shop over there and ask to rent a battery.

However, my sister lives in Tuscany near some lovely looking trails. Is there such a thing as a Shimano compatible 3rd party battery that I could buy and have shipped directly there?

Don’t know about shipping battery out, but was surprised on Torino-Nice last year, there were loads of marked e-mtb trails and each refuge had hire ebikes and charging facilities.

Had my first ride on it yesterday. It was interesting.
Most obvious to me is the need to keep pedalling, even on flat or very slightly down-ish sections. Trails which I would normally just pump or freewheel and keep up a decent lick now need a constant effort. It’s either the extra weight, or the inordinately draggy tires (or possibly the claggy mud, which has come on nicely in the last month).
I could probably tune the suspension a bit – the fork was a little firm and that would have knocked off a bit of momentum on each bump. I might consider lighter tyres too.

I managed probably an extra 30-40% distance over what I would normally find comfortable, and that’s a positive. That even includes the battery dying on the last climb up to the NDW and me having to pedal the last few km home.

Overall – I don’t love it yet, I still need to work out exactly what kind of ride it is “for”.

Edit, to say that – despite my worries – it seems to get up the air just as easily as the non-electric version, given a good take off. Hopping from flat is tricky though.

You don’t sound blown away by it.
How many miles did you get out of the battery?
I’m considering an ebike ,I definitely don’t need one but I think they would just make rides a lot more fun. I could be wrong from your description 🤔. Enjoy.

I still need to work out exactly what kind of ride it is “for”.

if it means getting back to some lovely happy all-day rides instead of 90 minutes around the local woods leaving me completely shagged, then maybe it’s worth it?

I managed probably an extra 30-40% distance

In your case, this is exactly what you asked for is it not? How far would you actually have gotten without the e-bike, honestly? I know my local trails are desperately crap due to so much rain, no one is going to be go anywhere without pedalling everywhere, ebike or not. Fair enough you aren’t blown away, but it sounds like your over anlaysing it in the worst conditions, just get out an ride it some more….

Now hang on. I’m not complaining. Just pointing out that it wasn’t the revelatory experience others claim to have had. And I’ve got to work out how to get the best out of it.

Thinking about this more, I’m wondering if a good portion of the extra drag is coming from the tyres – they’re thumping great Maxxis Assegais, which others have reported as “like dragging an anchor”. I’ll try a tyre swap and see how that goes.

Like you, I’m a recent ebike convert (2 months)
Things I’ve found so far

Standard kit that comes on them are designed for toughness.. Not eeking out the miles

Ie.. The standard wheels on my jam2 6.7 nine came with low end novatec hubs and maxxis reckons which tore within the first month so I changed them for some spesh butcher black diamond 2.6 which in all honesty are shit for rolling(but don’t worry about that they say as you have assistance🤷‍♂️) I decided to put on a spare set of wheels I had laying about (again novatecs but much better ones that have skf bearings in and schwalbe nobby nic in 2.35 sizing) and what a difference its made to the range. Probably an extra 20% at a rough estimate compared to what I got before. Probably not life changing to you but definitely something to think about

On the version I got, all the parts are fairly high-end, albeit e-oriented versions: DT Swiss hybrid wheels are decent, but beefy. The forks are the Fox ebike versions – 36mm stanchions but with thicker walls and the 34mm internals. The brakes are 4-pot Guides instead of the standard 2-pot versions.

That’s all extra weight, but it’s my experience that extra weight = extra momentum once you’re up to speed. Those tyres tho. Lumps. Sticky lumps.

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/scott-genius-eride-710-27-5-mens-electric-full-suspension-mountain-bike-2019.html?gclid. This has SRAM gears which is not what I expected maybe worth checking

Also see Pinkbike ads, can get new xtr ,di2,fox 36 Scott for 4250

Have a look on bike discount de, they were flogging off old focus at 50% off

General waffling, heard that you need 200mm rotors both ends due to weight, most Highrr end bikes have ebike specific forks, chains last a lot less (but I change xt 11 at about .5, about 500 miles)

This one is xt

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/electric-bikes/ex-display-scott-e-genius-710-medium-2018-full-sus-electric-mtb-black_466184?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=R-BIKE-566&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvPnyy-XB5gIVxbTtCh0DOwFlEAQYAiABEgL_lfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have an Esommet, swapping the DD Maxgrip dhf on the rear to a Bontrager SE4 2.6 made a very noticeable difference to the way it rolls and battery range,lots of useful info and advice on here https://www.emtbforums.com/community/forums/vitus.45/

I have an Esommet, swapping the DD Maxgrip dhf on the rear to a Bontrager SE4 2.6 made a very noticeable difference to the way it rolls and battery range,lots of useful info and advice on here https://www.emtbforums.com/community/forums/vitus.45/

Looks ideal, thank you.

Have discussed this previously, but I feel I need to stop my denial about my chronic fatigue issues and consider jumping on the e-bike wagon. I have some issues with them, but if it means getting back to some lovely happy all-day rides instead of 90 minutes around the local woods leaving me completely shagged, then maybe it’s worth it?

I am wondering the exact same thing. i’ve been suffering from chronic fatigue for nearly 3 years now (previous post

I have a friend who has bought an e bike and said it has got him out loads. I must admit its the one thing i miss the most about all this is getting out on the bike riding the trails. 🙁

@trickydisco

Just do it mate.. You won’t look back

Tricky, why don’t you ask your mate if you can borrow it for a day?

Yea gunna give him a shout. If only bird would release an e bike version of the am9 that would be awesome

Or if only you could get a conversion kit . .

Got any pics yet 16stonepig ? Have you ridden it yet?

Also interested in how your cfs came about and how long for? I’ve spent 1000’s trying to get to the bottom of it

Need to read the thread properly

Any more updates ?