E-bike – £3500. Bit lost on choice!

So I want to get my first e-bike. I’m just not sure on what to get. Lighter weight or full fat.

Im riding an old Trek Fuel ex8. Fun bike but I’m at that point where a bit of assistance will be a game changer.

I usually ride solo and aiming to do 25-30 mile rides at mixed pace.

I tried an Orbea H20 and it was ok. Then a fuel EXE 9.5. That bike was great, good fit and felt like a normal bike and even felt ok without the power being on. Trouble being its range is not huge.

Should I consider a full fat? My riding is a mix of South Downs, Friston. Good mix of hills, flats and trails. I don’t really do any really tech stuff, drops and jumps as not my thing. Much prefer fast flowing rides. So thinking light weight might be better but would be great to get peoples feed back and opinions.

Obviously 3500 is not a lot and accept components will be low level but can upgrade over time as they wear out. I think some bikes from Giant, Haibike can be found in the sales for that price.

sorry for rambling!

I loved the exe it was a trail bike that just had the benefit of getting up the hills at the end of long rides , i barely ever turned it on unless it got steep , longest ride which was 73 miles i was glad to have the help at the end until the battery finaly turned off, if you are going to be max power max settings on the app then expect 15-16 miles tops but iirc the 9.5 which e bike frame wise was no different to my 9.9 can be had for 3499

Thanks for the feedback. 9.5 is bang on budget and I have an XT cassette and some XT brakes that I can chuck on straight away as well as some carbon rims. and thinking the suspension can be upgraded in time.

my rides generally start at the bottom of some nasty hills but then move on to a lot of flats/downhill sections followed by the hills back home so would imagine it can be off for a vast majority of the rides.

My mates just bought one of these

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/electric-bikes/electric-mountain-bikes/mountain-ebikes-striveon/strive-on-cfr-underdog/3428.html?dwvar_34

Had a blast down one of the off piste trails at cannock on it this morning, it’s stunning bike.

If you are happy to always put in effort (even at the end of the ride when tired) and you think the exe has more or less enough range and gets you up the hills you want to get up  (*remember can get extender or poss carry another battery) I’d get the exe as I find it a nicer pedal(except on steep ups, but it’s a much easier push) than my ff levo (it’s 6kg or so lighter) , I like them both but at 65 on steep ups and wh3n I’m knackered I prefer the levo as it will do it for you, you always need to help a bit on the exe.

RM Cycles have the Giant Trance X in for about £3k iirc reducedbfrom £5.5k. Full power, 750wh battery and 140/150mm travel.

The Cube 120 Race is taking my fancy at £2999. 750 battery , Bosch motor and good kit.

@johnnystorm

That trance looks nice. No idea how they ride compared to a light weight. Nice price and pretty good spec for the price. It’s 2022 model I think.

Maybe a bit let field, but I bought a Real bible Gravel Al-e about 18 months ago (60 birthday present to myself)

It’s well under your budget and has more that enough range to meet your requirements.

I did the Dorset Dirt Dash on it, last year, and despite becoming Ng loaded up with camping gear, I still had 62% charge left at the end of the first day (50 miles of terrain very similar to the south downs)

It rides really nicely, and isn’t too bad to ride with no assist at all.

It handled the descent from Ballard down into Swanage with ease and I’m growing more and more confident with it’s range and general capabilities.

I’m hoping to do some South Downs routes, soon, but am finding time a bit limited, for various reasons.

What did you dislike about the rise? I test rode the top spec older model and felt like it handled like a normal bike and pedaled really well even with motor off. I am sure I read that the newer model doesn’t pedal as good with motor off

If you are XL this looks a bargain?

Orbea Rise M20 2022

My mates just bought one of these

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/electric-bikes/electric-mountain-bikes/mountain-ebikes-striveon/strive-on-cfr-underdog/3428.html?dwvar_34

Thats excellent for the money, much better spec than most in that price range.

I did the Dorset Dirt Dash on it, last year, and despite becoming Ng loaded up with camping gear, I still had 62% charge left at the end of the first day (50 miles of terrain very similar to the south downs)

What assistance level was that on ?

What did you dislike about the rise?

A mate of mine has had a Rise less than a year and a half, main battery won’t charge and he’s been told Shimano can’t say when they’ll be able to supply a new one on warranty

Not sure if it’s right for your needs, but this Whyte deal is pretty epic considering spec for an FF ebike.
It’s a  reduced ’23 model, but it’s exactly the same battery/motor as ’24.

Full fat, and derestrict. Dont mess around, use it and have fun :-)

Some pretty good deals at the mo on ebikes around that price bracket.

Electric Mountain Bike

In the spirit of recommending what you’ve got, I’d get this one

https://startfitness.co.uk/products/cannondale-moterra-neo-carbon-2-electric-mountain-bike-2024-mantis – its the carbon, slightly higher spec of what I already have and I blimmin love it. (Unfortunately only in Medium.)

I own the Strive above, it’s great, but for what you want I think you’d be better off with a lightweight one.

I prefer my normal MTB for XC stuff rather than the Strive. It’s 24kg, which is not too bad considering the battery size and spec (I think the Cube and Whyte mentioned above are more like 26-27kg) but even so, I notice the weight in a bad way on more tame stuff. For steep techy stuff, the weight helps it feel really planted and stable so I don’t mind so much.

I’m going to go have a look at the Giant Trance posted above. I didn’t realise that they are only an hour away from me.

I’ve had both full fat and SL’s (all Specialized) and think that  if you like fast flowing rides, are fit  and plan on turning the motor off I’d avoid full fat bikes as they are hard work over the speed limit (unless derestricted) and unpowered are grim especially uphill.

I’d also suggest full 29’ers, rather than mullet, as I think they carry speed better on open trails.

Also probably stating the obvious I’d buy from a shop that can support you and a brand that has good support/warranty.

Didn’t someone on here have real grief with a Giant ebike?

If you mean the warranty grief, I think that was a normal MTB, IIRC. Wouldn’t like to think what they are like with ebikes.

Certini have gen 1 levo sl carbon comps for £3500 in L and XL. Decent enough spec and being sensible with assist will get some chunky rides out of them.

A mate of mine has had a Rise less than a year and a half, main battery won’t charge and he’s been told Shimano can’t say when they’ll be able to supply a new one on warranty

IIrc orbea make their own batteries ( well get them made for them)  its not a stock shimano lump.

I did the Dorset Dirt Dash on it, last year, and despite becoming Ng loaded up with camping gear, I still had 62% charge left at the end of the first day (50 miles of terrain very similar to the south downs)
What assistance level was that on ?

It varied, depending on the terrain, but I did use all three levels (and none) at some point.

It’s a factor of e-bikes, in general – the range will depend on terrain, fitness, and how well you manage the battery usage.

As an example, it’s currently showing 46% charge and a range of 81km, despite extensive use of top level assistance to beat the rain home, last week.

The Strive On is a great riding bike and unbeatable value for money but they are a bit snappy and Canyon’s warranty is still weak by the sounds of it. My brother got pretty much the first CFR in the country and he’s a bit concerned by it. That said, he never rides it which is one way of avoiding it snapping, I guess

Budget is a bit lower than expected now at 3k and it needs to have battery I can charge at home. Going to look at the Giant Saturday as local and see what other places within a reasonable travel time have around that mark.

Another local shop has Haibikes but no idea if they are any good. Not a bike I see much when out riding the trails.

I think Haibikes are better than they were, but they were just hilariously ugly up until recent models. One got a great review on STW (but man, that paint job ) –

.https://singletrackworld.com/charged/2023/10/haibike-lyke-cf-10-review/

have battery I can charge at home.

Do you mean you want a removable battery?

^^ yes removable battery.

Another local shop has Haibikes but no idea if they are any good. Not a bike I see much when out riding the trails.

They have always been a bit on the ugly side, and to be fair were one of the pioneers of proper emtbs then lost their way. Not bad bikes these days.

But unfortunately at £3k any ebike is going to be a bit of a compromise.

You can get this for £3k, but I would imagine its a tad heavy.

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/bikes/electric-bikes/haibike-alltrail-6-electric-full-suspension-mountain-bike-papayablack__13148?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=45316340&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiOy1BhDCARIsADGvQnCR2BJUA14ECDVQHlXT1cI-eH6oUVdgD3YhEM9PoDTqfXrm2bX5BpQaAgAoEALw_wcB

Edit: Hmm not sure what has removable batteries !

Going to have a look at this one on Saturday:

https://www.rmcycles.co.uk/bikes/electric-bikes/giant-trance-x-e-2-750w-sapphire-blue-2022__20324

will see what else they have while I am there!

and thinking the suspension can be upgraded in time.

Expensive way of doing it, better to spend a bit more upfront if you want better suspension.

Based on owning a Spesh and seeing myself & friends with both Spesh and other makes go through lots of warranty claims, I’d recommend you only buy from a shop, and make it a local shop.  Happy to recommend Spesh and an SL (either Levo or Kenevo).

Yeah I definitely going to buy local or local enough to travel too anyway.

As you mentioned the warranty issues and any other issues will just make it easier.

Not necessarily when it comes to Giant :-)

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/warranty-denied-as-i-stripped-the-bike-down/

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wwstd-giant-warranty-content-ebike/

Hmmm that makes for an interesting read. Maybe that’s not a good option after all.

the other bike local to me available to try is a Haibike allmtn3. Has removable battery but as mentioned no idea if they are decent or not.

back to considering the extra cash for the EXE or maybe a Rail!

Is there a reputable place that sells secondhand e bikes with some sort of back up?

Where abouts are you based?  Couple of people I ride with have EXE and really rate them.  One has the full fat Rail.  All get used mixture of South Downs/Friston and local bridal way bimbling.

Based literally at the bottom of the hill that leads in to Friston.

im wanting an all rounder that can be used for quick blasts but also some longer rides over the downs. Hence im really not sure what’s best!

EXE felt great on a blast around a hilly car park but thats as far as I could try it. Putting me off are the possible lack of range and the battery. As I need to remove to charge I’m not sure the exe is the best option for having the battery in and out all the time from reading a couple of comments online. Might be wrong through.

Don’t think the range would be an issue on the EXE.  Friend did 30 miles on the range extender only.   Took the main battery out.

Also, have a look in the ebike shop in Uckfield.  They have some Haibikes there.  Or Cycleshack in Lewes is a Trek dealer

I have an Exe & is a great bike, especially if you are a lighter rider as you will get more range.

You can tune the power modes to suit your riding style / range requirements & as already said you can ride with just the range extender & get decent range if you put the effort in as well.

I have mine set-up mullet & with a 160mm air shaft in the Lyrik – it rips & can handle seriously technical decents like a much longer travel bike (easier to handle than a heavy ebike) & is as much at home on singletrack / flow trails.

I am way more impressed with the bike than I thought I would be now that I have the suspension dialled in.