[Closed] Choice of 3 E bikes…

Better tech in the newer motors, though Spesh has very good warranty. I have a 2020
Levo SL, different motor entirely though.

I've riden the whyte and the spesh, I ended up with the Kenevo sl.
Specialized all day for the warranty and backup.

Check the emtb forums for everything you need to know regarding Spesh Motors. I had a 1st generation Kenevo. Whilst it was an absolute weapon when it was working, it wasn't working that often. Had 5 motors, 4 batteries and 1 seatpost replaced under warranty. That's £6800 worth of warranty work. One motor lasted approx 10 miles. 4 motors and 3 batteries within 300 miles. Couldn't rely on it when I was out. Got to the point where I was concerned of being miles away and a total failure occuring and that was not a nice feeling. Specialized were however superb and cut me a deal so I ended up getting a Stumpjumper from them.

I **think** that the Scott warranty has the feature that it doesn’t cover non Scott parts, ie on my Scott when the motor failed (in warranty), I had to pay another dealer to do the warranty work. So I won’t be having a Scott again.

You’ll need to check this carefully but see the pdf from below as it suggests that a 2020 kenovo motor has a 4 year warranty
https://www.emtbforums.com/community/threads/warranty-extension-firmware-update-for-all-2019-20-levo-kenevo-with-2-1-motors.14500/
“ All of these hardware-based improvements are featured on motors fitted to Model Year 2021 Levo & Kenevo. To ensure peace of mind for you as a rider, we’re extending the motor warranty on impacted bikes from 2 to 4 years for all owners of Model Year 2019/20 Levo FSR and 2020 Kenevo from the date of purchase. This warranty is transferable should you decide to sell your bike.”

However I’d suggest checking this thru before purchase as this was a while ago and may no longer apply esp to later year bikes.(I believe a sw upgrade was deployed that helped with reliability issues) but I’ve heard a lot of good feedback about spec dealers sorting this out.

From a motor perspective I’d have either, as out of warranty both can be worked on by 3rd parties. ( https://www.ebikemotorcentre.com/ have a good reputation and are very helpful)

I’ve got a second generation Levo which ran perfectly for just over three years and almost daily use. Then the motor drive belt started slipping, LBS booked it in, replaced the motor under warranty in 24 hours and all’s well again. There was nothing wrong with the motor or electronics etc just a slipping belt but that’s not serviceable by shops, hence the full swap, with the old unit going off for a rebuild to new specs.

I gather the new motor has a stronger belt, clutch etc. Hoping it keeps on going, it’s the most fun bike I’ve ever owned!

has the kenevo got the relatively small 500wh battery?

If it has I'd go for the whyte - if it has a bigger battery then maybe the kenevo

but I am reading horror stories about Spesh motors…

Which is old news, yes they still have failures, much as Bosch, shimano and yamaha, basically all manufacturer do. The question is how good the warranty support?

Check the emtb forums for everything you need to know regarding Spesh Motors.

..with a pinch of salt, you are looking into a place full of geeks, some of who like to whine a lot & it's great stage to shout from. Much like STW bike forums (& the majority of social media), it is nothing like the real world, use it as resource (lot of useful into) but not as bible.

To be fair the current bosch system is supposed to be very good, I'd consider one if I could find a bike I consider as good as the '22 Levo (IMO of course).
I have a '19 Levo, I've had one motor replacement and have 4400 miles (all off road, all weathers) on the bike.

As Towzer said, being a '20 model it has the 4 year warranty, but only if you have the original receipt, you get nothing without the physical receipt.
Julians +1, a 700wh battery is the way to go, and a replacement is £1300 retail alone (£1000 discounted if your lucky), though you can pick up 500wh batteries for around £400 (s/h), if you can bothered to carry it or ride in a loop past you car (eg: trail centre & bike parks)

TBH the bigger part of the decision would be.. I'd buy what your closest, well known e-bike reselling, LBS support.

I have the whyte E-150 and while it's a brilliant bike that rides well, has a great motor and is from a company that provides great customer service, the battery removal process would unfortunately put me off from purchasing another one again.

I bought the bike in lockdown when supply was scarce and I didn't think removing the battery was something I would be doing often. But I remove it when washing the bike and in the winter months where it is too cold for the battery to sit in the frame in the garage so doing it quite frequently.

For those that don't know the whyte removal system, you have to turn the bike upside down, remove the outer cover which is held in place with a small bolt, loosen the battery connector and move it + wiring loom out of the way, then try and pull out the battery. 9 times out of 10 the internal cable routing can cause the battery to bind in the frame and can also make it challenging to install.

Compared to most other ebikes where the battery just drops out with the twist of a key/allen key, the battery removal system of the whyte has been poorly executed and spoils what is otherwise a brilliant bike.

It's definitely something you should factor in when looking at e-bikes, whether you'll be removing the battery often or not.

For those that don’t know the whyte removal system, you have to turn the bike upside down, remove the outer cover which is held in place with a small bolt, loosen the battery connector and move it + wiring loom out of the way, then try and pull out the battery. 9 times out of 10 the internal cable routing can cause the battery to bind in the frame and can also make it challenging to install.

Compared to most other ebikes where the battery just drops out with the twist of a key/allen key, the battery removal system of the whyte has been poorly executed and spoils what is otherwise a brilliant bike.

I wonder whether it is really necessary to remove the battery when washing or leaving the bike in the garage over winter?

I know, if you read emtb forums, you'll think the battery is more fragile than a new born baby. but I think you can go too far with looking after it.

I dont bother removing the battery on my orbea wild fs when I wash it or over winter (my bike also lives in the garage) - even though mine has a very easy to remove battery, and its been fine so far .

I have just bought a mullet giant reign e . Amazing. I know its not on your list of 3 but check them.out too

If all ebikes had the same reliability rate then the highest sales bike will get the most bad reviews. So I am not sure loads of bad news about Spesh on forums means they are any better or worse than the Whyte or the Scott.

“ I wonder whether it is really necessary to remove the battery when washing or leaving the bike in the garage over winter?”

I’ve taken my battery out once in 3+ years and the bike lives and charges in my garage. I’m in the far south so it’s rarely below zero - and I think I’ve only washed it once too (eventually the mud fails off…)

I do DH days at places like FoD and Staunton using 2x 500wh batteries, so easy switching is definitely a consideration for me.

I know a few who gave the whytes and love them, even if they are ugly 😁

I know a couple who have had kenevos, the usual motor failures have occurred, but also had shock and time failures, they seem to have updated the design, but not really a help to you.

As for failures, you get them from all, I had a gen4 Bosch fail, personally I think the wiring was the issue as a new motor and so on couldn’t fix it, I am out off spesh though as most failures I see at FoD and the likes is spesh, but they are also way more popular than any other ebike so statistic and all that 😁

I think the main thing is you’re buying nearby, so no real long distance issues, so if buy on what you want, the point about battery is good as well, 500wh these days means you’re struggling to keep up all day with folk on 625/700/720.

I've got a Rail with the Bosch Gen 4 CX motor and a Kenevo SL with the Mahle motor.

The Bosch motor was utterly reliable until November last year when I bought the KSL. I put the working Rail in the garage and when I got it out again in February the motor no longer worked. If you used walk mode it drove the chain ring but the pedals didn't engage. Of course, the bloody thing was out of warrant so I sent it to www.ebikemotorcentre.com and less than a week later it was back fully functional and I was £197 lighter.

I've had the KSL since November and it's on it's third speed sensor, third handlebar control and as of today second motor!

Wouldn’t touch the scott, the build quality is poor and it feels like they’ve just rammed a motor and battery in a normal ransom. Dealing with scott uk is painful, would not recommend.

Whyte and specialized look after their customers, no messing about. I replaced the scott with a kenevo sl, build quality is a different league.

I have the Whyte 160E and in the Peak District its a great bike it ride, the motor will be the strongest and most reliable of them all with UK support.
Its all standard Bosch so no issues with support if required.

A friends got the Whyte Bikes E-160 RS and is very happy with it, the battery removal is a pain but they never have any need to remove it.

I've got a Cube Stereo Hybrid with the same Bosch motor and am also very happy with it. The Whyte does seem better built / sealed for UK weather.

This site should have some interesting info on each of those brands
https://www.emtbforums.com/

I have had a whyte e180 for 1.5 years and I swap the battery most rides as I have two. If the cables that run internally are the correct length with no slack, the battery slides in easily. I have attached a long nut/bolt into the battery that can be used to grab the battery with pliers for fast removal. It's not slick but I can easily swap the battery in 1-2 minutes, not bad for adding another 3hrs of riding on battery 2!

One advantage of the less convenient battery mounting is no rattling and no water ingress.

Ps: the bike rides amazingly and much more manoeuvrable than a Scott 180 ebike I've ridden.