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On a levo (which is used mainly in off and eco, some mid and a small amount of boost) I’ve been hankering after a lighter ebike for a while now, have just cracked and got a trek exe
- nothing “*better” has yet come along (*imho - removable battery, likely reliability/rebuildability ongoing spares etc and yes I know that there will be very soon - ho hum)
- probably about 4-5kg lighter than my levo and it has good lifting hand holds (I’m less cheeky adventurous on the levo esp when getting tired as it can be awkward when you get a challenging stile/kissing gate/deer fence)
- 40% sale and price matched by localish main dealer for warranty/knowledge etc
- TQ motor seems to have passed not being a dud status
I would really have liked a bit more battery and power and less weight but the fazua motor has too many reported issues for my liking, I won’t buy shimano and the rise battery is fixed and a mate who is not that much older than me has just gone (nearly overnight) from being a seemingly fit, active, holidaying, volunteering 70 year old to hardly walking due to spine crumble/cancer growth, which has very much suggested the not waiting for tomorrow approach…….
Anyway hopefully it’ll be reliable and the power and range will be ok, if not I’ve got the levo for big days, if I enjoy it anywhere as much as I enjoy the levo it’s a big winner.
Hasn’t the EXE got a range extender you can get for bigger days?
My ebike experience is very limited but having had a quick go on a Rise recently I was amazed how little effort ebiking is. Even just on trail mode you barely need to pedal to go shooting up a fireroad climb.
Exe looks really good to me - motor is about as subtle looking as you can get, geometry looks decent and Trek make good frames usually.
How does it compare weight wise to the Levo SL? Must be pretty close?
I'm planning my next move after moving my Rise on
Anyway hopefully it’ll be reliable and the power and range will be ok, if not I’ve got the levo for big days, if I enjoy it anywhere as much as I enjoy the levo it’s a big winner.
Ive had one for a while now, you'll probably get around 3000 feet of climbing out of it. You can get a range extender for it, or just a second main battery if you need more.
Mines been good, I like it
Comes with the extender, which should sort out big days.
I think it’s a little bit heavier than the latest levo sl (mine is claimed at 18.10kg) but the removable battery is one of my must haves (but I’ve been very impressed with my standard levo and did really fancy the new model sl pro) *edit, levo sl pro is allegedly 18.24kg, so effectively same but I’m getting the trek for near half the levo price and it has a removeable battery.
I really do wish we could get a light xc ‘simple’ ebike (120 travel, fox 34 etc) bike with no built in battery but that had a 250-300 modular water bottle battery (so I could carry 1 or even 2 spare battery parts in rucksack etc) that was under 15/16kg all in.
I can really recommend the new Whyte e-lytes. As long as you have plentiful coins. Think the sx motor is likely to outshine the fazua in terms of reliability. The new Cannondale looks very light for its battery capacity. Problem is the world of ebikes is changing so rapidly I'm tempted to wait for the next improvement before I upgrade as range is a problem across all ebikes for me although I'm 96kg. My ideal is a 20kg bike with a full fat range battery. Might be coming sooner than I expected. Hopefully
really do wish we could get a light xc ‘simple’ ebike (120 travel, fox 34 etc) bike with no built in battery but that had a 250-300 modular water bottle battery (so I could carry 1 or even 2 spare battery parts in rucksack etc) that was under 15/16kg all in.
You know you can do this with the EXe? Ie it will run on just the range extender in the bottle cage, without the main battery being installed, it won't weigh in under 16kg but it won't be miles away
Pics or it didn't happen.
Why can’t I figure out what bike you’re all on about.
Trek exe 9.8 xt, currently being sold off at bargaintastic (*compared to list) prices (so presumably something new just round the corner and they’re clearing stock)
Knew about the battery out trick but the extender is only 160 which is probably not enough on its own, and at 500 quid a pop its a bit pricey to buy another to get to 320. (*mind you as TQ motor seems to be going well and spreading across brands maybe somebody will go mad and do a bigger compatible extender)
Was really keen on the Whyte elyte but the no removable battery is a stopper for me and “rumouredley/allegedly/possibly” the sx400 “may” be less repairable than other Bosch. Also liked the ktm macina scarp sx - light, removable battery, but sx motor is too new yet, and they don’t do a small size (I’m 5 5 ) so that’s out.
Knew about the battery out trick but the extender is only 160 which is probably not enough on its own
I've had 2800 feet of climbing out of just the extender.... Mind you that was with the motor off on the flats and downhill, and only using eco on uphills with eco mode set to a max of 70watts assistance. It was nearly as hard as just riding a regular bike!
That's really interesting julians
So you reckon you'd get about 2,000m out of the battery + range extender on one of these?
When I see people say 1,000m climbing I genuinely don't see the point as I can do that with my legs no bother.
If I bought an eeb, I'd want to go to Grizedale or the Golfie and get 3,000m+ climbing - but maybe that's just not feasible yet?
So you reckon you’d get about 2,000m out of the battery + range extender on one of these?
Possibly, but it would be seriously hard work-just not quite as hard as doing it with no assistance at all, or rather I would find it seriously hard work. you'd need to have the assistance turned down low, and only use it on uphills,as per my 2800 feet on the range extender only.
I reckon any ebike that has adjustable assist levels could do it, not just the Trek, it's all about reducing the motor assist power to the point where you get the range you want traded off against the effort you want to put in.
For those massive (2000+m) rides I would take two main batteries plus the range extender, that should see 7000feet climbing without having to reduce the power too much - probably mid mode all the way.
The main battery is under 2kg and fits in a rucksack fine, and can be swapped in 5 minutes out on the trail.
If I bought an eeb, I’d want to go to Grizedale or the Golfie and get 3,000m+ climbing – but maybe that’s just not feasible yet?
I can get 2000+ of Golfie on my Levo with standard settings using eco and trail.
My Gen 1 Kenevo would struggle to get 1200 meters in eco with everything turned right down to the point that it wasn't worth riding it and it was easier on a manual bike.
3000+ would maybe be possible for a strong rider that didn't weigh much but for anyone around 80KG's you'd have to turn it down to the point of it not being worth the bother riding it.