Privateer E-Bike

Hunt wheels, Shimano electric bits and an X2 shock.

Looks like a ticket to a world of warranty turnaround purgatory.

I wanted to like it. I have a Privateer and 2 sets of Hunt wheels. But I couldn't buy this one.

I was also looking fwd to this, after the bird/Ethic e-bike got canned.

This is approx £2K more than the top of the range Vitus e-summit, with equiv spec components e.g. both Shimano motors same battery, but RS ultimate suspension. I think I could live with headset cable routing and keep the £2K.

UNless the X2 comes with the rolling fix, as you say it will likely cavitate / STB by the end of the summer!

Trying to buy an ebike is frustrating.....

Sorry, the minute I see a Shimano motor I stop looking. Apart from that it looks good

The X2 has apparently had new internals for 2024, and recent warranty jobs will get 2024 internals

Still though, for me it's 3000 Eur more than the similar but better specced 161 - 3k for the motor and battery (I'm simplifying a bit, I know) seems excessive.

I was also looking fwd to this, after the bird/Ethic e-bike got canned.

I was waiting for the Bird also but to hear them tell it, they canned it because the Shimano powertrains had a 75% failure rate. For me the motors need to be ready available so you're not out of action for months at a time and they need to be repairable. While Shimano are happy to treat their own products like landfill I'm not interested.

Have Fox admitted there's an issue with the X2? When I had mine it was "We have never, ever had this happen before" and I rebuilt it 3 times out of my own pocket. When it popped for the 4th time it went on eBay as spares or repairs. I've got a mate having the same issue with a shock he bought 2 months ago. Rebound has gone already and it's away for a rebuild.

As for the Hunt wheels, we've all seen the pictures and heard the stories. I've got a set of Trailwides and Endurowides and they're fine so far. When they break I'll be switching to Hope/DT Swiss as always.

Now, if they did a black and yellow Ohlins version of this like my 141, I'd probably be keeping my mouth shut and doing some man-maths.

sharkattack

Have Fox admitted there’s an issue with the X2? When I had mine it was “We have never, ever had this happen before” and I rebuilt it 3 times out of my own pocket

It's talked about in here

Orbea for one

Orbea Wild for £500 more has a cheaper build than the Privateer, but at least it has the Bosch motor. Orbea Rise isn’t a comparable bike

I was looking over one on Weds. It was really nice. I think from chatting it has the newer Shimano motor which is apparently more reliable on the production models. Battery is easy to remove, all the right bits hanging off it.
If I were buying an Eeb I could be persuaded.

If we don't support the smaller companies trying to grow, there'll never be any left

mashr

Orbea Wild for £500 more has a cheaper build than the Privateer, but at least it has the Bosch motor.

New Wild H20 with 38 kashima upgrade/X2 kashima rear is working out under 7500 EUR for me, crappy brakes (xt upgrade is 149) but otherwise equivalent. Maybe some currency related differences for you

weeksy

I think from chatting it has the newer Shimano motor which is apparently more reliable on the production models

Well, if it's three times as reliable, then it'll still have a 25% failure rate.

Well, if it’s three times as reliable, then it’ll still have a 25% failure rate.

Wouldn't that be outstanding reliability in ebike terms though? 😉

Anyway, I agree it's disappointing pricing and I don't expect them to be flying off the shelves in the current economy.

And being fair, the pricing is only disappointing in the contet of Privateer's other stuff, which was always "wow, thats incredible value"

Meh. If you took the Privateer decal off and squinted so you couldn't see the expensive components, aesthetically it looks like it could have come from Decathlon

the shimano motor rules it out for me, havent even looked at any other aspects of it.

If you took the Privateer decal off and squinted so you couldn’t see the expensive components, aesthetically it looks like it could have come from Decathlon

RAAW was the brand that came to my mind first.

nice brakes aside

Looking forward to Bird's lighter eMTB. Otherwise I'll be buying the lowest spec level of something and immediately replacing at least half the componentry. Still no sound from anyone about frame-only eMTBs either.

They were aiming for 5k originally, 6k takes it too far beyond the Vitus equivalent to be worth a punt imo. Same as with the Vitus though, Shimano motor is a deal breaker. Every brand of motor is unreliable but I hate the fact that the Shimano cannot be repaired or spares sourced, making the motor landfill out of warranty which is piss poor.
I have a 161, a Bosch powered E-161 would’ve been ace…..not that I can afford one regardless of motor 😂

I'm unsure how People can claim the new Shimano motor is more reliable when they are only now coming to market?

I was also thinking this could be my first e bike, but the price isn't there for me.

I rode a Bosch e bike yesterday, shocking how quick they are!

“I think from chatting it has the newer Shimano motor which is apparently more reliable on the production models”

Was any info provided about how shimano
- had built in long term maintainability to the motor
- would provide motor spare parts and their availability and prices
- would provide technical info on the motor to assist out of warranty rebuilds (e.g. manual, tech diagrams etc)
- would supply any special tools needed for motor rebuilds and their availability and prices

I’m guessing no.

I love my 161 but this really misses the mark for me. I bought the 161 primarily because it fits the criteria that many others don’t.

Shimano motor. Whether it’s the new one or not, I despise that Shimano don’t make it easy to repair. Internal cable routing is an absolute nuisance if you do most of the work in your own bikes. Float X2, No thanks. MX wheels, don’t see the point when full 29 works so well on the 161.

To paraphrase Steve Jobs “If you see a Shimano motor, they blew it”

Hunt wheels being spec’d should be a surprise given the common company behind both brands.

 the newer Shimano motor which is apparently more reliable on the production models.

Based on what... the manufacturer telling you it is? Or the amount of warranties they done on a motors that only just come out?

Based on previous experience, it's till a big **** NO for me.