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I'm passed the ebike curious stage and now just deciding which one is right for me!
I live in Suffolk but most of my MTB rides are in the Peaks and have always ridden FS cross country bikes, my preference has always been milder trails but long days out. I can get up most climbs but increasingly finding that one day of riding completely wipes me out which makes a weekend away riding a bit of waste.
I had been looking at lightweight ebikes but wasn't sure if a full fat running on a lower power setting would be better for me.
Ideally I'd go for a Bosch motor as my LBS services them.
Budget is around £4k and any advice or experience would be appreciated.
If LBS service is a priority wouldn't getting a bike from them make sense?
My only experience of eBikes is my Levo and my mate's SL. I'd probably rather be riding his bike around here (Suffolk as well) but anywhere with proper hills... I'll take the full power version thanks!
Having said that, how about this?
£1500 spare for weekends away, an extra battery or big powerpack for lunch break top-ups.
I should add that the 3 bikes I've considered so far are:
Scott Lumen eRide - love the bike but not sure on motor or all the integration
Cube AMS Hybrid One44 - haven't seen many reviews but leaning towards this purely for the Bosch motor
Haibike Lyke CF11 - available locally but unsure on the Fazua motor and current lack of range extender isn't ideal
Definitely buy from a shop .
I'll be following this discussion because I do similar style riding as OP and also usually ride shorter travel full suss.
Was looking at Canyon Neuron On - as bigger battery. But I've never bought a bike remotely before - also very much at the start of a long process of obsessively scouring reviews and forums for opinions and options
Don't know if there are any still around, but Mondraker had some great deals (-30%) going on their 2024 bikes. Bought a Crafty R in October, very happy with it so far. A few niggles mainly around it being Spanish and seemingly built for dry dusty trails in Spain not wet gloppy UK winters. It is heavy, but full fat (750w) and I reckon the range is around 50 miles across varied terrain. Luckily for me my LBS is a Mondraker dealer which was a major consideration in the purchase.
Get a test drive, esp of the tq motor, as I find it different and for me and my specific needs (map based xc, mainly Oxfordshire downs) maybe just not quite enough suds (and if you blow up you can’t just go turbo mode and more or less let the bike do it). I have a levo full fat and a trek exe, I’ll keep the levo but if a slightly more powerful lightweight with removable battery turns up then the exe will be swopped.
If you ride cheeky and have to lift a lot do a weight, balance and handhold check ( I have to deal some 5ft high kissing gates) it’s VERY difficult with the levo and ok with the trek both are easier than my Scott espark was as the frames are thinner so you get a better hold but part of the reason for getting the trek was if you go cheeky map exploring and get lots of lifts the levo does get tiring.
Op, I agreed with your 3 bike summary. But I haven’t ridden the new Bosch or fazua.
On the Scott I’d check maintenance stuff my espark didn’t have full suspension bearings, it was a mix of bearings and bushes, I’m still not sure which is better, bushes were easy to do, cheaper, but needed doing lots more and had to be checked as if they wore it would be metal on metal on expensive bits….
I'm quite happy with the support from my Kenevo SL, but I tend to ride either on my own, with others on SLs or with mixed groups. If I was riding with full eebs I'd maybe feel a little undergunned. I probably preferred the tq motor in the Trek fuel exe but the specialized was a really good price when I got mine. Seem to still be good deals on them now and warranty support is excellent.
But if I was buying now I'd be finding it very hard to not go for the amflow, realise it's outside your budget but I'd be looking how many kidneys I really need.
The new Merida's are definitely worth a look
Buy whatever style (full fat or sl) bike your friends you ride with ride.
If you only ride on your own then go and demo some and decide what you prefer.
There's a place for both, but most people prefer full fat
Having been ebike curious for sometime I took the plunge late last year and it was the best decision ever.
I originally thought I would want low power , but now I am glad I have the option to use full power when I want to/need to
I would try and test ride bikes. All the motors ride differently, and big differences in how bikes ride / feel
Definitely buy from a shop rather than wheeling a broken one into a dealership expecting top quality service and support just because they’re listed on the manufacturer’s website.
I’m selling a lovely top spec carbon Levo SL, but other end of the country I’m afraid.
Find a Trek dealer with a sale on and get a demo on a Rail... I suspect you'd then buy one. My partner did and it's superb. Nearly as good as my Cannondale, but people don't seem to like Cannondales, so no point recommending 🙂
I love my lightweight Mondraker Neat. If it was stolen I would buy the same bike again - I love riding the TQ motor.
But my main advice, as others have said, is that I would strongly advise buying from your local shop. I’d rather have a less than ideal bike with local support, than a ‘perfect’ bike bought remotely.
Budget is around £4k and any advice or experience would be appreciated.
Buy new and buy local (or at least buy from a brand where the local dealer is fine doing warranty work for bikes they didn't sell - my experience of a Spesh ebike and Spesh dealers is that Spesh seem to treat them decently with warranty work.
And under the recommend what you have, Kenevo SL.
If you have a Decathlon nearby, its worth having a look to see if they have any on offer.
reckon the range is around 50 miles across varied terrain.
Hmmm. And what about if you take it mountain biking?
.
Sorry, missed that bit, aka, didn't really bother reading the op fully 🙂
Buy what your friends are riding. If they have full fat then you’ll be blowing out your arse all the time on an SL
Leisure Lakes have the Whyte eLyte on sale at £5k. I know it's over budget but it's a very good bike.
If you've never ridden a eBike get a few demos in. A full fat will feel like a steamroller at first, a light weight is much closer to a normal bike.
I'm wanting to buy something similar to this. In fact, my shortlist is two and includes one of op's.
Rather than buying online, I went to a LBS I'd not been to before, as I'm between sizes for both models.
The shop said it'd send me some details of what it could do (I'd not mentioned price match, just that I was willing to buy from them in case something went wrong. I wasn't expecting an identical price, just somewhere near).
They didn't get in touch.
I'd made an appointment to go back a week later to try two of their own personal bikes for size. When I went back in at the agreed time, they'd obviously forgotten.
And then promised to call me back with their price. Which they haven't.
So, I'm buying online from a physical shop about 1h45 away.
Everyone here has said about buying local for the support, but given my experience I can't help but think this particular shop would let me down if I ever did have a warranty issue.
Just very disappointing given this is by far the most expensive bike I've ever bought. And despite me giving them plenty of chances.
(The Scott lumen is absolutely lovely looking btw! And 10% off at j's cycles Wakefield this weekend)
Rich its £300 cheaper at 2 other retailers, only if you want large though??
I have chosen a different path, Nige!
A full fat will feel like a steamroller at first, a light weight is much closer to a normal bike.
Except full fat bikes are now the same weight as ‘light weight’
Ok maybe not the case at the £4K price bracket, but it won’t be long before you can buy an Orbea Rise full fat or Amflow for £4K It won’t be long before all trail e-bikes offer full fat and around 20kg.
I would echo Rich’s experience of LBS. I’m yet to see any benefit from buying my ebike from a bricks and mortar shop that’s 1hr drive from my house. They failed to get the bike when they said they would, didn’t manage to set the bike up with tubeless yet when I picked it up said they had, and didn’t even know you could download firmware for it via mobile phone .
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
I'm in no rush so might bide my time for now, I'd love the Amflow but after sales support does worry. Maybe in 6 months I'll have a bit more cash and slightly longer term reviews will be in.
Which 2 is it that you're looking at Rich?
Scott Lumen 910
Trek Fuel exe 9.8 GX
natrixFree Member
If you have a Decathlon nearby, its worth having a look to see if they have any on offer.
Posted 17 hours ago
Slightly off topic (as the the thread has developed) but has anyone got an opinion on this from Decathlon?
Looks like a bit of a bargain, the only review I can see online is an MBR one which seems to boil down to:
Pros:
* Smooth running, extremely quiet Brose motor
* 500Wh removable battery
* Fast and capable handling
* Impressive range
* Space for a bottle cage
Cons:
* Brakes could be more powerful
* Tyres are fast but lack grip when wet
* Not as powerful as other affordable e-bikes
* Spokes and pivot hardware came loose
* Takes forever to charge
Anyone got / ridden one?
Looks similar to this which also looks like a bargain, 720kwh battery and decent components and tyres.
That lapierre overvolt recommended by Jonny storm looks like a fantastic bargain for £2500. Full suspension, Bosch motor, big battery. Looks almost too good to be true.
Test rode a full fat Levo last weekend. I thought it was a fun bike. Very good to ride, fine on jumps and drops, motor is quite, got 2 laps out of it at Llandegla, not my favourite place to ride as a bit tame but it's where I could demo a bike. The only reason I've not bought one ilocal dealer only has them in black at the moment and I like bright bikes so waiting for an update on new colours. I don't see the point in the light version for me as I want it to get me up the hill to get more runs in. The warranty and follow up seems good, local Specialized store to deal with.
More riding less exhausted what's not to like.
And the other reason I didn’t get one is I’m annoyingly between sizes so need to test ride an S4 now.
Having said that, how about this?
£1500 spare for weekends away, an extra battery or big powerpack for lunch break top-ups
Bargain. Almost tempted myself.
It may be something you are totally against, but something to possibly bear in mind....
You may find you want to de-restrict it, so maybe do a bit of research into what's available. 16mph is a bit of an infuriating cut off
It used to be easy - my 2019 Kenevo is simply done through an app. It's usually a wiring kit these days and as I understand it, motors that use a rim sensor, rather than spoke are harder to mod.
I quite fancy a Santa Cruz Vala, but that looks like a right pain tbh
Hand wringers - no need to get preachy, just suggesting something that MAY be relevant to the OP's ebike ownership
Offer dropped from Whyte today for 180/170 MX eeb. £5500 with a decent spec.
Worth noting Specialized are trying to shift their 'old' Levo before the release of the new one.. I have no doubt the new one will be excellent, though it will also have a price to match (at least initally), but don't write the old one off as rubbish, it's a hugely capable bike.
To me the weight difference between some E-Lite and FF bikes seems so little, buying a FF and down tuning the output seems a better compromise. I would also suggest it would be easier to buy a full fat and sell it on, than the other way around, and better to decide a FF is too much, than a e-lite is too little.
Obviously a test ride would be you best option, reach out to some local dealers and see if they can help.
I’ve just got the new Cube 144, it’s a great bike with a huge 800 battery.
Spend wise it needs a better seat and conversion to tubeless.
I ride mine in the Peak District and it’s fine but be aware it’s not downhill , all mountain geometry, so it’s not point it down hill and go.
Big advantage is it’s really easy to remove the battery if you need to lift it to put in car and it becomes quite light.
Id go for the £4500 model as it has a good Fox and XT spec.
Lots of talk about power and not enough about range IMO.
As someone who rides both regular and e-bikes. The e-bike is about fun. I want to use the power and go do big hills all day and not sit in eco all the time (whats the point in having it?). So it becomes about range and for that you need a big battery.
Orbea Wild M10 and loving it
I'm in no rush so might bide my time for now, I'd love the Amflow but after sales support does worry. Maybe in 6 months I'll have a bit more cash and slightly longer term reviews will be in.
I just bought one. Got it from a reputable LBS though so if there are any issues, hopefully will be sorted quickly. Its VERY impressive.
I just got a lightweight e-bike and even in eco there is a huge boost to climbing speed. Full assist on the 55nm, 600W Bosch results in spinning out on the steepest, damp trails so realistically for me its really about the range rather than the peak power output.
In this case, the weight difference is all in the battery. 4hrs and 4.5k ft climbing on a 400wh battery is enough for 99% of my riding. As energy density increases, I'd take more wh for the same weight though (20kg with a low spec, burly build).
I just got a lightweight e-bike and even in eco there is a huge boost to climbing speed. Full assist on the 55nm, 600W Bosch results in spinning out on the steepest, damp trails so realistically for me its really about the range rather than the peak power output.
In this case, the weight difference is all in the battery. 4hrs and 4.5k ft climbing on a 400wh battery is enough for 99% of my riding. As energy density increases, I'd take more wh for the same weight though (20kg with a low spec, burly build).
What bike are you on @Kamakazie...?
I've been debating moving over to a bike with a Bosch SX motor, specifically the Mondraker Sly... I have a high cadence pedalling style, my typical rides are 3-4hrs with 1000-1200m of climbing, and think I should get away with the 400Wh internal battery for 95% of my riding... I am currently on a bike with a Bosch CX and 750Wh battery, and typically end rides with 40% battery capacity left or more!
I've 2 - a 24kg full fat MTB, and a light 20kg city.
Do i notice a great difference to the weight - No. Even lifting it i suppose you could argue theres a fair bit of difference, but not so huge its an issue. Both are heavy,life DH's bitd were heavy, and steel townie bikes are not far off 40lbs anyway.
But Im not intending to be lifting it over a five bar gate, and I dont think that should be any criteria for your choice really. Its all just down to torque and battery size.
Im on EMTB forum, and while there are posts and threads on lightweight, there are quite a lot of replies about adding a range booster as they are finding their lightweight low range to be too low. So I think if you opt for lower battery size, you might find yourself purchasing an extender before too long
Eco Whats that ? Never used it and tbh its a bit pointless. If you want to pedal about in eco, especially on hills, then whats the point on buying an ebike ?
Increases range you say. Well yes, but again as above if range the important factor, why buy a 1/2 fat
I just got a lightweight e-bike and even in eco there is a huge boost to climbing speed. Full assist on the 55nm, 600W Bosch results in spinning out on the steepest, damp trails so realistically for me its really about the range rather than the peak power output.
In this case, the weight difference is all in the battery. 4hrs and 4.5k ft climbing on a 400wh battery is enough for 99% of my riding. As energy density increases, I'd take more wh for the same weight though (20kg with a low spec, burly build).
What bike are you on @Kamakazie...?
I've been debating moving over to a bike with a Bosch SX motor, specifically the Mondraker Sly... I have a high cadence pedalling style, my typical rides are 3-4hrs with 1000-1200m of climbing, and think I should get away with the 400Wh internal battery for 95% of my riding... I am currently on a bike with a Bosch CX and 750Wh battery, and typically end rides with 40% battery capacity left or more!
It's a Mondraker Dune..I had 40‰ battery remaining on my last ride after 3.3k ft of elevation. Most of that was in eco but I did up it towards the end. The biggest drawback is the lack of seatpost insertion but I can manage.
Buying now then if take a look at the Whyte eLyte as an alternative, though the Dune rights brilliantly.
Completely agree with the last comment.
Why buy an ebike and the only ride around in eco all the time?
It’s like punishing yourself physically, financially and fun wise.
E-bikes are moving on now so you don’t have to believe the marketing BS of lower weight = underpowered battery and motor
Get as much range and power as you can for around the 20kg mark and enjoy the power!
Not sure how your managing to spin out on 55nm , it’s either wrong tyre , technique, or the motor doesn’t deliver the power very well.
I at CyB the other day a bloke on a Trek Fuele had a go on my Rise riding up a boring fire road section. Almost immediately he said he was going to look at a more powerful motor.
I just got a lightweight e-bike and even in eco there is a huge boost to climbing speed. Full assist on the 55nm, 600W Bosch results in spinning out on the steepest, damp trails so realistically for me its really about the range rather than the peak power output.
In this case, the weight difference is all in the battery. 4hrs and 4.5k ft climbing on a 400wh battery is enough for 99% of my riding. As energy density increases, I'd take more wh for the same weight though (20kg with a low spec, burly build).
What bike are you on @Kamakazie...?
I've been debating moving over to a bike with a Bosch SX motor, specifically the Mondraker Sly... I have a high cadence pedalling style, my typical rides are 3-4hrs with 1000-1200m of climbing, and think I should get away with the 400Wh internal battery for 95% of my riding... I am currently on a bike with a Bosch CX and 750Wh battery, and typically end rides with 40% battery capacity left or more!
It's a Mondraker Dune. At 170/165mm travel it's more than I'd usually go with but it's surprisingly poppy.
If I was buying again I'd probably look at the Whyte eLyte as well
If you ride at a high cadence the Bosch will suit you really well
Why buy an ebike and the only ride around in eco all the time?
75% of my riding is in eco @ 12-15% assist, I've no desire to blast around everywhere in Turbo. But, I do use Trail and Turbo when I feel I want/need it
Get as much range and power as you can for around the 20kg mark and enjoy the power!
But what does your Rise actually weigh, with pedals, bottle cage, mudguards, decent tyres etc?
Not sure how your managing to spin out on 55nm , it’s either wrong tyre , technique, or the motor doesn’t deliver the power very well.
I at CyB the other day a bloke on a Trek Fuele had a go on my Rise riding up a boring fire road section. Almost immediately he said he was going to look at a more powerful motor.
It sounds like you've never used a Bosch SX equipped bike. It might be 55nm but it outputs 600W at peak. It is significantly more powerful that the Fuel eXe and having used both, the power differential is significant and it feels much closer to the CX than the TQ does to the SX.
I recently picked up a Cube One55, end of season deal. 2 rides in and it’s awesome 750w battery Bosch motor. Good build kit for the money, or excellent depending on the deal you can find.
Admittedly I was very lucky because they are already discounted to around 4, this one had 60 shop miles on it so was classed as “nearly new”, so down to 3.5, then there was an extra 15% off that so it cost just over 3. Still it’s a hoot and I’d say good for 4 comparing it to more popular Treks & Spesh’s.
I've just ordered a '24 S-Works Levo, £7.5k reduced from £12.5k
22.5kg full power, will definitely be more nimble than the 25kg+ 2019 Kenevo I have at the moment
I'll do a NBD post and let you know how it rides in a week or so.
Lots of choice of there, I would have gone for an Orbea Wild, but headset cable routing and the Bosch Smart system with rim sensor is a bugger to de-restrict
22.5kg full power, will definitely be more nimble than the 25kg+ 2019 Kenevo I have at the moment
Once it arrives weigh them both and let us know the actual weights please.
Lots of choice of there, I would have gone for an Orbea Wild, but headset cable routing and the Bosch Smart system with rim sensor is a bugger to de-restrict
I'm curious - not judging - but why do you need to de-restrict it? I understand why people do it for road use, but for a mountain bike it makes less obvious sense to me, though I get it depends on how and where you use the bike.
I'm curious - not judging - but why do you need to de-restrict it? I understand why people do it for road use, but for a mountain bike it makes less obvious sense to me, though I get it depends on how and where you use the bike
A few reasons to be honest
The first time I swung a leg over one testing it at JE James, I was surprised how quickly the cut off came and instantly decided I'd want to deristrict
16mph is too slow. If it were 20mph I think people may be slightly less inclined to deristrict
Reaching the cut off and hovering around it is annoying I'd find. Not having a cut off makes for a much more pleasing fluid ride experience
We do a lot of mixed rides. On any road sections and even fire roads the restricted bikes can't keep up with the analogues
Anyone that's seen me write about my ebike usage will know that I'm not one for blasting everywhere in turbo, I prefer mild assist most of the time, so the deristriction isn't about flying round everywhere at 35mph. It's just makes the whole experience of riding an ebike, just better
Have you ridden any ebikes? Yeah, most people like them, but I've ridden a whole bunch and came away from every test-ride saying "e-bikes are not for me". I'm definitely not some super-fit guy who has the legs not to need one either! Definitely demo one before committing to spending all that money!
Once it arrives weigh them both and let us know the actual weights please.
As much as I could tell, holding it (Levo) up by my arms on the scale, it was looking around 23.5kg with pedals (430g), Cushcore and the few grammes that Ridewrap weighs
The Kenevo with (1kg - I think) range extender and a fair bit of mud was looking like 28kg
I realise this is way over the OP's budget but something to consider. I got my first eeb recently and went for the top spec Whyte ELyte Stag Evo with the new full fat CX motor, based on a load of good reviews. I absolutely love it and other than when you hit the 16mph wall on the flat it is just like riding a non-eeb from a handling perspective. It is not massively horrendous to ride with the motor switched off either.
I hired my son a Whyte full fat alu eeb when we were visiting FoD recently and swapped bikes with him for a while. We both agreed that there is a significant difference between how the 2 bikes from the same brand feel to ride. Immediately the weight was felt on the alu version, and I mean immediately, from the moment we started moving. Going downhill on the alu bike and the braking requirements changed, had to change my riding style a bit which I didn't do with the Stag Evo, and the motor was noisier, not awful but noticable versus the gen 5 CX.
It is easy to get hung up on lack of range and power when looking at the lighter versions, but for me by far the most impactful difference was handling. Even with the fugly range extender added you don't notice the weight. I am by no means suggesting you need to sell body parts to get the Stag as it is an obscene price for a bike, but try and do some side by side comparisons if you can and figure out what is most important to you. I see the Whyte Elyte is coming down in price but these are the ones with the SX motor rather than CX, worth a look though.
The RSX whyte ELyte is on my potentials list. But I went out for a ride today around my very hilly local area and I was struggling to get a spinny cadence going which you seemingly need to get to release the 600w output of the SX. Gearing on my non e bike in lowest is 30 front and 46 rear.
Interestingly, over 30km and 630 metres of elevation, two of my mates orbea Rises ran out of battery, luckily at the highest point of the ride. It was all off road, fairly gloopy going and the two lads are probably 20kg heavier than me.
I also attempted to pick up a £5500 cube stereo at my local dealer. I honestly thought they had bolted it to the floor, incredibly heavy.
So after todays ride, specially just to give me a hand to keep up with my riding mates, the fuel EXE or the Whyte looks perfect. I had thought about the Cannondale Moterra SL, the 2 model can be had for £4,500, it I don’t know if I’d actually need all that grunt.
I also attempted to pick up a £5500 cube stereo at my local dealer. I honestly thought they had bolted it to the floor, incredibly heavy.
Another good reason for going LT. I can lift my full bike in and out of the car boot with little effort at 20kg but with the likes of the Stereo I would be paying for physio after every ride 🙂
Interestingly, over 30km and 630 metres of elevation, two of my mates orbea Rises ran out of battery,
That is interesting because I keep reading that people are still getting miles out of the new ranges of SL's that eclipse what we were getting out of old tech full fats.
My 6yr old Gen 1 27/28kg big fat lump of a Kenevo with 504wh battery (at 90% health, so 450wh) and a powerful 90nm motor beats that.
Were they blasting round in turbo all ride?
Interestingly, over 30km and 630 metres of elevation, two of my mates orbea Rises ran out of battery, luckily at the highest point of the ride.
Sounds like me. What hoses the battery for me is full turbo trying to keep up with my full-fat friends. That and I still haven't ridden my Rise in temps above 6C.
If I sit in Trail mode all ride I am OK. I have bought myself the Range Extender too, which adds 50% to the range. I am also hoping that warmed temps will increase the range.
I think they may enjoy higher battery assistance, truth be told.
I took my Rise to BPW yesterday, i did bottom to top, then 3 top to midway, then top to bottom before lunch, that left me with 3 bars, so something over/around 30%. I don't know how much elevation that comes out at as i don't Strava, but i was happy. BPW give the facility now to charge Ebikes for free, so I plugged it in over lunch and did another run up to the top using turbo afterwards. To be honest, i'd had enough riding to satisfy me by then, although i'd have got another if needed.
It still impresses me how capable it is at doing everything.
Interestingly, over 30km and 630 metres of elevation, two of my mates orbea Rises ran out of battery, luckily at the highest point of the ride
Thats pretty poor range for a rise - especially if its the 500wh battery variants and not the 360wh battery. A friend with a rise with the 360wh battery regularly gets 900-1000m altitude gain out of his- I suspect they were in max power mode with all the sliders turned up to the max.
I’ll admit I was surprised they were getting through the battery. Like I mentioned, it was all pretty hard going with soft muddy ground and these lads are big lads, and using the motor a lot.
360wh batteries I believe, as in the carbon frame models.