[Closed] What ebike have you got?

I’ve a 2016 Levo, it came with 650b+ wheels and tyres which weren’t great, so swapped to 29ers and now it’s great. Hasn’t replaced my normal bikes, but it’s a lot of fun, and meant I've been able to get out on rides whilst injured.

Had from new and in that time it’s had to have 2 new motors and a new battery, in about 2500miles.

Trek Rail 9. Tried the Whyte E150, YT Decoy and Turbo Levo. The Trek is one that worked for me (which was a big surprise cos I’m not a Trek fan). Can’t believe how easy it is to get wheels off the ground.

I have an Orbea Wild FS M Team, it’s only done one short test ride and I’ve been injured since (I fell off). It’s for sale in LBS, PM me if interested, it’s a Large btw.

Focus jam2 now with 1300 miles on the clock. Makes riding more enjoyable with the limited free time I have. Already looking for something with a larger battery for myself later in the year as my son has his eye on this one 🙄

First gen kenevo expert with a second battery. Has regenerated my passion for going on rides I haven't done in years. Have zero interest in non ebikes these days, I just don't see the point in them.

We started out with a 2017 Turbo Levo as a bit of fun bike to share between the four of us.

Bit of a mistake as we all wanted to be on it at the same time

Slowly upped the fleet with the Turbo Levo's an a mixture or wheel sizes.

Can't fault them and haven't managed to find another model/Brand to tempt us away.

So versatile in every way and so far no problems apart from smashing a rear mech climbing the Beast.

Still probably ride about 50/50 with our other bikes

I'm convinced its improved my riding both up and down.

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Wonder how long we can keep this positive before it turns into the usual emtb thread

Vitus E-Sommet here. Amazing bike and great spec for the money.

I’m on a Decoy, which I love. Probably spending 50/50 between that and my Smuggler, I still enjoy riding both.

I’d have another Decoy, it’s a great bike at a great price - although I accept there’s a greater risk with ebikes for issues, and YT’s turnaround on returns could be frustrating if I need them...

The only thing I find really frustrating is how heavy they feel once the assistance runs out at 16mph, which is a LOT of the time on singletrack, and which I’m generally faster on riding the Smuggler. Somewhere between Eco and Trail is perfect for me for the climbs, something lighter and less powerful than the current generation would be perfect on the flat and downhills. The Turbo Levo SL looks good - but I’d never pay that sort of money for a bike.

My wife bought a Trek Rail 7 after her Cotic was pinched, and after borrowing it and a Rail 9 (a lot!) from the shop, I got a Rail 9.8.

I tried a Mondraker and Turbo Levo. I liked the Levo and it felt more of a normal fun trail bike to me. (The Trek feels more of an enduro bike with a motor). The thing that really put me off the Spesh was when the mechanic showed me the cable routing, and queue of motors in the bench that we’re going back under warranty! Oh, and it’s a doddle to take the battery out of the Trek when not in use, coffee stops etc.

i mainly use the Trek for winch and plummet rides in the Dark Peak and Innerleithen, so it’s burliness feels well suited. I’ve used it on flowy man made trails and, although it’s far more nimble and way better than I expected (& takes to the air easily), it’s not as entertaining as my old Cotic FlareMax on that stuff.

I only went for the Rail 9.8 because I much preferred the colour to the 9 (and I’d got insurance money). The main difference between 9 & 9.8 is frame and handlebar material - alu vs carbon. The latter gives a distinctly different ride feel to the bike -almost like it’s been race tuned, whereas the 9 and 7 feel less stiff and clattery in rough ground.
To be honest, I wish I’d have saved a shed load of money and gone for the Rail 7. My wife just paid a bit extra to upgrade the seat post to a 170mm drop. The 7 comes with the new Shimano 12 speed, and it’s really good. I’ve been really impressed with the suspension on the 7, and actually prefer it my 9.8.

HTH

2019 Turbo Levo. It’s awesome.

I got the base model but had my LBS put on a 160mm short offset Lyrik RC2, Hope V4 brakes and a ReviveMax 185mm dropper, and a Hillbilly 2.6 up front.

Very recently family life (baby no.3) has put MTBing on hold but I’m still commuting on it every day.

Changed the bars and stem to Renthal 40mm rise FatBar Lites and a RaceFace Aeffect 50mm (after selling the full-sus they were on). Added Rimpact inserts. Swapped the rear Butcher 2.6 to an Eliminator 2.3 and after going through two chains and cassettes I replaced the NX gears with XT 11 speed.

I do not notice the Levo feeling heavier once the assistance tapers off. And with other MTBers I usually ride it without power. I like the weight, makes the suspension work so well. Have yet to take it on an uplift day but am a bit scared of how fast it might be down steep gnarly trails - it’s not slow on easier singletrack and that’s where the size and weight isn’t an advantage.

Only annoyance is how if you commute on an eMTB you eat through cassettes too fast. Hoping my switch to Putoline will stretch out the drivetrain life...

I have a Vitus e-sommet 1st complete bike have bought in years. Got the lower spec one is great bike put smashpot in the Yari forks & saint shifter on the 10 speed setup & saint brakes. Had spare wheels so sold originals unused. Bike has great geometry & good price not fan of 2020 e-sommet 10speed is enough & prefer rockshox to Fox.

2015 cube stereo 120.29er.
Great bike, I’ve changed the contact points to suit, wider rims and more suitable tyres, shorter stem.

2017 Levo (good) and 2018 Merida eOne-Sixty (awesome). I much prefer the Shimano motor but the wires everywhere are not as tidy as the Levo.

Another Focus Jam2 owner here. Bought to maximise the limited time I get away from the farm. Well built bike and I like the Shimano motor.

My frustrations would be as per iamtheresurection. Plus although it leaves the ground quite easily I feel I am wrestling it at times downhill and can just plough over some features. I am a novice to FS though!

stop with the talk about how awesome ebikes are....I've been trying to hold off buying one for 6 months now, and this isnt helping.

Quite liking the look of the YT decoy, commencal meta sx power & trek rail. The trouble is they're so damn expensive.

^^^ some good deals around though...

Cheers for the responses! Given me some stuff to think about.

So we took out a Trek Rail and a Merida 160 the other week and both were really fun. We went to Hamsterley, did the full black loop and about 3 of the DH tracks as well.

The Merida was top spec where as the Trek was quite a low spec, both were good but the Merida stood out, but I do think this is just down to the spec.

Things I did realised were, the drive train doesn’t matter too much on an ebike, I was riding nx eagle and my mate was on the new xt and swapping about I didn’t notice much benefit. The Shimano motor was nicer and quieter than the bosch, but the bosch seemed to be much better on the battery.

I think that an alloy frame with better bits would be the way to go, I reckon.

Ianc, where are the deals?

I'm aware of the discounted yt decoys, but not aware of any others in a similar category.

This was my thinking ogden. That’s why I went with the Rail 9 (alloy). Got LBS, who I purchased through, to swap bar/stem, seat/post and tyres from setup on analogue bike. No extra charge. 😬

I bought the Vitus eSentier which is excellent. I noticed that I was hardly riding my FS so was happy to go HT when choosing an ebike. There was also an element of economy about the choice but certainly don't regret it. The bike's down hill ability really impressed me, it just seems to crash through anything, must be the weight!

Mrs M has a 2019 Turbo Levo, its a bloody terror weapon, silent, fast and very capable

I have a 2019 base levo and I love it. Riding more than ever.upgraded forks to lyriks and brakes to hopes as the stock brakes where rubbish

Levo SL here, tried the full fat Levo but didn't like the weight and was worried I might enjoy Turbo too much, plus you genuinely don't notice when you've gone over the limit with the SL.

An old Specialized Turbo for commuting on. Has had sporadic use since I've had it but this year I've ridden to work more times that I've driven 🙂 (60km round trip)

“I have a 2019 base levo and I love it. Riding more than ever.upgraded forks to lyriks and brakes to hopes as the stock brakes where rubbish“

Great minds think alike!

One thing I will say that riding an ebike on full power whilst also pedalling hard is not a terribly relaxing experience... Normally the uphill bits are hard on the lungs and legs but your brain can chill apart from the tech moments - but go uphill pedalling hard with max assist and suddenly there are corners everywhere!

uphill pedalling hard with max assist and suddenly there are corners everywhere!

I noticed that on the demo - haha

Also, only Tracey is playing this game properly, lets see some photos.

Here’s mine, ready to roll, sat in Sprockets with a huge discount 😀

Also, only Tracey is playing this game properly, lets see some photos

Photos on this forum? Far too difficult. Checkout emtbforums though, a modern, decent forum experience with positive users and plenty of pics.

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I had a 19 Kenevo and I've now got a 20 Kenevo.
Both bought as I wanted my own uplift service in places that don't have uplifts.
Swapped to the new Kenevo mainly for the bigger battery as I was still wanting more fun after the 500 battery had run out.
The newer motor and 700 battery now leaves me with a little battery left but feeling as done in as I do on an uplift day.
Still ride my other bikes with a split of about 50/50.
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Another 2017 Levo here, I did 95% of my riding on it for over 3 years. Been through a few batteries n motors including a free (!) battery and (not so free) motor out of warranty. I also changed the tyres it came with as I really didn't get on with them but other than that it's been rad and the backup from Specialized has been really good too.

Tern GSD. It’s awesomeness.
Here’s halfway through some touring at the campsite.
https://flic.kr/p/2gQm5Rn

I still haven't had a proper off road ride on an e-bike but I can't take my eyes off this thing...

If I can wait until a trip to Andorra I can save another 10% by buying from Commencal HQ. Still a chunk of cash but much better spec and VFM than most. Plus it looks like the kind of hooligan bike I'd usually buy anyway, not a flimsy trail bike with a motor.

I only ride for the descents and fun sections of trails. For me it would allow me to visit places with wild DH trails and do 2 or 3 times more runs in a day. Plus from where I work in Sheffield city centre I could fly out of town and have a proper midweek mtb rides.

I haven't bought a new bike for a few years and I can't imagine why my next one would not be an e-bike.

Scott espark 710, no real regrets, like the Shimano motor, 500 battery enough for me, got it cheapish in a sale.

The things I want to change are the weight, (22kg ish - so the “goingish” rate at the time as I cheeky map xc a lot, so can be lots of lifting and dragging), however irritatingly ebike weights sort of went went upish(625 battery), then came the sl levo, which I tested, weight - brilliant, ride - felt great, motor and gear change - felt nowhere near as nice to me as the Scott, price - bleep me, non removable battery - stopper

and the overall motor reliability/rebuildability/sparesability.

Hoping levo sl starts a trend, a bit less “motor”, a bit less “battery”( but removeable, replaceable on trail/ extender etc) and a lot less weight and a motor that could be rebuilt/have spares so that a long term owner (ie I’m still on a 2006 orange 5 as well) like me could be catered for.

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only Kona Remote rider out there? If iam a lot of people are missing a trick! Brilliant bike 😎 it replaced my Process so as such is used once a week for days out Quantocks Mendips Exmoor etc
The one thing I would advise is buy from a lbs, last month I had to have the motor replaced after just a 1000 odd miles which I'm not impressed about but lbs and Bosch were brilliant and I was sorted in less than a week. Don't know how you get on online though

It's a bit concerning hearing about these motors needing to be replaced.

What goes wrong with them that means they need to be replaced?

What will you do when outside the warranty period?

What goes wrong with them that means they need to be replaced?

What will you do when outside the warranty period?

Could be anything that goes wrong, a lot of dealers (Specialized anyway) aren’t geared up to fix them. My battery wouldn’t switch on. Had full charge, but the on switch didn’t work. Specialized sold me a new battery at 1/2 RRP, which was £350 iirc.

Same with the motor that went pop out of warranty, torque sensor failed, so they sold me a motor half price. £375. The first one the bearings were a bit grumbly, so was replaced under warranty as was less than 2yrs old

They now both have 2 years warranty, mind.

What will you do when outside the warranty period?

Same as you do when anything else is out of warranty.

Buying from a decent lbs is key I feel.i dont think I would buy an eeb via mail order.
For spesh this would be Berkshire cycles, don skeene or race co.

I got my Orbea from Sprockets in Kilmarnock, they are the biggest ebike dealer in Scotland and service is second to none. Highly recommended.

Buying from a decent lbs is key I feel.i dont think I would buy an eeb via mail order.
For spesh this would be Berkshire cycles, don skeene or race co.

Mine (and the subsequent replacement bits) came from a concept store, that happened to by my lbs.

https://flickr.com/photos/simondbarnes/20518794121/in/photolist-xgbbCr

I've a Haibike sduro 5 27.5 I couldn't afford a full suspension bike and £1500 was my upper budget, cheaper than most of the bikes mentioned here running Yamaha drive train with A 500whr battery I love it, I don't do as much at the moment as I have polymyalgia and cold, this bike transformed my life.

Same as you do when anything else is out of warranty.

That's fine when the part that's failed is 100 quid or so, but when it's a 750 pounds worth of motor and they're typically only lasting 1000 miles and you have to buy an entire unit rather than just fix the part in the motor that failed then it's a bit rich .

The most expensive single component on my current bike are probably the forks, that could cost around 800 quid to buy a new set, but if they fail, it mostly likely to be fixed by a rebuild for 100 quid, or if the stanchions are worn, it'll be 250 quid.

I understand that things wear out, especially on a mountain bike, but 1000 miles between failures is well into consumables territory, my cassette will last longer than that and doesn't cost 750 quid.

Hopefully some specialists will pop up that can repair a motor or battery for a reasonable fee rather than just having to buy an entire unit.

Wonder if you guys that have had multiple problems are the exception or the rule?

Torn on my next bike I’ve rode a levo and the new sl and it’s bigger bike than I normally use but a great bike! I also really like the rail it’s closer to my current bikes....no idea which I will get.

Anyway, back on topic, anyone got or ridden a mondraker crafty?

Trek Powerfly for 2 years, 2500 miles and 4 motors...

Replaced with a Trek Rail after I found two hairline cracks in the lower shock mount. Trek warranty was awesome; took bike to shop on Saturday, shop called Trek on Monday, Trek confirmed warranty on Tuesday.
The Rail is a freaking awesome bike and somewhat amusingly recently won Best Budget Trail Bike in a test by eBike-MTB.com
https://ebike-mtb.com/en/best-budget-emtb-you-can-buy/
It also won Most Versatile in a trail bike test run by The Loam Wolf;
https://theloamwolf.com/2020/03/01/2020-emtb-roundup-16-ebikes-battle-it-out/

For Bosch, the motor warranty is direct and is a rolling 2 years so resets every time you get a new motor.
The Brose in the Levo is dealt with by Specialized and is 2 years from date of purchase so if you get a motor under warranty at 23 months it has 1 month remaining. If you buy a new motor it comes with 2 years warranty. Given the apparent lack of reliability of the Brose this is currently a major bone of contention on the EMTB forum and the Specialized Rider Care rep is getting repeatedly questioned.

That puts an interesting slant on things...

D'oh! I forgot the pictures...

This one may explain the cracked frame...

The new toy, no action shots yet though.

I have a Levo Carbon Comp, it’s a brilliant bike in my opinion, feels very agile and poppy for an e-mtb, and comfortable on everything from flowing singletrack to steep techy downhill trails. The only changes I’ve made have been the contact points and tyres, otherwise the Spec has been spot-on. The Fox 34 Rhythm forks have surprised me, much better than expected so far. It’s a 2019 bike with the 504Wh battery, given the opportunity I’d swap for the 700Wh battery to give a little more range.

Not sure how to post photos on this new forum format, sorry.
...glad to see this thread hasn’t descended into the usual spiral negativity yet 😊

Not sure how to post photos on this new forum format,

Same as the old one

I’ve got a Trek Powerfly 9FS LT.
Love it. Used it all last summer in Leogang instead of my DH bike, does everything.
It’s coming up to 2 years old so I’m getting a bit twitchy about the motor reading some of the posts above.

Oooh I found a photo of mine that isn't on Google photos (is it still a pain to link from there?):

@LMT

I’ve rode a levo and the new sl

Which did you prefer?

It’s difficult to say....the sl gave me that little push the nudge rather than the full eMtb experience, it felt just like my stumpy with a caffeine rush. While the turbo when not in eco mode you knew it was an eMtb it felt heavier but more capable on the longer climbs and relying on my legs as much....

If I was to continue to train / car commute to places to bike I would get the sl, if I could figure out a route from home to Cannock then I would get the turbo.

Saying that I really like the Rail, it’s just the control panel I don’t like it gets in the way...but I have a very good trek dealer locally so I’m probably going to go that way.

The warranty side of things is a massive consideration for me when I get round to buying one.

Some of the better bikes (YT Decoy 29, Meta Power 29, etc) I cant consider for the reasons stated above, I’m not boxing a whole bike up to send back when it breaks.

They are kind of like dropper posts 10 years ago, a great invention, just a bit shady on the reliability side of things.

It’s going to be why I end up on a Trek, I can get them bloody cheap anyway, and the Rail 9.9 looks pretty good overall, but I want the support for when it breaks. It’s not the best bike out there for me, but it’s always a balance of support on them.

I have a 2019 Vitus E-Sommet and to be honest I can't fault it - been using it for a year now and no issues yet.
It's perfect for me where I can ride from the doorstep but its a bloody big and muddy hill. Means I can get a quick one hour lap in after work, whereas it would take longer on a 'normal' bike. Still enjoy riding my other non-ebikes though and as summer approaches I will start using these more. They all have their place.

Replaced a early 2018 Vitus E-Somment with a 2019 Levo late last year, as I wanted to move up to an XL frame and the bigger 700wh battery. Both bike have been great fun, but the e-bike specific 'battery range anxiety' pissed me off no end, so I'm a lot happier now with a bigger battery.
For me it has re-invigorated my riding, as I was thoroughly pissed off with yet another wet winter & the slogging around, pedalling downhill... & for the 1st time, I have properly been able to concentrate on my riding technic/position, something I've never been able to do well in 10 years+ of riding manual bikes.

https://www.emtbforums.com/community/threads/yt-decoy-not-serviceable-by-shimano-and-yt-customer-service-fail.10925/

Wow to that YT story, that is abysmal

that is abysmal

yeah,just scratched a decoy off my shortlist

6ft, got a small Vitus E-Escarpe and use it for messing about urban flatland and lap some Enduro trails with it.

Hopefully some specialists will pop up that can repair a motor or battery for a reasonable fee rather than just having to buy an entire unit.

one here https://www.performancelinebearings.com/

I've had my voodoo zobop about 4 weeks now. I'll be honest, it was the price and the ease of return if it goes wrong that sold it for me. Using various discounts and buying ex-display I got it for £1850, down from an original price of £3k which I think is a bargain for a full-sus with dropper, sram/rockshox and bosch motor.
The main reasons for buying is to help with the 32 mile round trip commute and just to open up more riding options. So many of my routes I often can't be bothered with due to fatigue caused by my commute, or winter slop, or tedious head winds.
I love it, not only is it fun in itself, it makes my non-E riding more fun as I now have more energy. It opens up so many more interesting routes on the commute home and I'll happily ride to work knowing the 20mph head wind on the way home is now irrelevant.
Downsides are the weight and the speed cut-off is a little too slow for commuting, should be 20mph, although for trail riding 15.5 is fine.

That Decoy story has put me off direct sales a little. I wonder if I'd have the same issue with a Commencal.

I do live 5 minutes away from a Specialized dealer and buying a Kenevo from them is by far the safest bet. They just don't look as cool as a Meta Power 27 and the spec isn't all that.

I narrowed it down to either the Orbea Wild FS or a Spesh Levo, both available from good nearby bike shops and similar styles and costs. The Orbea was better value for money and felt nicer to ride round the car park, it also gets great reviews.

Unfortunately for me, selling it is proving a lot harder than buying it was and the current nervousness around CV will likely scupper the sale 😞

I am in the same camp as a lot of people I was looking at the frame warranties (as I have burst a couple). I have decided to go Trek rail 5 as for the money there are better specced bikes but with the all round warranty I would rather deal with Trek or one of the old established brands as one of the newer manufacturers.

Liv Embolden e+

Rides like it has its own orbit.

First in with a short travel ebike, I had a HT & swapped it out for this

I enjoy it but don't get out enough.

My old Trek Powerfly, would love a Rail 9.9

I borrowed a Trek Rail 7.7 for a couple of days riding in Wales this week. With 2 young kids my fitness us not what it was and combined with my mate being super fit and impatient I was looking forward to my first ebike experience.
Negatives - seriously heavy which was a pain when getting it into the car.
You can only downshift one gear at a time (apparently this normal for ebikes), it caught me out a few times and the motor got bogged down but I think you'd learn to ride with it.
Positives - acceleration, not talked about as much as climbing ability but it's seriously addictive, although it can get you in trouble if your do a quarter turn to set yourself up for a corner only to find yourself entering it even faster.
You can't feel the weight when riding at all, I think I got more air that with my xc bike that's half the weight.
Still at least 1/5 of the battery left after the Beast at CYB.
Tour setting us quit natural feeling like having a tailwind.
I didn't feel over biked at all. I guess because the motor keeps it from feeling sluggish.

Other that I feel that carbon us pointless on such a heavy bike. Sale the money and get the Alu version.

Once the kids are older and I can justify it i want an ebike, probably one of the newer lower range ones with less assistance.
Seriously looking at a gravel ebike for a 70mike round trip commute, although the limiter may be an issue on the road.

“Seriously looking at a gravel ebike for a 70mike round trip commute, although the limiter may be an issue on the road.”

It is. I take the hilliest route to and from work otherwise I’m just pedalling a big MTB which is quicker off the lights and into headwinds. As the crow flies over the hill between home and work and it’s a lot faster than a normal MTB, and a lot safer downhill (especially in bad weather/light with potholed roads) than a road bike.

Saw one of THESE today

Not sure how many niches this fills - fat bike, eBike, carbon bike, expensive bike, stupid bike, you can’t unsee it bike

Just ordered mine, been decision making for a while but went for the Trek Rail 7, got it with £800 off and free delivery from an lbs not mine but one that’s a bit further away but happy to deliver!

Hopefully delivery tomorrow!!

Get the Invisiframe kit on order, it'll give you something to do while under lockdown.

Not an MTB, but Mrs M has a Whyte Highgate hybrid which she loves. She's taken it on much longer rides than she would otherwise do, & since Sept 2018 has put on about 3500km.
Fat 650b tyres, no suspension, Shimano motor.

Nobody loving cube emtb's? I got a 2020 model stereo 140 tm in October last year and apart from eating at chain in 150 miles it's excellent! Great vfm, carbon front triangle, gen4 motor and mt7 brakes for £4600 although I did get a discount and bought a fast charger 👍frustrating now we're in lockdown as it was gonna get some hammer in this drier weather! Mods made to mine are a bigger fox volume spacer in the rear shock as it was bottoming out seeing as I'm a big lad 😉 and some dmr deathgrips. Check out the emtb review for £5000 bikes on the previous link for a review of this bike

Tried the Levo and the Levo SL, went with the SL in the end as it just feels normal. Went out for 55k ride the other day did the First 7 miles with it switched off! you wouldn't want to do that on one of the full fat e-bikes. Have done more riding in the three weeks I've had it than I did most of last year on my acoustic bikes!!