Best emtb

[stevieb]

So it’s been a while since I checked out the bikes on offer from different manufacturers.
I’m looking at full suspension emtbs
capable of handling trail centre routes.

The last time I looked the Specialized models were popular but had a few issues
Have these been sorted now?

I would be more interested in bikes that can be fixed easier by dealer with tried and tested motors etc than getting the latest eye watering performance

Any info would be great
Thanks

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi
I have had Bosch cx , Brose , Shimano e8000 and Flyon

I still own the shimano and the flyon but out of all the motors for me the shimano is a keeper
what i will say thou is if you stick with the big boys and your local bike shop stocks your chosen bike all should be well as they all have issues and local help is always better than travelling
Test rides / Demo days are a must if your unsure but at the moment thats not really going to happen .

 

[argoose]

Just changed from a Giant with a Yamaha motor to a Cube with the Bosch Gen 4 motor.
Both used at Bike Park Wales, as it's local.
The Yamaha has a very natural feel to the assist levels, only problem I had in the two years was condensation in the display .
The Bosch has 5Nm less power, but feels a lot punchier, nearly went off the back when pootling along chatting with one hand on the bars.
The Giant was 140mm travel, the Cube is 170mm front 160mm rear, both great going up, can't pick a winner. But on the downhill the Cube is streets ahead. The extra travel and shorter chainstays, due to the smaller motor, makes it a lot more competent and nimble.

 

[stevieb]

Thanks for the replies
I understand the importance of using a local dealer .
Local to me are Haibike Specialised Giant and Orbea
So quite a choice really .
I like the idea of the tried and tested Yamaha and Bosch.
The specialised models appear very popular despite a lot of issues , but maybe that was in the past ?
I hadn’t considered the shimano motor

 

[soundwave]

Specialised have made there own software and batts to work with the brose motor same as giant with the Yamaha motors.

id rather have a bosch motor go wrong than a brose motor as pita to fix those out of warranty.

 

[stevieb]

Thanks Soundwave for that video
It is encouraging that someone can now take care of the mechanical issues out of warranty and even has instructional videos showing how to do it yourself.
Having now watched a couple of these my thoughts on buying tried and tested technology are reinforced.
Although the guy at the bearings company is careful not to say which motor he thinks is constructed best he must an opinion ?
All we need now is someone to take care of the electronics side of things and we will be sorted for the out of warranty repairs

 

[joelectric]

If I had the money I would go for a Frey ex or the Frey am1000, both have the bafang ultra mid drive 160nm torque, and the price and specs blow most etmbs away

Best Value off road Electric Mountain Bike | Frey Ebike

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[stevieb]

They look interesting , but I don’t think I’d like to deal with any issues they may have.
They are different however
Thanks for pointing them out

 

[Librue]

Brose Drive S Mag/750 Wh: endless performance, smooth feeling, super quiet (apologise my English - I’m German)

 

[stevieb]

Thanks for your input and welcome

 

[stevieb]

So having checked out the latest offerings from most of the manufacturers I have to say that I’m now in two minds whether to bother entering the world of full sus emtbs

Main reason being the cost

I think the bikes are amazing and very capable but are we still paying for all the research and development at the moment?

Having ridden a hard tail emtb for a few years now I don’t need convinced of the fun factor , but when you are paying the same amount of money for a decent motorcycle then it’s hard for me to justify the cost.
I know that I would get more use out of a emtb than a motorcycle because you can use it in more places, but when you look at the equipment and mechanical parts on a motorcycle there is simply no comparison I’m afraid.

I was hoping that the cost may have come down for emtbs but sadly no.

 

[Woosh]

I wonder if a conversion is not a better solution. The main issue with converting a full sus MTB is how to secure the battery so it does not fly off the bike when your bike hits a rock.

 

[soundwave]

if i had to pick a bike with no budget limit id prob get one of these.

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Convert your traditional bike into an electric one with our Ebike Conversion Kit. Affordable, easy-to-install, and eco-friendly! Order now.

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you can buy a complete bike or just the frame motor and batt and just add the rest yourself.

plus you can programme the motor your self and get spare motor parts if needed.

with that motor you can turn it up to 2kw so will nuke anything else you could buy power wise bar spending crazy money on just a motor on its own for 10 grand lol.

 

[stevieb]

Well Woosh that’s something for me to think about considering I already have a full sus non ebike that I don’t use any more.
The reason I don’t use it is because it’s a 26er and I changed to a 650b a couple of years ago.

And Soundwave thanks for that info .
Interesting and kind of highlights the issue of how expensive other bikes are.

If anyone takes up this company’s offer to be a dealer then it’s going to put emtbs into a price range for more people ,assuming they are any good.

I like the fact that you can buy motor parts also

 

[soundwave]

id say in the last 5 years since i have had my bike the prices have gone up yet the components has gone down spec wise like mid range suspension group sets brakes ect so when you add up all the parts on say a 8k flyon ebike a massive chunk of that is for the frame brand batt and motor.

now you can spend £3500 on a set of carbon wheels and another £4500 on the new fox active suspension system £1300 for a electric group set and £700 for a dropper post and that lot just cost 10k.

it then becomes can you afford to even risk crashing it as imo a bike retail with that lot on it is going to be a 20k ebike.

jimmy also sells those mtbs not sure on his price tho but the best guy to build new batts for it with the latest cells is a big bonus but i bet he sold the lot already

eBike Batteries

ebikebatteries.co.uk

 

[stevieb]

id say in the last 5 years since i have had my bike the prices have gone up yet the components has gone down spec wise like

 

[stevieb]

Well if this is the case then it’s worse than I thought unfortunately

 

[argoose]

if i had to pick a bike with no budget limit id prob get one of these.

Ebike Conversion Kit Shipped To You Today- Kirbebike

Convert your traditional bike into an electric one with our Ebike Conversion Kit. Affordable, easy-to-install, and eco-friendly! Order now.

www.cloudsto.com

you can buy a complete bike or just the frame motor and batt and just add the rest yourself.

plus you can programme the motor your self and get spare motor parts if needed.

with that motor you can turn it up to 2kw so will nuke anything else you could buy power wise bar spending crazy money on just a motor on its own for 10 grand lol.

Nice bike and good to see a smaller player with another bike option. The o.nly thing I would have to do, is put a drain hole in the bucket of a battery connection holder.
Hearing bad things about the new Whyte e180's having problems with shock damage, census is frame flex causing shockshaft seal problems. All brands having rim damage problems.
Still think ebikes are still evolving and money spent on e system to the detriment of other parts due to keeping costs down

 

[stevieb]

If they are still evolving that’s a pity and maybe we are paying for the research and development.

Having looked at the prospect of fitting a crank drive kit to my Full sus bike ,I don’t think it’s an option because the motor is in a very vulnerable position

 

[Woosh]

@stevieb, which model is your full sus bike?