I am an XC/ Trail rider, and having an e-MTB has made mountain biking accessible to me. I agree that the Vala is your best bet for a lighter full-powered e-MTB with a Gen 5 Bosch.
But I would not recommend a 50+ lbs bike for XC/Trail. It will not feel “fun”. Even if sometimes I’d like a bit...
That’s great, thanks for the report back!
I may experiment myself with a lighter wheel & tire combo for the EXe next season (will be watching for winter wheel sales), in which case I will also report back. 😁
I would be interested to see how the wheels fare.
When I was looking for a carbon wheel set for my EXe, I was being dissuaded from more XC/ Trail sets.
I decided to go with We Are One Convergence Triad. They are high quality enduro wheels but I think they are overkill for the type of riding...
I have the e-carbon one. I bought it because it’s supposed to be slightly even more compliant than the regular OneUp carbon bar. Something like 5% if I remember correctly.
It dampens vibrations very well but I’ve never experienced the regular bar to compare.
I had not heard about the effect of the head tube angle but this would explain what I’ve been observing personally.
My first MTB had a relatively steep head tube angle. I adjusted down to a 725mm bar for that bike which felt just right.
So I thought I’d always prefer shorter bars. Nope.
On my...
The stock wheels on the 9.5 are heavy. One of the “best bang for your buck” upgrades, especially if you’re going to change tires.
EDIT: Oops, I see you have Roval carbon wheels you’re going to put on the bike. Nice.
I love XC and I use my Trek Fuel EXe for that because I need the assist on hills, but I find the geometry of 150mm or longer full suspension e-MTB overkill for XC. Light XC and gravel trails are definitely more enjoyable on my regular, full suspension (poppy, nimble, feels like you’re “dancing”...
Yes, just weight.
“The Deore is all steel, the SLX swaps the largest cog out to aluminum, and the XT swaps the two largest to aluminum. For absolute longevity, go with the Deore. For a slight weight savings and a cool looking black largest cog, take the SLX.”
That was from this video...
It’s cool that you and girlfriend got his and hers! My husband and I did the same.
I wanted a lightweight e-MTB.
I was between an Orbea Rise, the new (at the time) Trek Fuel EXe or waiting for the new Specialized Levo SL that never arrived (that year).
I originally decided to go with an...
Hi @Calinca,
I honestly think that bike is too big for you. :(.
It is one thing to have a bike that is a bit too large when it’s not heavy... It’s another when it’s heavy. The heavier bike is just that much harder to control…
(That is just from my personal experience. My husband is one...
Congrats on the 9.5!
My husband has a 9.5 and I have a 9.7
I heard many complaints on the internet about the 9.5 fork so I got him a Fox Rhythm 36
He hasn’t swapped it out yet. He’s a much better rider than me, and he thinks the Rockshox 35 is just fine.
I’ve only ridden his bike a little...
I changed my dropper seat post and am now able to plant both feet on the ground comfortably with the new dropper.
Often times you can change the stock 100mm dropper that comes with size small bikes to a 120-125mm dropper. OneUp has the shortest droppers so it’s generally the best option for...
It won’t be able to keep up.
None of the newer 50-60Nw mid-power e-mtb’s can keep up.
I had a Specialized e-bike with the same SL1 motor (Turbo Vado SL). It was an amazing motor, very innovative for its time and it is still is a great motor if you don’t need a powerful one. For someone like me...
I bought a regular MTB after getting my Fuel EXe.
As much as I absolutely love it, and will likely always love this type of bike (a fast, light XC bike), I don’t think I’ll ever buy a non-e again. The e-MTB is just so versatile and opens up many more trails for me.
It’s true that I don’t get...
Wow, what helpful and well organized info. I’m saving this!
My very limited experience with the hubs and wheels on my husband’s and I’s bikes (regular and e-MTBs) leads me to go for DT Swiss 350 on future wheel builds.
I have tried Industry Nine EDITED to add: 1:1 hubs but would go back to DT...