Deleted thread, going in the wrong direction

[Phil_st]

Hey fellow e-mtber’s,
Just dropping this here to hopefully assist in deciding which bike is right for you.
As our first purchase is more than likely going to be our most confused one of all.

1. Forget about what motor it is, they’re all going to assist you. Don’t get hung up in this. They all have Pro’s & con’s but they all do the job just fine.
2. Forks & suspension, yes get the best bang for your buck in your BUDGET. But again don’t beat yourself up, example: I’m 95kg and can enjoy a 2019 Merida e160 500 with suntour fork & suspension as much as I can enjoy the pivot shuttle, unless your a pro or doing mad crazy down hill bombers, anything with 140-160 travel is going to be more than capable of a lot of riders and weekend warriors.
3. The drive train. Again it can be upgraded but this is where you should be looking to make your riding experience better, I chose a 2020 model on my recent purchase because I was able to afford a higher spec’ed model for the same price as the latest 2021 base model of the same brand and am happier for it. Do the same, you won’t be disappointed.
4. Wheel size don’t worry about this at all, unless you’re a experienced rider, you won’t know the difference. I don’t, in saying this I did purchase the 27.5 over the 29’er but like everything we all adapt to what we have.

Just to all you that want to rip into this , go for it! But I am just trying to possibly help someone who was in the position I was in on my first purchase.
My background has been years of moto enduro, so I come from decades of riding moto’s never rode a mtb until these emtb’s came out.
I confused the hell out of myself on specs and motors 27.5 , 29er’s mullets , believe me I went crazy trying to decide.
But in the end, I stuck to my budget bought within my budget any the bike I got more capable than me. I’m lucky enough to have 4 emtb’s in my family
2019 Merida e160 500 ($4500)
2020 Norco sight vlt c2 27.5 ($7500)
2021 trek rail 7 ($9990)
2021 pivot shuttle ($14,990)
And I get just as much fun out of riding the $4500 e160 as I do the pivot shuttle.

 

[Mr_Price]

Or, buy the right bike for 90% of the riding you prefer to do… (in 2021 that sadly also needs to be balanced with what you can get your hands on).

As for specs / levels, buy what your budget allows for. I’m sure 95% ride bikes that we will only ever touch the surface of capability wise. If you can afford it, why not? If you can’t, it’s not going to inhibit your enjoyment, just try to not to covet your neighbour.

(also, don’t discount the joy / satisfaction of the search / debate / discussion of which alloy / carbon, over-priced kids toy)

*you make excellent points, it’s Saturday night, I’m a few glasses in*

 

[Phil_st]

Or, buy the right bike for 90% of the riding you prefer to do… (in 2021 that sadly also needs to be balanced with what you can get your hands on).

As for specs / levels, buy what your budget allows for. I’m sure 95% ride bikes that we will only ever touch the surface of capability wise. If you can afford it, why not? If you can’t, it’s not going to inhibit your enjoyment, just try to not to covet your neighbour.

(also, don’t discount the joy / satisfaction of the search / debate / discussion of which alloy / carbon, over-priced kids toy)

*you make excellent points, it’s Saturday night, I’m a few glasses in*

Yes, I just thought I’d post it as I put myself under an enormous amount of pressure on what I wanted and started loosing sight of why I was wanting one in the first place, and then to actually have the luxury of being able to ride a budget bike back to back with mid class and top end, they all worked great!! They all where more than capable of my ability and they all are an extremely fun thing!!

 

[The Hodge]

Phil..if what you are trying to say is that a base level bike is as capable as a top end bike ..that is complete tosh ..
You get what you pay for ..
I'm not going to try and punch holes in everything you have said but point 4...wheel size ..if you think a 29er is as nimble as a 27.5" wheel/ bike .. then you must only be riding in straight lines ..??
Also bear in mind that although this section is for newbies ..its mostly folks who are only new to emtb ..most will already have had more than a few years on an mtb ..so already know the type of bike they would like ..actually getting their hands on one is a different matter altogether ..

 

[jerry]

Hey fellow e-mtber’s,
1. forget about how big or what NM or brand the motor is. Every single one of these motors are going to get you up a hill. Remember we are not all experts and most will avoid Rocky snotty vertical climbs and if you don’t, still don’t worry not even the experts make it up those things with easy all the time. Between my family we have a Shimano e7000, e8000, ep8 & a Bosch Cx 4 in the shed, they all engage differently but all a very capable motors that do the job perfectly fine.

Good luck with after-sales service, replacement parts, etc. when buying a generic, non-branded one on aliexpress. Like, the Bafang motors that were bolted on the first gen ebikes: they cannot be serviced, nor replaced, as none are around any more. This is why your first bit of advice should be: buy a brand that sells many of these, and that are an independent OEM to the bike itself (to avoid a walled garden). This is to assure that, when it fails, parts, replacement, service, etc will still be around.

 

[jerry]

Having re-read that OP again, I'd say my best piece of advice is to ignore everything that's in it....

 

[Tooks]

I think it was mostly fair comment to be honest, I took it to say;

‘Don’t stress or agonise over all the things that provoke endless debate on bike forums, because for most of us most of the time, any e-bike from a well known manufacturer will probably work for you just fine’.

27.5 vs 29, Fox vs RS vs Everything else, Bosch vs Shimano vs Brose vs Yamaha etc, battery sizes, don’t forget tyres (!), flats vs clipped, 10/11/22 speed, Shimano vs SRAM and of course what colour is the fastest.

All worthy things to talk about, but the most important thing re e-bikes in my humble opinion is to buy one from a shop that will support it, and buy the right size for you.

Then ride it and have fun.

 

[Phil_st]

Yeah Nah, you’ve miss read my intent.

it is purely to hopefully give some a peace of mind or clarity into their purchase.
And not to get hung up on the finer details of their first purchase and just enjoy what they can afford, I have the luxury of having within our family a Merida e160 500se, Norco sight vlt c2, trek rail 7 and a pivot shuttle. So $5000 to $15,000 bike different and yes warranted the pivot is next level, and yes the 27.5’s turn sharper, but I can jump on any one and have an absolute ball.

 

[Phil_st]

Good luck with after-sales service, replacement parts, etc. when buying a generic, non-branded one on aliexpress. Like, the Bafang motors that were bolted on the first gen ebikes: they cannot be serviced, nor replaced, as none are around any more. This is why your first bit of advice should be: buy a brand that sells many of these, and that are an independent OEM to the bike itself (to avoid a walled garden). This is to assure that, when it fails, parts, replacement, service, etc will still be around.

Totally agree, I was assuming, but should of mentioned by local from a reputable dealer