E-bike – £3500. Bit lost on choice!

[JayX2A]

So I want to get my first e-bike. I’m just not sure on what to get. Lighter weight or full fat. I apologise for the essay!

Im riding an old Trek Fuel ex8. Fun bike but I’m at that point where a bit of assistance will be a game changer as I’m 46 with a slightly dodgy knee that comes and goes.

I usually ride solo (or with the misses on horseback) and aiming to do 25-30 mile rides at mixed pace.

I still want to keep fit and have to put some effort in to riding.

I tried an Orbea H20 and it was ok. Then a fuel EXE 9.5. That bike was great, good fit and felt like a normal bike and even felt ok without the power being on. Trouble being its range is not huge and spec was low but can be easily upgraded as things break. It’s currently £3500 which is top budget. But as I said it did feel like a fun bike, but just wondering if that will be short lived when I want to do longer rides with even more climbs.

Then there is full fat. I don’t want to lose the fun in biking. I like fast flowing trails, cross country, bridle paths etc. I’m not really that aggressive, don’t do jumps or drops so don’t want to be over biked as such. So it’s got to be a good all rounder that feels fun. Someone sent me this Giant trance that looks good spec but would great to get feedback.

GIANT TRANCE X E+ 2 750w Sapphire Blue 2022

<h2 class="lead headline">FASTER UP THE CLIMBS, LONGER LOOPS, MORE SINGLETRACK FUN ON ANY GIVEN DAY. FREE YOURSELF TO PUSH YOUR TRAIL RIDING TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THIS POWERFUL, FUN AND SMOOTH-RIDING E-BIKE.</h2><div id="keyperformancefactors"></div>

www.rmcycles.co.uk

I’m not brand specific, but it would be nice if the bike looked nice which the Trek and Giant do! There is always the Stance but spec looks a lot worse.

Outside of that there seems so many options from Haibike, Cube etc but would like to get one sooner rather than later.

 

[James_MTB]

Since buying a full-fat ebike I've never had so much fun. Test as many bikes as you can, that way you'll get a feel for what you like and don't, each motor has its characteristics.

If you don't want to be over biked buy a 140mm rather than 160mm.

If I was buying right now, I would get a bosch motor with the biggest battery.

Riding in the UK you're going to get issues at some point, so buy local from a shop with a great reputation.

 

[irie]

@JayX2A "... but just wondering if that will be short lived when I want to do longer rides with even more climbs."

Thing about full fat is that when you don't need it then don't use it, but when you do need it it's there.

 

[JayX2A]

I’m going to have a look and go on that giant trance x I posted. I didn’t realise they were only an hour away so makes sense to give it a go as still fairly local.

 

[Mrj35]

I like the full power ebike. When I want to go for a ride after work I just run it in boost and get a few laps in or do some big alpine ride. If I go for a ride with some non ebike friends then I just run it in eco, chill and enjoy the ride. I tried a new light ebike as well, they are very nice and fun but the price tag is just a bit much. The one I tried was 39lbs and felt like a regular bike but really good climbing power too, it was a 2024 norco fluid vlt.

 

[B1rdie]

one interesting thing about bosch batteries is that you can use different size units on the same frame, by changing the position of the latch on the tray (a difficult job on the cube, but doable...) and/or using plastic adapters that make a 500 w unit fit a 625 tray. By doing that you can reduce the bike weight and place it closer to the BB at your desire.

 

[JayX2A]

I like the full power ebike. When I want to go for a ride after work I just run it in boost and get a few laps in or do some big alpine ride. If I go for a ride with some non ebike friends then I just run it in eco, chill and enjoy the ride. I tried a new light ebike as well, they are very nice and fun but the price tag is just a bit much. The one I tried was 39lbs and felt like a regular bike but really good climbing power too, it was a 2024 norco fluid vlt.

The Trek EXE was nice. Felt a lot like a normal bike and is now £3500. However the spec is pretty poor and I think after today’s ride on the normal bike a fat one might be a better option. Especially if I want to go for some nice long rides!

 

[irie]

one interesting thing about bosch batteries is that you can use different size units on the same frame, by changing the position of the latch on the tray (a difficult job on the cube, but doable...) and/or using plastic adapters that make a 500 w unit fit a 625 tray. By doing that you can reduce the bike weight and place it closer to the BB at your desire.

That's what we have.

Also deleted the lock etc. which reduces weight from higher up on the down tube.

 

[michael_bc]

But as I said it did feel like a fun bike, but just wondering if that will be short lived when I want to do longer rides with even more climbs.

Just buy a range extender for those days. Or two even.

I have a full fat and a lightweight. I get 2x further with the lightweight. And it's also twice as fun on the way down.

 

[jackamo]

So I want to get my first e-bike. I’m just not sure on what to get. Lighter weight or full fat. I apologise for the essay!

Im riding an old Trek Fuel ex8. Fun bike but I’m at that point where a bit of assistance will be a game changer as I’m 46 with a slightly dodgy knee that comes and goes.

I usually ride solo (or with the misses on horseback) and aiming to do 25-30 mile rides at mixed pace.

I still want to keep fit and have to put some effort in to riding.

I tried an Orbea H20 and it was ok. Then a fuel EXE 9.5. That bike was great, good fit and felt like a normal bike and even felt ok without the power being on. Trouble being its range is not huge and spec was low but can be easily upgraded as things break. It’s currently £3500 which is top budget. But as I said it did feel like a fun bike, but just wondering if that will be short lived when I want to do longer rides with even more climbs.

Then there is full fat. I don’t want to lose the fun in biking. I like fast flowing trails, cross country, bridle paths etc. I’m not really that aggressive, don’t do jumps or drops so don’t want to be over biked as such. So it’s got to be a good all rounder that feels fun. Someone sent me this Giant trance that looks good spec but would great to get feedback.

GIANT TRANCE X E+ 2 750w Sapphire Blue 2022

<h2 class="lead headline">FASTER UP THE CLIMBS, LONGER LOOPS, MORE SINGLETRACK FUN ON ANY GIVEN DAY. FREE YOURSELF TO PUSH YOUR TRAIL RIDING TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THIS POWERFUL, FUN AND SMOOTH-RIDING E-BIKE.</h2><div id="keyperformancefactors"></div>

www.rmcycles.co.uk

I’m not brand specific, but it would be nice if the bike looked nice which the Trek and Giant do! There is always the Stance but spec looks a lot worse.

Outside of that there seems so many options from Haibike, Cube etc but would like to get one sooner rather than later.

Pauls Cycles have Haibike on sale a good prices

 

[Tekmotiv]

Full suspension Carbon frame Bianchi emtb with Bosch Performance/ 750 battery £3449 so within your price range? BIANCHI E-VERTIC FX TYPE PRO SX 12 sp | Tekmotiv

 

[Bart1]

I bought a Giant Reign in 2022 with a 625 battery, it has been faultless...so far. However, it does need a bigger battery for longer rides so started looking at the bigger batteries and then noticed the Trance for sale ( as above) with the 750 battery, so I sold an old converted Emtb and bought the Trance to convert into a chunky gravel/SUV bike.
The Trance is a great all round bike, have fitted some higher bars. It is very useful to be able to swap batteries between the two bikes.

 

[Marvin2Shoes]

I bought a Trek Rail 5, rode it up one mountain and down again and split the rear rim and broke one spoke. I've replaced the 700c wheels with 29" Industry Nine Hydra wheelset. The seat has an awful looking bontrager grandpa seat on it now but I can ride 110km on it without severe pain. I also put Jones bars on it to alleviate the problem with numb hands I was getting with the stock bars.
The bike fell over and bent the derailleur hanger... so fricking annoying! I have purchased a spare which travels everywhere just in case.
If I could do it all over I would buy a Nicolai emtb with Pinion motor/gearbox and gates belt drive. Chains (imo) are for electronic-shift-battery-charger-loving, carbon-fibre compliant, razor-width-tyre road-riding, lycra-clad, road-hogging cyclists!
It's past time that offroad bikes left drop bars and chains/open transmissions in the ancient history bin. It's only a matter of time for people to wake up to smarter options.... at least for us over 50's.

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Couple of Simplon(Austrian company) at your budget on Merlin Cycles

Rapcon Pmax GX1 Lupine Carbon
Nice overall, good fork/shock, brakes, GX1 Eagle drivetrain
smaller 500wh battery.

Simplon Rapcon Pmax GX1 Lupine Carbon Full Suspension E-Bike - 2022 | Merlin Cycles

Buy your Simplon Rapcon Pmax GX1 Lupine Carbon Full Suspension E-Bike - 2022 at Merlin. Free worldwide delivery available on most items!

www.merlincycles.com

Simplon Rapcon Pmax XT Yari Carbon
Bigger(625wh) battery, not as good fork(yari) XT groupo
Same Sram G2 RSC brakes as the Lupine

Simplon Rapcon Pmax XT Yari Carbon Full Suspension E-Bike - 2022 | Merlin Cycles

Buy your Simplon Rapcon Pmax XT Yari Carbon Full Suspension E-Bike - 2022 at Merlin. Free worldwide delivery available on most items!

www.merlincycles.com

Merlin has a bit of a deal on some of the Bosch batteries, so you could pick up an extender while theyre cheap(er)