EMTB for £3000? Narrowed down to 3 options. Marin, Cube or Orbea.

[sswats]

I am buying my first EMTB and i didn't want to spend much more than £3k as I am in my 40s and a total beginner and most of the high end specs would go to waste. Just want it easy to ride and reliable.

My options are

2024 Marin Rift Zone E for £2685

• Shimano EP6 85Nm. 504Wh battery.
• Positives: much cheaper. I have a marin already so comfortable with it.
• Negatives:: smaller battery. 10 speed, I think shocks are more basic.

2024 Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 HPC Race 750 - £3099

• Bosch 85Nm. 750Wh battery
• Positives: Bosch motor, big battery.
• Negatives: supposedly heavy.

2023 Orbea Rise H30 - £3039

• Shimano EP6 60Nm. 540Wh battery
• Positives: popular model, lightweight.
• Negatives: Less power.

Any other recommendations will also be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Rickster]

Have you looked at the Yamaha Moro ? It's the only manufacturer that makes everything the motor the programming the frame. It's a perfect set up.

 

[Polar]

If I should choose between the three it would be Cube

 

[Flip Flop]

I’m biased as I have an Alpine E1 but I’d go for the Marin.
10 speed is better IMHO for an Ebike than a thin 12 and the cash saved can go for suspension tuning if needed

 

[Planemo]

I'd go for the Cube all day due to the Bosch CX and 750Wh and unless you're lifting it around all day the weight difference really isn't an issue between them all. Crap forks but can always sort those later. Seems like a good price for a fun bike IMO.

 

[Bummers]

Cube all day. The SLX model was discounted recently to around that price, if you can still find one snap it up asap!

 

[sswats]

Cube all day. The SLX model was discounted recently to around that price, if you can still find one snap it up asap!

Really? Thats Carbon model right?

Cheapest SLX I've found is £3600. Do you happen to remember where it was being sold at that price?

edit: £3399 on tredz for the 2023 SLX. not sure what the difference is between the 2023 and 2024 model.

 

[michael_bc]

42 years old here, started 3 years ago as a complete beginner.

I started with a Focus bike similar to that Cube (perhaps lighter and slightly better componentry). It worked very well for me but the weight has been clumsy. This year I switched to an Orbea Rise H10 and it is so much better.

Unless you need Turbo a lot (e.g., commute), I think the Orbea is the better deal. It is light, has exceptional range, the assist is smoother, easy to lift, easier to navigate corners, and it has a clear upgrade path. It is also a cool bike, while the Cube is a bit boring.

I think the Fox 34 is a great beginner fork - good suspension but also forces you to learn to ride properly.

You have to consider whether you need to be able to take the battery out or not.

 

[Polar]

That's the big drawback with the new Orbea you can't remove battery to charge and many need to do exactly that.

 

[sswats]

Thanks. That's interesting and confusing at the same time as now all 3 have been recommended.

The Rise H10 is out of budget and the Rise H30 has a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork.
I don't think I need to take the battery out. My bike storage has a plug outlet. the only issue may occur on overnight trips, but i will probably look for places that i can bring the bike in for security reasons anyway.

Don't know what you mean by boring, but if you mean looks then i agree the Orbea wins hands down.

 

[michael_bc]

Ah, my bad, I got confused with the Rise H20.

Regarding boring, I meant both looks and riding style.

 

[Tony4wd]

On winding and undulating trails I like our Orbea Rise best. For long, very steep hills I like the Cube 120 with its greater power and longer chainstay. It's difficult to know what you'll prefer until you've ridden the bikes.

 

[Weeksy]

Rise H30 has a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork.

Fork is honestly really good, i had mine at Dyfi on Monday this week, the fork was super. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't buy the bike, but don't not buy it because of the fork.

 

[Bummers]

Really? Thats Carbon model right?

Cheapest SLX I've found is £3600. Do you happen to remember where it was being sold at that price?

edit: £3399 on tredz for the 2023 SLX. not sure what the difference is between the 2023 and 2024 model.

Absolutely nothing except the paint colours.
Makes the 23 models and absolute no brainer if you can find one on discount.

Yes they're carbon with an aluminium rear triangle.

 

[emtbPhil]

If you're on a budget - cube is the only option for me
Far higher spec than any competitors for the price range, superb warranty and support ( I had a display fail, they sent one from Germany on next day delivery, covered all removal/fitting/coding costs - bike was back in 2 days from the local shop )

Oh also - a HUGE recommendation from me on MTBMonster - bought my 140 action team from them at christmas.
I'm hugely OCD about my bikes and the last 2 I bought I had to go round torquing everything, greasing everything.

My bike from MTBMonster - everything was torqued perfectly, everything was greased even the axles.
I stripped the fork and rear shock off to put volume spacers in to the spec that I found worked best on my old bike - and they'd already done it! They asked my weight and set the volume spacers and air pressure to exactly what I'd found on my old bike worked best after 3 months of experimenting.

Absolutely blown away by their service.

 

[Bummers]

MTB monster seem very good, I didn't end up buying from them in the end as there was delays in stock arriving (covid times) but having visited in person and speaking to them on the phone I only have good things to say about them.

 

[sswats]

MTB monster caught my attention simply because they were the cheapest. I did call them asking them this same question, and sales guy was polite and helpful but maybe a bit too diplomatic with his answer, basically saying i would be happy with any of them. Which is probably true.

But they are now my first option for buying. And they do offer price match so hopefully if i find a better deal they can match it. We'll see.

 

[emtbPhil]

Yeah you will be happy with any

I wanted the orbea - because I love their bikes, I have a hardtail non-electric orbea and it's absolutely stunning
The thing that put me off is at that price range you get very budget deore stuff, basic brakes and a marzochi fork

In reality though the bomber fork is what I got on my hardtail, and it's perfectly fine - it's basically a fox without all the extra rebound settings, but if you're not a fiddler it's actually a lot easier to "just ride"

And even the deore stuff in Shimano is great, and I'd pick basic shimano brakes over SRAM after trying my mates with code brakes.

Cube do some clever stuff - like the £3k bike you linked still has an XT derailleur, they just save money on a deore casette - but the thing is with emtb's they eat chains/casettes and the deore is stronger, but heavier - so actually a bloody good setup in my eyes.
If I had a HARD limit of £3k I'd get the Cube because the Bosch motor can't be beat in my eyes.

If I wanted something stunning, and light, and mid-power - I'd chuck £500 extra onto the Orbea and get the H20

 

[BeBiker]

If you think the Cube is/could be too heavy, there are now *Smart compatible 500Wh batteries.
It fits in the 750Wh bike with an adapter.

 

[checksum]

42 years old here, started 3 years ago as a complete beginner.

I started with a Focus bike similar to that Cube (perhaps lighter and slightly better componentry). It worked very well for me but the weight has been clumsy. This year I switched to an Orbea Rise H10 and it is so much better.

Unless you need Turbo a lot (e.g., commute), I think the Orbea is the better deal. It is light, has exceptional range, the assist is smoother, easy to lift, easier to navigate corners, and it has a clear upgrade path. It is also a cool bike, while the Cube is a bit boring.

I think the Fox 34 is a great beginner fork - good suspension but also forces you to learn to ride properly.

You have to consider whether you need to be able to take the battery out or not.

I fully agree, I own the 160 Cube and if given the choice again, I would go for the Orbea or a similar midweight bike. I've found the weight and geometry on the Cube a bit too cumbersome and 85Nm is just unnecessary except on the most steep and technical terrain which I can quite happily avoid anyway. I'm riding the same terrain as I do on a manual bike after all so I don't need anything ridiculous. The Bosch system is great, it's just a bit heavy even with a smaller battery. The saving grace is the 750Wh battery which is a godsend and means you don't need to budget for a spare battery or range extender.

This is very much a personal take though, so if you're not bothered by weight, it's hard to beat Cube on raw value.
If you're a first time e-bike rider, my advice would be to test ride a full fat emtb, whatever the brand, because it can be a bit of a shock coming from a manual mtb and not necessarily in a good way.

 

[sswats]

MTBMonster now have the Cube 140 pro for £2923, so i was going to go for it and was trying to add tubeless option but it does not come with tubeless ready tyres which is a bit of a nuisance and adds to the price.

But i think as advised, i do need to try out full fat and a lightweight to see what i like. I am going to go Surrey hills, they have The Specialized Levo and Levo SL for hire. They said if i hire for 4 hours i can swap halfway.

 

[emtbPhil]

Yeah it's a very personal thing.

I strongly disagree that the weight is an issue, the weight adds a lot of grip when chucking it down techy downhills.
But I'm also a heavier rider, a lightweight mid-power would massively restrict the types of trails I could do.

I'd be a bit careful where you cut corners for cost - the Pro is £100ish less than the HPC Race - but it comes with very budget chain, very basic wheels with awful hubs. For me the HPC race with the XT derailleur and at least the newman wheelset and proper shimano chain is worth it. It's very easy on emtb's to go cheapest as possible, which is what I did with my first one, and it cost me more than £100 in the first few months when the freehub died.

 

[sswats]

Yeah it's a very personal thing.

I strongly disagree that the weight is an issue, the weight adds a lot of grip when chucking it down techy downhills.
But I'm also a heavier rider, a lightweight mid-power would massively restrict the types of trails I could do.

I'd be a bit careful where you cut corners for cost - the Pro is £100ish less than the HPC Race - but it comes with very budget chain, very basic wheels with awful hubs. For me the HPC race with the XT derailleur and at least the newman wheelset and proper shimano chain is worth it. It's very easy on emtb's to go cheapest as possible, which is what I did with my first one, and it cost me more than £100 in the first few months when the freehub died.

Ok, good thing it didn't go through. The hubs models were not mentioned on the listing so i missed them when doing the comparison. I thought it was just derailleur and chain difference for £177 cheaper.
With tubeless ready tyres that brings the Cube Race version very close to the SLX (£3500 cheapest i have found), which already has the tyres plus the better forks etc.

If i were to buy now, I would go Orbea H30. I like the idea of having a lighter bike, and IMO it looks better. But i will see after the "test drive".

 

[emtbPhil]

The SLX is definitely the best value for money
The orbea is 110% better looking - Orbea really nail the visuals

Again though the H20 is a much better "value for money" bike

Sale - Orbea Rise H20 2023 - Metallic Mulberry/Black

Buy Now - Orbea Rise H20 2023 - Metallic Mulberry/Black from MTB Monster

mtbmonster.com

If you can stretch for it - I'd ride a full fat and a light-weight, decide which you prefer then get either the Cube SLX or the Rise H20. I know it's £3500 instead of £3k - but they are both bikes with good suspension, drivetrain, wheels, tyres, brakes.. the £3k ones I think you'll fall down the rabbit hole of "I need an upgrade" in a years time like I did - which is why at christmas I just bought the action team, cos in the end I spent another grand on my old bike when I found the limits of the entry level gear on it.

It's a minefield

 

[sswats]

The other colour H20 is only £3349.

Sale - Orbea Rise H20 2023 - Iceberg Grey/Moondust Blue

Buy Now - Orbea Rise H20 2023 - Iceberg Grey/Moondust Blue from MTB Monster

mtbmonster.com

Tredz had it last week for £3249 and also had the SLX around £3300 with their £400 off voucher.

Unfortunately i missed it.
I should be buying at the end of this month, which should be after my test run, and hoping they have another offer on whatever i end up choosing.

Thanks for the help.