EMTB for cross country and basic trails

[GeorgeD]

Thank you all for your comments. It just goes to show how difficult choosing the right bike is and that what works for one individual might not work for another. In an ideal situation one would have all these options available for testing, but that is not the case and the current restrictions with COVID-19 do not help.

I chose Bosch mainly for two reasons. Firstly, it seems to me to be the one motor most easily to fix and secondly, with the exception of Brose, the only motor widely available with batteries larger than 500 Wh. The other option would be Specialized Levo Comp with its 700 Wh, however I was wondering if I actually need the 150mm travel for my rides. I tried this bike and I love it.

I like on paper the BMC Speedfox AMP THREE and if they would have had a larger battery, I would have probably gone for it. Same goes for the Giant STANCE E+ PRO 29 with a Giant SyncDrive Pro motor (Yamaha).

I’ve also tried Scott STRIKE eRIDE, Scott GENIUS eRIDE and Cube STEREO HYBRID 140 HPC and out of these ones the Scott Strike felt right for me.

Eddy Current recommended Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay and it looks like a bike to fit my requirements, however it is a brand I wasn’t aware of, including its motor.

I think I need to find a retailer that stocks a large number of brands and try as many as I can.

 

[GeorgeD]

Impressions about a year later.

I ended up buying the Scott bike simply because there were no Haibike ones available in UK to compare with at the time. Even with Scott, it was probably one of the last ones available in the country and against my initial thoughts I ended up buying it online from a shop about 100 miles away. Not too far, I didn’t need to get in touch with them since.

The image below is after a ride this weekend through the chalky bridleways of the South Downs.

Good points so far:

• The bike is very conformable for long rides and the longest one I’ve had was just a bit over 100km on a full battery charge. It was a ride where I never had to push the motor beyond the Eco mode and in some places, I turned the motor off
• I’ve had no technical issues with any parts of the bike. However, I am not an aggressive rider and I don’t do jumps, although I would like to learn
• It took me a while to get used to the 29 wheels coming from 26, but it’s good now
• The motor really comes into play when I need to push the climb beyond what I would normally be conformable with my bad knee. This is not related to this bike only, more to eMTB

Not so good points:

• There is a small noise when the motor is running which I believe it normal for Bosch motors. It’s there only if I want to listen to it, otherwise it’s filtered out and doesn’t bother me
• In hindsight I should have tested a S size bike. I am somewhere in between S and M, for example Specialized M works for me, but with Scott is slightly different. It’s not a major issue
• I still feel as a cheat when on long climbs I get past riders on normal bikes

Would I buy it again? Most likely yes, but in a normal environment with no COVID and supply issues I would try more brands, types, sizes. But I would still go for a Bosch motor, simply because on my perception of its reliability.