First ebike conundrum

[JonnyManc]

Hi guys

So I'm 48 and my knees are shot!

I love riding, especially trails and natural stuff in the lakes.
Don't do jumping (beyond a couple of inches that luckily get on my local trails ).

I'm after an ebike for trails and long rides, 29er preferred (helps me get over the tech stuff)....

Unsure on motor due to my knees.... Some days are good, some not so much so gonna need the ability to have power from the get go....

Budget max is £6k

Advice would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

[steve_sordy]

Welcome to the Forum!

Dodgy knees (arthritis in my case) were my reason for buying an emtb. I bought a Focus Jam2 29er in Jan'19 when I was 68. I thought the Focus was great but I am not specifically recommending the Focus as a cure for dodgy knees! Because I reckon that ANY emtb will do the job.
With the Focus, I suddenly went from 10 miles max every three days or so, to 20+ miles every day if I wanted (and over 30 miles on occasions). All that was without pain*, but the bonus was that I found that my knees were starting to give me fewer problems when I wasn't on the bike as well!
You can get lower power/lower weight emtbs, known as superlights or SL. They are sold as being closer to a real mtb in experience. But many are limited in torque and battery size. If you are nervous about riding a bike that is heavier than usual without any power (if the battery runs out), then I'd go for what is called the full fat version. Full fat are what many would call a normal emtb, ie a big battery 625Whr or bigger and a full torque motor, 70 Nm torque or bigger.
The Focus had a 70Nm torque motor with a 378Whr battery (with an additional 378Whr battery that I could clip on if required). I loved that bike, but I changed it for a Merida eOne-Sixty that has 85Nm and a 625Whr battery. I love it too!

After reading your needs, I would definitely go for the full fat option. and get a full suspension bike NOT a hardtail! Pretty much any FF FS bike will meet your needs, so try to test ride as many as you can. If all you can do is to sit on one, then at least make sure it is set up for you. Tell them you are about to make a buying decision!

Ref the 29er topic. 29ers really do help with roll-over. But consider a "mullet" bike. They have a 29er front and a 27.5"rear. The reason is that when you are going over any steep stuff and your bum is behind the saddle, then you won't get your arse buzzed by the tyre. I had no problems in opting for a mullet bike instead of a full 29er for that reason.

Note*: I said no pain. I use Volterol gel for joints on my knees, applied at least 20 mins before I ride. With that, plus the pedal assistance, I get no pain at all. Just loads of fun!

 

[Tekmotiv]

Fantic XTF 1.5 sport ( 29 front and rear ) or XMF 1.7 ( 27.5 rear 29 front mullet ) both easily fit the bill, start at around 4k. Brose 90nm motor, big battery and excellent components, great frames. Fantic website or ours for details. We have demo's if you wanted to try some. Or look at Bianchi which are very good value with Shimano or Bosch, starting at under 4k

 

[Tekmotiv]

From our experience, Brose motor has more instant low end shove than the Shimano, which are more subtle and tailored to react depending on your inputs and cadence. Brose generally quieter. All will work perfectly fine though.

 

[JonnyManc]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I'm an looking at the Whyte E160 (lbs are a Whyte, Merida and giant dealer). Being a Whyte owner already leans me that way....

Only real concern is the weight....26kg+ is quite weighty.....

Thoughts?

 

[steve_sordy]

Giant Reign E+

See Rob's video

 

[Bomble]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I'm an looking at the Whyte E160 (lbs are a Whyte, Merida and giant dealer). Being a Whyte owner already leans me that way....

Only real concern is the weight....26kg+ is quite weighty.....

Thoughts?

I’ve had a couple of Whytes, they are really good to ride, you don’t notice the weight when riding but definitely do when lifting it
My knees are goosed too but if I ride regularly it helps them loads.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

Take a look at Scott. With similar needs as yours, I recently went for the Scott eRide Strike 930. Great geometry, equipment and motor for a reasonable price in my opinion. So far very pleased with mine. More info here:

 

[Bomble]

I think Wheelbase are running some demo days so you could try a few out. Decent company to deal with too.

 

[mustclime]

I spent more than 6 months shopping for an e-bike and after more than two dozen demos it is my opinion that as of right now the best full power systems are the Bosch and Brose. Look to the brands that use these systems IMO. I went with the Kenevo since Specialized has some really good sales with the post Covid over stock situation out there. Good luck!

 

[sam.spoons]

I'd go light weight (it's all relative mind you*) and look for decent range. My Orbea Urrun has a claimed range of 80 miles in eco mode and 35 in boost. It has plenty of power for serious climbing and bear in mind you don't use any juice going down . I chose a hardtail as that's what I have always ridden and it was about £1k cheaper than the equivalent full suss (Orbea Rise). You may prefer a full suss in which case, budget allowing, that's where to put your money.

* The Orbea Urrun is nearly 20kg, my analogue bike, Orange G3 is only 13kg so even the Urrun feels a bit of a lump.

 

[JonnyManc]

So I've gone an done it.....

Ordered Whyte e160 s in black.
Gonna swap the Hope Tech 3 E4's onto it.....

Roll on next week

 

[Ark]

So I've gone an done it.....

Ordered Whyte e160 s in black.
Gonna swap the Hope Tech 3 E4's onto it.....

Roll on next week

I have the same bike since August and love it, felt a bit heavy at first because it's a big heavy bike somewhere around 27kg.
The lift to my building is getting replaced so I had to push the bike up the communal stairwell the other day, the 29er wheels made it just roll up the steps as if they were a ramp.


If you want some ugly mudguards on mine I have

rear mk2 Large Mudhugger and on the front a Mudhugger evo bolt-on (Long)
For the front mudguard to fit on zeb shock you need to also buy the adapter "ROCKSHOX ZEB / DOMAIN BOLT-ON ADAPTER PACK FOR EVO MUDHUGGERS" which you can find under accessories on their website.

The Mudhugger

Mudhugger keeps the mud and crud off you and your bike, but doesn't stop you riding. RIPS UP THE RULE BOOK ON MUDGAURDS LETTING YOU RIP DOWN THE TRAILS.

www.themudhugger.co.uk

Really easy to fit BTW since you don't have to adjust them.

The downtube still gets splattered pretty bad but your face and body probably will stay clean apart from your shoes and ankle area.
I've done around 300+ miles with the mudguards on and not had to adjust them at all.

I keep a pump action spray bottle near my front door so I can just spray the dirt off the downtube and wheels when I get home

If you want a drink bottle only a 600ml will fit and you need a side loading bottle cage for it.
BTW if youre just riding on dirt/gravel paths etc you can get around 40-45miles in tour+ mode from a full battery.
In eco mode you can probably get around 60+miles I'd imagine.

 

[JonnyManc]

@Ark

Thanks for the info buddy.... Lots to think about.

 

[mike_kelly]

Just watch the weight. A really heavy emtb is a royal pain. Hard to get on the back of the car, impossible to get up stairs into the apartment etc.

 

[JonnyManc]

Just watch the weight. A really heavy emtb is a royal pain. Hard to get on the back of the car, impossible to get up stairs into the apartment etc.

That was my biggest concern, but the bike was so good to ride that I'll figure out getting it in and out of the car (I hope )

 

[Colin1517]

I have a Cube stereo at 26kg and don’t notice the weight while riding. The weight is also not an issue getting it into the back of the car, it’s the fact that I only have 2 hands!! Once the wheels are off and the battery is out, then I only have to contend with spinning bars, twisting forks, spinning cranks, keeping the spikey pedals away from the bodywork, and the “oh sh1t” moment when you realise you just banged the derailleur on the boot lip
It’s all good fun

 

[samjlevy]

I put my E-160 RSX on my roof, you’ll be fine getting it in the back of the car, just remove the battery and you save 4.5kg, makes picking it up a lot easier!

 

[JonnyManc]

I put my E-160 RSX on my roof, you’ll be fine getting it in the back of the car, just remove the battery and you save 4.5kg, makes picking it up a lot easier!

What roof rack do you use?

Most of them are a max 20kg for the bike.....

 

[samjlevy]

What roof rack do you use?

Most of them are a max 20kg for the bike.....

It’s an INNO Tyre Hold 2, rated to 23kg so with the battery out it just sneaks under it!

 

[JonnyManc]

It’s an INNO Tyre Hold 2, rated to 23kg so with the battery out it just sneaks under it!

Thanks .... Will take a look

 

[JonnyManc]

I have the same bike since August and love it, felt a bit heavy at first because it's a big heavy bike somewhere around 27kg.
The lift to my building is getting replaced so I had to push the bike up the communal stairwell the other day, the 29er wheels made it just roll up the steps as if they were a ramp.


If you want some ugly mudguards on mine I have

rear mk2 Large Mudhugger and on the front a Mudhugger evo bolt-on (Long)
For the front mudguard to fit on zeb shock you need to also buy the adapter "ROCKSHOX ZEB / DOMAIN BOLT-ON ADAPTER PACK FOR EVO MUDHUGGERS" which you can find under accessories on their website.

The Mudhugger

Mudhugger keeps the mud and crud off you and your bike, but doesn't stop you riding. RIPS UP THE RULE BOOK ON MUDGAURDS LETTING YOU RIP DOWN THE TRAILS.

www.themudhugger.co.uk

Really easy to fit BTW since you don't have to adjust them.

The downtube still gets splattered pretty bad but your face and body probably will stay clean apart from your shoes and ankle area.
I've done around 300+ miles with the mudguards on and not had to adjust them at all.

I keep a pump action spray bottle near my front door so I can just spray the dirt off the downtube and wheels when I get home
View attachment 115097
If you want a drink bottle only a 600ml will fit and you need a side loading bottle cage for it.
BTW if youre just riding on dirt/gravel paths etc you can get around 40-45miles in tour+ mode from a full battery.
In eco mode you can probably get around 60+miles I'd imagine.

Which bottle cage did you go with?

 

[Ark]

Which bottle cage did you go with?

Elite Prism Fiberglass.
Not for any reason other than it was basically the only side mounting cage in the shop I popped into.
any side mounting bottle cage should be fine just check it won't block the charging port.
I have to put the charging cable through the bottle cage to charge

 

[Ark]

BTW if you want to use your phone as a display it's pretty expensive for what you need like £80 or something in total going the Bosch route.

You would need Bosch Aftermarket Kit The Smart System the 35mm version

• 35.0 mm (BDS3630)

and then also a Bosch Smart Phone Grip which is around £40-50 I got mine on ebay

SmartphoneGrip: Turns your smartphone into a fully connected eBike display

Simply insert the smartphone securely on the handlebar and start riding. The eBike Flow app provides you with all important information while you are riding.

www.bosch-ebike.com

The actual grip holds your phone really secure and it has wireless charging if your phone supports that, if not it has a USB outlet but you will need to buy a cable, I got an amazon basics one because my phone has no wireless charging and it's a USB C input on my phone so I went with the cable

Amazon Basics USB Type-C to Micro-B 2.0 Cable - 15.2 cm​

which is the perfect length.
according to the manual the actual port on the smartphone grip is a Micro-A/B USB port. so any cable that's Micro USB A or B type on one end and then whatever type your phone needs on the other end should work, just make sure it's a really short cable

you use the Bosch Flow app on your phone which you will need anyway if you want to see battery % in actual numbers and also you need it to customise any of the riding modes.
setting eco to +1 assistance seems mandatory imo, also turning Turbo mode down seems sensible because it's soo damn strong even on the steepest of hills

If you want any premade routes you have to link The flow app to a Komoot account and put your routes onto Komoot which is annoying imo...
also the komoot routes aren't stored locally on your phone so you need an internet connection or they don't show up in the Flow app.... once you load a route to follow you don't need the internet to keep following it though.

Also the roots are directional... unlike on garmins where there's always a blue line to follow, on the Flow App if you try to drive a route the wrong way it won't show you the route and just tells you to turn around which seems like a really stupid design choice,
it means if you want to make a loop you have to add the route onto your komoot account twice, one for clockwise and then again for anti clockwise.

it's really stupid!

 

[JonnyManc]

BTW if you want to use your phone as a display it's pretty expensive for what you need like £80 or something in total going the Bosch route.

You would need Bosch Aftermarket Kit The Smart System the 35mm version

• 35.0 mm (BDS3630)

and then also a Bosch Smart Phone Grip which is around £40-50 I got mine on ebay

SmartphoneGrip: Turns your smartphone into a fully connected eBike display

Simply insert the smartphone securely on the handlebar and start riding. The eBike Flow app provides you with all important information while you are riding.

www.bosch-ebike.com

The actual grip holds your phone really secure but the app is kinda annoying...

you use the Bosch Flow app on your phone which you will need anyway if you want to see battery % in actual numbers and also you need it to customise any of the riding modes.
setting eco to +1 assistance seems mandatory imo, also turning Turbo mode down seems sensible because it's soo damn strong even on the steepest of hills

If you want any premade routes you have to link The flow app to a Komoot account and put your routes onto Komoot which is annoying imo...
also the komoot routes aren't stored locally on your phone so you need an internet connection or they don't show up in the Flow app.... once you load a route to follow you don't need the internet to keep following it though.

Also the roots are directional... unlike on garmins where there's always a blue line to follow, on the Flow App if you try to drive a route the wrong way it won't show you the route and just tells you to turn around which seems like a really stupid design choice,
it means if you want to make a loop you have to add the route onto your komoot account twice, one for clockwise and then again for anti clockwise.

it's really stupid!

I've got the shop to fit a Kiox......