Help on picking a new bike please?

[ab_mtb]

Hello all, looking for your advice on picking a new bike.
It's my first ebike but I've been mountain biking for a few years now. Ride in Scotland so lots of natural trails etc but still like to jump a bit at the trail centres.
I've narrowed down to 3 bikes.
Specialized turbo levo alloy comp,
Orbea wild H10 & canyon strive on underdog.
Budget is 5k max
I like the idea of having a full 29 as that's the same as my current bike. So I have spare wheels & tyres a plenty.
The weight of the obera is putting me off a little as I'll need to lift onto a roof rack.
The customer service from canyon has me a little worried (not the best reputation)
The levo is prob the lowest spec but the aftercare seems to be the best.
Any advice or info you could share to help me decide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Allan

 

[Dave_B]

@VWsurfbum your spreadsheet skills are required here......

 

[VWsurfbum]

@Dave_B you know I'd only have 2 of those on my spreadsheet to start off with

Seriously @ab_mtb make a list of pro's and cons and yes I agree that with EMTB local support is important but non wonkeyness is importenter lol so that rules out the specialized.

 

[ab_mtb]

@Dave_B you know I'd only have 2 of those on my spreadsheet to start off with

Seriously @ab_mtb make a list of pro's and cons and yes I agree that with EMTB local support is important but non wonkeyness is importenter lol so that rules out the specialized.

Not a Spech fan then . I've narrowed down to the orbea & the levo. Struggling to find a demo of thr orbea local to me though

 

[davosaurusrex]

Similar position myself, my max is a little higher.

Have discounted the Specialized as warranty or not I wouldn't completely trust them to not fail in the middle of nowhere. I'm set on a Bosch motor anyway

Canyon - I'd want to change too much on the Underdog and not keen on the CFR colour. The battery connection issue and also Canyon's warranty rep puts me off, claiming everything is impact damage....

Orbea - again I don't think their warranty is the greatest but prob better than Canyon's? Non removable battery and the weight is high. Had thought of getting one with a 625 battery and the 250 range extender but think there are issues on the auto switch between batteries.
Love the looks though, and I like full 29er. I'd likely be looking to get an H10 with Fox factory 38s and X2 for 5.5k (with the 750 battery)

There's also the Mondraker Crafty but I've had two of those and fancy a change. Alloy is also heavy and the HA is too steep, not sure you can fit an angleset to a carbon one. Also non-removable battery

Leaning towards the Wild. Wouldn't fancy lifting one onto a roofrack though, my Old Vitus E-Sommet with the battery removed wasn't easy and I'm 6'3". Got a towbar rack now

 

[ab_mtb]

Similar position myself, my max is a little higher.

Have discounted the Specialized as warranty or not I wouldn't completely trust them to not fail in the middle of nowhere. I'm set on a Bosch motor anyway

Canyon - I'd want to change too much on the Underdog and not keen on the CFR colour. The battery connection issue and also Canyon's warranty rep puts me off, claiming everything is impact damage....

Orbea - again I don't think their warranty is the greatest but prob better than Canyon's? Non removable battery and the weight is high. Had thought of getting one with a 625 battery and the 250 range extender but think there are issues on the auto switch between batteries.
Love the looks though, and I like full 29er. I'd likely be looking to get an H10 with Fox factory 38s and X2 for 5.5k (with the 750 battery)

There's also the Mondraker Crafty but I've had two of those and fancy a change. Alloy is also heavy and the HA is too steep, not sure you can fit an angleset to a carbon one. Also non-removable battery

Leaning towards the Wild. Wouldn't fancy lifting one onto a roofrack though, my Old Vitus E-Sommet with the battery removed wasn't easy and I'm 6'3". Got a towbar rack no

Appreciate the reply. Love the look on the Mondraker also but I've read they are absolute plows in alloy trim + i enjoy a little more playful bike. Don't think i could find an H10 with factory suspension for 5.5k unfortunately as they aren't on sale from orbea directly (only pre build from dealers).
I might need to look into a different car rack. My roof is pretty low but after a day on the bike, it's not easy lifting bikes onto it.
Supposed to be demoing a levo on Sunday but weather is looking biblical

 

[davosaurusrex]

Yeah I had the carbon 22 Crafty and then an alloy 21. Liked them both but the carbon defo noticeably lighter. The alloy is a tank but if you're aggressive enough it has a ton of traction. Not playful but it does jump well. I did have a minus 1 angleset in it as too steep as standard for my liking

My brother has a large Strive CFR, I've had a very short go and it's very different to the Mondy, much nimbler. Don't really want the exact same bike as him but he lives at the other end of the country.

My concern with the alloy Wild is that the weight is similar to the alloy Crafty. I can't afford a carbon so if the factory options aren't available at the sale price I won't be getting one of them regardless, waiting to hear back from a dealer.

 

[ab_mtb]

Yeah I had the carbon 22 Crafty and then an alloy 21. Liked them both but the carbon defo noticeably lighter. The alloy is a tank but if you're aggressive enough it has a ton of traction. Not playful but it does jump well. I did have a minus 1 angleset in it as too steep as standard for my liking

My brother has a large Strive CFR, I've had a very short go and it's very different to the Mondy, much nimbler. Don't really want the exact same bike as him but he lives at the other end of the country.

My concern with the alloy Wild is that the weight is similar to the alloy Crafty. I can't afford a carbon so if the factory options aren't available at the sale price I won't be getting one of them regardless, waiting to hear back from a dealer.

Thanks again. Spoke to my local orbea dealer today. They have stopped selling them due to difficulty with warranty claims + spec to low for price making it difficult to sell them. My nearest one is now 60miles away.
That's the wild out the equation then

 

[davosaurusrex]

Did they say what sort of warranty claims? I'm aware of the paint and finish issues on a fair few of them but hadn't heard of anything more serious than that

 

[ab_mtb]

Did they say what sort of warranty claims? I'm aware of the paint and finish issues on a fair few of them but hadn't heard of anything more serious than that

They didn't I'm afraid, sorry

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

@ab_mtb, in the all-mountain category, full power motor, and entry $5K budget, have you also considered the Trek Rail 5 or the Scott eRide Strike 930?

I personally would only choose a Bosch motorization and narrow down my short list accordingly. Good luck!

 

[ab_mtb]

@ab_mtb, in the all-mountain category, full power motor, and entry $5K budget, have you also considered the Trek Rail 5 or the Scott eRide Strike 930?

I personally would only choose a Bosch motorization and narrow down my short list accordingly. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I had a look at the rail. Found a few gen2 rail 9s for just over 4k. Spec etc is phenomenal for the price. Just old skool looking controller & display. Definitely worth considering

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

Yeah the Trek Rail 9 gen2 is an awesome bike in my opinion if you can still get your hands on one!

 

[dave_uk]

go on a Demo day, you can then ride several bikes. Wheelbase do them, the last one I went to was Cannock (they also do them further North) one of the bikes I tried which was NOT my 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice was:

Merida eOne-Sixty.

loved it, setup/feel and ride was the best for me; will perhaps be my future choice.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

@ab_mtb If you have access to a local Scott dealer, check out their eRide Ransom 920 and Strike 910/920/930 models.

I've been riding a Scott eRide Strike 930 (MY22). Very happy with it. I found the overall build quality, geometry, equipment and motor to be top notch.

https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/product/scott-ransom-eride-920-bike?article=290568006

 

[billp91311]

4495+tax not as nice as the scott but less $$$

 

[sam.spoons]

You mention the weight of the Orbea being an issue but it's 3kg lighter than the Levo?

 

[ab_mtb]

You mention the weight of the Orbea being an issue but it's 3kg lighter than the Levo?

The alloy orbea wild alloy is 25.7kg out the box

 

[ab_mtb]

View attachment 127853
4495+tax not as nice as the scott but less $$$

I'm in the UK, thanks though

 

[ab_mtb]

@ab_mtb If you have access to a local Scott dealer, check out their eRide Ransom 920 and Strike 910/920/930 models.

I've been riding a Scott eRide Strike 930 (MY22). Very happy with it. I found the overall build quality, geometry, equipment and motor to be top notch.

https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/product/scott-ransom-eride-920-bike?article=290568006

Tbh, I've really looked at scott bikes in general. Don't see too many of them in the UK. I'll have a wee look thanks