How did you pick your eMTB?

[Haveland]

Curious did you already know what brand?
Because what your Local bike shop had in stock?

I sold my giant and initially had 2-3 bikes I was interested in. Now I find that list has only gotten larger and I'm starting to feel more and more like these bikes are more similar than different.

 

[Ou812]

I rode a few different bikes before I made up my mind, I ruled anything with a shimano motor out pretty much within a few hours of riding the Yeti 160e. I’m a huge Yeti fan, 4 of the 8 bikes we have are Yetis and I really wanted the 160 but couldn’t deal with the shimano rattle. After that I looked at warranty coverage and in my area Spesh is pretty much the best so that’s who I went with.

 

[steve_sordy]

My first emtb in Jan'19 was chosen after riding multiple emtbs. When I came across "the one" my choice was easy. That was pre-pandemic.
My second and current emtb was chosen after a rigorous search during the pandemic. I was looking at geometry, suspension, wheel size, components, reviews. Then I just had to find one! I was looking everywhere for weeks and weeks. Lots of companies claimed they had one until you wasted your time registering an interest and then they said "no stock, but we'll put you on our list for the new model ." I believe that I got the last one of its kind that was available for sale in the UK. It had been lost in JE James's stock system, found and put on sale. There was none of these bikes for weeks and certainly none at all on JE James's website, then suddenly there it was! I rang them up to secure it and their shop local to me in Sheffield said they didn't have any at all, had sold out long ago. I told them it was showing as in stock, they searched and found it in a warehouse in Rotherham. The bike was mine!!! I even got some money off!

 

[steve_sordy]

I rode a few different bikes before I made up my mind, I ruled anything with a shimano motor out pretty much within a few hours of riding the Yeti 160e. I’m a huge Yeti fan, 4 of the 8 bikes we have are Yetis and I really wanted the 160 but couldn’t deal with the shimano rattle. After that I looked at warranty coverage and in my area Spesh is pretty much the best so that’s who I went with.

I have the EP8 and I heard a slight rattle when it was new. I knew it was a feature consequent to its low rolling resistance design so I was unconcerned. But after a week or so I never heard it again.

 

[Bndit]

I ordred Orbea Wild FS, it was so badly delayed that I canceled it and bought Turbo Levo Comp which was only bike I could get immediately…and I`m more than happy that things went this way. That was almost two years ago. Never tested any bikes.

 

[Ou812]

I have the EP8 and I heard a slight rattle when it was new. I knew it was a feature consequent to its low rolling resistance design so I was unconcerned. But after a week or so I never heard it again.

I wish I could ignore it but I can’t, I really enjoyed the 160e when I demoed it and really wanted it but it was a no go for me. The new version of the EP8 is supposedly rattle free, if that were the case and Yeti upped the battery size I’d have one in my garage tomorrow.

 

[Bummers]

For me it came down to price vs spec. I wanted the Bosch motor, having rented an e-bike with one and hearing a lot of bad things about Shimano.
So, after a lot of comparisons I couldn't find a bike with better components than the cube in that price bracket.

 

[Sherman]

Geo+specs+availability+LBS=my Giant Reign 2022 E+2

 

[Mikerb]

1. Available from a reasonably local bike shop...................not online
2. Bosch motor
3. Ally not carbon
4. Good spec ( for me that is Fox suspension, DT Swiss Hybrid wheelset, SRAM brakes and drivetrain)
5. Well protected electrics ( no open downtube/no top tube mounted controller)

= Whyte

 

[Bad-Latitude]

I rode multiple different brands with different motors.

I tried Santa Cruz, Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Intense, Scott, Fantik, Yamaha and Giant.

I tried Bosch, Brose, Shimano and Yamaha motors.

For me it came down to
1. I wanted either a Yamaha or Bosch motor.
2. I wanted more than 150 travrl
3. I wanted mullet.
4. LBS availability in a size large.
5. Price

In the end I landed on a Giant Reign E+2. I was trying to find a Scott Ransom but nobody had one. I absolutely love the giant though. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun bike that gets decent mileage to a battery and likes to get rowdy.

 

[Armor11]

Had never own a FS MTB or an EMTB, but after riding my wifes Giant Stance E, I was hooked and knew I needed an EMTB. I had a Giant Trance E+1 on order but it kept getting delayed over and over again (May 2022 - March 2023, I guess they don't make many in small). Thought about the Reign E+1 but wasn't convinced it was the style of bike I was wanting. Always was interested in the Turbo Levo's but in a comparable build to the Trance they were definitely more expensive. Then I was in Vancouver BC on business and walked into a shop and the Levo's were on discount!! They had one in my size (S2, Comp alloy) so it was purchased right there. My wife should have known better than to let me out with a high limit CC unsupervised, Hahaha. Couldn't be more pleased with my choice.

 

[Sir-Case-A-Lot]

Specialized put Turbo Levos on sale, 25% off, and I couldn't resist that Cobalt Blue color.

 

[Ou812]

Specialized put Turbo Levos on sale, 25% off, and I couldn't resist that Cobalt Blue color.

I wish they would have offered that colour in the carbon models. I’m seriously thinking about having mine painted.

 

[Haveland]

Specialized put Turbo Levos on sale, 25% off, and I couldn't resist that Cobalt Blue color.

Geez, 25% off a Specialized! I'd jump all over that too.

 

[SwampNut]

The wife and I are on her second iteration of choices, and my third. So that changes a lot, because we got to learn what mattered and what was not going to work. LBS was not a real factor; the two I visit most didn't really have things that spoke to me, or were overpriced (Specialized $12k bikes).

Research-wise, I determined that I'd have a Shimano or Bosch motor, current gen, and nothing else. I had ridden all the brands except Shimano, but from online comparisons, I knew that would be as good as the Bosch which was my favorite. Wife got a Brose, which is also great, but I was chasing a small improvement from there. The EP8 delivered.

I'm a motorcyclist so I was looking at bikes from that perspective. Our terrain is tough, I've figured out that I need great suspension and brakes. I also put out a few feelers among friends, and a fellow dirt biker recommended a few, one being Intense. So I ended up in an Intense Taser MX Pro, and absolutely love it. The other bikes weren't doing everything I asked for.

 

[JP-NZ]

Was pretty easy with my MUST HAVE's of MTB's after nearly 30 years of riding bikes.

1. Bosch Motor
2. Shimano Brakes
3. Shimano Drivetrain
4. Preferably 700wh+

Trek Rail vs Mondraker Crafty and the Trek won, couldn't be happier

 

[Julie_X1]

Couldn’t find any e-mtb to test during the pandemic.

But I own a Specialized Turbo Vado SL, and absolutely love the light weight and Specialized SL motor. Knew I wanted a lightweight e-mtb.

I wanted one for this spring and also wanted to buy from a local dealer, if possible.

Narrowed down to Orbea Rise, Specialized Levo SL, and Trek Fuel EXe.

• No Levo SLs almost anywhere within a 2+ hr radius from my house and it is an older model set to be updated. Given how much I love my current Vado SL (which has the same motor), had my local bike shop had one in my size, I’m pretty sure I would have picked it up no hesitation.
• I put my name on the wait list for the Gen 2 Orbea Rise, which Orbea launched 3-4 months ago. Orbea couldn’t provide my dealer an ETA, although they could send a current Gen 1 model to them if I wanted, and my local bike shop said they’d give me a (nice) discount.
• I really liked the Fuel EXe, it was instinctively my favourite of the three, but was initially a little hesitant because it is a new model.
• Even with the nice discount on the Gen 1 Orbea, making it the same price as the Fuel EXe I was looking at, the Trek was a better value. Even better, I could get an ETA on the Trek for this spring.

 

[Mikes56]

My wife and I had been drueling over the Levos for the last couple years at our LBS. They were $7400 each and I couldn’t justify $15K for two bikes. We just happened to go into the shop again a couple months ago and they were $5600 each. She ride hers home, I had to wait a couple days for my large frame. So glad we were able to get them.

 

[KnollyBro]

After breaking my foot, I was not able to keep up to my wife when riding up the mountians so I started looking into emtbs. I would have liked to have bought a bike made by the company I have been loyal to for the past 10 years but they don't make emtbs. We went to our LBS (who we have dealt with for many years) not knowing all that much about emtb and put our trust in them and I bought a Kenevo. A few months later, my wife bought a Leve SL. The Kenevo was a very capable bike but the stock Levo SL was not very good at all. After learning so much from this forum, I figured out what I wanted and am satisfied with my choice of modifying a Levo SL into a better bike. The biggest issue is that stock bikes do not meet the needs of riders with specific requirements so you end up changing many of the components. I would never have bought a stock Levo SL if I would have test ridden it. The Kenevo turned out to be too heavy on the DH parts. These days there are many more options available but I am sure I would still change out a lot of the expensive components to suite my purpose. Moral of my story is test rides don't tell sh!t and if you are going to buy an emtb, buy a warranty!

 

[JWD]

I went a bit left-field with an NS E-Fine 1. Not intentionally as my local shop had Specializeds and Giants in stock but when I saw the spec of the NS for the price it was a no brainer. Ep8, Zebs up front, Super Deluxe coil and MT7's taking care of the slowing down bit! One of the few let downs of the bike is the down-graded computer / display, but it looks like a fairly straight forward upgrade.

 

[ilostmypassword]

Price mostly. 9.5k (11 k after some upgrades) is enough for me to pay off vs credit. Hence the Giant Trance 2022. No test rides but it worked out well. I love it.

 

[Twindaddy]

Geez, 25% off a Specialized! I'd jump all over that too.

Same. I knew I wanted a levo based on its geo, travel, and overall great reviews. Didnt think I would make the jump to an eeb this soon but the discounted prices over the holidays made it too much to resist. I cant describe how much I love this thing.

 

[irie]

Long time ago bought a Trek Gary Fisher Big Sur from a LBS, amazing bike for it's day.

Few years ago started riding with a son who does downhills and bike parks so bought a Trek Fuel EX.

January last year upgraded to a Trek Rail so that I could keep up with him uphill. He has an old Trek Superfly FS that he does silly stuff with. Bought the base Rail and moved the upgraded stuff on the Fuel EX onto it.

Great bike, wife now has one too.

Edit: remove repetition

 

[Rando_12345]

Still on my 2018 Commencal Meta: Back then it was a fantastic deal at €4300 with a decent spec, I was split between the commencal and the canyon due to value, I was targetting the shimano motor as back then it was the most reliable one and the best choice for a direct sales bike which suited me fine after 2 direct sales mtbs.

Today, I am on the verge of buying a new bike, basically just waiting for my old bike to sell. One of the main considerations is still price, I am not willing to put in 2x the price of my commencal for similar equipment and riding experience. Adding to this the fact that I don't have as much time as before for fixing the bike, I want to get a bike from a local shop. Battery has to be 700wh or above.

My first two choices were again Canyon mostly due to the 900Wh battery and Specialized because of the great reviews. However the spectral would need a complete component overhaul and I am not keen to go direct sales again, that said I expect the next torque-on to be very interesting. I was sure I would go for a levo, but then I talked to some riders at an event and all of them had sold their levos due to constant motor issues. I am fairly sure I will get a future evolution of the levo when they move away from brose.

So in the end, most likely I will get a Giant Reign from my local bike shop for the following reasons:

• Shop is a few minutes walk down the road
• Bike will end up costing less than 6k with upgrades
• 800Wh battery should replace my 2x500Wh setup for most rides
• More travel and slightly longer than my Commencal, similar weight despite much higher range.
• Same frame as Bad-latitudes above which I find rather good looking in real life

 

[maynard]

Curious did you already know what brand?
Because what your Local bike shop had in stock?

I sold my giant and initially had 2-3 bikes I was interested in. Now I find that list has only gotten larger and I'm starting to feel more and more like these bikes are more similar than different.

I didn't. It picked me . When your ready . The steed will pick a rider.

 

[Yoak]

I got the best deal on the original Rail. Super happy with that bike. I'm on my 3rd Rail now. Really enjoy the bigger battery, and I could hardly feel any difference between the "old" and new Rail.

 

[Shjay]

I bought my Vitus E-Sommet based mainly on price, I knew the bike was good having owned an analog version in past, I had it 18 months Then sold it to a mate & bought my Rise as I wanted a light ebike & it ticked most of the boxes I bought lowest spec as I had most parts to change out

 

[steve_sordy]

Had never own a FS MTB or an EMTB, but after riding my wifes Giant Stance E, I was hooked and knew I needed an EMTB. I had a Giant Trance E+1 on order but it kept getting delayed over and over again (May 2022 - March 2023, I guess they don't make many in small). Thought about the Reign E+1 but wasn't convinced it was the style of bike I was wanting. Always was interested in the Turbo Levo's but in a comparable build to the Trance they were definitely more expensive. Then I was in Vancouver BC on business and walked into a shop and the Levo's were on discount!! They had one in my size (S2, Comp alloy) so it was purchased right there. My wife should have known better than to let me out with a high limit CC unsupervised, Hahaha. Couldn't be more pleased with my choice.

"Fortune favours the prepared mind."
You had done your homework. You knew what you liked and what price you were prepared to pay. You recognised a bargain when you chanced upon one. You bought with confidence.

 

[Armor11]

"Fortune favours the prepared mind."
You had done your homework. You knew what you liked and what price you were prepared to pay. You recognised a bargain when you chanced upon one. You bought with confidence.

I don't part with hard earn money easily, haha. Who am I kidding...... yes I do! But educated spending.

 

[SwampNut]

But educated spending.

Or be like me and buy several ebikes until you figure it out. (Don't be like me.)