I Love Youtube EMTB Reviewers BUT

[Richiefromboston]

They depend on bike companies to continue sending them bikes and gear. I bought a 2021 Bulls E Stream evo (brose mag s) am4 a month ago, Then I ordered from Bulls the 2021 e-core evo am4 (shimano Steps800) and I swapped that one for a 2021 copperhead By Bulls with the bosch cx perf. line)
And heres the real story, Now I weight 250lb and carry a 20lb backpack through forest to video wildlife.
The Brose mag s couple with the supecore 750 watt battery is the shiite lots of power plenty of real world range
the shimano 8000 just sucked, from the second I tired to ride it getting W013 code to the serious lack of any power
Now the Bosch is a beast in tour mode its serious, in EMTB mode its crazy in turbo Im guessing its off the hook, BUT it just simply eats battery probably twice as much as the brose.
So I bought ALL of these sent the shimano back and Im selling the Estream with 100Miles on it.
Theres some Real info I wish I had before I went shopping.

 

[Sidepod]

Had this been run through a translator?

 

[jerry]

And your point is??? That perhaps one should test-ride a bike before spending that kind of $$$$?

 

[04fuxake]

Had this been run through a translator?

Username would suggest no.

 

[chamaruco]

Ehi where is the camera???

 

[Richiefromboston]

And your point is??? That perhaps one should test-ride a bike before spending that kind of $$$$?

No actually my point is, DO NOT trust most reviewers on YOUTUBE because they claim whatevr they are showing in that video as the one to buy. And I bought sevral for my own purposes, the $$$

And your point is??? That perhaps one should test-ride a bike before spending that kind of $$$$?

Yea actually I did research and needed two E bikes which I bought, Im sorry that they seem expensive to you, but hey is what it is. Research on 2021 E Bikes is a bit tough as noone has them so your stuck with youtube reviews, Which NEVER tell the real story. Srry I tried to show So real world testing on 3 seperate motors on 2021 bikes from same Manufactuer, what A dick I am.

 

[OldBean]

What review can ever be trusted? They are not going to rubbish an expensive product if the brand continues to send them items to review also the reviewer might not have the same views as you / weight/terrain/
riding style /etc so I take them all cautiously.
Big problem here in UK is actually getting a test ride dealers are very protective of their stock....and as for buying direct for me thats a big no no.

 

[digger]

250lb and lack of power/battery life...

 

[The Loam Wolf]

No actually my point is, DO NOT trust most reviewers on YOUTUBE because they claim whatevr they are showing in that video as the one to buy. And I bought sevral for my own purposes, the $$$

Yea actually I did research and needed two E bikes which I bought, Im sorry that they seem expensive to you, but hey is what it is. Research on 2021 E Bikes is a bit tough as noone has them so your stuck with youtube reviews, Which NEVER tell the real story. Srry I tried to show So real world testing on 3 seperate motors on 2021 bikes from same Manufactuer, what A dick I am.

Hey Richie,

Totally appreciate and understand your perspective, as well as that of many others here. I can say from experience of being a MTB media kook for the last 9 years, I witness first hand how testers criticize or talk about traits on bikes/products while we're at media camps or test days and then see no mention of those topics in their published reviews!

It was and has been a major reason when I started Loam Wolf that we always put the reader's hard earned dollars above all else. Here is an example of a review we did on a bike that some people like a lot, other reviews give glowing praise to, and the brand most certainly thinks is a great bike, yet we absolutely couldn't get into it. Granted some people may own and like them, and we're happy for them, but as the next commenter says, weight, terrain and riding style always come into how some people enjoy their bikes. We try our best to think of all users and where the bike shines best and is weakest... There are still some honest reviewers out there!
Thanks for reading and stoked for this awesome forum!

2021 eMTB Shootout: Intense Tazer Pro

The 2021 Intense Tazer Pro blends the gap between AM pedaling performance and Enduro capable geometry, we love the way we sit “In” the bike.

theloamwolf.com

 

[Gyre]

TLW, really appreciate the content you guys put out there.

Many years ago I noticed that certain publishers (*cough*-MBA) choose their critical words with such extreme delicacy that you'll easily miss getting the whole picture until you get in the habit of reading them with the eye of a lawyer. Your directness is really refreshing by comparison.

The Tazer was high on my short list from the very beginning when I started this journey, but I decided to shy away because I didn't like the fact that they never appeared in shootouts before. It was like Intense wasn't confident enough about their bike's competitiveness and frankly, the way they were trying to market it to motocross riders and get it into motorcycle dealerships made me wonder if they weren't shying away from core MTB riders.

I'm glad to see they threw their hat in the ring this time around, but your impressions seem to validate my gut feeling about the bike not truly being a competitive effort.

 

[KCMitch]

They depend on bike companies to continue sending them bikes and gear. I bought a 2021 Bulls E Stream evo (brose mag s) am4 a month ago, Then I ordered from Bulls the 2021 e-core evo am4 (shimano Steps800) and I swapped that one for a 2021 copperhead By Bulls with the bosch cx perf. line)
And heres the real story, Now I weight 250lb and carry a 20lb backpack through forest to video wildlife.
The Brose mag s couple with the supecore 750 watt battery is the shiite lots of power plenty of real world range
the shimano 8000 just sucked, from the second I tired to ride it getting W013 code to the serious lack of any power
Now the Bosch is a beast in tour mode its serious, in EMTB mode its crazy in turbo Im guessing its off the hook, BUT it just simply eats battery probably twice as much as the brose.
So I bought ALL of these sent the shimano back and Im selling the Estream with 100Miles on it.
Theres some Real info I wish I had before I went shopping.

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hey bud let me tell u about my fun review/whiskey night. I had a few drinkstoo many and woke up showing a Paid in PayPal. Ok this happens to me so let’s see what I ordered. I got me a 2019 Cannondale Monterra Neo 2. I think I got it for a great deal which turned out to be a good one after it was all said and done. Being stationed in Germany and ordering from California was a huge pain to get it shipped but luckily the father in law in Texas broke it down and shipped her to me ($175). Now the back story. My LBS has the bike and I was looking at them but only rode one ebike. Not sure what brand but it was a blast and being $7k I wouldn’t be able to convince the wife. When she saw the notifications she asked what I bought and she wasn’t happy but said “where’s mine.” So off to the LBS we go. It was right after they opened after being closed for 6ish weeks and I snagged her a nice little trail/commuter ebike that she loves. It took around 2 months for my bike to get here through the military mail and in that time I had already purchased two others. Oh yea my older daughter wanted an ebike also. So 3 bikes in 2 months and one I had never ridden was on the way.
now what would I change. Not much to be honest. I am not a huge fan of the front fork rock shox revelation in 130 mm and just purchased the 150 upgrade. Bottom line is do what makes u happy, ride the hell out of it. Being 250 and also taking extra gear you may want to think about a rear rack.
keep riding and enjoy what you have.

 

[The Loam Wolf]

TLW, really appreciate the content you guys put out there.

Many years ago I noticed that certain publishers (*cough*-MBA) choose their critical words with such extreme delicacy that you'll easily miss getting the whole picture until you get in the habit of reading them with the eye of a lawyer. Your directness is really refreshing by comparison.

The Tazer was high on my short list from the very beginning when I started this journey, but I decided to shy away because I didn't like the fact that they never appeared in shootouts before. It was like Intense wasn't confident enough about their bike's competitiveness and frankly, the way they were trying to market it to motocross riders and get it into motorcycle dealerships made me wonder if they weren't shying away from core MTB riders.

I'm glad to see they threw their hat in the ring this time around, but your impressions seem to validate my gut feeling about the bike not truly being a competitive effort.

Thanks and you certainly seem to have caught on to a few things over your time as a reader/rider. I've thought the same thing, even during presentations Intense would tout that top riders (moto) helped test/ride/give input and I'm like, well that's great but is Honda going to listen to a pro MTB rider on how to develop a supercross bike? I think they are smart in going the way they have as they'll probably get a good niche in that moto crowd. And those buyers are typically brand loyal consumers, so it could be a great move.

Appreciate you checking out our site and being a reader! We'll keep trying to word things in ways people who aren't lawyers can understand! haha.
Drew

 

[thecremeegg]

EMBN can't be taken seriously as they never say anything critical about any bike given they get paid to feature them I presume

 

[smtkelly]

Reviews forums etc all have to be seen through the lens of their medium.

Reviewers often get bikes for a short-ish time, you can't expect them to get to know then as intimately as owners do. At the same time its hard for them to weight flaws the same as an end user who's paid their hard own cash that has to go through a truncated warranty process (computer says no) vs dealing with a rep (who's job is to bend over backwards to get the best review.)

No doubt the bikes probably get a good deal more looking over than production bikes before being given to reviewers. Have you heard what Ferrari used to do for their review cars? I wouldn't be surprise to see review bikes with a few stealthy non-stock upgrades. At the same time those press days are probably picked location/climate/set-up to flatter the bike as much as possible.

Flip side is forums are mostly sort for making complaints, people often feel the need to over play problems to offset media positivity. People often don't consider their situation/environment having an bearing on outcomes. Some people abuse their toys others are super OCD both are going to be at higher risk of disappointment.

What you need to do is take in everything, consider your own faults and make a informed guess and after all that hope you don't get a lemon built by Rob Warner on a factory tour ?

Disclaimer - Also a fan of The Loam Wolf style of reviews I've watch tons of their stuff nice grounded factual.

 

[Giox]

Never tired a Brose but I have a Bosch and weight 205 lbs + 20bs backpack. The Bosch tends to give you too much power, but also underestimate the remaining range. I found that by being a bit more careful on using modes and gears, trying to ride in ECO/Tour when possible gives me nearly as much range as my 105 pounds wife at the end of the ride, even if during the ride the remaining range seems less. As much as I like Tour in the end Eco in the flat and modest uphills is good enough, you get a bit less acceleration but as soon as you are going the feeling is the same. I've been tempted to but the Nyon just to be able to customize riding modes, but it's really to big and exposed to be able to survive my kind of rides which usually include at least one crash.

 

[Gyre]

I've been tempted to but the Nyon just to be able to customize riding modes, but it's really to big and exposed to be able to survive my kind of rides which usually include at least one crash.

I wonder if it would be possible without too much hassle to plug in a Nyon head unit, customize the modes, and then ride with the Kiox with your modes still customized. I’m sure it would be poor value for money but it would be interesting as an option.

 

[Giox]

I don't think so, you need the Nyon to switch to the custom modes, Kiox doesn't have the option.