I rode an EMTB, and then something happened WHICH SURPRISED EVERYBODY

[wagonrd]

Hello, hope you enjoyed my clickbait title.

I have spent several nights losing sleep over whether to shell out an obscene amount of money on an electric toy. I've two potential bikes in my sights:
1. The Marin E2 - 'primo option', $9,000; and
2. The Poly Mt Bromo N7 - budget option $5,800 (plus $100 to $1000 of necessary upgrades).
(I should add that both bikes are in AUD, sold direct to consumer here)

My reason for looking into an EMTB because I like riding steep downhill trails. Riding to the top of these fatigues me so much that I'm too tired to try the bigger drops and technical sections by the time I get to them. I also don't feel confident hitting big stuff until I've ridden the trail at least once to remember where everything is - by then I'm often too tired to get back up the trail!

I'm basically looking for a self-shuttling bike to ride downhill on and to get more value for the limited time that I have to shred.

The Marin E2 looks like a complete package which is ready to ride. The Bromo on the other hand would warrant some SLX/XT brake levers and possibly a budget-friendly coil. I have a set of 170mm Fox 38 Performance forks on my enduro bike which I could put on if I have issues with the Durolux, though I've read that the Durolux is a solid fork.

I'm not sure what I'll lose riding an EP7000 with a 504WH battery compared to a EP8 with 625WH. I am quite fit and would only be using the motor to help me get to the top of long descents more quickly and more often. I don't plan on doing general trail or XC riding on an EMTB. I'm a little unsure about the reliability of these motors. I would hope that if buying a $9,000 bike, the motor would last for 5 years if properly maintained. It does scare me how much can go wrong on a $9,000 bike, particularly given how much it will be ridden down the steepest local terrain I can find.

I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'm a great rider, but it would be nice to develop my skills faster, before I'm 40. I have some short clips on Youtube to show some of the trails that I ride: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCViDQVCuNTN2qNXDrgtt47w




(hopefully Christian does not find this thread)

Many of us old guys search for ways to stay active in mountain biking. The days of running our heart rates near the redline for long periods of time are gone forever. An ebike allows us to conquer the uphills without risking a heart attack. Unfortunately, when we get into technical sections or start downhill, we discover that the weight if an ebike limits our speed, causes crashes, and increases the chance of injury. The solution is to be satisfied with traversing less challenging terrain. I still ride my pedal only Trek Remedy 8 into diffucult terrain, but get off and push frequently and ride downhill at slower speeds. I thoroughly enjoy my rides on my Specialized Turbo Levo Comp, but stay out of narrow singletrack trails with steep dropoffs, avoid rock gardens, and don't venture onto fast downhill area where supermen riders can run me down from behind.

 

[rod9301]

Yeah, the first couple of weeks you will fall, mostly going uphill, because your not used to the weight, when you have to put a foot down.

But downhill, you still go faster because the bike is more stable.
And rock gardens are easier because now with one pedal stroke you can go 50 ft, do you don't stall because of lack of speed.

I'm assuming though decent amount of travel, front and rear, 150 or more and a 65 degree head angle.

I'm 72

 

[Ordinary Human Male]

I would definitely go with the Marin E2 but the only thing holding me back is its shorter front and rear travel for aggressive enduro riding… went with the YT decoy core 3 instead. Really banking on the 700wh batt that they’ll hopefully drop on day…

I hope you looked at the Range VLT first. Those prices (in AUD) are great and they tick most of the boxes.

Just not sure how I'd like a 27.5 bike, e8000 motor, longer stays (etc). I don't think I'd appreciate the difference between my 38 fork and one of the older 36s