Light Weight Jam2 vs Bigger Battery eOne-Sixty for Commute

[PabloNZ]

I have a ~12km mostly downhill commute to work that I want to start doing on an ebike (because coming home is an uphill ball ache). There are some decent hills (~150m rise at about 20% grade or steeper) that can be done on either trail or road both ways. My back is made from glass and my knees are rusty so i'm leaning towards a more plush FS ride that I can also use to play on for a few hours each day in the weekends/on the way home.

As such i'm looking at the Focus Jam2/Merida eONE-Sixty 800 tier bikes but am also interested in what peoples thoughts are around the benefits of a lighter bike (Jam2 with smaller battery) over the Merida (about 5kg heavier with a larger battery) for a commute. Would the extra weight have a noticeable effect on battery life or my lungs pushing it uphill? Does the motor really care that i'm a fat bastard and ate two lunches? Or that i'm doing a school run with a kid also on it?

I know I could look into the TEC pack for the Focus, but its a pretty expensive option that I might not ever really need. That being said i'd be mighty dark if the Jam2 couldn't handle the distance half way up the last hill to home.

tldr; Is the smaller battery in the Jam2 really going to be an achilles heel if i'm commuting 25km a day or use it for a maximum of 3-4 hours in the weekend?

 

[eFat]

Would the extra weight have a noticeable effect on battery life or my lungs pushing it uphill?

Not really.

Does the motor really care that i'm a fat bastard and ate two lunches?

The motor no, the battery will and the autonomy will suffer.

Is the smaller battery in the Jam2 really going to be an achilles heel if i'm commuting 25km a day or use it for a maximum of 3-4 hours in the weekend?

No issue for your commute but it will not do 3-4 hours at full assistance.

 

[PabloNZ]

Thanks @eFat I appreciate the help. No matter how long I look at the Jam2 I still love its looks, but the Merida spec is hard to ignore given its price.

 

[eFat]

Which model of Jam2 are you looking at?

 

[Eckythump]

The TEC pack would allow you to do 3-4 hours at the weekend. The in built battery would do your daily commute without issue.
It’s kind of the wrong way round though, the extra weight of the TEC pack wouldn’t bother you commuting and you’d lose the benefit of the lighter weight at the weekend trail riding. (Unless you only had the TEC pack on the bike half of the day).

 

[PabloNZ]

Which model of Jam2 are you looking at?

A 2018 Jam2 Plus

 

[Kendoji]

I’m looking at that Jam2 as well. I love how it looks and I think the Shimano system is what I want, but I also can’t help but worry a little about the small in-built battery.

 

[eFat]

A 2018 Jam2 Plus

On this page it's not a 2018 model (10 speed, Recon fork, dropper post).
JAM² Plus

You mentioned the weight difference but I think these 2 bikes have a similar weight, around 22kg.

 

[Eckythump]

It all comes down to the riding you do. A couple of hours round a trail centre and the inbuilt battery more than enough. Long trips you need the TEC pack. At least the second battery is a lot less than a Specialized one.
It does handle significantly better if you jump and rail hard.

 

[PabloNZ]

On this page it's not a 2018 model (10 speed, Recon fork, dropper post).
JAM² Plus

You mentioned the weight difference but I think these 2 bikes have a similar weight, around 22kg.

Their website is rubbish, I spoke to them about it recently and they do have the 2018 model. Either way it's the Plus model i'm looking at.

I could have sworn the weight difference was closer to 5kg. I must be going blind. If they are the same weight then the difference boils down to looks and battery capacity for me as the Focus is more expensive than the Merida.

 

[PabloNZ]

It all comes down to the riding you do. A couple of hours round a trail centre and the inbuilt battery more than enough. Long trips you need the TEC pack. At least the second battery is a lot less than a Specialized one.
It does handle significantly better if you jump and rail hard.

Thanks for your insight on the bike. Sounds like the battery capacity might well be enough for me. How much is the difference in price for the batteries? I'm not going to be jumping too hard, or realistically pushing the abilities of the bike very often day-to-day, but want to know it'll perform if/when I do over the weekends.

 

[Eckythump]

There is a significant weight difference, probably not as much as 5kg but my Jam2 with TEC pack weighs less than my mates Haibike Nduro.

 

[Eckythump]

The TEC pack was £460 last time I looked. It comes with a quick release rail for a bottle cage when the second battery is not in use and fancy rubber straps to attach spare tubes etc.
The regular Shimano battery seems to have wildly different prices £480-600.... Don’t know if there are different capacities.

 

[eFat]

Couldn't find the exact weight but the carbon Plus version is 21kg so I'd expect the aluminium is very close to the 22.25kg of the Merida.

 

[Eckythump]

That’s odd as my 2017 Factory was listed as 21.3kg and it came with the more burly Yari fork. Maybe the carbon is only a little lighter as it’s just the main triangle that is plastic.

 

[Kernow]

If your looking at high spec 160 travel with shimano motor look at the commencal ebikes , you would probably save enough to buy a second battery and set of road wheels for the commute , vitus also great value

Right about the shimano batteries eckythunp I found mine for four hundred and something same high capacity as the one the bike came with . I dont expect they will stay around for long at that price

 

[Eckythump]

That’s cool. Won’t fit mine though.....

 

[PabloNZ]

If your looking at high spec 160 travel with shimano motor look at the commencal ebikes , you would probably save enough to buy a second battery and set of road wheels for the commute , vitus also great value

Right about the shimano batteries eckythunp I found mine for four hundred and something same high capacity as the one the bike came with . I dont expect they will stay around for long at that price

I've never heard of Commencal or Vitus here in NZ. I'll have a look and see what's what. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[MartinW148]

I am in the same boat with the battery, although in the UK, the Jam2 is cheaper than the Merida, prices even out a bit with the additional battery

 

[Kendoji]

Throwing in my two cents - I ended up going for the Focus despite niggling reservations about the battery, and I have no regrets. The inbuilt battery handles about 60km for me, which is a few hours riding through admittedly fairly flat off-road terrain here in the Netherlands. I bought the TEC pack but never use it as I haven’t needed to do longer rides yet. I imagine that on steep terrain your range will be lower, but I do think the Focus does better with range than the spec sheet might suggest.

 

[MartinW148]

I have finally done it, spomen to LBS (well not quite local), Jam2 Carbon on it's way. I guess if your going light, go as light as possible....

M

 

[PabloNZ]

Nice work. I went in to my local store the other day and was ready to plonk down my hard earned but the guy said the Sam2 and Jam2 Carbon Pro they had on the floor were pre-produciton models and couldn't be sold. New stock not for two months!

In two months the 2019 models might be out!

 

[MartinW148]

Any idea when 2019 models are out?

 

[PabloNZ]

Not a clue.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Not a clue.

Hey PabloNZ,

First question to you.
Have you had the pleasure of test riding the model of ebike you are contemplating on buying? If not, this is a must before plonking any cash down as it is a huge investment.

Do the local bike shops near you do demo bikes of the model/models you are wanting to buy? If yes, I would suggest you take one of them out and complete the exact route/s you were talking about above. If no, but they do other demo ebikes take one of them out and complete the exact route you were talking about above.

By doing the above you will get a very good idea of which ebike suits you best, be it the Merida, Jam, Sam or a completely different manufacturer.

Hope this helps ?

 

[PabloNZ]

Hey PabloNZ,

First question to you.
Have you had the pleasure of test riding the model of ebike you are contemplating on buying? If not, this is a must before plonking any cash down as it is a huge investment.

Do the local bike shops near you do demo bikes of the model/models you are wanting to buy? If yes, I would suggest you take one of them out and complete the exact route/s you were talking about above. If no, but they do other demo ebikes take one of them out and complete the exact route you were talking about above.

By doing the above you will get a very good idea of which ebike suits you best, be it the Merida, Jam, Sam or a completely different manufacturer.

Hope this helps ?

Yeah, i've test ridden the Levo, Scott eGenius, Merida (lower spec) and Jam2 at local stores here. In my complete ignorance all felt really good to me so i'd be happy with any. The issue I have is complete and utter indecisiveness, and stock levels in Wellington/NZ in general are poor so when I've made my mind up the stock has gone, and pretty much every model needs you to put a deposit down and wait for the next shipment. And being given more time to research online is recipe for disaster in my indecisiveness. At the end of the day i'd genuinely be happy with anything i've ridden. I just want to be REALLY happy.

 

[Tarawera]

Hi Pablo
I'm in the exact same boat as you. Love the look of the Focus Jam2 but hard to ignore the great reviews the eonesixty has been getting. Plus with the Focus there is room for a drink bottle. What did you buy in the end?

 

[PabloNZ]

Hey @Tarawera (nice username btw, I grew up in Kawerau) I got a damn good deal on a 2018 Specialized Turbo Levo fsr that I couldn't refuse. I've never managed to drain the battery below 50% on a work day where I shove it straight into it's highest setting and don't look back. I would say it's more than enough for general day to day use, or even a decent hour long or more smash at full speed around the hills.

The biggest issue has been out-pedaling it down the hills so I threw on a larger front sprocket (following a guide on these forums) and it's been much better.

 

[Tarawera]

Hey @Tarawera (nice username btw, I grew up in Kawerau) I got a damn good deal on a 2018 Specialized Turbo Levo fsr that I couldn't refuse. I've never managed to drain the battery below 50% on a work day where I shove it straight into it's highest setting and don't look back. I would say it's more than enough for general day to day use, or even a decent hour long or more smash at full speed around the hills.

The biggest issue has been out-pedaling it down the hills so I threw on a larger front sprocket (following a guide on these forums) and it's been much better.

 

[Tarawera]

All good. Tarawera? Yeah I live in the Tron but have a house at Lake Tarawera. Hence spend a lot of time at the Redwoods. I looked at the Specialized but could not get my head around why the cheaper model did not come with a dropper post. So extra spend. That's a must I would have thought.