London calling with a few questions

[Elsketcho]

Hello everybody,
ive been mountain biking since the early 90’s and I’m now thinking of getting an emtb. At the moment I’m riding a Xl cannondale Jekyll which I love to bits.

The emtb’s I’ve narrowed it down to are.

Cannondale Moterra SE
Kona Remote 160
Whyte E-180
trek rail 9.8

love the Moterra as it’s effectively an Ejekyll and I love the way the jekyll ride.

At the moment the Kona is edging it on price, but I’ve noticed the speed sensor is mounted on the spokes

My questions are,

is the speed sensor mounted on the spokes gonna cause problems down the line?
can the sensor be moved to the disc rotor?
can the Bosch be run without a display or at least a small display?
ive read in reviews that the Bosch motor seems louder in the trek than other bikes, is that true?

 

[Zimmerframe]

is the speed sensor mounted on the spokes gonna cause problems down the line?
can the sensor be moved to the disc rotor?

Shouldn't do. Yes, it looks a bit old fashioned now and there are better solutions, but it works and no it shouldn't ever cause you a problem as long as it's aligned correctly. Some people buy a spare and put it on a front wheel spoke.

You could probably move it and stick a disk magnet on, but you'd need to secure the sensor. This would probably cause you more problems over time than the spoke magnet (which as said, shouldn't cause any).

can the Bosch be run without a display or at least a small display?

Haven't heard of anyone running no display on a bosch. The display lineup :

Intelligence on your handlebar: Displays for eBikes

The eBike on-board computers from Bosch control the pedelec and show all important ride data, including route calculation and navigation. The functions of the Bosch displays are compared here.

www.bosch-ebike.com

ive read in reviews that the Bosch motor seems louder in the trek than other bikes, is that true?

Pretty much everyone who has a rail is happy with it. Different people on different bikes all seem to report the noise differently ..... I think a lot of it comes down to how you ride, what your expectations are and what you compare it to.

Nice choice of bikes. Don't discount the White 150 ..

Gothenburg Hardline - Swedens most technical trail on the Whyte E-150 [video + photos]

Howdy fellow E-bikers! Here's a new trail I built in Partille, just outside Gothenburg in Sweden. I believe it's the most technical trail in Sweden at the moment. The trail is partially extremley steep and exposed with scarps at the sides. The trails starts with an almost vertical slab of 6...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[MadsB]

Hello everybody,
ive been mountain biking since the early 90’s and I’m now thinking of getting an emtb. At the moment I’m riding a Xl cannondale Jekyll which I love to bits.

The emtb’s I’ve narrowed it down to are.

Cannondale Moterra SE
Kona Remote 160
Whyte E-180
trek rail 9.8

love the Moterra as it’s effectively an Ejekyll and I love the way the jekyll ride.

At the moment the Kona is edging it on price, but I’ve noticed the speed sensor is mounted on the spokes

My questions are,

is the speed sensor mounted on the spokes gonna cause problems down the line?
can the sensor be moved to the disc rotor?
can the Bosch be run without a display or at least a small display?
ive read in reviews that the Bosch motor seems louder in the trek than other bikes, is that true?

I’ve got the Whyte E150S and can recommend it. I’ve only had the bike 24 hours so haven’t had any issues yet. The Bosch display is fine, it’s not the smallest, but it isn’t that big and I don’t find it gets in the way at all.

If you are in the UK I think you may struggle to find a trek emtb in stock until end of October, or at least that I was told when I was starting my process. Plus they have put the price up on the 2021 models but there isn’t anything updates, at least on the Rails from what I can tell.

The Whyte should be easy to get hold of in less than a week, quite a few shops now hold stock.

You will enjoy it no matter which of those bikes you choose, enjoy!

 

[Elsketcho]

this is my pride and joy, really don’t want to have to sell it the fund another bike. if the Moterra 1 or SE rides half as good at this I’d snap one up.
I’m just not the biggest fan of having a display on the bars or stem.

At the moment the kona is edging it. Price, motor and no display.

I’d love to be able to try one of each but finding a bike shop that has them and is willing to let me try one at the moment is hard.

 

[TheBikePilot]

When and if you get an eBike you won't ride that anymore. Trust me!! Get an eeb and cash that in dude..!

I would narrow it down the Trek and Whyte. Heard nothing but good things about both. Rode the Trek today and it's awesome.

Have you considered a Spesh? Berkshire Cycles has a demo fleet or Ace Bicycles in Burpham

 

[Elsketcho]

I brought my wife a turbo Levo. It’s a nice looking bike but it leaves me cold, I don’t look at it an think “thats a sexy bike”. not having a dig at anyone else’s bike that’s just my opinion on the Levo.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I brought my wife a turbo Levo. It’s a nice looking bike but it leaves me cold, I don’t look at it an think “thats a sexy bike”. not having a dig at anyone else’s bike that’s just my opinion on the Levo.

Have you considered buying it some bicycle lingerie ?

 

[Elsketcho]

Have you considered buying it some bicycle lingerie ?

??

 

[Zimmerframe]

SLEVO ... The sexy wrap for your levo...

 

[Elsketcho]

Test rode a large SE yesterday around a carpark, lovely bike but need an XL as the reach wasn’t enough for me. I was pleasantly surprised that the display wasn’t as big as I thought it was gonna be, but the triple clamps limit the turning circle of the bike (which never even enter my head until I rode it), I know this is something I could adapt to as I’ve owned a downhill bike in the past with triple clamps and never found it an issue.

So I’m now thinking either Moterra 2 (same size battery as the SE and 1) but £5500 as opposed to £6199 for the SE or £6999 for the 1 and still thinking of the kona remote which is coming in at near enough the same price as the Moterra 2.
Had a look at the whyte, nice bike, but not for me.

 

[Akiwi]

• is the speed sensor mounted on the spokes gonna cause problems down the line?
  Magnet is not a problem. I have been using a spoke magnet for 4 years now and once needed to twist it straight, but the motor was still working. Take a spare.
• can the sensor be moved to the disc rotor?
  Moving the bosch sensor might be difficult. I haven't looked into it, but I haven't had a reason to.
• can the Bosch be run without a display or at least a small display?
  Bosh won't allow riding without a display as the On / Off switch is always on the display itsself. I have the Kiox which is relatively small, and mounted down next to the stem, not on top of it. I like seeing which mode I am in, as I change it often during a ride.
• ive read in reviews that the Bosch motor seems louder in the trek than other bikes, is that true?
  No Idea.

Just get one, and get out an ride. Enjoy it.

 

[PhilBaker]

I would also echo TheBikePilot’s earlier comment. Once you have a new love in your life, it will change your relationship with the old love of your life (which looks beautiful by the way).

I really loved my lightweight XC mountain bike and to be fair I still do and I still ride it and enjoy, BUT... it feels different. When I see the two in the garage, I find it increasingly hard to want to take the XC bike out when I could be on the eMTB. It just feels ‘sluggish’ and when I hit any hill I’m thinking “I wish I was on the eMTB”.

Whilst like you, I wasn’t looking forward to needing a display, it is useful as you can change how much power you want and see how much battery you have left. Now on the XC bike I miss the display!

 

[miPbiP]

I'll differ from a couple of voices above - I still ride my lung powered HT and trail bike as well as my Levo. I didn't when I first got it nearly a year ago and I had new bike buzz but the pattern has settled back now.

There's no getting away from the fact that my Levo weighs nearly 50 pounds and my other bikes ride better on the pedally singletrack I enjoy.

I'm very firmly in the 'no display' camp, it's one reason I picked the Levo. I rode my mate's Canyon Spectral:ON - the display is annoying, especially in the dark!

 

[R120]

On the shimano bikes you can eliminate the display if you want by replacing it with the EW-EN100 - I have done this on my bike, and have it paired up to my Garmin watch so I can see any data if I need it. You can even get rid of the mode controller if you want with the module, as it has a small button to change the mode if needed.

 

[miPbiP]

On the shimano bikes you can eliminate the display if you want by replacing it with the EW-EN100 - I have done this on my bike, and have it paired up to my Garmin watch so I can see any data if I need it. You can even get rid of the mode controller if you want with the module, as it has a small button to change the mode if needed.

View attachment 33706

yeah, but are you sure your bars are straight?!!

 

[R120]

Yup

 

[Elsketcho]

Went and had a look at the kona today, only had it in a large. Yep you guessed it I’m an xl.
Stunning bike though, looks like it’s built to be ragged.
I much prefer the Shimano display set up to the Bosch, it’s small and tucked out of harms way. The max boost rear wheel should be on par with the cannondale AI rear wheel in strength. Love the fact it comes with 27.5 2.8“s but you can also run 29“ 2.5”s so in theory I could run it as mullet set up and finally the colour it lush.
Think the kona is starting to edge it, just need to get back to work to fund it.

 

[PhilBaker]

To miPbiP's comments, it's good to know in time there could still be a long lasting love for my 5 year old XC bike.

I am still definitely in the 'honeymoon' period with my new eMTB and ride her as often as I can. It's truly electric