Need help choosing: Cube, Focus, Spec, Scott or other?

[AndKas]

Hi all!

My story:
I had a break in riding an MTB bike for about 10 years, after a small accident. As more and more of my friends gets their eMTBs and falling in love with them, I envied them and decided to finally return to this sport, loose some weight, as I grew fat over the years, and generally do something other than work in the evenings. I am unfortunately one of people, that showed too many options, can't really decide what to buy, so I would like to kindly ask if you guys can help me out with choosing my first eMTB.

What I want:
My goal is to buy a bike, preferably under €5500/£4800/$6600 mark, but if something will be really worth it, I can stretch it by 10-15%. I want something that I can ride some light trails with my buddies, but also after some time on it, be able to hit some more demanding descends and technical trails. I'm 185cm 90kg - 6'1" 200lbs. The bike will be bought in Poland.

I think I prefer buying from local bike shop because of warranty for electrical components, other things I can keep care of - is it a valid concern, or should I also consider brands like Canyon or YT (if only available)? Also everyone around me ride bikes with Bosch motor onboard, and apart from the rattling noise (no problem for me) no one has had any issues with it, so I'm a little biased towards it, but I haven't tried Shimano bikes myself, so I would highly value your opinion and suggestions. Brose motor reliability in new Levos seems to be fixed, but still I will be a little anxious that it will break in the middle of nowhere.

This is the list of bikes to which I narrowed my search and are available in a 50km radius:

Pros and Cons (for me and I can be wrong so correct me if that's the case):

	Cubes	Trek	Focus	Levo	Scott Ransom	Scott Strike
Pros	+ suspension + brakes + price/value ratio	+ geometry + good reviews + Shimano eq	+ suspension + Shimano eq	+ great overall reviews + Brose system	+ suspension + can get better price	+ can get better price
Cons	- problems with mud getting inside battery (I read that somewhere on forum) - poor cable management (as above)	- suspension - price/value ratio?	- weight - lack of motor cover	- Brose motor reliability - inferior suspension - 500Wh battery - price/value ratio	- Sram eq - price/value ratio - will 180mm travel be an overkill?	- suspension - eq - price/value ratio

Overall I like Focus and Cubes best. Is motor cover really that important in terms of protection against water and hits? And I'm still not sure if I will be better of with 140/29" of 160/27.5" travel/wheels.
Looked at Whyte E-160S which is a great looking bike and often recommended, but unfortunately they nowhere near to be seen and on top of the budged - or should I still be looking for one?

Or perhaps there is better option, which I missed? Or should I buy anything that is available at hand? Please share your thoughts.

 

[MartinD.]

Oooh, I;m going to watch this as I have am going through something similar atm. I would be tempted to add ”availability” to your spreadsheet as this seems to be a big factor at the moment. A bike is not just for Xmas so I would be happy to wait for the right one to come along as I would suffer With terrible buyers remorse if I bought the wrong one.

In terms of “other” I have Canyon Spectral:ON, Whyte 160 and Propain on my list. I’m in the UK so euro bikes seem to have got a bit price gougy recently.

 

[04fuxake]

Personally, I'd drop the Levo (battery/motor) and then it's pretty much down to aesthetics.

 

[bujinkan]

I would go Cube stereo hybrid 160 either the sl or the TM . So 4.500 or 5.300 euros ...totaly beasts and you are gonna get a lot of fun

 

[grimmprincess]

All valid choices, pick the one that makes you feel gooey inside.

 

[Stretch40]

Hi u say your 185cm but then 6ft9 ? 185cm is about 6ft1 ISH ? Lots of friends ride cube there great spec but small bikes there reach is very short just to be clear there all good just different but if u can get them I'd go Whyte 150/160 if not the Scott and trek are very good I run giant which has been great but I'd like a lighter longer bike now if u can test ride because if u r just riding gentle stuff or fireroads u will like different bikes to riding difficult trails ?

 

[fenwick458]

I did something very similar when buying mine. in the end it came down to whatever was available.

 

[AndKas]

Thank you all for replies, really appreciate it.

Oooh, I;m going to watch this as I have am going through something similar atm. I would be tempted to add ”availability” to your spreadsheet as this seems to be a big factor at the moment. A bike is not just for Xmas so I would be happy to wait for the right one to come along as I would suffer With terrible buyers remorse if I bought the wrong one.

In terms of “other” I have Canyon Spectral:ON, Whyte 160 and Propain on my list. I’m in the UK so euro bikes seem to have got a bit price gougy recently.

All of bikes in my spreadsheet were in stock last week, so it is to be decided between them. As to Whyte I will look at some bike shops near me in Czech and Slovakia, perhaps it will be worth to look at them too. Canyon page says that delivery will be in late June, so I think I would skip a lot of fun in this 2 months period.

All valid choices, pick the one that makes you feel gooey inside.

The problem is, I like all of them very much, and that's why I asked if someone can point out some things that are much better/worse in them to help me choose.

Hi u say your 185cm but then 6ft9 ? 185cm is about 6ft1 ISH ? Lots of friends ride cube there great spec but small bikes there reach is very short just to be clear there all good just different but if u can get them I'd go Whyte 150/160 if not the Scott and trek are very good I run giant which has been great but I'd like a lighter longer bike now if u can test ride because if u r just riding gentle stuff or fireroads u will like different bikes to riding difficult trails ?

Yeah, small typo, I'm 6ft1. I have had a 10 year break in riding an MTB, thus will need to learn and refresh some things, but after that I will very much like to return to some more demanding stuff.

 

[nasamorpheus]

Specialized is 1500 Eur overpriced if you compare specifications also terrible unreliable motor... Cube and Focus are best value I think.

 

[GMLS]

Your spread sheet looks like mine although I added weightings as if it was a £10m tender! (I'm in Procurement so I cant help it) lol. As said above, availability is key. I narrowed it down to a Cube and the Focus. None of the Focus dealers phoned me back so bought a Cube 140TM from the LBS last October and very happy with it although now tempted by the Orbea Rise so the Mrs might be getting the Cube next year. Ridden it hard all through the winter in the Surrey Hills and apart from having to change the chain when it snapped at 800 miles, all perfect. I discounted the Whyte as I didn't like the cable routing (it may have improved now) and the fact you could not take the battery out to charge in doors in depth of winter

 

[Eddy Current]

Orbea Wild. It got all those on the list plus a 625wh extender.

The Scott is maybe too long, the Focus too heavy, the Cube has less travel, the Rail and the Levo don’t have extender ... and by far the most progressive suspension of all.

 

[1oldfart]

Like post # 9 stay away from Specialize Ebikes.
For value and reliability go with Yamaha/Giant if you have a LBS or Bosch.

 

[geehaw]

Merida e160. Can't fault it.

 

[Dawdling68]

Hi all!

My story:
I had a break in riding an MTB bike for about 10 years, after a small accident. As more and more of my friends gets their eMTBs and falling in love with them, I envied them and decided to finally return to this sport, loose some weight, as I grew fat over the years, and generally do something other than work in the evenings. I am unfortunately one of people, that showed too many options, can't really decide what to buy, so I would like to kindly ask if you guys can help me out with choosing my first eMTB.

What I want:
My goal is to buy a bike, preferably under €5500/£4800/$6600 mark, but if something will be really worth it, I can stretch it by 10-15%. I want something that I can ride some light trails with my buddies, but also after some time on it, be able to hit some more demanding descends and technical trails. I'm 185cm 90kg - 6'1" 200lbs. The bike will be bought in Poland.

I think I prefer buying from local bike shop because of warranty for electrical components, other things I can keep care of - is it a valid concern, or should I also consider brands like Canyon or YT (if only available)? Also everyone around me ride bikes with Bosch motor onboard, and apart from the rattling noise (no problem for me) no one has had any issues with it, so I'm a little biased towards it, but I haven't tried Shimano bikes myself, so I would highly value your opinion and suggestions. Brose motor reliability in new Levos seems to be fixed, but still I will be a little anxious that it will break in the middle of nowhere.

This is the list of bikes to which I narrowed my search and are available in a 50km radius:
View attachment 58889

Pros and Cons (for me and I can be wrong so correct me if that's the case):

	Cubes	Trek	Focus	Levo	Scott Ransom	Scott Strike
Pros	+ suspension + brakes + price/value ratio	+ geometry + good reviews + Shimano eq	+ suspension + Shimano eq	+ great overall reviews + Brose system	+ suspension + can get better price	+ can get better price
Cons	- problems with mud getting inside battery (I read that somewhere on forum) - poor cable management (as above)	- suspension - price/value ratio?	- weight - lack of motor cover	- Brose motor reliability - inferior suspension - 500Wh battery - price/value ratio	- Sram eq - price/value ratio - will 180mm travel be an overkill?	- suspension - eq - price/value ratio

Overall I like Focus and Cubes best. Is motor cover really that important in terms of protection against water and hits? And I'm still not sure if I will be better of with 140/29" of 160/27.5" travel/wheels.
Looked at Whyte E-160S which is a great looking bike and often recommended, but unfortunately they nowhere near to be seen and on top of the budged - or should I still be looking for one?

Or perhaps there is better option, which I missed? Or should I buy anything that is available at hand? Please share your thoughts.

I just bought a Scott Genius 920. 160mm up front & 150mm rear if that's more the setup you had in mind. It's pretty stable. Battery is easy to remove, the Twinloc system I think you'd get used to.The only problem I have are the brake setup means the dropper lever & motor control is a bit of a stretch for thumbs.

 

[andyadam]

Hi all!

My story:
I had a break in riding an MTB bike for about 10 years, after a small accident. As more and more of my friends gets their eMTBs and falling in love with them, I envied them and decided to finally return to this sport, loose some weight, as I grew fat over the years, and generally do something other than work in the evenings. I am unfortunately one of people, that showed too many options, can't really decide what to buy, so I would like to kindly ask if you guys can help me out with choosing my first eMTB.

What I want:
My goal is to buy a bike, preferably under €5500/£4800/$6600 mark, but if something will be really worth it, I can stretch it by 10-15%. I want something that I can ride some light trails with my buddies, but also after some time on it, be able to hit some more demanding descends and technical trails. I'm 185cm 90kg - 6'1" 200lbs. The bike will be bought in Poland.

I think I prefer buying from local bike shop because of warranty for electrical components, other things I can keep care of - is it a valid concern, or should I also consider brands like Canyon or YT (if only available)? Also everyone around me ride bikes with Bosch motor onboard, and apart from the rattling noise (no problem for me) no one has had any issues with it, so I'm a little biased towards it, but I haven't tried Shimano bikes myself, so I would highly value your opinion and suggestions. Brose motor reliability in new Levos seems to be fixed, but still I will be a little anxious that it will break in the middle of nowhere.

This is the list of bikes to which I narrowed my search and are available in a 50km radius:
View attachment 58889

Pros and Cons (for me and I can be wrong so correct me if that's the case):

	Cubes	Trek	Focus	Levo	Scott Ransom	Scott Strike
Pros	+ suspension + brakes + price/value ratio	+ geometry + good reviews + Shimano eq	+ suspension + Shimano eq	+ great overall reviews + Brose system	+ suspension + can get better price	+ can get better price
Cons	- problems with mud getting inside battery (I read that somewhere on forum) - poor cable management (as above)	- suspension - price/value ratio?	- weight - lack of motor cover	- Brose motor reliability - inferior suspension - 500Wh battery - price/value ratio	- Sram eq - price/value ratio - will 180mm travel be an overkill?	- suspension - eq - price/value ratio

Overall I like Focus and Cubes best. Is motor cover really that important in terms of protection against water and hits? And I'm still not sure if I will be better of with 140/29" of 160/27.5" travel/wheels.
Looked at Whyte E-160S which is a great looking bike and often recommended, but unfortunately they nowhere near to be seen and on top of the budged - or should I still be looking for one?

Or perhaps there is better option, which I missed? Or should I buy anything that is available at hand? Please share your thoughts.

i have the cube 160 tm, 27.5 -no water ingress issues, the cabling is def unsightly (think they just use the largest cable and brake sets on every model regardless of size but a couple of velcro ties sorted that out) the spec of the components for the money did it for me

 

[Ziggyrags]

Kellys looks a decent bike and they're also based in Slovakia.

 

[Winger]

Right at the start of Covid swapped our normal mountain bikes for electric, I went Turbo Levo wife went Whyte 150s, which after a few months got swapped for a Cube 160, neither of her bikes with Bosch motors were/are as quick as my Brose/Turbo Levo, but from a manufacturing point of view the Cube is a quantum leap in front of my TL.

At heart i’m A motorcycle man..the shock on my TL is mounted like something from a 1980’s Yamaha, the Cube shock is as it should be vertical, the quality of the Cube is a league better than my TL and best of all when free wheeling it doesn’t bloody click(it’s silent) compared to my TL, and what is your prefer choice of wheel size the TL is 29 the Cube in 27.5.

 

[Tonybro]

Merida e160 here and again, I've put it through some punishment over the last 8 months and it has stood up to it over 1000kms.

I replaced the fork on my e160 limited to a Lyrik and it feels fantastic.

Your budget will get you an e160 500 (at lower end) or an e160 700 (towards top end). My wife has the 700 and it is great with Marzocchi Z1 fork and fox DPX2 shock so nothing needs changing. 625wh battery in 700, I assume same in 500...

Mullet set up too (if that is important) and I like the smaller rear wheel...

Great value but not lightest at about 23Kg...

 

[Raffe]

The new Polygon looks sweet and so does the new Marin.

 

[Akiwi]

Choices, choices, choices.

Here is my 2c. Note I have Cube, and had Focus.

I have the Cube 160 TM. an amazing bike and probably much more capable than me. I definitely don't get to the limits of the bike as I tend to keep my wheels on the ground as much as possible. But, I love hammering down rough rocky slopes.
The reason I went for the 160 over the 140, is I like the feel of the 27.5 wheels over the 29ers. Just a little lighter when quickly turning left to right etc. That is a personal taste thing, that you have to decide by trying the bikes out.My wife has the Cube 140 29er and loves it, but a bit lower spec than the TM. still a great bike.
I had the focus Jam 2 with the Shimano motor and the TecPack extra battery which was fantastic. As many rides where not so long yo you could enjoy a a lighter bike. And personally I think the Focus with the thinner down tube was quite a looker.
I didn't like the cockpit of the Scott bikes asI found them completely over cluttered with cables, knobs and levers.
Specialized were simply too expensive for me.
My wifes last eMtb was a Trek (Firefly). Also a great bike. If you are wanting to add lights, then the Trek is pre wired and programmed. You just have to fish the wires out and connect a light. Focus and Cube it is a much bigger job.

I would definitely say BUY LOCAL!!!!!! I have had bad experiences with a Monday bike, and luckily I hadn't bought online. BUT the bike shop was nearly 30 KM away. I clocked up nearly 1000 km taking in and picking up the bike from Service!

Hope something from my ramble helps.