Purchasing first emtb.

[Stan]

Im about the purchase my first emtb. In Australia i have only demo the base turbo levo and trance e+1. Very limited demo bikes here. My first impressions is that i felt way more comfortable on the giant. Im not sure if the set up on the levo was correct for me. The shop did the intial set up. I did do my own set up on the forks and shock after a few rides on the trails. But the levo was still not as good as the giant in terms of feel. Then comes the pricing and levels of components between the two bikes. Giant is well specced compared to the levo. Then there is the issue of 29er wheels to the levo compared to the 27.5 on the giant. If anyone can give me some advice as to what is more important when narrowing down which bike to buy. My riding is mainly on single track and technical trails in brisbane. Cheers.

 

[Mad Mark]

I would go with your gut instinct :-
The Levo is more expensive and lower spec
The giant is higher spec and less expensive ?
You felt more at home on the giant ?
You didn't feel at home on the Levo

I think it's a no brainer, go with the GIANT ?
All specialized bikes are over priced for what you get
Or try a cube, you get a lot for your money. ?

 

[flash]

I've seen a few demo days at local bike shops in Oz, usually with the bikes supplied by the importer. The local Trek shop did one late last year and had almost 20 bikes for the weekend.

@RobNevyn rides a Giant and he seems to rip on it. We ride together regularly. The Merida e160 I have is also really well specced for the money in Oz. I love my bike.

Maybe you should drop an email to the importers of the bikes you want to try? Maybe they can advise on where the local demo days are coming up or arrange to get a bike to your LBS. Also a good way to see which companies have good service based on if they respond.

If you're anywhere near the Central Coast of NSW you're welcome to have a ride on my Merida.

Gordon

 

[RobNevyn]

Welcome to the forum Stan,
I haven't ridden the Levo so all I can say is that I love my Giant E+1.
I did the same spec comparisons as you and found the Giant good value for money. All emtb's have their pros and cons, the Giant climbs really well with the nice torque from the Yamaha motor but can be a little more noisy in the higher settings than say the Shimano motor is.
If you check out the Giant forum section, you will see some guys have had issues with the rear hub and also what appears to be a power disconnect with the battery lock, luckily my hub has been no problem however I have had the battery disconnect issue twice which was easily remedied by re-seating the battery. Mind you the Levo has its fair share of issues as well.
The Merida e160 that @flash mentioned feels like a well balanced bike to me, has a nice feel to it.
At that price point, most of the emtb's you can buy are fairly good.
As Gordon also mentioned, if you are anywhere near us on the Central Coast of NSW, you are more than welcome to meet up and have a ride of my E+1 as well.

Cheers
Rob.

 

[Stan]

Thanks guys for your thoughts. Im sure all e bikes have their fair share of issues. Going to demo the giant again . Im pretty sure will get the giant, as the specs are too good compared to the levo. I looked at the merida but prefered a bike with an intergrated battery, just personal choice. Tks again to all ..

 

[Macone]

Hi Stan. I think you are on the right track, particularly with going on how the bikes feel to YOU. Geometry is just numbers on paper and doesn't always reflect how bikes will feel to any given rider over your preferred riding territory. Even how the bikes perform at different cadences (is that a word) is relevant to how each rider rides. I get why some of the guys/gals who live in colder climates can have issues with integrated batteries not charging in their garages e.t.c. but Ausy and New Zealand (where I live) don't really have those concerns so I'm riding integrated, non removable (focus Jam2). look forward to hearing about your rides/adventures when you get your bike. you're gonna love it. (do take into account local support for parts and service though)

 

[Zed]

I've got a 2018 Levo. And it's a great bike, but the $ for spec was not great value. I think the motor, power delivery the app/electronics are probably a bit above most on the Specialized bikes. I think they're a bit ahead of the curve.

But does it matter? No. You like the Giant more and in that case should get the Giant, or try others. I've run 29er wheels on my Levo for quite some time and I prefer the 27.5+, enough to turn me off the 2019 bike. For me, 29er is about covering ground fast, 27.5 is more playful.

I do have my eye on the new Kenevo though

I would've had a e160 when I got mine but there were none, so I spent in the order of 3K more buying a Levo Comp and spec'ing it up. I'm too impatient.

FWIW there is a local dude in Brisbane puts up youtube vids who has an E1 (works in Giant Ashgrove) and he hammers.

 

[More-read-than-ride]

I would go with your gut instinct :-
The Levo is more expensive and lower spec
The giant is higher spec and less expensive ?
You felt more at home on the giant ?
You didn't feel at home on the Levo

I think it's a no brainer, go with the GIANT ?
All specialized bikes are over priced for what you get
Or try a cube, you get a lot for your money. ?

Totally agree with Marky Mark (sorry couldnt resist).
I think feel is everything and I agree that you just dont get enough for your money with the levo.

However, I would add two little nuances to mess with your head :
Feel: If they were similarly set up, I would definitely trust the feel over everything else. However, suspension and tire setup dramatically changes the feel, so if those are in doubt, the feel is less of a decider.
Spec: Many people love the Levo and there is a reason for this (Gemoetry, weight, integration etc). So, if you have an active plan and posibility to buy base and then upgrade parts (suspension, dropper, brakes), that would make the Levo more of an option, but of course much more expensive. The base Levo is just too poorly specced in base, starting with the ridiculous absence of a dropper!

Edit: I also agree with the cube comment, but I have to admit I am a fan so I dont trust myself to be objetive (see my review) - Cube 160 Action Team first impressions. 9/10 - EMTB Forums