I own a 2021 M10 that has been great and still works well. I've had it for 2 years and ridden an average of 1-2x/week so have good familiarity with it. For a variety of reasons, I just bought a 2023 MTeam and I'll keep both. Not sure if it benefits anyone but here is how they compare after my first ride on the 2023:
- EP800 was always plenty quiet for me. The EP801 seems WAY quieter. I've never ridden a bike with the HQ50 motor but the EP801 sounds like I always pictured in my head the HQ50 motor would sound like after hearing reviewers say it was almost silent. This was the biggest surprise between the two. I was perpetually amazed the entire ride.
- Motor seems a bit stronger in Turbo. Maybe higher wattage? This is subjective but it felt stronger.
- Despite ordering the new one with the 540 WH battery, it is a little over a pound lighter completely kitted out. Some of that is that the new frame is lighter and some may be the carbon wheels. I also have a slimmer/lighter seat on the new one. Regardless of the cause, I was surprised to be able to have the bike still be net lighter despite the larger battery. I'm not sure what all contributed to this.
- Gear changing is with buttons and not traditional levers. Took a minute to get used to but works great and I now prefer it.
- I first thought something was loose and banging around in the back because I could hear and feel some clanking occasionally while coasting. Then realized that was the autoshift anticipating which gear I needed to be in so, yes, I'm an idiot.
Overall, it was choosing an easier gear than I would have wanted and I need to play with those settings. - I got that polychromatic rainbow paint job that is one of the non-custom options and looks WAY nicer in real life. It's stunning. Not a problem for me but it does create more contrast with the motor than my dark blue M10 so this color is a little less stealthy if that's important to you.
- Downtube seems a smidge fatter. Maybe that's just a visual difference between the two colors.
- The buttons for changing power modes are lifted higher off the bar since they sit on top of that box that contains all the electronics. It's okay but I prefer the ergonomically curved buttons that are closer to the bar in the 2021 mode change buttons. It's easy to adapt and I'm sure I'll adapt even more but it's noticeable.
- Dropper lever is tucked further under the grip and is a little harder to reach. I think it can be adjusted but haven't played with it yet. I realize that this is likely an adjustment thing.
- Suspension seems similar between the two. I need to dial in the new one more but they seem the same beyond this one being newer and needs to break in a touch.
- Tried to play with the freeshift feature where it will automatically change gears while coasting without turning the cranks. This wasn't working. Maybe I was doing it wrong. Probably a setting thing.
- Overall, the weight balance is different and I like it. The frame feels lighter with a heavier motor at the bottom for a lower center of gravity. It's hard to describe but it "rode lighter." Could have been the carbon vs alloy wheels since that's rotational weight. I've got 2.6" tires on the older one and 2.5" on the newer which may have contributed to this (and the weight difference). I'm not experienced enough to parcel this out but it was surprisingly noticeable.
- I've only been mountain biking for a few years and don't have the vocabulary to explain this well but the whole thing was much stiffer side-to-side. This was also really noticeable like the quieter motor. It was not something I was anticipating and was a big surprise. I've read in the reviews that the front triangle is stiffer and the new linkage is stiffer and the carbon wheels have less sideways twisting. I don't know what combination of these caused it but the whole bike and steering felt much more precise, like a surgical scalpel instead of a butcher's cleaver. I liked it.
