So do we like these new lite bikes?

[Mr CRUD]

I will stay FF thanks. If raw speed is your thing, FF wins every time.

Plus, if you go for a "light" e-bike and take a range extender, you are nearly right back to the weight of a FF.

The Orbea is a beautiful-looking bike though. Great proportions. Just way too slow for me.

 

[BobR]

My wife and I own and really enjoy light weight ebikes. I am currently w/o my ebike as the spindle broke and in warranty limbo so riding my new analog bike… I can do everything with it that I can with the ebike only slower. When you go slower the ride becomes more technical and you get to practice things that are just too easy on the ebike. My wife tried a FF b4 we bought the Orbea’ and she said it did not feel like a bike but more like a moped. At that point no need for me to even look at one as we ride together. I stay in trail mode and she goes into turbo and we are able to stay close together and have a lot of fun.

I have a friend that is pretty much a beginner but he can do amazing things on his FF Levo because it just power roles over much bigger stuff due to weight and power that he could never do on an analog bike.

 

[squeegee]

For me I think the mid range motors are going to be the sweet spot. I own both LSL and normal Levo and terrain I ride most is what determines which bike I take out. I find the Levo slower handling in slower and tight terrain, the SL is most like an analog. 80% of my riding is local undulation terrain + jumps and just doesn't live up to the full power motor's potential and 50+ lbs is dull on our lippy jumps. I've been riding mtb a long time and for me it's hard to beat the nimble and quick handling of the lighter ebike. I definitely want a bike that can hang with the 50+lb club but still rips like an analog. An Orbea 60nm model with 160/170 please. Kenevo SL with 60nm, I'll take one now please. Oh and just a suggestion, please make affordable models...some companies only release only one model and it costs $12K...

 

[Doomanic]

I took the Rail out today for a change and it was absolute comedy at the start; like being an eBike newb all over again. It was a different story on the downs though; heavy, unwieldy, slow to turn and hitting the limiter felt like hitting the brakes. It does jump nicely though.

 

[Chairman]

Ride soft go light. Ride hard definitely ff

 

[2WheelsNot4]

No. I want something heavier. 80lbs minimum.
So when i run over animals or small children they have no chance at all.

 

[Gyre]

Plus, if you go for a "light" e-bike and take a range extender, you are nearly right back to the weight of a FF.

It's fine if you're not keen on "light" type e-bikes, but at least in the case of KSL vs Levo, that's not true at all. The weight advantage is ~10 lbs and the extender adds a little over 2.6 lbs. Nowhere near closing the gap.

(Speaking for myself) The subjective experience is vastly different too. Bikes near 40 lbs feel more or less like traditional mountain bikes. You really feel the difference at 50 lbs. Once you get to 55-60lbs, they feel rather tank-like.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Am I the only person who likes that my entire upper body also hurts after a good ride on an FF ?

 

[Doomanic]

Yes.

 

[cappuccino34]

I've got both light and full fat, and I enjoy riding both because they're both good in their own ways.

I do think though that, given there's not THAT much weight difference between the motors in themselves, that lighter (obviously smaller capacity) batteries to fit full fat bikes would be a super easy way to have a lighter bike (and better handling due to the lower C of g) without having to have two bikes. Bosch have announced 500 and 625 options for '23, but I think there's plenty of scope for 'dual battery ' systems that use, say, two 380Wh units that can be used singly.

 

[squeegee]

I've had exactly the same idea, I'd like to see modular batteries that can be installed 1 or 2 at a time. 700W in 2 350W batteries, install one or both,. I have a 500W and a 700W for my Levo, for short rides I take the 500W, it's only 2lbs lighter than 700W battery, so it's not anywhere near making up the 10lb variance Levo vs LSL. Mahle is 2 kilos, Brose is 3 kilos, 2.4lb variance, that's significant.

 

[cappuccino34]

I've had exactly the same idea, I'd like to see modular batteries that can be installed 1 or 2 at a time. 700W in 2 350W batteries, install one or both,. I have a 500W and a 700W for my Levo, for short rides I take the 500W, it's only 2lbs lighter than 700W battery, so it's not anywhere near making up the 10lb variance Levo vs LSL. Mahle is 2 kilos, Brose is 3 kilos, 2.4lb variance, that's significant.

I had the idea first.

Have you actually weighed both bikes?

I've got a Levo SL, I've used an Orbea Rise for a demo day, which was nice but too close an experience to my analogue bike I felt, and I've ridden a Forestal for a few hours (very underwhelming).

I'd like to try the new Trek but it's just insane money for what it is. If I was to spend big chunks on a medium power bike I'd probably get the Pivot.

For FF bikes my main user is a Fulgur Mula, but I've also got a GLP-2. Both light weight for full power bikes because they both have 500 batteries, in truth (actually on scales) there's less than a kilo between the GLP and the SL, but the SL is an alloy frame so that adds maybe 800g to the equation. I also have a range extender on the SL most of the time.

The Fulgur is a little heavier again, but it's on EXT suspension both ends which adds a bit of weight being a coil, but it's well worth it for the performance that it brings. I'll be putting EXT on the GLP next I think.

 

[squeegee]

Just reweighed both, LSL Comp Carbon 42 lbs 13oz with coil shock, Levo Sworks 50lbs 7oz with air shock and 500W battery. With 700W 52lbs 7 oz. Both bikes with comparable builds and same tires/pedals.

 

[Waynemarlow]

Out on a ride today with a new Trek Exe. and my EZesty in among 3 analogues over easyish but very muddy terrain. Managed to get a 20 minute stint on the Trek as we were passing bikes about between us. Got to say very nice, very quiet and super refined but this one to buy was a tad under 12K, is it actually worth two of my EZesty’s ?

Have to say I rode my bike home a very happy punter in making the choice I did and saving myself £ 8K in the process, beyond the motor noise levels and other than one was brand new, the other 800 clicks in, not unsimilar in a lot of ways.

Something I had forgotten though was just how hard it is to ride at any speed in mud on an analogue. I did notice that anyone riding an analogue was soon queuing up for a turn on the lightweights, not sure why.

 

[cappuccino34]

Just reweighed both, LSL Comp Carbon 42 lbs 13oz with coil shock, Levo Sworks 50lbs 7oz with air shock and 500W battery. With 700W 52lbs 7 oz. Both bikes with comparable builds and same tires/pedals.
View attachment 100884 View attachment 100885

Crikey, that's 23.8 kg for the S-Works with a 500 battery, that's heavier than my Fulgur with a heavy duty coil shock!


From memory my alloy SL comp with its mudguards and range extender was roughly 22kg, so that's around 44lb 8oz. It does have Hope hubs and DT Swiss rims with Michelin Wild Enduro tyres though, and I'm not sure how they compare weight wise to the original wheels.

 

[Binhill1]

My expert 2019 model is 19 kg I always thought the
S Works was lighter.

 

[squeegee]

My expert 2019 model is 19 kg I always thought the
S Works was lighter.

Expert Levo SL or regular Levo? No way a full power Levo is coming in at 41.8lbs (19 x 2.2 is the kilo to pounds conversation)

 

[squeegee]

Crikey, that's 23.8 kg for the S-Works with a 500 battery, that's heavier than my Fulgur with a heavy duty coil shock!


From memory my alloy SL comp with its mudguards and range extender was roughly 22kg, so that's around 44lb 8oz. It does have Hope hubs and DT Swiss rims with Michelin Wild Enduro tyres though, and I'm not sure how they compare weight wise to the original wheels.

No not exactly, 50lbs 7oz is 22.9 Kilos with 500W battery. With 700W battery, 52lbs 7oz, that does convert to 23.8 kilos.

1 kilo = 2.2lbs

 

[Grendel]

Agree with most above. It depends upon your trails and how your fitness level. I find my M10 Carbon Rise to be all I need on the local trails but I'm doing more cross country than long, arduous climbs with steep descents. I think the mid-assists have more than enough assist (having come from an acoustic bike) and I enjoy the livelier ride I get from the lighter weight. I've never ridden a FF but may feel differently if I did. I suspect you can't go wrong either way.

 

[Chairman]

Been on my ff Moterra 1 for a little over 2 years now. Love it and I must say I don't find it heavy at all now. I think I have just increased my all over strength to accommodate it. What I do find is how ridiculously light my acoustic enduro now feels. It's a Zerode Taniwha with a pinion gearbox and it was considered quite heavy in its day

 

[torabora851]

Pure marketing to make you buy two bikes instead of one. Otherwise, we would have a range of different batteries for every need. Take 350-400w to Trek Rail and you get a 'light 20kg emtb'. Put 1000w and here you go - a long-range bike.

 

[Binhill1]

I have found if I make a mistake on
FF Levo and it starts to go over I can't recover like I used to on analogue bike and sometimes need to put a foot down . I have had so many falls or crashes on it that are definitely down to the weight and motor power compared to normal bike . But I find technical down bits are not so scary on it and try harder stuff. Well I used to im timoring down now I'm in my Winter years

 

[cappuccino34]

No not exactly, 50lbs 7oz is 22.9 Kilos with 500W battery. With 700W battery, 52lbs 7oz, that does convert to 23.8 kilos.

1 kilo = 2.2lbs

Sorry, my bad, rushing.

 

[BobR]

Pure marketing to make you buy two bikes instead of one. Otherwise, we would have a range of different batteries for every need. Take 350-400w to Trek Rail and you get a 'light 20kg emtb'. Put 1000w and here you go - a long-range bike.

This is one of the reasons that the Orbea Rise does so well… smaller w/option for a second.

 

[irie]

Love my Jam2, all the way until I get to a locked gate.

Same with my Rail. Also lots of fallen trees ATM.

 

[Binhill1]

Same with my Rail. Also lots of fallen trees ATM.

Deer fence is a challenge if your on your own .

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Am I the only person who likes that my entire upper body also hurts after a good ride on an FF ?

Frumpy Female ?