Which bike?

[Sind]

Hi,

I need some help trying to decide between 3 potential bikes:

Whyte e-160 S 2022
YT decoy core 2 MX (new EP8)
Trek Rail 7

All in they cost the same at around £5,500, which is more than I wanted to spend. I think I can get a Whyte or Trek in June and the YT in September.

The YT is on the list because I demo’d the older e8000 motored bike Saturday and was blown away by how good it is (I’d even consider buying one). New bike has the EP8 but still not a bigger battery though not sure how much that will impact me.

Which would you pick? Is there a fourth bike I should consider or new 2022 I should wait for?

Riding Surrey hills and Swinley. Planning to try a few enduros. I ride MX/Enduro so this might be a fun option.

Cheers!

 

[Philly G]

This is my 5 cent's worth. The Whyte and the Rail both use the Bosch motor, which in my opinion is still the best. The Whyte is an awesome bike and extremely good value for money. I would buy the Whyte as long as you don't want to remove the battery for ease of charging etc . The battery is a bitch to take out. As a Rail owner, I think it's an awesome bike too , but can require some fettling to ensure reliability (many riders have had the battery fall out when riding, but this is easily prevented ) The Rail is also great bang for buck and the battery is very easy to remove. I can't speak for the YT , but since it runs the Shimano motor, at least you get a decent app with some rider tunability , which you don't get with the Bosch unfortunately

 

[dixie600mhz]

I researched and researched before I bought a Rail 9.8XT. Before turning to the Rail I looked at the Specialized, the Decoy and the Spectral ON. Like Philly says the Bosch Gen4 is simply the smoothest and most natural feeling motor. If the decoy or even the Canyon had the Bosch instead of Shimano motor, I'd have went for one of them. The other problem with the decoy is the proprietary and smaller 540Wh battery. Specialized is just specialized and everything related to spares has to go through specialized. Not cheap and not superior than any other brand.

The weakness of the rail is the chainstay and how close it is situated to the chain ring. The Trek comes with a 34T front chainring max. Since using SRAM shifting for 4 years + then reading about and switching to shimano XT, there's no going back to SRAM. They can release their electronic gizmo crap. The shimano shifting is bulletproof and shifts crisp no matter what, even going up th steepest technical climbs it never misses a beat.

 

[jeanmarc]

Good bikes, availability might force the decision...

 

[StevoKickstart]

I’ve just bought an Orbea Wild (my previous bike was a Levo)
It has a Bosch motor and rides/looks amazing. I think there is availability too

 

[7869hodgy]

Hi,

Whyte e-160 S 2022
YT decoy core 2 MX (new EP8)
Trek Rail 7

All in they cost the same at around £5,500, which is more than I wanted to spend.

Riding Surrey hills and Swinley. Planning to try a few enduros. I ride MX/Enduro so this might be a fun option.

Cheers!

Have you considered the Giant Trance X E+ 1 as it’s in the right price ballpark....no idea on availability but.... I guess you might be looking for travel but it may suit the riding locations you list. Rob has reviewed it on here in the Giant section.

 

[The Hodge]

I've not ridden any of the other bikes ..but I'm still loving my Whyte ..taking the battery out has never been an issue as it lives indoors..its a heavy bike but rides light ..and the weight only becomes a problem if your riding involves a carry ..but the walk mode on the Bosch motor helps on anything but the steepest / rockiest climbs/ hike a bikes ..
From what I've read you couldn't really go wrong with any of the bikes on your shortlist ..good luck in deciding !

 

[Philly G]

I'm still loving my Whyte

I agree that the Whyte handles beautifully and does indeed feel light on the trail, also very stable and planted due to the weight nicely centered and low. I've never owned one but I hired one for the day at a bike park and I've never forgotten the experience, it's what got me sold on emtb ! But I needed a removable battery so I got the Rail. Maybe for the MY22 Whyte will make the battery a bit less of a hassle to remove? But if the Whyte forum is anything to go by, everyone who owns one loves it. Not that I'm disappointed with my Rail by any means

 

[Zimmerframe]

Sold - 2019 Specialized Kenevo Expert (medium)+second battery: £3200 GBP

Bike / Product Year: 2019 Manufacturer: Specialized Model: Kenevo Expert (medium) Asking Price: £3600 GBP Location Bristol, UK Description Specialized Kenevo Expert 2019 size medium for sale (including second battery) Some scratches to frame from general wear and tear, frame rub etc...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Sind]

This is my 5 cent's worth. The Whyte and the Rail both use the Bosch motor, which in my opinion is still the best. The Whyte is an awesome bike and extremely good value for money. I would buy the Whyte as long as you don't want to remove the battery for ease of charging etc . The battery is a bitch to take out. As a Rail owner, I think it's an awesome bike too , but can require some fettling to ensure reliability (many riders have had the battery fall out when riding, but this is easily prevented ) The Rail is also great bang for buck and the battery is very easy to remove. I can't speak for the YT , but since it runs the Shimano motor, at least you get a decent app with some rider tunability , which you don't get with the Bosch unfortunately

Thanks. I’m still leaning towards the Whyte. The Bosch motor has much going for it (except the controller)

 

[Sind]

I’ve just bought an Orbea Wild (my previous bike was a Levo)
It has a Bosch motor and rides/looks amazing. I think there is availability too

I’d not considered the Orbea. I’ll have to read a few reviews…looks like for the money you get Fox suspension which would be nice

 

[Sind]

Have you considered the Giant Trance X E+ 1 as it’s in the right price ballpark....no idea on availability but.... I guess you might be looking for travel but it may suit the riding locations you list. Rob has reviewed it on here in the Giant section.

I’ll have a look for Rob’s review

 

[Sind]

I've not ridden any of the other bikes ..but I'm still loving my Whyte ..taking the battery out has never been an issue as it lives indoors..its a heavy bike but rides light ..and the weight only becomes a problem if your riding involves a carry ..but the walk mode on the Bosch motor helps on anything but the steepest / rockiest climbs/ hike a bikes ..
From what I've read you couldn't really go wrong with any of the bikes on your shortlist ..good luck in deciding !

I read much about the battery issues, but I have power in my garage, so shouldn’t be a problem ?

 

[JoeBlow]

I’d not considered the Orbea. I’ll have to read a few reviews…looks like for the money you get Fox suspension which would be nice

I bought an Orbea Wild FS H20 last September. It's the middle of the range model with Fox and Shimano components. It only cost me £3990 from Bikester. I bought it to replace a Trek Powerfly and to date do not have any regrets. It looks nice and rides well. I went for this Orbea model because after much research I considered that it gave the most "bang for the buck" for my requirements. Indeed I still consider it to be spot on in that regard.

Al

 

[Sind]

I bought an Orbea Wild FS H20 last September. It's the middle of the range model with Fox and Shimano components. It only cost me £3990 from Bikester. I bought it to replace a Trek Powerfly and to date do not have any regrets. It looks nice and rides well. I went for this Orbea model because after much research I considered that it gave the most "bang for the buck" for my requirements. Indeed I still consider it to be spot on in that regard.

Al

I’ve been looking at the same bike this afternoon and seems to have better suspension to the e160s. Very temped! Both will do some enduro duty. Whyte seems to have the edge on agility from reviews.

 

[Sind]

Folks,

I've been targeting an e160s as the first ebike and just waiting for confirmation on stock. I now also have an option for a Vitus 297 VRX which is available now. Its got better suspension and components and looks like a burly/heavy bike (but then so is the Whyte).

Is the Vitus worth it or should I wait for the Whyte? Its not a brand I know.

Thanks!

 

[Dawdling68]

Can I throw a couple of others in the mix. Have a look at Scott Ransom 920 or Genius 920. Both are £5k-£5.5k.

 

[Sind]

Can I throw a couple of others in the mix. Have a look at Scott Ransom 920 or Genius 920. Both are £5k-£5.5k.

I really like the Scott Ransom 920, but can't find one anywhere!? If you find one in medium let me know

 

[Hobo Mikey]

I love my Whyte, I bought it after doing a lot of research, never seen one before I bought it blind. Do I regret it, not a bit I did a review in the review section. Never taken the battery out as don’t need to. It gets better every ride.

 

[Mike james]

Hi,

I need some help trying to decide between 3 potential bikes:

Whyte e-160 S 2022
YT decoy core 2 MX (new EP8)
Trek Rail 7

All in they cost the same at around £5,500, which is more than I wanted to spend. I think I can get a Whyte or Trek in June and the YT in September.

The YT is on the list because I demo’d the older e8000 motored bike Saturday and was blown away by how good it is (I’d even consider buying one). New bike has the EP8 but still not a bigger battery though not sure how much that will impact me.

Which would you pick? Is there a fourth bike I should consider or new 2022 I should wait for?

Riding Surrey hills and Swinley. Planning to try a few enduros. I ride MX/Enduro so this might be a fun option.

Cheers!

I bought a Orbea Wild H25 11 Months ago.
1500miles mainly muddy trails in West Cornwall 625w Battery never had Battery Enenvy average 30_40 miles per ride
Gen 4 Motor superb 160 Suspension great no problems with the bike at all.
Just had Cassette an chain replaced (Wear an Tear) lbs Truro brilliant.
Can't fault Orbea
Battery Mike

 

[jonmat]

Orbea Wild FS H25, 160mm suspension front and rear, 625 Ah battery, Bosch CX gen 4 motor, paid £4,600.00 for mine in January. It's a lot of bike for the money. I was tempted by the Trek Rail 7 but would have wanted to upgrade the 500Wh battery. Very pleased with my Orbea/Bosch bike.

 

[Sind]

The challenge continues to be availability and my lack of patience...

I've a long list now of bikes...

Whyte e160s - maybe mid-June
Scott Ranson 920 - not a clue when this is available again
Trek Rail 7 - available Oct.

And then the opportunist buys

Vitus - available now in limited numbers
Orbea - August?
YT - August

 

[Mike james]

Been there only you can decide.
I wouldn't change my Orbea for any on your list but it suits my needs.

 

[Pivot]

Many premium bikes come from a mega-factory in Taiwan. You lend up selecting fonts, colours, and running gear

 

[lightning]

One thing about the Shimano motor is that it's easy to set the country of origin to USA using an aftermarket app, which means the assistance will keep going until 20mph

If that's of interest to you. Many people are happy to leave it at the standard 15.5mph maximum assist speed.

The Bosch motor is well locked down and almost impossible to derestrict without attaching a dongle that will often throw up error codes, get three of those codes and it's a trip to the dealer to reset it.

 

[Dawdling68]

I really like the Scott Ransom 920, but can't find one anywhere!? If you find one in medium let me know

I really like the Scott Ransom 920, but can't find one anywhere!? If you find one in medium let me know

Email
[email protected]
Ask for list of dealers with Ransom 92O, Med in stock. May have to contact a few dealers. Good luck ??

 

[Zimmerframe]

I was interested in the Ransom but couldn't find one so started my searches again. Really fancied buying something which was kitted out properly from scratch so I wouldn't have to change things. Settled on the Focus Jam2 6.9 NINE. Ordered Tuesday, Arrived Friday. So far - really really impressed with the design, build quality, assembly and it rides like a dream. Still not quite got the rear shock dialled in, but it was still eating everything up I was throwing at it this morning.