E Bicycle?

Apparently you can’t ride them everywhere. My wife and I just biked around Grand Island in Lake Superior and E bikes were specifically not allowed. Couldn’t get on the ferry over with one. I believe it’s a national forest. First time I had seen that.

I could'nt think of anything worse than riding for 3 to 5 hours, we ride party laps in a group where its very steep, Bike is always in turbo, pedaling as hard as you can, having to lock up the brakes going up hill, and then absolutley getting off the brakes and sending it back down. Honestly its better than moto. We are completely spent after an hour, heart rate and lungs are at capacity.

I get everyones riding area is different and some areas completely flat.

Spent 4 years working in a couple of bike shops and the most recent shop was a Specialized dealer. Most bike shop brands are great but Specialized is top notch, especially in the eMTB sector. You definitely get what you pay for and their warranty is one of the best I've seen firsthand. Only time I've seen Specialized customers return to the shop was to buy another one for their wive's haha. At this time of year, there's tons of discounts out there so keep looking and you'll definitely score a good deal.

For yourself, the Levo line is solid. The Levo 4 is the most versatile in the line up, with 160F/150R mm of travel will be virtually all you ever need, even if you were to venture out of state. I would even recommend the Levo R (140F/130R) if you plan on staying more local to SC, since SC is more flat and shorter travel could be more efficient to ride. Best advice is to try them at your dealer and see whichever feels/fits best.

For your wife, the Como or the Vado will work out great as long as she wants to stay on pavement or gravel. Comos are cruisers with an upright fit and comfort driven, while the Vado is more of a dual sport, both are solid choices. Only thing I'd preface is that if your wife plans on following you on burly trails (XC or Enduro conditions), I'd consider pairing her with a Levo as well.

Used to be skeptical about E-bikes, or even MTBs (long story but had a bad experience from XC riding with the ClubMX crew lol), or that was until I got to ride them. Shortly after I started at my first shop, Rocky Mountain invited us to demo their PowerPlay Altitude and Instinct eMTBs. The moment I rode one, my doubt INSTANTLY vanished. Me and my co-workers rode for over 2 hours, only stopped when we ran out of daylight and I had more fun in that one evening than any ride or race I did that year. In my experience, the only people who heckle e-bikes are people who simply haven't ridden one yet. It doesn't quite scratch my moto itch, but once a month I contemplate converting 1 for 1 from moto to MTB, or eMTB. At the end of the day, you get to ride longer, more efficiently and have a way better time, without the struggle of climbing or feeling gassed with your tongue in your spokes; who would possibly say no to that?

Best wishes on your eMTB journey!

I would recommend buying what you can get serviced. Specialized has a great dealer network and a great warranty. Many companies have went under in the last 2 years and you want to make sure not to go by price alone. Get a good bike and enjoy the ride.

I bought a YT core 3 Decoy because they were right down the street and gave free demos. Then 2 years later they up and shut the doors and left. I think they’re still around, but on the other side of the globe or something I don’t know. So far the only parts I’ve had to service or replace were run of the mill Fox Sram and Shimano parts that were readily available. So hopefully I don’t need any YT specific parts in the future.  I don’t care if I have to spend money on it once in a while , I mean I care, but I’m gonna spend it. There’s no way I’m going to not have an emtb. I like it way too much and there’s killer trails close by. Get whatever you want and rip it !  “Oh I bought too nice a bike” said no one ever. Get the killer one fukit ✊😂

You guys will probably laugh but I'm a 70 year old former Mx guy, but as a lark in 2020 during Covid I bought a fat tire E big and recently bought another 6 years later. Lumpy I can't tell you how much fun I've had nearly daily running those things around. Being out doors and putting on the miles even with assist I'm getting a little exercise and i feel it helps with my balance and stamina. I've traveled over 6 thousand miles on those bikes with few defects only Battery's brakes and tires were replaced as a precaution. I didn't buy the best on the market but a mid grade brand. I think the quality of the latest and greatest are awesome but costly for sure. Lumpy good luck for you and your wife I say go for it.

it is true with some carve outs. I live near a couple meccas for MTB and both have rules posted on the bike route maps at trailhead stating no motorized or E-assist bikes allowed. Many people still do. If you are low key and a good citizen on the trails most people overlook the E-assist. On trails that do allow E MTB it is only Class 1 with governor and NO throttle. I just got back from Lake Tahoe visiting my best friend who was 1st person I know to go E-assist and advised me on my purchase. We rode on bike paths and common access and designated forest trails. The general bike paths have signs stating no motorized vehicles or motorized bicycles allowed but it is totally ignored with no enforcement and abused. The Forest however has signs stating Class 1 E-bikes only allowed. Strange.

I commute to work on a Tero (fender kit for rain) and ride a Levo on weekends on the trails. Absolutely love both bikes. 

I love riding dirt bikes, but I am a suburban dweller...so loading the bikes in a truck, driving 30-60+ minutes to get to a riding area, gas, gearing up, riding then everything in reverse is time and energy consuming.

I live in a spot where I can ride emtb out my garage with about a 5-10 minute ride to hit the trails....trails that don't allow moto.

Super convenient, nobody cares because there is no noise. Yes, national forests still 'ban' them, but even then, almost no one cares.

I get like 75% of the motor rush on downhills...uphills are certainly different (better on moto).  75% of the feeling, 10% of the getting there hassle.

It funny listening to Steve on pulp because I get the sense he ride 90% emtb and 10% motorcycles.

Another big tip...high school and middle school MTB racing (non-ebike)

It's huge where I live but is also nationwide. Probably almost 100 kids on my son's team.  It gets me out too (on emtb) because I am a lowly trail sweep parent coach.

My son that grew up in moto is excelling.  It would have been so cool if they had it when I was in high school.

https://nationalmtb.org/

Don't mean to be hijacking. I've always been a jumper, 20", 24", and a 26" jumper. I want just a little bit of power so I don't have to peddle! Which means throttle but, I want a llift up the Mtn. Full suspension, with lock-out. I have no idea what is out there. If anybody could help out I appreciate it, thank you very much.

I'm a BMX background all of my life, but MTB for the past decade. Confident jumping/manualling/popping etc.

Forget the BMX and dirt jumper type bike mentality a bit if you're headed to the mountains. Pending your desired level of send and the steepness/technicality of your trails, a mid-travel aggressive trail bike will scratch the itch while keeping you feeling poppy. Specialized just released the Levo R - a short travel version of the Turbo Levo. The Levo platform is not light however. 

Lightweight E-MTB's were a thing for a bit before a power war erupted between Specialized and DJI (Avinox). In this category consider the Specialized Levo SL (discontinued as a new model I believe so would only be second hand) or I ride the Specialized Kenevo SL which is a more aggressive geo, long travel set up. 

If you've got the budget, the new Orbea Wild LT is something else!!!! But on the more aggressive side. 

Trek Fuel EX-E is also a great buy.

Hope this helps? 

Any thoughts on Motobecane? My friend has bought their regular MTB's in the past and been happy with bang for the buck. Are their eMTB's good?

Best Electric Bikes Online On Sale Front or Full Suspension, MTB Bikes

Look for a mid-travel bike (140-160mm) from a reputable brand that has a brick and mortar shop by you.  Specialized, Trek, etc.  I think most (if not all) of the mtbs with full suspension have a lock-out lever.

A lot of the higher power, bigger battery emtbs are heavier.  Specialized Turbo Levo is close to 50 pounds, I believe, and really feels a lot like a dirt bike to me.  But it's fast and will go a long way on a charge.  Something like a Trek Rail or Fuel EXe will be lighter and feel more like a pedal bike, but with less power and smaller battery.  Try a few and see what fits you.  When you get that bike, you'll love it.

Bike market is in free fall. You can get a better speced name brand bike for less money right now.

Thank you very much!

Interested in this topic as well, specifically for a receiver hitch.  

The eMTB's are a blast! I bought a Husqavarna one last year and love it! I haven't taken it on any trails yet, but its so fun to ride around the neighborhood on. It's great for my replaced knee; I know you have one or both done. The assist really helps out and you can get them to go pretty fast.

FWIW I bought a Fantic 3 years ago. Uses the same Brose motor and battery as the Specialized Levo from a few years ago. Researched the heck out of it including all the motor replacement horror stories, but it was so cheap I felt it worth the gamble.

Also, these shout-out to these folks who run a great channel with a lot of good comparisons:

https://theloamwolf.com/emtb/

HTH.

BP

 

Have any of you got a e-road bike?

Just want to second Sumdood's advice to buy the killer one. I did the same for my analog bike and I ride the thing all the time. It's too trick to sit in the garage! 

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about servicing an e-bike. Your local bike shop can fix wheels, drivetrain (including the motor,) shifting, brakes, suspension and controls. All this whether they sell your brand or not. About the only thing you'd need to worry about is if you need to buy a new battery or controller unit if the bike brand and the electronics manufacturer went out of business. (Or if you break the frame, but trust me - you aren't breaking an e-bike frame!) 

I have 3. The 2 2022 models have about 3,000 miles and no issues with batteries. My local shop replaced the motor on the 2022 S-Works because it was making a very small noise at about 2,800 miles, but that is the only issue. Fox did warranty the shock on both 2022 bikes. 

Imma go the other way... ebikes suck... oh they great when you are using the boost, but absolutely suck pedal only because of the extra weight... so..  when you buy an ebike, u are buying it to only be used with boost... and if you only gonna ride with boost, why not just get a dedicated emoto or even something gas like a grom or ruckus?? 

Not sure if they're available in the US but the Velduro Phantom is amazing

Here’s the other one, it didn’t load in my first post. I’ve been riding about 4 times a week since 1999, being on these 3 are the most fun I’ve had riding. I still have my pedal bike I take out rarely now.

I have a Canyon on Spectral CF7 with the bigger battery.  They had a 750 and 900( on frames size M-XL) battery  back when I got mine in 2023 or 2023. They have Bosch motors now too. I haven't looked to see what batteries they offer now.  They did issue a stop ride when batteries were cracking. They replaced mine and paid me about $200 per month that I was without a battery. That ended up between November and around the end of February I got my new battery so it wasn't bad.   My  old battery wasn't cracked  so for now I'll hold onto it. I have a shimano EP801 with 85nm and the Specialized/browse motors with 90nm  that I have ridden do feel noticeable more powerful. But the shimano motor feels more like  its me.  I haven't been able to get into a loop out situation on it like I could on the Browse bikes I've ridden.  It feels like the Brows keep assisting  after You stop , while the Shimano stops sooner and feels more natural to me. 

 I find myself running out of gear as I get close to the 20 MPH  mark . I'm pedaling way too fast for technical offroad with the current gearing. The bike I rode with the browse motor  was able to cruise at just over the assist level and not be spinning at 1000 rpm. I'm gonna get a bigger chainring at some point. I think my gearing is on the low side and that may be a lot of it too. I really should just stay riding slower for now. The bike itself is amazing and the brakes and setup are super comfortable for me and feel more moto like than any other MTB's I've had. I have been looking at being a dealer for Commencal and they have some bikes with the Avinox motor's that have 150NM of torque and 1300 watts  . They start around $8k and go up.  All the Commencal frames are aluminum though so if You want a carbon frame they are not an option .  

 The canyons are direct to consumer though so  unless You know somebody with one Your not going to be able to test ride one. They do offer free returns inside 30 days and a 6 year warrantee on all of the Canyon branded parts. You can get the same warranty on bikes in their outlet area that have some deep discounts. Sometimes close to half off.  Just make sure You read the details on those bikes. They can be anything from last years model brand new and unridden, to press bikes that have been a  demo bike and have some miles on them or in between. If You buy a new bike and return it, if You ride it at all it goes into the outlet bikes.  

 Acerbis has a stand that's not too expensive that is great for  holding your bike up and doing basic stuff . But  I want a real work stand that can hold the bike with both wheels off. 

 You might wanna try a hard tail out like I saw one post suggest. Riding an Ebike with 150mm of rear travel with a dead battery feels like I'm riding through deep sand. I never ride without some sort of assist because of that. I know that its not all the suspension steeling my energy and a lot comes from the motor. But if Your going to be using it on the road a lot more than the trails, a hard tail would climb better on the street. And I find it a little easier to ride wheelies on a hard tail. For me, I would stick to a full suspension  unless I was  only hitting a trail here and there and putting tons of street time in. I ride 90% off road and only on the road when exploring new areas. So  there was never a question for me.  

 One thing I've wondered about is the DJI connection and the Avinox motors.  The government has been cracking down on the DJI cameras  as well as the drones and even started to go after the DJI clones.  DJI started Avinox to be  their brand  for their Ebike stuff. But they are still the parent company . If only the DJI drones were impacted by the new laws that would be one thing. But the cameras are also  getting wrapped up in the ban. And after the current inventories are sold, they may not be available again legally in the US.  People have had their drones seized by customs after sending them to be repaired by DJI and customs seizes them when they come back into the country.  And has spread to the DJI clone drones and cameras.

 I worry about buying one of the bikes with an Avinox motor in it and then the government deciding its a threat to national security and being unable to have warranty work done to it.  Hopefully that never happens. But there is real talk about actually making the DJIO drones illegal to operate at all.  That makes more sense than the  way they have been dealing with them if there is a real threat, I would think they would be totally banned. Not just new models blocked from being certified.  I'm not super familiar with how involved the FCC is with electric motors, but if they have any part in allowing Ebike motors into the US, than there is a potential for an issue at some point if things continue the way they are headed with more and more crackdowns on DJI products and products that use DJI hardware .   I feel like its unlikely to happen to the ebikes. But I didn't think they would go after the Cameras and mic's too either.  Maybe its separate enough that it will be fine.  I know a guy that was ringing specialized levo's and has changed to a bike with  the Avinox motor and loves it. But for cruising around You really don't need all that power . The bikes that come with Avinox motors tend to be $8k and up .