Which e mtb for my daughter?

[Hopeless Sinner]

I can use your help w suggestions on an e-mtb for my daughter. She's 25, probably a size small, just getting started in mtb biking, and on a teacher's salary. She would be riding around Boise, McCall and Ketchum. Thanks!

[climberevan]

Why not get her a bicycle instead of a moped? That way she can get fit, learn skills, and not be a pariah.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Why not get her a bicycle instead of a moped? That way she can get fit, learn skills, and not be a pariah.

Do you have a suggestion for a non e-mtb for her to consider?

[XXX-er]

kind of a really big question, you wouldn't want to have her miss out on hating e-bikes

[smmokan]

Do you have a suggestion for a non e-mtb for her to consider?

Since she's a beginner and assumably has a small budget, just look on the local Craigslist or Facebook ads for a good deal on a small mountain bike. If she enjoys it and wants to get more serious, then you can start thinking about different options WRT wheel size, frame style, etc.

[Hopeless Sinner]

kind of a really big question, you wouldn't want to have her miss out on hating e-bikes

I laffed.

[climberevan]

Since she's a beginner and assumably has a small budget, just look on the local Craigslist or Facebook ads for a good deal on a small mountain bike. If she enjoys it and wants to get more serious, then you can start thinking about different options WRT wheel size, frame style, etc.

This is good advice. Anything built since 2020 is going to have modern geometry and will be fine. Obviously spending more will get her a better bike.

IME the local Boise trails are pretty mellow so a short travel FS or a hardtail would be fine. She'll get better components on a hardtail, cost being equal.

[Tailwind]

I’m anti ebike for a lot of reasons… but it’s not a product I’d currently buy used. It seems like a lot of the motors have issues and if you’re under warranty - great but if you’re not you might end up with a very very expensive repair.

New - I think you’re looking at $4,000 for an off brand e-bike and more like $7,000 for a ‘good’ e bike.

Whereas a $2000 used full suspension could be a great bike these days. Just pick a bike that fits her well and pick easy trails for a while.

The only reason I’d say “sure e-bike” is if base fitness is very low and this is a step toward getting healthy. It’s a lot of money to throw down as a starter purchase and if she hasn’t mountain biked before bike handling skills might not be there to handle a 50-60lbs e bike.

[Hopeless Sinner]

^^^Well the E bike's weight is a factor loading and unloading from a vehicle so that's a concern for sure. The kid is in shape and fit, but does not prefer sports that are continuously "red line" oriented which is my perception of the uphill. If the uphills were just a bit easier I think many would be inclined to ride more frequently or ride longer days. Pls correct me if I'm mistaken.

She does love to alpine ski and she's pushes the heart rate pretty high there on powder days (we track HR), but then there is always the lift to recover. She has rented both mtn bike and e mtn bike so has a bit of experience and has a long term boyfriend that's into mtn biking so I'd say she'll stick w the sport.

I was hopping to pick up a great deal on a new bike whether e or not. It's really hard for the novice to understand what's a good price on used bikes w all the customization that's done. Sellers "invested" (LOL) $9k and would sell for $6K.....ROFLOL.....


$7K for a "good" ebike is probably not happening.

[alias_rice]

^^^ If the uphills were just a bit easier I think many would be inclined to ride more frequently or ride longer days. Pls correct me if I'm mistaken.

.

You are not mistaken. I ride my ebike significantly more often than I ever did (or do) with my regular bike. I have both and like both, but if you made me choose, it’d be the ebike for sure. They are just more fun.

I haven’t really paid attention to the market for the past 3 years, but I’d bet you can get a pretty good ebike for less than $7k, but probably not $2k. Now would probably be a good time toto hit some shops and find a deal.

[grinch]

^^^Well the E bike's weight is a factor loading and unloading from a vehicle so that's a concern for sure. The kid is in shape and fit, but does not prefer sports that are continuously "red line" oriented which is my perception of the uphill. If the uphills were just a bit easier I think many would be inclined to ride more frequently or ride longer days. Pls correct me if I'm mistaken.

She does love to alpine ski and she's pushes the heart rate pretty high there on powder days (we track HR), but then there is always the lift to recover. She has rented both mtn bike and e mtn bike so has a bit of experience and has a long term boyfriend that's into mtn biking so I'd say she'll stick w the sport.

I was hopping to pick up a great deal on a new bike whether e or not. It's really hard for the novice to understand what's a good price on used bikes w all the customization that's done. Sellers "invested" (LOL) $9k and would sell for $6K.....ROFLOL.....


$7K for a "good" ebike is probably not happening.

Yup sounds about right. If you think she'd be ok with the 540w battery its hard to beat this price. The bike and the 540w battery has served me well. Everything works well on the "core 1" so nothing really needs changed. For an extra 1k it does come with the 720w battery and some pretty gooch parts though

https://us.yt-industries.com/product...coy-mx-core-1/


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[Tailwind]

I have not glanced at e-bikes in a bit but that YT pricing is solid. That is probably a 55-60lb bike, which might be a barrier. I do think some brick and mortar brands are having sales as the summer winds down. An “sl” model bike might be ideal like the Levo Sl from specialized.

The explanation of not wanting heart rate to redline makes sense. It takes quite a bit of riding on a normal bike to get so your heart rate doesn’t spike while climbing. I think it’s really possible to ride a mountain bike with your heart rate in the 110-130 range (which doesn’t feel overly taxing to most people) but that’s after you’ve been riding for quite a while.

An ebike takes the edge off that curve.

Yup sounds about right. If you think she'd be ok with the 540w battery its hard to beat this price. The bike and the 540w battery has served me well. Everything works well on the "core 1" so nothing really needs changed. For an extra 1k it does come with the 720w battery and some pretty gooch parts though

https://us.yt-industries.com/product...coy-mx-core-1/


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[grinch]

I have not glanced at e-bikes in a bit but that YT pricing is solid. That is probably a 55-60lb bike, which might be a barrier. I do think some brick and mortar brands are having sales as the summer winds down. An “sl” model bike might be ideal like the Levo Sl from specialized.

The explanation of not wanting heart rate to redline makes sense. It takes quite a bit of riding on a normal bike to get so your heart rate doesn’t spike while climbing. I think it’s really possible to ride a mountain bike with your heart rate in the 110-130 range (which doesn’t feel overly taxing to most people) but that’s after you’ve been riding for quite a while.

An ebike takes the edge off that curve.

Op wanting a small is part of the reason for my suggestion. Really good standover on ths decoy. It is 55lb but its fun from the get go and the weight is really manageable , especially after a couple weeks. Many comments on how the decoy doesnt feel like 55lbs on the trail. Its never going to feel like an sl though. My old 2019 decoy now has pretty much the same spec as this 2024 core after i swapped the air shock for a coil 1 and dh casing tires but mine came with a lighter rs yari fork. The only thing id change is to a burlier fork like the domain or zeb. It just works. No flats ever, steel cassette with cheap drivetrains and gtg. Yt have been impressively good to deal with. Yt canada is sort of a satellite distributor to yt usa so ive dealt and talked with yt usa on occasion to get parts(water bottle/cage that the new decoy comes with, warrantee 1st motor at 1800km but new one just passed 10k km, bearing pivots, shock bolts, im at 1.5+ million vert feet and counting).
The sl category is attractive but tjey also add to the price tag and they give away some of the climbing capability. I probably wouldnt look at the spsh sl w mahle motor or the tq motors(trek etc). Too much sacrifice. I'd probably consider a bosch sx bike or maybe a fazua sl bike. A bit of online chatter on fazua durability but maybe theyve refined it. Good power, battery management and an attractive weight. I think Andeh, Summit and possibly Gunder have sl bikes with the fazua that seems to be working well so mahbe they can shed more light on that

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[skaredshtles]

Yeah - on a teacher's salary I'd say buying a new (decent) e-bike is gonna be eye-opening. Unless, of course, she plans to use it to replace a car, then the maths could pencil out quite easily.

[XXX-er]

All the 50-60 something old farts i know at the bike area either bought an E-bike or are planning to or at least want to, prices have come down a LOT since i bought an E-bike 3 yrs ago

[toast2266]

You're not going to get any particularly good recommendations without a lot more information.

What's the actual budget? I know teachers with $10,000 bikes and teachers with $300 bikes.

What is the goal? Fitness? Fun? Transportation? Is this a mountain bike that will get used sometimes on trails but also to ride to the grocery store? Is this a bike that's going to get ridden on trails 5 days a week? Is it a bike that's just an experiment to see if she likes the sport?

Generally speaking, I wouldn't go buy an e-mountain bike for a novice. Ebikes are a chunk of money to throw at an experiment to see if someone likes riding dirt on 2 wheels. If she gets a normal mountain bike and loves it, but doesn't love the work on the climbs, then she should consider getting an ebike. But throwing most of $4k of teachers salary at that experiment seems like a bad idea, especially since (as covid showed us) the retention rate for new participants in the sport is something less than 10%. In other words, there's a 90% chance this bike will be sitting mostly idle in a year, so buy accordingly.

[grinch]

^^sound advice. So many factors to consider

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[adrenalated]

Another thing to consider is where can you legally ride the thing. I have no clue what the land managers or rules are around the area in question, but generally speaking, on federal lands (USFS/BLM) the only trails legally open to e-bikes are the ones also open to dirtbikes. Rarely are these very beginner friendly. The local district office needs to explicitly make an exception in order to allow e-bikes on otherwise non-motorized trails which in my experience is usually only done on new trail systems. Enforcement, of course, is a different question, and local agencies may have different rules.

[XXX-er]

I will concur ^^ with toast

" She has rented both mtn bike and e mtn bike so has a bit of experience and has a long term boyfriend that's into mtn biking so I'd say she'll stick w the sport. "

Ok so she will probably ride with the BF and so unless buddy also has an E-bike he won't be able to keep up

[Roxtar]

Friends don't help friends buy their non-handicapped daughters e-bikes.

[climberevan]

There's no need for a fit person to be "redlined" on every climb. She can run a 26t chainring and 10-52 cassette and spin up anything at an easy pace. Still, the reality is that cycling involves effort, and if she's expecting getting up the hill to be as easy as riding a chairlift, cycling is not the sport for her.

Getting a beginner a $7000, 55# moped to ride illegally on non-motorized trails seems like a recipe for disappointment. She needs a $1500 hardtail mountain bike that has already lost most of its value and that she can resell for $1200 in a year after she's decided to either give up cycling or to get something nicer.

[grinch]

Expert.....

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[livefreerdie]

I would tell her to check out a used Ibis Ripley, Santa Cruz 5010, or Giant Trance. All will have enough travel for Boise, McCall, and the easier stuff near Ketchum, short enough wheelbase to learn switchbacks and slow tech, and good climbers. Make sure the fit is right including the seat, and get a small granny gear.

[Tailwind]

Agree but I think there are plenty of “fit” people who get torched pretty hard mountain biking. Large range of definitions to “fit” as this doesn’t need to mean runs marathons and ski tours already. Also once you have a few thousand hours of base miles you forget how hard it is to pedal when you’re new to it. I notice a huge difference in food for example, I used to need to eat really well in order to not “bonk” and that just isn’t an issue anymore.

I have a coworker just getting started in the sport who feels exhausted for a few days after a 2-3 hour ride. She goes to the gym and rides a spin bike and hikes 15 miles pretty often for a few years. She’s talked about climbing for an hour and a half just being exhausted. She bought a 2017 orbea full suspension for $1000 used and loves it.

I do think e-bikes are our general admission that there are huge sections of society who can’t pedal a bike up a hill. Lots of people shuttle stuff because they can’t pedal, others e bike. Maybe everyone just needs some base miles and a 2017 orbea?

There's no need for a fit person to be "redlined" on every climb. She can run a 26t chainring and 10-52 cassette and spin up anything at an easy pace. Still, the reality is that cycling involves effort, and if she's expecting getting up the hill to be as easy as riding a chairlift, cycling is not the sport for her.

Getting a beginner a $7000, 55# moped to ride illegally on non-motorized trails seems like a recipe for disappointment. She needs a $1500 hardtail mountain bike that has already lost most of its value and that she can resell for $1200 in a year after she's decided to either give up cycling or to get something nicer.

[zion zig zag]

Agree but I think there are plenty of “fit” people who get torched pretty hard mountain biking. Large range of definitions to “fit” as this doesn’t need to mean runs marathons and ski tours already. Also once you have a few thousand hours of base miles you forget how hard it is to pedal when you’re new to it. I notice a huge difference in food for example, I used to need to eat really well in order to not “bonk” and that just isn’t an issue anymore.

I have a coworker just getting started in the sport who feels exhausted for a few days after a 2-3 hour ride. She goes to the gym and rides a spin bike and hikes 15 miles pretty often for a few years. She’s talked about climbing for an hour and a half just being exhausted. She bought a 2017 orbea full suspension for $1000 used and loves it.

I do think e-bikes are our general admission that there are huge sections of society who can’t pedal a bike up a hill. Lots of people shuttle stuff because they can’t pedal, others e bike. Maybe everyone just needs some base miles and a 2017 orbea?

It’s amazing anyone ever started mountain biking….