Electric Bike Thread

[jackstraw]

thats an E-motorcycle in the link I know they are around town but I donot see them ridden on the MTB trails

But it has pedals...that's the problem.

E motocross are a great idea. Quiet and fun, but you put pedals on them it's just wrong and gonna fuck it up for the rest of us fighting to maintain and open new mtb trails. Clearly these dickwads manufacturing these things need a dope slap from the mtb community

[XXX-er]

Here in a small town with a small area those would last < a day around here on the bike trails before someone asks wtf do you think you are doing ?

peddles alone do not a class 1 ebike make, they were selling scooters in vancover that were basicly full on paggio type scooters but with pedals and so some cop decided that was not really the spirit of the law and proceeded to write > 600 worth of tickets to every end loser for NO license/ registration/ insurnace/ helmet, basiclay people trying to do an end run around the Motor Vehical act which the po-po take rather seriously

[ticketchecker]

Mid power eebs need not apply https://ebike-mtb.com/en/pietra-ligu...WgPrHlx-RKqSWQ


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[rideit]

For a variety of reasons, I cannot read anything on that site (or download the app), can you summarize?

[XXX-er]

Euros into riding mtn bikes uphill

[ticketchecker]

For a variety of reasons, I cannot read anything on that site (or download the app), can you summarize?

Pietra Ligure, a Coastal Italian town where riders have put in 30 uphill trails and they have a 365 day season ta boot.



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[rideit]

Riding fast uphill is fucking awesome on trails where you won’t encounter much/any downhill traffic.

[XXX-er]

Touring in Yurp it was a thing for roadies to ride the major cols of the TDF at the top they load the road bikes up on a car or Caravan instead of riding down the other side which i thot was kind of different anyhow if it is that easy to ride up it also it means the trails down will not be steep

edit come to think of it there are a lot of up hill 180 degree berms at the area which can be ridden both ways are a lot of fun on an Eeb

the 15 nm firmware upgrade to Bosch CX happens sometime this month the mechanic at the local SC dealer has the same VALA so he is gona be all over it and so am I !

[Yukonrider]

Okay, I thought about making an alias for this post, but here goes.

I am e-curious. I tried one in 2021 and thought "Thats neat, but seems to be for mountain bikers who want to go faster, but are kinda lazy and scared of dirtbikes". I still think that but times have progressed, and many of my mountain bike friends, assorted babes, (and even one MTB/moto guy) have been raving about e-bikes.

So I've been thinking about buying in to see whats up. Turns out there are many choices, and at astronomical prices, and as with most tech the new stuff seems much better than the year old stuff. So I come to the folks here and ask: What features are worth spending, and what are worth skipping?

I see it as a downhill machine, the step up from my current 130/150mm pedal bike, big days in the mountains are a bonus so big battery. My neighbor tried the large motor/small motor set up of one and said the small motor felt smoother than the big motor. This was on of my complaints with the bike I rode long ago, the motor seemed to cut in and out very noticeably and without a clutch it was hard to be smooth and precise. I'd prefer to buy something nice and like it, than to buy cheap and have to upgrade in a year, so not set on price yet, I can be convinced to spend if its really worth it.

What say ye

[Bunion 2020]

Progress happens and just like P-bikes shit gets better with time. Do what you want, everyone else does.

[Andeh]

@Yukonrider - #1 thing by far is get one with a motor that is a) reliable and b) has a good warranty program. So basically Bosch. You want a gen5 CX (full power) or SX (mid power). Don't trust any newer motor brand without an established support network, and Shimano can fuck right off with their worst-in-class warranty support. Specialized has good warranty support if you've got a dealer nearby, but you should expect to use it at least once a year (seriously, I know multiple riders on their 4th Levo motor). Full power vs. mid power: if you're heavy (~200+ lbs) you should get a full power, no questions. The mid powers typically have ~400wh battery, and battery consumption is highly related to system weight (rider + bike). For a full power Bosch, I'd suggest getting one with a 600wh battery unless you're heavy and not a strong pedaler. You can still get ~2.5 hrs of ride time in turbo with a CX & 600wh battery if you put in some effort, but the bike weight will be lighter and handling will be closer to a normal bike. You can still add on the PowerMore range extender for an extra 250wh. Mid powers can be very fun, and feel close to a normal bike in terms of snappy handling but with a bit more traction and of course being twice as fast uphill. In terms of travel, I think sweet spot for a mid-power is around 150r/160f. Enough suspension to ride anything but not too much so that you lose out on energetic feeling. Full power with a smaller battery - probably 160/160. Full power with an 800 battery - may as well go full hog and embrace the fact that it'll be a truck and do 170/170 or more. #1 feature any ebike needs is good brakes (Mavens / Dominion A4s / TRP DH / Hope v4). #2 is heavier tires & durable wheels (both for puncture protection and cornering support) - minimum DD F+R and rims that aren't cheese. #3 is a stiff fork - you can manage a Lyrik/36 on a lighter midpower, but once the bike gets over ~44 lbs you pretty much need a Zeb/38.

[Shredhead]

What say ye

You're going to need two.

Something 160/180, decent full power motor, good suspension and really good brakes.




Then a FATe for riding year round on snow, ice, gravel and even roads.
Put a rack on it for groceries, booze and skis.

[jackstraw]

There's quite a few comparisons on YouTube right now.

After researching a bit the Vala is really starting to shine for me. As it's a "playful" bike with a shorter chainstay. That's my style of riding and it's similar to my Bronson which I love. For a dh oriented bike, the Bullit seems like the one if I wanted a bike to go fast af down sicking to the trail like glue.

Obviously those are just SC bikes, but there are a host of great brands to choose from. SC has just really taken care of me over the years, so I'm sticking with them.

[Benneke10]

Yukon, if you want big days you will want a full power ebike. I have never heard of anyone saying small motors are &quot;smoother&quot; than big ones generally, but there are certainly some motors that feel better than others at all sizes. The weight comes from the battery, not the motor for the most part, and you can only get a big battery with a full power motor. Other than reliability and quality control improvements, the new DJI system is the first meaningful improvement in ebike tech in 5 years. The Turbo Levo from 2020 will ride very similar to the new ones, and it was lighter at the same power. The most important thing to know, is that all these bikes are advertizing big power, nowadays you see companies saying their bikes have 800w, even 1000w for the DJI. This is just the peak power, all the bikes have a normalized power of 250w and its been that way for a decade. The new bikes are not meaningfully faster than the old ones.

[Shredhead]

I don't know what your riding situation is in Denali. But I'd buy something like this for 4K, before I'd drop 8k on an enduro.

https://quietkat.com/collections/qui.../products/ibex

But I ride everyday year round, because of my dogs.
Plus I'm a 15 minutes pedal to a lift with 3000ft.

[XXX-er]

&quot;&quot; After researching a bit the Vala is really starting to shine for me. As it&#39;s a &quot;playful&quot; bike with a shorter chainstay. That&#39;s my style of riding and it&#39;s similar to my Bronson which I love. For a dh oriented bike, the Bullit seems like the one if I wanted a bike to go fast af down sicking to the trail like glue. Obviously those are just SC bikes, but there are a host of great brands to choose from. SC has just really taken care of me over the years, so I&#39;m sticking with them. &quot;&quot;

I have had a bullit for the last 4 yrs and just switched to the Vala and they are great so is SC

its Shimano that sucks dead goats and could not come up with a new motor, after a week of wanking about my LBS just said to me shimano has no EP8 motors so I sold bullit and got a Vala I really like Vala ifyou wana ride mtn bike you are gona drop close to 10K on a real Eeb

IMO you donot want a bike made of chinesium and anything with a throttle is probably not even legal but great for riding to the senior&#39;s center wearing socks and sandals to play bingo

again Shimano sucks so go Bosch the CX motor is getting a 15NM power upgrade this week which excites me !

[grinch]

Everyone all about the bosch motor system now. Hmmm I remember someone extolling their value 4+ years ago. Also pretty much all carbon frames are made in china
Yukonrider- i'd keep checking YT bikes website. Rumour has it that the new yt decoy mx with the new bosch cx with 800w battery is set to release very soon. Atleast 170 rear travel and mullet. Theyll probably have a full 29 decoy with less travel as well but with a motor ill take the mx with long travel. Itll still be the fastest xc bike you ever had amd you can always have a shorter stroke rear shock for less travel for those special occasions. Decoy will be well specced. Lately all their bikes need nothing swapped unless you have a bar/stem preference. Nothing against Santa Cruz as theyre great bikes but the YT will be 40% cheaper and also great. Ive found YT bikes canada after purchase care to be top notch , amazing actually

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[jackstraw]

I don't know what your riding situation is in Denali. But I'd buy something like this for 4K, before I'd drop 8k on an enduro.

https://quietkat.com/collections/qui.../products/ibex

But I ride everyday year round, because of my dogs.
Plus I'm a 15 minutes pedal to a lift with 3000ft.

That thing is a cargo bike, not a mtn bike. 75lbs is a tank. Definitely perfect for specific situations, but ripping around is not one of them.

[Name Redacted]

QK markets their stuff to hunters who want to get out further and don't really care about weight. I have a buddy that has one with a trailer to help him haul out carcasses and stuff. It definitely works well for that application.

[XXX-er]

I not sure how a internet Eeb is gona be for service but I know how it was buying an Eeb from an out of town LBS and i didnt like that, mayb the internet store is better cuz the motor adds a level of fuckery especialy if you donot trust Shimano and I do not

I know the mechanic who put my Vala togetehr is on a Vala cuz I seen him ride up on it doing practice laps for DH racing so he will be on the upgraded CX next tuesday So I thot about that 15nm upgrade as it pertains to class 1 power creep and fastest Eeb is still gona be speed limited at < 32 kph

the app on my phone tells me all my rides are an average speed of < 13kph and still nobody on an acoustic bike can keep up with me

but more power will be nice I know more better power on the Bosch CX compared to EP8 was noticable and very nice

[Name Redacted]

I put a 1000w bafang on a mukluk I bought off craigslist and called it good like 7 years ago. Still going strong, and it'll do 35mph pretty easy. Not something I really ride on trails much though.

[XXX-er]

yeah 35mph with hand throttle sounds illegal in any case what if it does shit the bed, one of our builders bought a Norco with an EP8 from somewhere to tow a bob trailer full of gear and it dies after < 50 kms.

The motor was warranty but the labor at a different LBS was not so it cost buddy > 400 $ beuz it was not recoverable from Shimano and shimano was not good to deal with

I also had intermittent issues on my Shimano so I bought it with a fuckerd motor and the dealer is 400 kms away

[grinch]

Yt paid the lbs for an update on my original shimano e8000 back in the day when things were still new in the emtb world, then got me a motor in a week after it died 4 months later. That motor after 6 years just rolled over 12000km recently. 1.5ish million vert ft, 1000's of jumps, some snow riding and the occasional shower but generally i time my rides to acoid downpours. Yt sent me free bearings/pivot axles after 1 million vert after i ask although the original ones after inspection still had clean grease. Impressed. Later i bent a shock bolt on a bigger drop and they sent me a new one free. Always quick with replies. Head of warrantee for YT USA gave me his personal number to make sure i got the replacement 6yrs ago. It shipped with a postage paid box to ship the blown motor back. I have no doubt that if i broke anything within warrantee theyd replace it quick and help me out with any frame issue. A+++ service. Shaun at YT bikes is good people. The bike has far surpassed any expectations. Still love it. Bike park, backcountry, xc, commute it does it all. New bosch decoy is going to be sick although i kind of hope it will come with a 600w battery with an extender option so the downtube is slimmer and i can put a triple clamp fork on it. Knowing all that, the unbeatable price, and bosch upgrade i find it hard to invest my money elsewhere

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[XXX-er]

Yeah a week after my EP8 dies my LBS said Shimano cannot get you a motor for love or money period while buddy the LBS in england tells me he can get a motor in 3 days Its obvious to me that Shimano on its own sucks so I donot want to be in a situ where I need to depend on shimano north america

edit the bosch cx motor definatley has more jam than Shimano motor did quieter nicer to use and just works better, the 600W Bosch battery seems to be on par with Shimano 630 W

[grinch]

Yup, i think bosch has more pull and the batteries in test ls ive seen allow you to ride about 30-35% longer. Tests were done in boost/turbo so 600 should be close to 800w w shimano motor. If my bike still had an old bosch motor i could just get it rebuilt. Shimano is the bic pen of motors. Very very limited supply of e8000 motors at thos point. Ive heard its like single digits world wide and ep8 stock is dwindling. I'll prob scrounge up a refurbed ep8 and splice a couple connector wires to my wheel sensor and computer to my motor and go with that when the time comes.
Bosch wins at almost every metric. Power, battery consumption, noise, tuneability, serviceability, parts available, after purchase care world wide and the only metric its behind the shimano is .2 kg motor weight but you can run a smaller battery than shimano so complete system bosch weighs less

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