We guide you through the process of buying an electric mountain
bike, from explaining what they do and don’t do, through to recommending
specific bikes.
Electric mountain bikes
Mountain biking is all about having fun, right? About getting out
there, enjoying the great outdoors, exercising your body and freeing
your mind. So what if we told you there was a type of bike that lets you
ride further, faster, and have even more fun? One that even made you
LOL on the climbs? You’d still have to work for your rewards, but by
assisting your efforts, it allowed you to wring every little drop of
enjoyment out of your rides.
Of course we’re talking about the e-bike, or, as it should be called, the don’t-judge-it-until-you’ve-tried-it-e-bike.
As all our lives get busier, and we increasingly struggle to juggle
work and family pressures, the e-bike is the perfect solution. In just a
few hours you can ride the same route that took you all day. And it
winds back the body clock too; we defy you to ride one and not spend the
whole time giggling like a school kid.
It’s true that the early e-bikes were heavy, ponderous and, once
you’d got over the novelty factor of the motor, hardly engaging to ride.
But the pace of development has been, well, electric, and the latest
models ride and handle every bit as well as their assistance-free
relatives.
With more and more compelling reasons to experience the benefits of
e-bikes, we’ve put together this special issue packed with information
on how to get the most from an e-bike, a guide to the main motors and
batteries and a showcase of the latest models on the market. So read on,
watch the accompanying videos on our YouTube channel and book a test
ride to try one for yourself. We guarantee you’ll be hooked.
If there’s one category in mountain biking that polarizes opinion more than any other it’s ebikes. It’s a
complex debate that charged further because of issues with
land access, trail sustainability and even the legislation governing the
maximum speed of the bikes.
Seeing as you’re reading this, chances are you’re one of a growing
number of riders that have fully embraced the new technology and the
riding possibilities that pedal assist mountain bikes have opened up to
both young and old riders alike.
Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on there’s one thing we
can all agree on and that’s ebikes are a hotbed of technological
development.
Progress is so rapid that in many ways it’s feels like the dawn of
mountain biking once again. Geometry is all over the map, new bands like
Bosch are entering the mix, and MTB household names like Fox,
SRAM and
Shimano are all scrambling to develop bespoke ebike components.
We also have new metrics with which to compare bikes, toque, power and battery life, not just travel,
geometry and weight. It’s an amazing time to be testing bikes and this month we have four of the most exciting ebikes on the market.
Mountain bikers love to moan. If we’re not complaining about the
advancing tide of new standards, then we are bitching about never having
enough time to ride our soon-to-be-out-of-date bikes. Talk about First
World problems!
And with the rapid pace of current tyre and wheel size development,
the discussion about standards is unlikely to abate any time soon.
What if, however, there was a First World solution that enabled you
to ride more? We’re not talking about stretching the space-time
continuum, knocking off early from work or making mountain bike orphans
of your children every weekend… even if the solution is just as socially
unacceptable to some. No, we’re talking about electric mountain bikes!
Power assist motor
With an electric mountain bike (or e-MTB) that gives you assistance
up to 25kph, it’s possible to pack twice as much riding into the same
amount of time. Those five great trails that you normally ride after
work can now be ridden twice. That boring singletrack climb on your
lunchtime loop suddenly becomes the highlight of your day. With the
extra push from the motor it’s easy to double the distance covered, or
do the same ride in half the time.
You’re probably thinking that if you can pack twice as much riding
into the same amount of time, then surely the bikes are going to wear
out twice as fast? The short answer is, yes! And if you’re always riding
the same trails, that means more wear and tear on Mother Nature.
The environmental impact of battery production and increased
electricity consumption can’t be ignored either, but if owning an
electric mountain bike means that you no longer need to drive to the
trails, they could prove to be the greener option.
All of these are legitimate concerns, but they are a topic for
another article. The purpose of this test is to find the best electric
mountain bike, not to debate whether the category is an inspired idea,
or the most evil development in the history of mountain biking.
There is no denying that e-bikes bring a whole new dimension to the
term drivetrain, and with them come new players to the world of mountain
biking. Bosch, Shimano, Brose and Yamaha are vying for pole position in
this burgeoning category.
Our current favorite electric mountain bikes
We’re reviewing e-mountain bikes more and more these days. Every edition of
mbr magazine has an electric bike review or two in there somewhere. Here are our latest favorite ebikes reviewed…
Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay 70
With most ebikes the choice of motor defines aspects of the frame
geometry and to a lesser degree the suspension characteristics of the
bike. Not with new Rock Mountain Altitude Powerplay. With its bespoke
motor Rocky has been able to design an ebike that reflects the ride
quality of a highly evolved 150mm trail bike. With instant power pickup,
extended battery life and streamline proportions it’s not just the
handling of the Rocky that will get you charged up for riding. It’s the
best bike in this test by some margin, but we had an issue with the
motor momentarily cutting and raising questions over it’s reliability.
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Merida EOne-Sixty 990E
Merida has done an amazing job with the EOne-Sixty 900E. It has a
fun, playfully ride quality that few ebikes can match, and the price is
simply unbeatable. It’s also the only sub 50lb bike in this test, and
that’s without a single strand of carbon. It could be even better
though. With a two degree slacker head angle and a little more power
from the Shimano motor the EOne-Sixty would be able to keep up on the
climbs, only to drop the competition on every descent. The biggest issue
though, is actually getting hold of one.
Trek Powerfly 9 LT Plus
Last year, the Trek Powerfly 9 LT was one of the only ebikes with
geometry and handling that came close to a modern enduro bike. For 2018,
Trek has built on that winning formula with new frame. It’s lowered the
battery in the downtube, while adding a stiffer Fox 36 fork, more
powerful SRAM RE brakes and a stronger Bontrager wheelset. All welcome
improvements to a really capable bike. The price has also crept up to
reflect the changes. The biggest transformation however, is that Rocky
Mountain has raised the ebike bar to a new high with the Altitude
Powerplay.
Vitus E-Sommet VR
E-enduro bikes aren’t as different to regular bikes as one might
imagine. All of the fundamentals are the same and by nailing the
geometry and sizing Vitus has produced an amazing e-bike with the
E-Sommet VR.Sure there are a couple of little things we’d probably
change, like the STEPS Di2 mode shifter and rear tyre, but that’s about
it. And given how much cheaper the Vitus is compared to the competition,
you can easily afford to make these changes and even buy a spare
battery. The E-Sommet VR is no golf buggy, but Vitus has it’s certainly
hit a hole in one with this bike.
Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert
Before this test we thought more travel on an e-bike would obviously
be better. After all, with the motor flattening out the climbs, why not
have the extra suspension firepower to smooth out the descents? Sounds
reasonable, doesn’t it? But in the case of the Specialized Turbo Kenevo
Expert, the extra travel and weight make the bike less effective and
less engaging on all but full-on downhill tracks. And if that’s your
bread and butter, the Kenevo could well be the perfect topping. Here in
the UK though, the Vitus proved more versatile, just as capable and way
better value.
Canyon Spectral:ON 8.0
For Canyon’s first e-mtb the Spectal:ON 8.0 hasn’t simply hit the
trail running, it’s power up it in Boost mode. The geometry, sizing and
handling are all on point, and details like the adjustable geometry, odd
wheel sizes, tyre specific rim widths and short cranks make Canyon a
market leader rather than a brand that’s simply playing catch up. With a
Fox 36 Fit4 fork the Spectral:ON 8.0 would probably have won the test,
the more basic Grip damper never having the measure of Canyon’s superb
rear suspension.
Focus SAM2 Pro
With 170mm travel, aggressive angles and Shimano’s superbly
calibrated STEPS motor, the Focus Sam2 is an enduro bike with a built-in
shuttle. With the bolt on TEC pack you really can climb to new heights,
but without it the smaller capacity internal battery means you need to
be ultra economical with your energy use. It’s also frustrating that the
internal battery can’t be removed easily for charging. By far the
biggest frustration with the Jam2 though is that the sizing isn’t very
generous and standover clearance is limited. It’s still a great e-bike,
but when you’re spending this much money, you can afford to be fussy.
Orange Alpine 6 E Factory
The extra grip a 50lb e-bike normally helps to prevent overshooting
corners when on the brakes, and bring pure DH-bike-like fun factor on
the steepest trails. This electric Orange, however, rides more like a
‘standard’ enduro bike with a motor, which could be good or bad,
depending on your expectations and riding style. It’s built tough and
delivers stacks of fun in less time than any regular bike can. Adding a
motor hasn’t upset Orange’s superb geometry.
