Anyone gone over to an e-MTB?

[212swat]

Been looking at mountain bikes, mostly XC (Canyon Exceed, Canyon Lux) but have been reading a lot about the Specialized Turbo Levo Comp lately. Was wondering if anyone has gone electric and what they think.

Edited May 23, 2020 by 212swat

[JRAZZ]

Extremely addictive! Climbs that usually take an hour now take 15 minutes and you're not as tired. It really opens up a lot of areas to explore. I think the most fun aspect of them is that they allow you to climb obstacles and not just descend them. You can session stuff going up as well as down.

I absolutely love E-MTB but for me they have 2 significant drawbacks:

1) They are REALLY expensive. (that Levo is twice the price of the Exceed!)

2) In my neck of the woods almost all trails forbid them

 

If you can afford it and you have places to ride them I say go for it. It's a blast!

[212swat]

33 minutes ago, JRAZZ said:

Extremely addictive! Climbs that usually take an hour now take 15 minutes and you're not as tired. It really opens up a lot of areas to explore. I think the most fun aspect of them is that they allow you to climb obstacles and not just descend them. You can session stuff going up as well as down.

I absolutely love E-MTB but for me they have 2 significant drawbacks:

1) They are REALLY expensive. (that Levo is twice the price of the Exceed!)

2) In my neck of the woods almost all trails forbid them

 

If you can afford it and you have places to ride them I say go for it. It's a blast!

At Mammoth so plenty of climbs, plenty of trails, not interested in bike parks so not aware of any bans on the 100s of miles of trails around here. Money-wise the Levo isn't much more than Exceed or Lux when you go for high-end versions with XX1 drive trains. Wondering if it makes you lazy and just more stuff to break (also does Levo become obsolete in a few years.)

[JRAZZ]

It doesn't make you lazy. You work just as hard you just climb more and go further.

[SunSurfer]

4 hours ago, JRAZZ said:

It doesn't make you lazy. You work just as hard you just climb more and go further.

and welcome to battery range anxiety........

The experience of people I know locally who have electric bikes, road & MTB, is that they use them more than a conventional bike.

 

Edited May 24, 2020 by SunSurfer

[JRAZZ]

12 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

and welcome to battery range anxiety........

I drive an electric car... Second nature to me!

 

[barryj]

Long time Roadie here - I just dropped 6 Large for an Orbea Gain M20i Ltd with di2 Shimano Ultegra Disc   Doesn't even look like an E bike!

Just getting to old and fat and need some assistance to keep up with my former NCAA Div. I Road & Mtb. bike racing son and I still like to do century and endurance rides   

https://contenderbicycles.com/product/2019-orbea-gain-m20i-ltd/

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by barryj

[JRAZZ]

It's all your fault! You made me do it!! This thread! (and the crazy good deals Commencal has on used bikes)

Trail report to follow but in the mean time... It's your fault!

 

On 5/23/2020 at 11:57 AM, 212swat said:

At Mammoth so plenty of climbs, plenty of trails, not interested in bike parks so not aware of any bans on the 100s of miles of trails around here. Money-wise the Levo isn't much more than Exceed or Lux when you go for high-end versions with XX1 drive trains. Wondering if it makes you lazy and just more stuff to break (also does Levo become obsolete in a few years.)

Check out the deals here: https://www.commencalusa.com/PBSCCatalog.asp?ActionID=67174912&PBCATID=3785964

 

 

And I did look at what Canondale, Giant, Scott, Devinci, Haibike, and Canyon have in terms of ebikes. I think for the price you can't beat Commencal but if you are willing to pay around $7k then the Specialized Levo and Santa Cruz Heckler seem to be the top offerings IMHO.

[SunSurfer]

How soon till you lay your hands on it? Looks like a whole heap of fun is coming your way.

 

[212swat]

17 hours ago, JRAZZ said:

It's all your fault! You made me do it!! This thread! (and the crazy good deals Commencal has on used bikes)

Trail report to follow but in the mean time... It's your fault!

 

Check out the deals here: https://www.commencalusa.com/PBSCCatalog.asp?ActionID=67174912&PBCATID=3785964

 

 

And I did look at what Canondale, Giant, Scott, Devinci, Haibike, and Canyon have in terms of ebikes. I think for the price you can't beat Commencal but if you are willing to pay around $7k then the Specialized Levo and Santa Cruz Heckler seem to be the top offerings IMHO.

Pulled the trigger yesterday on Turbo Levo Comp. Got the last M in California it seems, none available anywhere. Amazing game changer. Rode over 3 hours yesterday and can't wait to get back on it this morning. Probably start riding twice a day now.

[JRAZZ]

38 minutes ago, 212swat said:

Pulled the trigger yesterday on Turbo Levo Comp. Got the last M in California it seems, none available anywhere. Amazing game changer. Rode over 3 hours yesterday and can't wait to get back on it this morning. Probably start riding twice a day now.

Awesome looking bike!!! I have not heard a bad word about it. Everyone who has one loves it.

 

5 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

How soon till you lay your hands on it? Looks like a whole heap of fun is coming your way.

Picking it up today.... Excited!

I did a bit of digging around and found that BLM land and State parks allow them. I have a pretty good network of those near me. Beyond that my county said they'll examine opening up more trails to ebikes. It also seems that they are being sold out everywhere. I think people are coming over to the dark (electrified) side...

[Lurch]

I'm more of a flow trail tourer rather than a 'shuttle up for the DH' rider, so other than being able to ride further in an allotted time frame, I am really torn over these - does (almost) double the price & weight deliver double the fun?

Really interested to hear you thoughts @JRAZZ & @212swat after few months use.

[212swat]

13 minutes ago, Lurch said:

I'm more of a flow trail tourer rather than a 'shuttle up for the DH' rider, so other than being able to ride further in an allotted time frame, I am really torn over these - does (almost) double the price & weight deliver double the fun?

Really interested to hear you thoughts @JRAZZ & @212swat after few months use.

Done 3 rides in past 24 hours. It's addictive.

Had the same feelings for the past month. Gave up mountain biking about 10 years ago, too many injuries from single track riding. Decided in April as snow was melting and XC ski season was almost over (took up XC skiing when Mammoth closed on March 14th) that I needed to get back into MTBs. Was never gonna spend that kind of money. Get myself a nice hardtail for less than 3k. Did a bunch of research and kept coming across eMTB reviews. Talked to a few local guys and they were raving about eMTBs. Finally rented one (ended up going toward purchase) and I knew I was buying one within 10 minutes. Go places you could never get to with a regular mtb, go further, ride to trails instead of driving your car to trails.

Still gonna mostly ride multi-track, maybe when I get some skills back I'll ride more technical stuff. Have hardly used Turbo mode, couple of times on 25 degree pitch, I call it Beast Mode. Otherwise, 85 percent of the time I'm in Eco mode, 14 percent in Trail mode, so I'm not using it as a shuttle for DHing.

Twice the fun? Think so.

[JRAZZ]

^^^ I second all of that.

For me also, I live at a relatively high elevation and most of my riding is above 6,000ft. I am also highly anemic which makes climbing really hard. With an ebike it's easier to reach further. But honestly, who am I kidding. It's just more fun! You can look at a step and say "yes, I have the power to climb that!"

These are my impressions from the demo bikes I rode.

 

I went to pick up my bike today. The box is huge! Had to open my back window to fit it! I'll take it on a ride and report!!

 

[Lurch]

1 hour ago, JRAZZ said:

I'll take it on a ride and report!!

 

3 hours ago, 212swat said:

Still gonna mostly ride multi-track, maybe when I get some skills back I'll ride more technical stuff.

Sweet. Also love an honest opinion on how they pedal with flat battery (or zero assist). Thanks!

[scottishsurfer]

I prefer my mountain bikes acoustic vs electric but from riding my friends Focus jam ebike i can see the appeal to many climbs were a breeze and the extra weight made the bike very stable. Though having spent so long riding normal bikes I severly dislike the effect the extra weight has in terms of balance in the air jumping(super rear heavy) it also made the bike pretty docile and less agile in descents which had a tendency to limit line choice, more sledge hammer vs the scalpel that my meta 4x is.

[212swat]

12 hours ago, Lurch said:

 

Sweet. Also love an honest opinion on how they pedal with flat battery (or zero assist). Thanks!

Yes, I use no battery when pedaling downhill, should have mentioned that. Motor assist is limited to 20mph, can go faster on downhills with motor off. Been over 40+mph on downhill pavement so far. As far as zero assist on an uphill, way too heavy, doable for small pitch but no fun. Levo Comp Medium (aluminum) comes in ~49 pounds. Was considering Comp SL but saw a really good vid comparing Comp and Comp SL which basically said that weight didn't matter for Comp and SL you wanted to get as light as possible (lighter SL versions are stupid expensive.)

 

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by 212swat

[JRAZZ]

14 hours ago, Lurch said:

Also love an honest opinion on how they pedal with flat battery (or zero assist). Thanks!

Actually, like a normal bike. I was really surprised. The motor disconnects and you are left with a big, heavy, enduro bike. It goes downhill amazingly well and the flats are definitely manageable. Like @212swat said, it's really heavy on the uphill but then again, enduros are not known for being super lightweight either . 

 

3 hours ago, scottishsurfer said:

scalpel that my meta 4x is.

Funny, mine's a meta too

Definitely a sledgehammer though!

 

So yeah, that's how it rides. It's a big, heavy enduro bike. Super plush and definitely erases the trail. It's an interesting contrast to my hardtail which is very lively and playful. This thing can go very fast (way faster than I can manage). I am surprised though that you don't feel the weight as much as I thought. I rode other enduro bikes (Specialized Enduro, Meta v4) and this one feels very comparable. I rode a Devinci DC ebike a year ago and that thing felt like a tanker! This one is surprisingly easy to maneuver in tight spots and bounce off of stuff on the side of the trail. The only time I felt the weight was when I tried to track stand/jump to reposition and when I tried to pick up the wheel. 

The best thing is the climbing. I normally die after 500 ft of climbing. Like really. I have to stop and rest. This time I did 1,500ft in a single go and was breathing way better at the top. It just feels easier. Best of all you have the power to climb stuff. You can power over steps and tech sections. Not easily but it's actually doable. I spent time sessioning a couple of steps because it was fun! 

I'm not giving up my hardtail but I can see that I will be riding this way more! Thank you @212swat for starting this thread! It got me thinking and researching. I'm incredibly happy you brought this up!

[SunSurfer]

 

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by SunSurfer

[JRAZZ]

 That's exactly my bike!

 

I totally agree. Especially about the pedal strikes! Also, being able to reach places you didn't go before. Case in point, got out early in the morning and made it up a trail I've never been up before. I've tried but the climb was too much for me. This time I got up and could still breath! On the downhill the bike was stable and planted. In reality it's way more bike than I would ever be able to utilize. If it could talk it would tell me it was bored . I mean it just rolled over steps and rock gardens as though they were not there.

In the end I still had a great workout but I made it up a climb I could not complete before and in the end rode for twice as far as I usually do. This thing is just awesome!

I do want to make a point though. I hate in the video above how he keeps referencing disabled people. Ebikes are, of course, great for those with disabilities but don't pigeonhole them to the disabled crowd! They are awesome for everyone! They got me out, I'm having more fun and going higher and longer.

In the picture: near the top of the climb. This is just beautiful!

 

P.S. I also found out that riding with a mask is important. It keeps the bugs out of your mouth!

[JRAZZ]

So yesterday I learned that an ebike makes going on green trails fun because you can go fast. Kinda like downhill. However I also learned that an ebike will make you crash hard on a green run. Kinda like a downhill.

I caught my pedal on a ninja rock. Bike is OK and I only needed 10 stitches. Pedal took most of the force. In the picture the left spindle vs the right spindle. One of these is not like the other!

 

[SunSurfer]

Line choice can never be ignored, no matter what bike you're riding. A painful way to learn about pedal strike and the need to factor pedal position into that line choice.
Glad to read you're not too badly injured. Hope the stitches aren't in too inconvenient/embarasssing a place and that you heal quickly & cleanly.
My hardtail and quads got a 2+hr 800+metre climb workout today, but I'm being a little conservative with Mt Hutt already open for winter and my trip to the snow just over 7 weeks away.
 

[Carvin' Marvin]

On 5/29/2020 at 9:37 AM, JRAZZ said:

I did a bit of digging around and found that BLM land and State parks allow them. I have a pretty good network of those near me. Beyond that my county said they'll examine opening up more trails to ebikes. It also seems that they are being sold out everywhere. I think people are coming over to the dark (electrified) side...

J, the Eagle trail system allows them.  Some of the best designed trails in the state.  If you make your way out here drop me a line.

If y'all think these Ebikes are fun uphill you should try a real dirt bike and raise some hell like a real hooligan.

[JRAZZ]

6 hours ago, Carvin' Marvin said:

If y'all think these Ebikes are fun uphill you should try a real dirt bike and raise some hell like a real hooligan.

I just scraped half my skin off with just an ebike... you trying to kill me?

 

I totally want to explore that area. I still need to improve my skills though. Some of those trails scare me!

[lowrider]

On 6/14/2020 at 5:09 AM, SunSurfer said:

Line choice can never be ignored, no matter what bike you're riding. A painful way to learn about pedal strike and the need to factor pedal position into that line choice.
Glad to read you're not too badly injured. Hope the stitches aren't in too inconvenient/embarasssing a place and that you heal quickly & cleanly.
My hardtail and quads got a 2+hr 800+metre climb workout today, but I'm being a little conservative with Mt Hutt already open for winter and my trip to the snow just over 7 weeks away.
 

You had to mention Hutt.