E-MTB recomendations

[Hitchington]

I would like to buy an E-MTB
I have developed osteoarthritis in my knees (from a RTC 15 years ago) and am finding step climbs impossible
I was on holiday in Wales this year and hired a MTB at Elan Valley. I tried to tackle "Puke Hill" but had to stop 1/3 of the way up, in pain, and knackered
10 minutes later a middle aged couple came cruising up the hill, both on nice looking E mountain bikes (Specialized i think)
We had a quick chat about tackling the "Sunken Road" (a bit further on) and then they left, tackling the rest of the very steep hill with ease

Ever since then I've had 'E-MTBs' on my mind
I have looked on tinternet for advice, reviews and just to understand how they work
So I'm asking the CC community: -

• Recommend me a mid-range/price (£2-3000) E-MTB
• Best place to purchase one (aftersales, showroom, test ride etc.)
• Must have a good range, e.g. out for 5-6 hours up and down long mountain trails/bridleways
• Or any E-MTBs with extended range, e.g. for overnight bike packing/wild camping. Do they exist?

I have never ridden any E-bike, let alone E-MTB so is there anything that I must know (good/bad, pros/cons)

Thanks in advance

 

[vickster]

Sigma did have a e-bike shop in Kingston, now selling out of their main Hampton Wick branch, they’ll know what they’re talking about
Ditto Balfes sell lots of e-bikes (mainly Trek/Spesh) but again are knowledgeable with branches around London

https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/mountain-biking/bikes/electric-bikes/electric-hardtail-mountain-bikes

Could try a Giant store too, depending on where in London you are

Weight must be one of the biggest issues. And theft, make sure it’s fully insured and you have a big f-off lock or two!

 

[bonzobanana]

Lots of things to consider when buying a e-mountain bike. Do you even need a e-mountain bike are you taking it off-road to the point where you need suspension etc. A e-mountain bike with front and rear suspension often has quite frequent service intervals i.e. 30, 50 or 100hrs of riding where the suspension needs to be serviced.

A very good offer was on hotukdeals recently for £2k Bergemont ebike normally about £4.5k, that offer has been going a while but there still seems to be stock. Someone mentioned the Bergemont showroom in Germany has been closed down but the ebike is equipped with a Bosch motor so its proprietary but with a lot of support (albeit at a high price).

https://www.damianharriscycles.co.u...pert-Electric-Full-Suspension-Mountain-Bike-2

It was also mentioned other retailers were selling this ebike at similar prices so worth looking around if interested in this model.

We are in the season of heavy discounting on bikes after summer and where the new 2025 range is released and add to that generally bike sales have been low so there is some decent discounting about.

Also consider fat ebikes, they don't need suspension to provide a comfortable ride and have amazing grip on loose services and cope with potholes well. They are typically hub motor based but the wider hubs allows for more copper in the motors so can have good torque plus they extend the lifespan of the drivetrain as hub motors work parallel to the drivetrain not through it. So a typical fat e-bike can be a lot lower maintenance and more reliable and still deliver great climbing performance.

5-6hrs use out of a battery means on a 600Wh battery you are only using 100Wh per hour or on average 100W, so to get that sort of range you need to have a torque sensor which only assists as when you are working harder and will need to be set to a low assist level too. Alternatively you can use a throttle and use it sparingly but legal use of a throttle gets more complicated. Both e-mountain bikes with suspension and fat e-bikes are heavy so can be more difficult to ride when the battery is fully discharged. Normally you can ride 10-15 miles in an hour so 6 hours riding might require up to 90 Miles range.

This ebike springs to mind;

https://uk.fiido.com/products/fiido...bike-with-ul-certified?variant=47460451713325

The Fiido legality is not as clear cut as the Bergamont though. European ebikes are typically rated to 250W even when they are delivering close to 1000W of power, the Fiido could be less powerful but may not be legal to use in the UK. It's a can of worms due to the moronic EU legislation regarding ebikes which makes zero sense.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As far as support goes then I would suggest going to a decent LBS that sells them and has a proper service setup with the manufacturer

especially if you already know them

it is better to deal with a local person rather than trying to liaise with some remote organisation

 

[CXRAndy]

I would like to buy an E-MTB
I have developed osteoarthritis in my knees (from a RTC 15 years ago) and am finding step climbs impossible
I was on holiday in Wales this year and hired a MTB at Elan Valley. I tried to tackle "Puke Hill" but had to stop 1/3 of the way up, in pain, and knackered
10 minutes later a middle aged couple came cruising up the hill, both on nice looking E mountain bikes (Specialized i think)
We had a quick chat about tackling the "Sunken Road" (a bit further on) and then they left, tackling the rest of the very steep hill with ease

Ever since then I've had 'E-MTBs' on my mind
I have looked on tinternet for advice, reviews and just to understand how they work
So I'm asking the CC community: -

• Recommend me a mid-range/price (£2-3000) E-MTB
• Best place to purchase one (aftersales, showroom, test ride etc.)
• Must have a good range, e.g. out for 5-6 hours up and down long mountain trails/bridleways
• Or any E-MTBs with extended range, e.g. for overnight bike packing/wild camping. Do they exist?

I have never ridden any E-bike, let alone E-MTB so is there anything that I must know (good/bad, pros/cons)

Thanks in advance

If you want extended time out riding and touring capable, then Stromer or Riese Mueller.

Sit down for the price double your budget as the usual starting price.

That's why I went Chinese bought a Frey CC with two batteries-still not cheap but way than half price compared to German/Swiss brands

 

[fossyant]

Try and buy from an lbs. Mainly for the support for the motor and a person to deal with.

 

[Dadam]

No experience of any other but my Cube Reaction is ace!

 

[Hitchington]

Sigma did have a e-bike shop in Kingston, now selling out of their main Hampton Wick branch, they’ll know what they’re talking about
Ditto Balfes sell lots of e-bikes (mainly Trek/Spesh) but again are knowledgeable with branches around London

https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/mountain-biking/bikes/electric-bikes/electric-hardtail-mountain-bikes

Could try a Giant store too, depending on where in London you are

Weight must be one of the biggest issues. And theft, make sure it’s fully insured and you have a big f-off lock or two!

This is great, thank you.

I will be giving Balfes a visit