Best eMTBs Between $2k-$4k?

lightrider

New Member
Region
USA
Hi all,

I recently joined EBR and have been soaking up the wonderful information shared here. I'm looking to get an eMTB primarily for trail riding (ideally FS but open to hardtail depending on the price point) and am looking for recommendations. A couple of popular options I'm seeing:

1. http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...s-hal-eboost-m600-electric-mountain-bikes.htm ($3k)

2. https://lunacycle.com/x1-enduro-ebike/ ($3,650 base - $4,150 with ludicrous and silent gear, which I'm not sure of if they are a must)

My main goals are to:

1. Enjoy the beautiful scenery around the SF Bay Area
2. Get some great exercise
3. Learn and develop my skills to become a technically capable rider

One other consideration is that I'd like to blend in with other bikes as much as possible. I understand part of that depends on my riding style when others are present, but hidden batteries, wiring and minimal motor noise would be ideal.

Thanks very much!
 
I am very new to EMTB, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I never rode full suspension or even hardtail before March or so.

However, I am now a big fan of Motobecane here, I have the bottom-of-the-line ULTRA eAdventure full suspension and I'm having a blast with it! I've owned it only 400 miles, but I've had zero problems so far. The HAL frames are great-- again, I have little basis for comparison, but the welding, fit and finish are outstanding, and the balance and handling of the ULTRA eAdventure are stunning. It's faster and more stable going downhill than any other bike I've ridden of any kind. That ULTRA is underpowered for sure-- I'm doing 3,600 feet of climbing in 27 miles, and at 64 years old, the 40 Nm power plant provides only basic assistance, so that's a serious workout for me. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd be taking rides this long or doing this much vertical when I bought the bike, and part of the idea was to get into great physical condition, so I'm a very happy camper.

The eboost M600 will have a lot more power, but I don't know a lot about some of the components. With Bafang, and the M600 in particular, I would do some research on that particular motor. You can start with this thread:


Mostly, the complaints seem to be tunability and noise, though the general impression seems to be positive. But you should absolutely do a deep dive into reviews for this particular motor to make sure it's what you are looking for, and research the cycle computer as well.

Beyond that, my other concern would be that the eboost M600 is class III, which means that generally, it is generally not allowed on trails in California. However, this is a rapidly evolving area of law. The other issue is, are rangers or LEOs actually checking? My hunch is that they are not now, but they very well may in the future, which is why I went with a Class I bike.

The thread above also has some notes about Luna's implementation of the M600 having some issues, though I don't know if the Enduro X1 uses that motor, or if Luna's issues have been resolved. Don't know anything about the company.

I wouldn't worry too much about about fitting in with other bikes, but I'm an old punk, so that's just how I roll. My bike looks like an e-bike, it has a huge battery sitting on the down-tube, and my experience is, other riders either accept you or they don't; you can't predict what preconceived attitude they will or won't bring to the trail or the road. I ran into some riders on high-end e-bikes just earlier this week on the trail, and while I wouldn't say they were snobby, they weren't particularly friendly-- an acoustic MTB rider on the same trail was actually much more welcoming, and I've had roadies give me a big thumbs up as well.

The other issue is, make sure you have a local bike shop (LBS) that will service the M600 specifically. I'm lucky-- my LBS doesn't sell Shimano motors, but they are Shimano dealers. (They would probably send the motor out for work, but they'd handle it.) Curiously, they didn't tell me this until I'd spent about $1,000 there on two different bikes. I've only done upgrades so far, have not had to have any service done, but see if you can get a straight answer. An LBS may try to hard-sell you on their own bikes, and you can't blame them for that, but that may not mean that they won't service other eBikes. My approach was to be honest, and I just said, "Look, I'm probably not going to buy a bike from you, but if we can work together, I probably will be spending some money here, and I want to develop a good relationship with a store for parts, upgrades and service. What can you do for me?"

Best of luck, and please let us know how it goes! There's not a Motobecane forum here, though there should be!
 
I am very new to EMTB, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I never rode full suspension or even hardtail before March or so.

However, I am now a big fan of Motobecane here, I have the bottom-of-the-line ULTRA eAdventure full suspension and I'm having a blast with it! I've owned it only 400 miles, but I've had zero problems so far. The HAL frames are great-- again, I have little basis for comparison, but the welding, fit and finish are outstanding, and the balance and handling of the ULTRA eAdventure are stunning. It's faster and more stable going downhill than any other bike I've ridden of any kind. That ULTRA is underpowered for sure-- I'm doing 3,600 feet of climbing in 27 miles, and at 64 years old, the 40 Nm power plant provides only basic assistance, so that's a serious workout for me. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd be taking rides this long or doing this much vertical when I bought the bike, and part of the idea was to get into great physical condition, so I'm a very happy camper.

The eboost M600 will have a lot more power, but I don't know a lot about some of the components. With Bafang, and the M600 in particular, I would do some research on that particular motor. You can start with this thread:


Mostly, the complaints seem to be tunability and noise, though the general impression seems to be positive. But you should absolutely do a deep dive into reviews for this particular motor to make sure it's what you are looking for, and research the cycle computer as well.

Beyond that, my other concern would be that the eboost M600 is class III, which means that generally, it is generally not allowed on trails in California. However, this is a rapidly evolving area of law. The other issue is, are rangers or LEOs actually checking? My hunch is that they are not now, but they very well may in the future, which is why I went with a Class I bike.

The thread above also has some notes about Luna's implementation of the M600 having some issues, though I don't know if the Enduro X1 uses that motor, or if Luna's issues have been resolved. Don't know anything about the company.

I wouldn't worry too much about about fitting in with other bikes, but I'm an old punk, so that's just how I roll. My bike looks like an e-bike, it has a huge battery sitting on the down-tube, and my experience is, other riders either accept you or they don't; you can't predict what preconceived attitude they will or won't bring to the trail or the road. I ran into some riders on high-end e-bikes just earlier this week on the trail, and while I wouldn't say they were snobby, they weren't particularly friendly-- an acoustic MTB rider on the same trail was actually much more welcoming, and I've had roadies give me a big thumbs up as well.

The other issue is, make sure you have a local bike shop (LBS) that will service the M600 specifically. I'm lucky-- my LBS doesn't sell Shimano motors, but they are Shimano dealers. (They would probably send the motor out for work, but they'd handle it.) Curiously, they didn't tell me this until I'd spent about $1,000 there on two different bikes. I've only done upgrades so far, have not had to have any service done, but see if you can get a straight answer. An LBS may try to hard-sell you on their own bikes, and you can't blame them for that, but that may not mean that they won't service other eBikes. My approach was to be honest, and I just said, "Look, I'm probably not going to buy a bike from you, but if we can work together, I probably will be spending some money here, and I want to develop a good relationship with a store for parts, upgrades and service. What can you do for me?"

Best of luck, and please let us know how it goes! There's not a Motobecane forum here, though there should be!
Thank you! And the ULTRA looks great as well, especially given the $2k price point. The fact that the motor is more reliable and quieter also makes it very appealing.

Also, what are your thoughts on Surface 604 Shred and Magnum Mi6?
 
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Yeah, price was definitely a factor-- though I did put another $250 into the bike by going tubeless (that includes labor) and getting a carbon fiber saddle. Mainly the new tires roll faster, but I also dropped the weight from 49 pounds and change to 46 pounds and change. (Some folks hear have hinted I can drop another two pounds or so with more mods, and I'll probably wind up doing that.)

For my longer rides, I really weight-weenie with gear, too-- bring just an Allen wrench kit, a tube of fix-a-flat, and microfiber sweatshirt in an under-seat bag, point-and-shoot camera and phone on my belt, knife in my pocket, and 12 ounces of water (not really enough, I need a fix for that.)

With either of your choices, you won't have to worry about any of that!
 
Ah, I really don't know much about Bulls. 300 miles seems like a lot for a floor model-- when I test drove a bike at my LBS, they were very adamant that I not travel much further than 1/4 mile or so. There have also been sporadic reports of folks having difficulty with floor models.

Maybe someone else can weigh in on the brand, model and price.
 
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