Best FS XC/Trail eMTB under 10k? Levo, Kenevo, Rail, Haibikes (too many models to narrow down)

[Gee_Whiz]

I came across this vide of a guy shredding a rough looking trail on a Trek Rail 9.9 and it made me curious as to what would be considered the best Full Suspension Trail bike currently?

Also, when would a heavier bike be more ideal than a lighter carbon bike? or a lighter motor like the Levo SL vs a torquey motor like those on the Haibikes or Rails?

 

[AHicks]

Looking for a "BEST" will have you pulling you hair out pretty quickly. Suggest you try to narrow down YOUR best choices using available tire sizes, motor manfs, suspension geometry, customer service availability, battery sizes, etc.

Avoid looking at the whole picture in preference to chopping your choice up into smaller more digestible pieces.

There is no "Best", only what suits YOUR mission best....

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You watch the Electric Mountain Bike Network videos and see what people are riding there. It is also good to visit www.emtbforums.com and just read what people there are riding.

You mentioned Levo and Kenevo in a single sentence. It is not how it works. Here are classes of MTBs in the increasing order of riding difficulty:

• Cross Country (XC)
• Trail (that would be Levo)
• All-Mountain/Enduro (that would be Kenevo)
• Downhill (e-MTBs are rare for this segment, as you basically need to assistance to ride downhill only).

Carbon fibre e-MTBs are only symbolically more lightweight than the alloy ones. Their virtue is they dampen the vibration extremely well. On the other hand, CF is very expensive, brittle and could be inadvertently damaged by a stupid incident.

Levo SL is a ride for a fit, experienced, and self-aware MTBer. @PDoz could say a lot as he rides a Levo SL in addition to full power e-MTBs.

 

[Gee_Whiz]

***

You came to thread on a forum discussing e-bikes to post that nonsense?

 

[Gee_Whiz]

You watch the Electric Mountain Bike Network videos and see what people are riding there. It is also good to visit www.emtbforums.com and just read what people there are riding.

You mentioned Levo and Kenevo in a single sentence. It is not how it works. Here are classes of MTBs in the increasing order of riding difficulty:

• Cross Country (XC)
• Trail (that would be Levo)
• All-Mountain/Enduro (that would be Kenevo)
• Downhill (e-MTBs are rare for this segment, as you basically need to assistance to ride downhill only).

Carbon fibre e-MTBs are only symbolically more lightweight than the alloy ones. Their virtue is they dampen the vibration extremely well. On the other hand, CF is very expensive, brittle and could be inadvertently damaged by a stupid incident.

Levo SL is a ride for a fit, experienced, and self-aware MTBer. @PDoz could say a lot as he rides a Levo SL in addition to full power e-MTBs.

You are always extremely helpful and I appreciate that. Your post helped me understand the questions to ask on this type of bike, and also what to search for to help narrow down and focus options in this space. Thank you much for the detailed comparison info!

 

[Gee_Whiz]

Looking for a "BEST" will have you pulling you hair out pretty quickly. Suggest you try to narrow down YOUR best choices using available tire sizes, motor manfs, suspension geometry, customer service availability, battery sizes, etc.

Avoid looking at the whole picture in preference to chopping your choice up into smaller more digestible pieces.

There is no "Best", only what suits YOUR mission best....

This makes; I didnt know which bikes, correlate best to which and for what purpose, so I figured by searching whatever forum consensus felt were best, i'd be able to cross compare and see differences and so forth.

 

[Nomad]

I came across this vide of a guy shredding a rough looking trail on a Trek Rail 9.9 and it made me curious as to what would be considered the best Full Suspension Trail bike currently?

Also, when would a heavier bike be more ideal than a lighter carbon bike? or a lighter motor like the Levo SL vs a torquey motor like those on the Haibikes or Rails?

A sub question should be should bikes like the kenevo be on this list because of what they are?

 

[Gee_Whiz]

A sub question should be should bikes like the kenevo be on this list because of what they are?

After reading Stefan Mikes post, no; but when youre searching XC bikes, the Levo and Kenevo come up together often and its difficult to differentiate between the two use cases

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Typically, XC bikes have no rear suspension, and the suspension fork travel is around 100-120 mm. If you are looking to Specialized, a Tero is a nice example (I would invest in the 5.0 were I you). For instance, Giant Fathom E+ is an XC e-bike. Just for your orientation.

 

[Nomad]

After reading Stefan Mikes post, no; but when youre searching XC bikes, the Levo and Kenevo come up together often and its difficult to differentiate between the two use cases

My thoughts were more on the lines of it kinda can be but.... would it be in the list of the best for the discipline. I think not.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Back from Specialized Brand Store.

A Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon. I would not choose it for myself as my legs are too weak and would not improve. (A lightweight low power Trail e-MTB).

Turbo Levo Expert Carbon. A full power Trail e-MTB.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

At my age (64), the only thing I shred is cheese when making a nice garden salad for lunch or dinner. But I do have opinions: like Carbon is a dumb idea for a hobby sport that involves the risk of dumping that expensive bike onto some rocks, or shock-loading frame tube connections when doing some jumps while "shredding" which results in some very expensive frame cracking. Real Life experience: Some near 30 years ago, before setting out on a ride with my old Trek 9000 (fitted with some expensive carbon spoke wheels); I leaned the bike on some equipment on the main buoy deck of the CG buoy tender I was working on. Yada yada yada, wind blew the bike over, expensive wheel hits a shackle welded onto the deck, shattering it and a few weeks later and 400 dollars in 1995 dollars....I had a new wheel!

Haibike is taking your decision out of the question by tanking out of the US market. The few 27.5 mtb models out there only have the lower Yamaha PW SE motor with the smallish 500wh battery. And I'm a big fan of the H-Bike.....not a fan of the current USA ownership. Used H-Bikes are all over Ebay and Craigslist, All Mountain and NDuro models and I personally would not hesitate in seeking one of them out as they are all built well with the best Bosch or Yamaha drive systems.

Despite @Stefan Mikes love for the Big S, they are over the top expensive. But they do enjoy a big fanbase.

Trek would be a good pick to consider as that big and wide US dealer network covers all 50 states and they seem to back their product after the sale.

Giant too is worthy of a look. Big network in the US. I have noted a bit more problems popping up on this forum regards to the Yamaha/Giant edrive system. I do recommend you read up on these brand-specific bikes before making a decision. An informed customer is the best customer.

Another one to consider is the Yamaha brand with their newish YDX Moro lineup. Or is that YPJ Moro? I don't know, they use too many Y's for my liking and I am easily confused these days.

Good luck and let us know what you come up with. Be careful of Euro-centric forums or youtube videos. Their models may not jive with what we get here in the US and they are already downgraded to a 15mph top speed with motor assist......

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Their models may not jive with what we get here in the US and they are already downgraded to a 15mph top speed with motor assist......

All big brands selling their e-MTBs to North America have them at 20 mph/32 km/h limit.

Despite @Stefan Mikes love for the Big S, they are over the top expensive. But they do enjoy a big fanbase.

Yes, you pay a lot, and you get excellent service and warranty in return. As I say, Levo is the reference e-MTB.

Trek would be a good pick to consider as that big and wide US dealer network covers all 50 states and they seem to back their product after the sale.

Agreed. I'm just not in love with Bosch. Where's the Bosch Smart System?

Giant too is worthy of a look. Big network in the US. I have noted a bit more problems popping up on this forum regards to the Yamaha/Giant edrive system. I do recommend you read up on these brand-specific bikes before making a decision. An informed customer is the best customer.

Giant provides quality e-MTBs at affordable price. I know because I owned one. On the hardware side, Giant e-MTBs are great. They only suffer on the Ride Control app side...

 

[fooferdoggie]

Actually anymore Carbon is extreme strong and durable. it will often take more punishment then aluminum.

 

[ruffruff]

If you just do surface research you will only get the top three, four bike manufacturers. There are a lot of excellent bikes out their not made by the top marketed bike manufacturers.
Norco, Orbea, Canyon, YT, Bulls just to name a few.

I'm 62, ride a carbon eMtb and I have no fear of breaking the frame. I would not let a carbon frame be a deal breaker.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I would not let a carbon frame be a deal breaker.

Ya, you'll just allow the carbon frame be a breaker... (a joke!)
On a serious note: you need a brand that will repair your e-bike and will handle the warranty. I doubt Canyon would do it, for instance.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Actually anymore Carbon is extreme strong and durable. it will often take more punishment then aluminum.

Steve: How many carbon fibre e-bikes do you own?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Steve: How many carbon fibre e-bikes do you own?

10 and you?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

10 and you?

None. I'm too poor to break them.

 

[Gee_Whiz]

Actually, after doing some research based on the insights posted here, I think im looking for the best cost:components:battery size ratio on a Trail bike under 10k.

I think alloy or aluminum would be preferential, but carbon seems to be pretty prevalent on the higher end bikes; the issue seems to be, all of the better bikes are strictly carbon, while the alloy or aluminim versions usually have older software, a compromise in components or battery wattage etc. 99Spokes is a nice site that I came across that compares similar styles bikes and simplifies the differences though.

Right now it seems the Levo Comp alloy would be towards the top, or the Rail 9.8 XT Carbon (shimano version). Next tier would be the Haibike AlllMtn5 (alloy) and the Cannondale Moterra Neo Carbon 1or2 and I do like the Haibikes as well as @Mike TowpathTraveler mentioned, but there are SO many options from them, and I would have to source those from eBay.