eMTB Options For 2024
- Thread starter Browneye
- Start date
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Made my day!
Browneye
Well-Known Member
We seem to have regional blocks on commencal sites so I can't check the specs on the bikes you linked, but just a couple of points.
re suspension - it's not so much about fox vs rockshox , more about how far up their range and how suitable for intended usage. You can't even rely on, eg, fork diameter now with some narrower forks being stiffer than some wider forks. As an example, my epro has fox 34 ebike performance 150 mm and they have better compliance / less flex than my daughters fox 36 float 150 mm . It gets even more complex when companies have the buying power of giant and can order their own dampening characteristics or a variance that nobody else can buy .
Just thinking out loud now, but for your first emtb purchase there is an argument for buying something well known with at least a small chance of having second hand value. How much that is worth is hard to decide, but unless you are sure that you can live with compromise , the cost of eventual upgrade becomes relevant. Having said that, I have no idea what 1 year old emtb's sell for in the states ?
re suspension - it's not so much about fox vs rockshox , more about how far up their range and how suitable for intended usage. You can't even rely on, eg, fork diameter now with some narrower forks being stiffer than some wider forks. As an example, my epro has fox 34 ebike performance 150 mm and they have better compliance / less flex than my daughters fox 36 float 150 mm . It gets even more complex when companies have the buying power of giant and can order their own dampening characteristics or a variance that nobody else can buy .
Just thinking out loud now, but for your first emtb purchase there is an argument for buying something well known with at least a small chance of having second hand value. How much that is worth is hard to decide, but unless you are sure that you can live with compromise , the cost of eventual upgrade becomes relevant. Having said that, I have no idea what 1 year old emtb's sell for in the states ?
Bill, are those photos from a plantation? There is something unnatural looking about the terrain, but it might just be I'm used to a more rugged aesthetic.
There is one mtb around here that's built in a pine plantation and it's been a huge commercial success - right on the edge of a tourist town ( bright, Victoria Australia) , the trails are mostly machine cut fliw type - so fast but just a bit predictable.I find that after a couple of days of enjoying the speed, my soul starts craving for variety.
There is one mtb around here that's built in a pine plantation and it's been a huge commercial success - right on the edge of a tourist town ( bright, Victoria Australia) , the trails are mostly machine cut fliw type - so fast but just a bit predictable.I find that after a couple of days of enjoying the speed, my soul starts craving for variety.
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I guess I'd drawn more to rocky terrain? Not as forgiving, and definitely not as predictable, but it might explain my preference for quick steering / less flexible 27.5's ? It's interesting, though, these pictures were all my daughter on intermediate tracks with the old optic. Now she has the scott genius and with the 29 wheels she's looking for harder tracks ( and I'm getting nervous on my 27.5's)
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All local places near me, and by that I mean up to hour drive, are State/County owned Parks or State/County owned forested land. The trails are a result of many years local mtb's pleading their case.
No plantations, but like any valuable timber areas have been logged at some point. Some of the land still is to local loggers.
A lot of the trails traverse ravines and these areas tend have a lot of Hemlock and other conifers and have dense tree crown cover. There are plenty of hardwood trails also. The biggest complex of trails is adjacent to a ski area, also the furthest from me, that offers the best I can find close by. Map below:
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Yup, ski areas make for great mtb riding in summer. All the resorts around here understand this and it's helped keep a barely viable industry running. They typically run 1/2 chairlifts and shuttle services with busses towing trailers back up the mountain. Do the maths on the bikes behind this rig.( all emtb)
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That is 29-r terrain!
I wouldn't argue with you over it that's for sure. I tried to sell myself
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Congrats on the new bike... enjoy the ride!
Now we need details... it felt like we joined you on the hunt.
Now we need details... it felt like we joined you on the hunt.
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Nice choice, giant 1/2 is a sweet spot between cost and components - the 3's are let down by budget constraints and 0's arguably get spec more suitable for boutique brands. Shimano 11 sp cassettes will be cheaper to replace than sram 12 and offer more than enough range, you'll be happy with that bike
Browneye
Well-Known Member
Okay, finally got home, got some dinner, bike is in the garage. Whoot!
Thank you everyone for so much input and ideas, opinions. I got a pretty quick education on these things, so when we wandered into this little bike shop out at the beach, and they only had one eMTB - this leftover '19 Trance E+2, it seemed too good to be true. I did not realize there was such a model. I did a quick search for reviews and comment on my smartphone, and sure enough, this model was the middle line for 2019, and outstanding reviews on it. The sales guy immediately said they would drop the price as a close-out, $4099 out the door with a pedal set and sales tax, all in. That's quite a savings from similarly styled bikes we've been looking at here, and just a tad more than the mail-order ones.
I mulled it for a bit, trying to figure out how I would pay for it - we have some $$ hanging around but not that much, but plenty of credit card limit. Wife said 'just get it if you want it'. I took a quick parking lot demo and wow, it's really great. I was thinking that I really wanted the updates that you get on the 2020 E+1, but in the end I decided to enjoy the savings.
I've seen enough of these things to realize what I was looking at - Fox 36 fork, Shimano middle-line 11spd gears, a nice dropper seat, and the familiar Yamaha PW-X drive. I really did want a Yamaha drive - I know what they are, I like them, and they seem to be bulletproof. I guess these Maxis Minion and Rekon tires are pretty good too. So not a lot of upgrades needed, just go out and have some fun with it. I thought if I didn't jump on it someone else would, although these bikes don't seem to sell too fast - not a lot of buyers walking around ready to drop four grand on a bike. These are all sold out on the Giant factory website, so kind of a last-chance deal.
I just LOVE the blue and black color, with lots of blue trim on the forks and wheels, it's really sharp.
I did notice it had the non-straight pull spoke hubs, not like the E+1, but they look the part and I'm not jumping this one anyway, I think I'll be okay. The rear wheel has the riveted spoke holes. They are 35mm wide Giant-brand rims which are a plus for the 2.6 wide tires. Seems the DT Swiss are all the rage, but surely more money. It comes with the kit to convert the tires to tubeless.
This is obviously a price-point offering, but I think adequate for the most part for what I'll do with one.
Thanks! I thought so. We hadn't talked about this one so it was a surprise to me when I saw it, I didn't even know it existed. It turns out for 2020 you can get the +1 or the +3 here in the US - and yes, exactly what you said here, it's right in the middle. I was going to go with the +1, but this was over a thousand less, and looked good, so done deal.
I need a suspension pump and some knee and elbow guards. Can't wait to try it out.
@FlatSix911 - thanks for the PDF spec sheet - very helpful!
Thank you everyone for so much input and ideas, opinions. I got a pretty quick education on these things, so when we wandered into this little bike shop out at the beach, and they only had one eMTB - this leftover '19 Trance E+2, it seemed too good to be true. I did not realize there was such a model. I did a quick search for reviews and comment on my smartphone, and sure enough, this model was the middle line for 2019, and outstanding reviews on it. The sales guy immediately said they would drop the price as a close-out, $4099 out the door with a pedal set and sales tax, all in. That's quite a savings from similarly styled bikes we've been looking at here, and just a tad more than the mail-order ones.
I mulled it for a bit, trying to figure out how I would pay for it - we have some $$ hanging around but not that much, but plenty of credit card limit. Wife said 'just get it if you want it'. I took a quick parking lot demo and wow, it's really great. I was thinking that I really wanted the updates that you get on the 2020 E+1, but in the end I decided to enjoy the savings.
I've seen enough of these things to realize what I was looking at - Fox 36 fork, Shimano middle-line 11spd gears, a nice dropper seat, and the familiar Yamaha PW-X drive. I really did want a Yamaha drive - I know what they are, I like them, and they seem to be bulletproof. I guess these Maxis Minion and Rekon tires are pretty good too. So not a lot of upgrades needed, just go out and have some fun with it. I thought if I didn't jump on it someone else would, although these bikes don't seem to sell too fast - not a lot of buyers walking around ready to drop four grand on a bike. These are all sold out on the Giant factory website, so kind of a last-chance deal.
I just LOVE the blue and black color, with lots of blue trim on the forks and wheels, it's really sharp.
I did notice it had the non-straight pull spoke hubs, not like the E+1, but they look the part and I'm not jumping this one anyway, I think I'll be okay. The rear wheel has the riveted spoke holes. They are 35mm wide Giant-brand rims which are a plus for the 2.6 wide tires. Seems the DT Swiss are all the rage, but surely more money. It comes with the kit to convert the tires to tubeless.
This is obviously a price-point offering, but I think adequate for the most part for what I'll do with one.
Thanks! I thought so. We hadn't talked about this one so it was a surprise to me when I saw it, I didn't even know it existed. It turns out for 2020 you can get the +1 or the +3 here in the US - and yes, exactly what you said here, it's right in the middle. I was going to go with the +1, but this was over a thousand less, and looked good, so done deal.
I need a suspension pump and some knee and elbow guards. Can't wait to try it out.
@FlatSix911 - thanks for the PDF spec sheet - very helpful!
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Knee guards - see if you can find some ixs flow discounted. Comfortable, reasonably ventilated ,the padding works as advertised and the front material seems reasonably tear resistant.
Gform elbow guards are unobtrusive
Keep an eye on the rear hubs, lots of reports online of the pawls eating out the hub. My personal theory is it's partly operator error - these hubs seem very sensitive to careful setting up, too loose and the slop allows the cassette to twist a bit resulting in poor engagement of the pawls. Too tight and the bearings collapse. Also, when reasembling be absolutely certain all the pawls return smoothly - if the circlip spins then one or more of them sticks. If / when yours crumbles it's worth negotiating with the shop to upgrade. Mine has survived 2 years but I caught both lbs induced errors early .
Gform elbow guards are unobtrusive
Keep an eye on the rear hubs, lots of reports online of the pawls eating out the hub. My personal theory is it's partly operator error - these hubs seem very sensitive to careful setting up, too loose and the slop allows the cassette to twist a bit resulting in poor engagement of the pawls. Too tight and the bearings collapse. Also, when reasembling be absolutely certain all the pawls return smoothly - if the circlip spins then one or more of them sticks. If / when yours crumbles it's worth negotiating with the shop to upgrade. Mine has survived 2 years but I caught both lbs induced errors early .
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I'm so happy with your happiness Chris! Many safe rides!
By the way, have you tried to weigh the bike?
By the way, have you tried to weigh the bike?
Browneye
Well-Known Member
Awesome.
Those ixs are nearly $100. How are the g-form for knee/shin? They're half the cost.
Thanks! Ya, pretty excited. It has been a pipe-dream for half a year. Ya only live once, right?
I have not weighed it, but they say about 52lbs. It's not levo sl weight. LOL
And the PW-X motor is buzzy compared to my PW, louder than the others. I was rather surprised. I think it will quiet down with some running in. It sure is punchy like the Levo.
I have guards and crankbrothers pedals in my amazon cart.
Worth noting - the charger is 6ah, and has a button for 'storage charge', goes to 60% in 60 minutes and shuts off.
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