@SbSteve I saw in your other thread that you hope to get an ebike light enough to load into your pickup truck. That's what I've been doing for more than a decade with couple of
Thule Insta-gater racks. I ride a lot of trails, no jumps, but some single track, flat gravel rail trails, paved MUPs and fire roads/double tracks. I also commuted on a gravel rail trail. And I like to travel to trails in surrounding states.
Getting the bike on and off the truck is really important to me. I drive a F150 4x4, the bed is maybe 38" off the ground. I am 6'-2", though likely shrank a bit at my age. I really like a 29'er hardtail eMTB. 29'er gives you a lot of options for tires and accessories. Similar to a 700c hybrid/fitness bike, but the frames, racks and rims of a 29er are a little larger and more robust.
I spent a lot of time, since September '24, looking at the Turbo Tero line. The Tero X full suspension, fenders and lights command attention from buyers. On my older 29er eMTB I used a pannier rack and a SKS clip on front fender that works great. Fixed fenders do not work with a lot of carrier racks, they don't work with my Thule racks. Rear suspension also adds weight. I've ridden with a
Kinekt Body Float seat-tube suspension since 2015. Cain Creek before that. Since I'm not hitting jumps or bombing downhill in a rock garden, I don't need the rear suspension and therefore I don't have to pick up the extra 10 pounds of a full suspension to load the bike in my truck.
I'm not suggesting what I've done or do will work for you. And I only offer my personal experience as a reference, not a suggestion on what to buy. I purchased a new ebike recently and I really had to think about how I ride, and every aspect of living with a bike. I purchased a Turbo Tero 5.0. I haven't lived with it long, but it's a familiar platform to me. The 5.0 has the full power 2.2 motor (90 Nm torque) and 710 Wh Battery, and is lighter than the X4, with its smaller battery and lower power motor. Long rides in the mountains of Pennsylvania were a factor for me. All eMTB will be heavier than a fitness/hybrid though. Some really nice bikes listed in this thread.
It's a lot to think about. I always say buy a bike that fits how you want to use it the most. I see people buy folding bikes and never fold it. And one may not want a drop bar road bike to haul groceries. I don't think you can go wrong with Trek and Specialized. There's a lot of instability in the US market these days. A lot of brands have left the US market, but both Trek and Specialized are US companies. Specialized has a lot of facilities in Europe as well.
Best of luck in your search.
