The EMTB (Electric Mountain Bike) Discussion Thread...

Well, I went and bought myself the Cube Stereo Hybrid Action Team 140 625 and not the 1600 that I originally mentioned in the OP. See here: https://www.cube.eu/en/2020/e-bikes...id-140-hpc-actionteam-625-29-actionteam-2020/

It has 150mm/140mm Fox 36 Factory up front and rear respectively. I took shorter travel because I think it's enough for my general purposes and 160mm travel then starts to affect the ride more and I don't think I would really get so much use from it more than 5-10% of the time.

I paid full rrp (admittedly a few hundred more than I could have bought it for if I had mail-ordered) but luckily my work is paying around 50% with our cycle scheme so I am not too out of pocket. I also paid an extra £70 for an additional 3 years warranty on all the components (2 years standard so now 5 years in total) which I think is well worth it considering where I live. I also got the guy to throw in some Shimano XT Shadow flat pedals and a set or ergonomic grips which basically offsets the cost of the additional warranty.

The place I bought it from is next to my house so I figure I will get a lot of peace of mind being able to just quickly take it there if I have any problems. I will pick it up on Monday and can't wait to try it out... :)
 
Richdog said:
Not sure I really understood your post...



Ebikes aren't just for 'old people', so lets not drive the thread down that road as there are many valid reasons for buying one. I am in my thirties and can't wait to get one and the same goes for other people I know and work with. They have already become extremely popular and I have no doubt that in 5 years electrified bikes will on average be lighter (like the Levo SL but way more affordable) and pretty much ubiquitous. :)
Click to expand...

i never said they were only for old people, just that I met an old chap riding one who loved it.

i’ve got a mate who is in his mid 30’s who broke his back on a crosser, he lost all nerve feeling in his left leg and needed the ebike to be able to get out. I can see the merit of them they’re just not for me.
 
Richdog said:
Interesting... is it strong and reliable and how much did it set you back altogether?
Click to expand...
I've done 5000 miles on it, no breakdowns, just a few chains replaced through normal wear and tear.

As for how much - is that how much it really cost or how much I told the wife it cost? :D:D:D:D:D:D

The honest answer is - I don't know - I don't really keep a track of my builds.
 
I have spent a lot of my life living near excellent trails, but being stuck in a cycle of being too fat and unfit to ride, but needing to ride to become more fit. Bikes always seemed like the solution, as I ride on and off-road motorcycles - but I still went through trying running, the gym, home workouts etc before I finally found the gumption to stump up the money to build an eBike. Now I'm 3st lighter and dropping and can hit 50+ miles over a weekend.

Anyway,

I started with a Bafang BBS01 converted Voodoo Bizango 29'er running an EggRider display. It has taken me all sort of places including the Lake District and Cornwall beach trails, but even after 6+ months of fiddling it still finds some way to break down every couple of weeks. I have blown controllers, ruined bearings, shorted looms and spun several crank arms, had the battery tab welds break and all sorts more. I blame (at the time) 20+ stone of idiot hanging off of it, but a bit of time and tinker has always fixed it and no single issue has returned.
AmImRVgl.jpg

When this years Cycle to Work scheme opened up, I finally snapped after too many cancelled rides and bought a Cube Reaction Pro 500 29'er. I have only ridden 100 or so miles so far, but this thing is exactly what I hoped the first would be. It seems that 250 Bosch Watts are vastly more aggressive than 250 Bafang Watts, and have had me shooting up and down the local hills and enjoying it in both directions - which has opened up much further adventures - as I no longer have to worry "can I get back up the hill to home when I am worn out"!
vUSRsxnl.jpg

What have I learnt from all this ?
  • If you are going to build a Bafang, don't build a "Legal" one. Even tuned to within an inch of its life, it can't compete with a Bosch XC Gen4.
  • Buy an eBike with torque sensing, its a much nicer ride.
  • If you think you want to buy an eBike, just do. If it can get my lazy rear end out and enjoying exercise then it can for anyone.
  • Ignore anyone that call it cheating, I have honestly found I push myself harder for longer because of the "safety blanket" the bike gives me. The "oh, what's down this route - lets go find out because whatever it is I can ride up/over it" factor has lead to some of my longest, highest output most exhausting rides.
 
Nomisf said:
I have spent a lot of my life living near excellent trails, but being stuck in a cycle of being too fat and unfit to ride, but needing to ride to become more fit. Bikes always seemed like the solution, as I ride on and off-road motorcycles - but I still went through trying running, the gym, home workouts etc before I finally found the gumption to stump up the money to build an eBike. Now I'm 3st lighter and dropping and can hit 50+ miles over a weekend.

Anyway,

I started with a Bafang BBS01 converted Voodoo Bizango 29'er running an EggRider display. It has taken me all sort of places including the Lake District and Cornwall beach trails, but even after 6+ months of fiddling it still finds some way to break down every couple of weeks. I have blown controllers, ruined bearings, shorted looms and spun several crank arms, had the battery tab welds break and all sorts more. I blame (at the time) 20+ stone of idiot hanging off of it, but a bit of time and tinker has always fixed it and no single issue has returned.
AmImRVgl.jpg

When this years Cycle to Work scheme opened up, I finally snapped after too many cancelled rides and bought a Cube Reaction Pro 500 29'er. I have only ridden 100 or so miles so far, but this thing is exactly what I hoped the first would be. It seems that 250 Bosch Watts are vastly more aggressive than 250 Bafang Watts, and have had me shooting up and down the local hills and enjoying it in both directions - which has opened up much further adventures - as I no longer have to worry "can I get back up the hill to home when I am worn out"!
vUSRsxnl.jpg

What have I learnt from all this ?
  • If you are going to build a Bafang, don't build a "Legal" one. Even tuned to within an inch of its life, it can't compete with a Bosch XC Gen4.
  • Buy an eBike with torque sensing, its a much nicer ride.
  • If you think you want to buy an eBike, just do. If it can get my lazy rear end out and enjoying exercise then it can for anyone.
  • Ignore anyone that call it cheating, I have honestly found I push myself harder for longer because of the "safety blanket" the bike gives me. The "oh, what's down this route - lets go find out because whatever it is I can ride up/over it" factor has lead to some of my longest, highest output most exhausting rides.
Click to expand...

I have a 2017 Bizango at the moment and considering the cube acid 500 or the factory bizango ebike. Both are similar in money, but I am abit of a noob when pricing up the components to see which is the better bike. Id love your opinion if you has considered this?
 
Walkerie said:
I have a 2017 Bizango at the moment and considering the cube acid 500 or the factory bizango ebike. Both are similar in money, but I am abit of a noob when pricing up the components to see which is the better bike. Id love your opinion if you has considered this?
Click to expand...

Was actually considering the E-Bizango myself, but it turned out my companies cycle to work scheme wasn't one of the schemes Halfords accepts. Its specs are pretty competitive, especially the suspension forks being a noticeable step up over Cube's favorite, the often panned Suntour XCM. Just watch out for the motors on the 2019vs2020 models, they have changed to Shimano - which is no bad thing, but they couldn't tell me over the phone which motor the new Bizango (and Zobop for that matter) actually had (EC7000vs8000) and even though the site now suggests 8000 I was a little wary.

FireTwo said:
love my Specialized LevoFSR!

wouldn't look anywhere else at this time
Click to expand...

If/When the world is back to normal, and I have bought a house - A Turbo Levo will almost certainly be my next bike.
 
FireTwo said:
love my Specialized LevoFSR!

wouldn't look anywhere else at this time
Click to expand...

I have a Turbo Levo. I actually prefer my kit built Mondraker/Bafang BBS combo to the extent the Levo is going to be sold. I do however think the Levo is one of the better off the shelf bikes.
 
woah crazy! is it a 2019 or newer with the 29inch wheels?

levo is a top bit of kit, most the pedalhounds guys use them!

what size frame did you go for? poss a forks/setup thing?
 
Looking to join this party

I've actually never done mountain biking before and have some knee problems which mean I will struggle to stop start a lot.

I'm not looking for anything super fast, or super bumpy rough. But I'd like to explore the Welsh countryside and hills and costal path a bit more

This will also be my commuter bike.

I was looking at

Cube Reaction Hybrid sl 625 - £3k
Thata more than I want to spend really

Or

Cube acid hybrid one 500 - £1.8k

I don't want to spend 3k for no gain, but I don't want to buy cheap buy twice

 
413x said:
Looking to join this party

I've actually never done mountain biking before and have some knee problems which mean I will struggle to stop start a lot.

I'm not looking for anything super fast, or super bumpy rough. But I'd like to explore the Welsh countryside and hills and costal path a bit more

This will also be my commuter bike.

I was looking at

Cube Reaction Hybrid sl 625 - £3k
Thata more than I want to spend really

Or

Cube acid hybrid one 500 - £1.8k

I don't want to spend 3k for no gain, but I don't want to buy cheap buy twice
Click to expand...

The Cube Reaction Hybrid EX 625 29 is the one I have been eyeing up. Seems to be well rated, I fancy a 29er, decent power/motor, but 3 grand for a bike...... would probably do 500 quid deposit and 12 month interest free finance. :p

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/3...c-625-29er-electric-bike-2020-blackgreen.aspx

Wonder if there will be nice discounts when the 2021 bikes are released.

One issue though is actually trying one for sizing. Wouldnt want to get the wrong size.
 
Last edited:
chroniclard said:
The Cube Reaction Hybrid EX 625 29 is the one I have been eyeing up. Seems to be well rated, I fancy a 29er, decent power/motor, but 3 grand for a bike...... would probably do 500 quid deposit and 12 month interest free finance. :p

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/3...c-625-29er-electric-bike-2020-blackgreen.aspx

Wonder if there will be nice discounts when the 2021 bikes are released.

One issue though is actually trying one for sizing. Wouldnt want to get the wrong size.
Click to expand...

Yeah I can't decide if its completely ridiculous!
Is it wasted on me?
I mean it's double the price pretty much of acid!
At same time these bikes are selling out fast.

Those are all out of stock by the way!

My road bike I've had since I was 15 and it was only a couple Of hundred carrera and had no issues
 
413x said:
Yeah I can't decide if its completely ridiculous!
Is it wasted on me?
I mean it's double the price pretty much of acid!
At same time these bikes are selling out fast.

Those are all out of stock by the way!

My road bike I've had since I was 15 and it was only a couple Of hundred carrera and had no issues
Click to expand...
No-one can answer the question of if it's wasted on you. In the end if you have genuine physical/mobility problems then an E-bike may work wonders to enable you to go further than otherwise. The prices are high vs non-motorized bikes but that's the price of technology in this area and the motors and components needed are not cheap even without the profit markup.

If you are going to be doing cross country then I would be getting a full suspension bike to make things more stable and comfortable for the times it does get bumpy.
 
Richdog said:
No-one can answer the question of if it's wasted on you. In the end if you have genuine physical/mobility problems then an E-bike may work wonders to enable you to go further than otherwise. The prices are high vs non-motorized bikes but that's the price of technology in this area and the motors and components needed are not cheap even without the profit markup.

If you are going to be doing cross country then I would be getting a full suspension bike to make things more stable and comfortable for the times it does get bumpy.
Click to expand...

Ill definitely be getting an ebike. No idea how much my knee can take.

Its just the level of spend On the ebike.

Full suspension is fairly hefty price
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom