Loam wolf 2024 emtb shoot out.
plummet
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156 Posts
There's a separate tech talk vid they split from the main one, found it quite interesting to hear there thoughts on drive units etc
Basically all of them were of the opinion that if a bike came with a specific drive unit it wouldn't stop them from the purchase, they'd be equally as happy on a Bosch or Shimano or other
Basically all of them were of the opinion that if a bike came with a specific drive unit it wouldn't stop them from the purchase, they'd be equally as happy on a Bosch or Shimano or other
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1,462 Posts
yea that was kind of reassuring to hear. I just bought my first and it’s only the ep8 but I liked the suspension package for the 2023 vs the 2024 and I just couldn’t really see the huge advantage of the ep801 vs ep8 especially if not using auto shift which I don’t and never plan to. But hearing them mention how great an improvement the ep801 is and after riding my ep8 I feel it’s not the big a deal, the ep8 is so easy to climb with already and I’m not even using boost or have trail mode in full power and I’m 42 not some young 20 year old so I’m not sure how much power do you really need. So far I’m doing laps and not even really tired after the ride and still have a lot of battery left and it’s only the 630watt batt. So seams I could use eco mode and get some real long rides in areas I’ve not been able to reach with my regular bike which is great to discover since that was a main decision in going full power vs SL and I still have my analog bike for my local rides where I don’t need the E assist.
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156 Posts
Likewise, except everyone raves about the Bosch and I just got an emtb with the EP801 however I have no regrets
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2,634 Posts
These reviews are always interesting until I read all the horror stories dealing with Canyon, Orbea, etc. Quality issues, customer service nightmares. You’d have to be nuts to buy an eMTB on Jenson or similar and expect it’s going to be ok.
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9,532 Posts
When buying at e-bike online you have to consider the if the price reduction is worth the inconvenience. You will be subjected to the tyranny of distance if something goes wrong. With that said local motor and component suppliers will service the warrantee of online purchased product.
Too many people are surprised and annoyed when they have warrantee issues with online product. They expect to take that 30% to 40% price reduction for buying online and still have bricks and motor service. News flash... that wont happen.
Also customer service nightmares are very localized, Something that could be a nightmare in US might excellent in UK. So its a hard call to comment globally on such things.
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9,532 Posts
One of my mates has recently picked up a shuttle lt with the shimano unit in it. He's not going slower than several of us with bosch units.
I do think the bosch has more adjustability of modes which allows the user to perhaps optimise the battery life to output than shimano which has more limited options.
But at the end of the day they both crank up a hill and a fairly similar speed. So its half of one and six of the other.
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1,526 Posts
I actually bought an online brand, but the motor is Bosch and I visited the service centers in my area prior to purchase. There are a bunch of them. I actually wasn't concerned so much about frame issues as I was with being able to have the drive unit handled in a timely fashion. May be different depending on where you live, but the Bosch service network is pretty extensive.
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5,817 Posts
Also depends on your consumer laws too. Here in New Zealand issues are dealt with by the place you purchased it from. So even if Bosch/Shimano agents are nearby, you have to go through the shop first.
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1,526 Posts
Didn't think about that since I'm a self-centered American 🤣 , but that's a good point too.
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7,636 Posts
I'll concur with my anecdotal experience: the few bike shops I visited in the U.S. said that they refused to officially work on an emtb that they don't sell themselves. They did do minor stuff to my bike, on the spot and off the record, though. Nothing to do with the motor, though. One candidly told me it had something to do with their insurance, out of concern that batteries would burn down their building overnight.
When I had issues with my E8000 getting errors, no one helped. Had to do my own sleuthing and ordering of spare parts. I suspected that it was from the external battery starting to fit looser in the mounts. Ordered a set of mounts for $80, but found the contacts of the external battery itself were seemingly getting corroded.
Rode the bike as a regular one, since I wasn't ready to drop $900 on a new battery for a bikesdirect emtb that I simply got to confirm if the emtb hype was real. While shopping around, I found 2nd hand Kona Remote 160 for $2300. It was my plan to upgrade to an emtb with better geo. Wouldn't mind a quieter motor, but can live with niggles if the price is right.
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9,532 Posts
Those bike shops are bags of dicks. I can take my imported bike to any of the local shops and they will work on it.
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2,998 Posts
LoamWolf reviews are good and fun. You can turn them into drinking games. Take three friends, have each one select from "playfull", "poppy", "lively" and then take a shot each time the word is said. See which one gets drunk first! 
I guarantee it won't be long!
I like their reviews but they can get a bit repetitive with the overuse of silly cycling jargon.
I guarantee it won't be long!
I like their reviews but they can get a bit repetitive with the overuse of silly cycling jargon.
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2,998 Posts
I have the EP8rs on my Orbea Rise. I think the main improvement of the EP801 over the EP8 is on quieting the motor. The EP8rs on my bike rattle to a huge extent to the point that I have been considering changing it out for the Air Nebo Peak. But the Fazua Ride 60 is not without potential issues either and beyond the rattle, I must say my Rise is pretty good so I'll probably stick with it for now.
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9,532 Posts
Yeah, you have to take it with a grain of salt and also consider what those dudes riding styles and preferences are because that's the style of bike they like. Then adapt that advice to your own style.LoamWolf reviews are good and fun. You can turn them into drinking games. Take three friends, have each one select from "playfull", "poppy", "lively" and then take a shot each time the word is said. See which one gets drunk first!
I guarantee it won't be long!
I like their reviews but they can get a bit repetitive with the overuse of silly cycling jargon.
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2,998 Posts
I did appreciate that in this latest shootout they did talk specifically on riding styles and how some bikes, which might not be their favorite, might be better for other styles of riders and terrains. It was one thing I think is better than say the Pinkbike Bike of the Year tests which tend to be highly biased towards PNW style/gravity riding when long and slack is the go to.
Hear in the midwest, trails are mostly flat with lots of XC and twists and turns through dense/tight woodland. Bikes with a steeper, shorter, more traditional goe tend to do well here. I think some of those were called out in the tests. I find eMTB on XC trails actually more alluring than on downhill trails where eMTB is all about climbing to get to a descent where you are just coasting anyway. On XC you are pedaling all the time but now pushing speeds approaching those downhill trails for the same adrenaline but also want the punchy get up to speed quick from all the corners around trees.
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1,082 Posts
This is very true. Everyone complains about YT customer service online, but I live close to YT USA headquarters and they been excellent to deal with.
Specialize on the other hand, have given me no reasons to applaud their customer service.
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2,998 Posts
I agree with this. I have a Turbo Creo and I have firmware updates for my motor and battery. You can't just update over your phone like I can with my Orbea's EP8 motor. No, you have to take it to a dealer and the dealer wants upwards of $60 and some days without the bike to do the update. To me that is not very customer friendly.
My YT, when I had a failed cassette was very easy to deal with the USA service.
I find Orbea's support a bit hit and miss in that you have to work with an Orbea dealer to do anything but after that it seems to be okay....
Personally, I prefer a well supported online model these days. I don't much care for having to go to a dealer. Having the option is nice but I don't want to be forced into it.
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