Fitness drops, the motors die, Orbeas pivots are a rubbish design. As are the wheels that came on a Rise 2022-24.

Apart from that... they're great

 

counterpoint: fitness improves because I ride more and can tune the motor to very low assist and stay there, or even motor off, on much of my rides. I love my Orbea Rise 2023 M10, though I did throw a 38x170 on it to play a bit rowdier. I have no need for more battery or power than it provides and i've had zero motor/battery/pivot concerns and neither have the @ 6 other people I know who regularly ride Orbea Rise (Model years 2021 through 2025). The stock wheels were fine depending on what spec you bought, but Enve M730s are so much better

 

I wouldn't buy a short travel E-Bike.
My fitness stays the same, but I still ride both my Orbea Wild and WAO Arrival.
Heart Rate on both can peak around 180 on E, 185 on Arrival. You choose how much effort you want to put out.
Reliability has been fine, I have the Bosch motor.

I can get a similar 2-3 hour ride on regular bike done in 30-50% less time.
The E-Bike is a blessing for getting me out if I had a terrible sleeping night, terrible work day, or a workout that has left me sore and not fully recovered.

 

best recovery tool ever!

 

It appears that owning an E-bike severely temps you to ride single track where e-bikes are not permitted. Like owning a sports car and breaking the speed limit, but more dangerous to fellow riders/drivers

 

-Found the HOHA Member fellas!!!

 

My wife is about to turn 72. She finally decided it was time. We live at close to 7000' and our rides in the Wasatch and Uintas in Utah, generally include 1500+ feet of climbing and up to 3000'. She limits the output on her Trance X to 30NM, which is enough such that she no longer needs to stop to catch her breath. I'm turning 73, on mild chemo for lung sarcoidosis, and use it on long (30+ miles and 3500+') rides with our youngest son who is 34. It opens up opportunities.

In the past, I found that riding with my wife made me stronger on other mtb rides, as the lower, but not low, HR seemed to be a good training strategy. I went out 2 days ago on a ride on my mtb with my wife on her ebike and I set a PR on a 1400' 4.5 mile segment that topped out at 8500'. I also set a PR with our son on a similar ride with our son (who, of course, had to wait on me a little!) again, on my mtb. If your program includes low HR days, the ebike is perfect for that.

If you're young, raising a family and working, it would give you opportunities to get out and ride when you normally wouldn't have the time, I imagine.

I understand the hesitation, sort of. My wife bitched and moaned about the NEED to go to an ebike initially, but now she's completely sold and my rides, with her, on both my mtb and ebike are better for it.

I have an Ari Nebo, which I love. The app shows lots of information. Generally, my rides seem to be about 55% my effort and 45% the bike, as I run it on the lowest factory setting.

 

I understand the hesitation, sort of. My wife bitched and moaned about the NEED to go to an ebike initially, but now she's completely sold and my rides, with her, on both my mtb and ebike are better for it.

Haha, that's my wife too. She was in the "it's cheating" camp until she rode mine and we were able to stay together. Renting e-bikes in Tuscany was so fun that it sealed the deal for her and now she needs one.

 

Power definitely drops if you ride the e-bike pretty exclusively. It is a blast though handling is not as good or as much fun as a light regular bike. Cardio fitness can be maintained quite well even if peak power drops. Mine have been reliable 100%. I still ride my regular bikes.

 

Forget your charger on a road trip, forget about riding.

 

Forget your credit card, forget about road trips.

 

I've learned that they are super fun, but they do have a negative impact on people who have fragile sensibilities.

This seems to usually occur exclusively online though. These keyboard warriors are not so hostile in real life.

Do it. Great for mental and physical health and you'll feel like a kid again shredding on your first Big Wheel.

 

@mix john, There are so many like emojis I want to use for this response. All of them are 100 percent accurate.

 

My fitness suffers because using the thing, and the motor is like a drug addiction. However, I do ride more, I have more fun, and I ride more trail. It also enables me to cover more ground when we travel to new systems and conquer bigger days than I ever have on my acoustic bike. I ride mine about 50% of the time. The other 50% gets spilt between my park bike and my acoustic bike.

I think 160/150 like the Levo or Regulator is the sweet spot. Aluminum is just fine. Good brakes and drivetrain are key over time. I don't care about weight as much as some because I come from moto, so my pig weights 56lbs and I really don't care. I love the thing and it does everything well, its just a different weapon than my tallboy or Stevo.

My only regret? Not doing it sooner. Don't over think it..just do it. LOL

 

Good post, but gawddammit can we please collectively permanently bury the term 'acoustic' bike once and for all? It has to be the absolute dumbest, mouth-breather name for a bicycle ever coined.

 

That they're heavy AF.

 

On my mtb, I'll drop weight at a dollar a gram. On an ebike, it's more like 5 dollars a gram!

 

I can ride 7 days per week if I want to since instead of needing rest days I can hop on the E and hit the trail.

Motors can be finicky.

My 36# regular bike no longer seems heavy.

 

I can ride 7 days per week if I want to since instead of needing rest days I can hop on the E and hit the trail.

Finally, someone admits they're an electric motorcycle. I guess there is a difference. One has the option of occasionally pedaling.

But then we hear some say their fitness stays the same because are mentally superior and can force themselves not to use magic button. Who to believe???

 

my emtb is the most fun I have ever had on two wheels going all the way back to my bmx days. I have a mid power and full power and I like both for different reasons some days I want to trail ride so i take the rise some days I want to fly uphill and smash downhill are for the full power.

I still ride mtb 50/50 with emtb and still enjoy grinding up climbs and hearing just my tires on the dirt with mtb.

 

Fun and satisfaction aren't necessarily the same thing. I have rediculous amounts of fun on my E-bike but I don't finish the ride with same level of satisfaction as I do on a Mountain Bike.

 

As far as reliability goes...about what was expected.

Motor replaced at year and a half into ownership under warranty. Frame replaced shortly after due to a manufacturing defect, which is unusual for a Levo.

I have great LBS/dealer support. $0 spent on FW updates, and all associated labor with the warranty work (transferring all components between frames, including swapping motors/electrical systems)

Sometimes going DTC can save a few bucks, but may become a exercise in frustration down the road.

The Brose 2.2 is repairable through third party (crucial once out of warranty) and thankfully Spez has eliminated the belt drive system in the new Gen4 motor, which should lead to better reliability.

Some of my friends dig the 170/170 bikes, but I'm happy with 150/160 CC coil/Fox 38

I wouldn't go for less travel because -> power.

Edit: you should probably stay away from Fazua motors.

 

Amazing tool for recovery. After surgery my doctor said it would be 8-12 months before having enough strength to push analog bike. Got the eBike and after 3-4 months (and 2 motors later), got most of my strength back to ditch the eBike. It saved my riding season.

If you been riding a long time, going eBike does completely change your riding style/skillset. You spend YEARS building leg power to ride fast and now its just there wither your skills are there to support it. Had to re-learn to ride or just keep it level 1 which felt most natural to my power. But skills you built up like manual, bump jump no longer there on eBike. Im obsessed with PROGRESSION even after riding for 25 years and when I had the eBike for 4 months never had that feeling I improved (actually step back in progression).

Ditched the ebike after destroying 2 motors and had to wait months for replacement. Cant afford downtime and when my analog bikes had a failure, it was back up and running next day. Again, great tool for injury recovery to get your legs back.

 

Emtbs have added the joy to my life of riding circles around the haters.

 

Not an owner, but have ridden them, so...

So tempting; how could I resist the urge to work less?
Seriously. If I had a nickel for every time I was wheezing along in granny gear, and stabbed the downshift lever looking for yet another gear, I could buy e-bikes for everybody!



One of my greatest pleasures in mtb is how it intimately and intentionally shows me what I, myself personally, am capable of.
A motor would contaminate that insight.

For now, I am ok with fewer laps and the same tiredness.
I get the same sensation of satisfaction and it makes for much less wear and tear on everything.

It's the journey not the destination (or the milage/laps/elevation etc.).
If I can't climb 3500', then I have to find flatter trails or ride out-and-back.
There will always be loops will be out of reach of my fitness level, no matter the rig.
Pushing my limits is what drives fitness, not transversing some arbitrary distance. I can push my limits on ANY bike.

Just my take, of course.
Feel free to differ and be wrong 😂

 

I've learned that I don't really enjoy them. The only motors I've really felt comfortable are the TQ and Fazua which feel more natural to me. TBC, I own 3 current e-mtbs but they make up less than 4% of all my riding time. I am mentally incapable of riding them for recovery as I just push harder so that was a failure that I thought would be a for sure benefit. I don't find them to make me ride more often as I ride every day that I have time to ride anyway and have no problem with multiple back to back long days.

Oh and, there's very few things that bother me while I'm a bike, but whiny e-mtb motors are one thing that I cannot stand. I don't mean someone else's. I mean if I'm riding it. I can't listen to the whine or the knocking that some have on descent. That's just not for me.

Even with all of that, I'm a list to buy a Druid CoRe because I want to try the DJI and see if changes how I feel. I'll probably try one of the ones with a new Bosch as well. Right now, unless it is a TQ (too many Fazua problems have been noted even though I never had one), which most e-MTBs hate due to the low power output, it just isn't something I want. I hope of them changes my mind about liking them.

I don't understand the hate and I'm all for access.

 

I been in the saddle for 25+ years but the last few months on my Rail 7 e-bike have been the most fun I've had on a bicycle. I concentrate on maintaining fitness despite the assist but peak power has suffered. I rode the Fuel EXE which is a lighter weight, but lower power e-bike, enjoyed it, but did not end up buying one because it was such a similar experience than my standard bike. I found the Rail to be more enjoyable with its longer suspension travel and more powerful motor. It weighs more, but handles surprisingly well considering.

 

I can’t ride an analog bike right now. Not at all. I blew up my back after riding an Ibis Ripley for about three months. 4 rides a week and lost 20 lbs but got into tougher terrain and couldn’t handle it

2 prior surgeries. But I had fallen in love with the sport ! Immediately bought an ebike and use it every day almost. It is great exercise and I’m able to keep riding and progress even on the downhill stuff .

I still can’t put much power into the pedals but my skills going up and down both have improved immensely I do miss the the thrill of reaching the top pod a steep grade But now I just get done with it I do ride some technical stuff I could not do going up with an analog bike but have to keep it mellow otherwise I pay the price with having to rehab my back yet again

Started to ride longer miles and big elevation and have to be careful not to over do it But I’m riding blacks and some double diamond stuff now and most of the time the downhills I can do anything. Even the crashes don’t seem to bother the back

Just can’t strain too much Hoping I can get the back in good enough shape to ride analog again but till then I have TWO e-bikes I need a spare as I ride a lot lol
I’ve learned I love riding on dirt and features way more than road biking which I did for years. So much more engaging and I refuse to quit doing it

Whatever it takes !

 

Actual constructive answers-

I learned:

-always go for the biggest battery.
-160 -150 mm of well designed travel seems to be the sweet spot, for gnarlier stuff I'd rather have a long travel regular bike or DH bike. Riding an ebike at a lift assisted mountain for example, is silly.
-Lubing your chain is far more inconvenient on many models. You'll probably have to come up with some sort of work-around.
-My upper body got stronger (imagine adding 20 lbs to every aspect of your upper body work out)
-DH casing tires. Always
-The ratio of ebike haters to people who don't care is much lower than this message board would lead you to believe.

 

I've learned that people who've never ridden them just can't resist giving their opinion on them.

Riding an ebike at a lift assisted mountain for example, is silly.

Funny you should mention that. Last year I was riding my e-bike up in the mountains and decided to roll up to the bike park. It was early season and they didn't have any "no e-bikes" signs up yet. I walked up to the lift, wondering if the lift operator was going to stop me. He didn't so I took the chair to the top. On the ride down I learned that my e-bike carried momentum rather well through rollers probably due to the extra weight. It wasn't awful. It was better than my enduro bike with similar geometry and suspension. For real park days though I'm still bringing my DH bike.

 

Forgot my most important lesson learned:

Buy from a shop that can service your eBike or have really good relationship with manufacture so when you have a failure, its taken care of.
2 motors died in less than 4 months might be an on-off extreme case for a Specialized Levo but other friends own eBikes all seen part failures more than usual - hubs, cassettes, chains, etc. They all bought from a good bike shop that was able to get replaced under warranty.

 

All above is sound feedback - not all of it is of same weight so factor in what matters to you the most. The verdict is do not hesitate to buy...you will not regret it. The ebike takes the agony aspect (due to fitness, injury, time constraint, nearby trails, mood, etc) out of regular riding without robbing you from the exercise element. Rent or borrow a couple of different ones for a full 2-3 rides so you can get a sense of what all this feedback means. Here are some realizations of owning a lightweight mid power trail (130/150mm) for 3 years and about 1500mi of adventures. I've also demoed/borrowed so many others ebikes. Most of my regular riding is on 165/170 enduro.

Weight: No fun maneuvering above 44ish lb. Lifting and wrestling a pig does take its toll on you. Not an issue if you ride counting sheep, for recon cruise and control, or have a moto background. The weight also affects your breaking distance so consider more powerful break setups as some manufacturers skim on this. At battery 15% motor power output can vary and the range can drop without warning. Do not count on pedaling these bikes.

Noise: While some degree of humming is expected and tolerated, some motors rattle or clunk which takes away from the serenity of nature.

Service/reliability: I'd avoid DTC and buy from LBC that is willing to service it and has support from the manufacturer. Troubleshooting an ebike can be complicated and frustrating (the consumer is the beta tester for these things to some degree) and you can find yourself in long out-of-service stretches for repairs that are labor intensive and/or costly if out of warranty. Even under warranty, 2 to 3 weeks turn arounds are considered great!

Power/range: So many options affected by so many factors, make it fit your riding needs so that you don't wish for more power or experience range anxiety on a regular basis. Range extenders are there to help if you don't mind the extra 3.5lb of dead weight. They also change the handling of the bike...for the worst.

Maintenance: Forget washing the ebike to dodge corrosive damage. Dry wipe goes a long way. Double the check-ups vs what you do on a regular bike. The drivetrain will wear faster. Creaks come on more often.

Longevity/investment: Stick with a motor that is at most 1 years out of its release date...otherwise you risk to buy outdated tech. ebike models are on a 2-3 years cycles at most. Value drops tremendously. Store the battery while 20-80% to preserve longevity.

Travel: The longer the better. If a motor is taking care of the uphill, you want sufficient cush for the downhill.

Build specs: Carbon rims liven up these bikes from a farm pig to an agile boar. Opt for powerfull break setups. Enduro or DH casing or deal with flats. Drivetrain doesn't matter although I think Transmission might be better suited because it wants load in order to shift. Comfy saddle is a must.

Any time it's downhill I still prefer a normal bike. For any other adventure that requires pedaling...ebike it is. Zero regrets.

 

Weight: No fun maneuvering above 44ish lb. Lifting and wrestling a pig does take its toll on you. Not an issue if you ride counting sheep, for recon cruise and control, or have a moto background.\

This is not necessarily accurate. Test ride mid power and full power bikes. Geo makes a big difference in handling. When I'm putting my Levo on the rack or in the work stand, I feel all 52 pounds.
When I start riding it, that weight disappears. It's kinda weird. I don't have a moto background and the bike is seriously good at descending.

I did a group ride with some friends last weekend. Six of us, only me and one other own e-bikes. The other four were on a Rail and Timp Peak (full power) and a Slash and Fuel exe (TQ motor).
Two big days, multi hour rides. 3200 feet one day and 5000 the next. The others switched between the bikes and the consensus was "F mid power bikes!"
Battey capacity was an issue on day 2.
YMMV

These are all experienced mountain bikers btw who are looking at e-biking and mountain biking. I know, shocking that people do both.

 

Raw strength drops (if just riding a eBike), hike a bike with an eBike makes me want to lift weights, I can now lift weights because I can ride my eBike when destroyed from the gym, I enjoy long slow climbs and will sometimes put my ebike in eco / off for that, eBikes are best used as a compliment for me for other activities or descending training, an eBike ride doesn't scratch the same itch as a mountain bike ride, Getting an e-ride done in a hour with solid descending is great, it's nice being able to carry DH tires around easily, eBikes make running errands on a bike a lot easier, eBike electronics suck, Shimano is super frustrating to go through all the steps when replacing a motor, eBikes are heavy - fine while riding, but heavy to move around, I enjoy mountain bike rides more when I have the time and am appropriately rested. I ride my mountain bikes significantly more than my eBike.

 

Mid power is about as much worth as a plug in hybrid

 

They tend to bring out the keyboard warriors and the online hater types, but other than that they are an absolute blast.