E- mountain bike

[nickk]

eldest son is desperate to upgrade from his full suspension mtb. Has anyone here had experience of any,he’s very set on a Husquvarna model,I’ve liked their chainsaws,no nothing else and I like to do some research of the market.TIA.

 

[frank horton]

prob not upto the qual of their old m/cycles....not all chinese stuff is bad but check where it's made...
never got on with their chainsaws....
just to say a friend bought an electric scooter for around town, Honda was the make...he thought buy a decent brand....expensive...
Needless to say, made in China....endless probs, dealer could'nt fix it...no real info on the web...
Now out of warrenty.....I've got it on a pallet waiting for a big motor elec bike conversion over this winter...

 

[angellonewolf]

i dont know abot that make id tempted to stick with specialised or giant if you dont want to spend loads then carrera (halfords)look not a bad price

 

[Tangledfeet]

I've got two ebikes, both Specialized; a Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon full suspension mountain bike and a Creo2 gravel bike. The former was £7k when sold at full RRP and I got it for under £4K from Balfe's Bikes.

This is getting towards the time of year when there'll be some bargains to be had. Never heard of Husqvarna ebikes... I'd stick with a known bike brand, as above.

 

[jsf55]

Unfortunately not local too you, but you can hire for a day and ride the treads off it

Uprise Bikes

Independent bike shop selling Specialized bikes, Trek bikes, Cannondale bikes, Giant bikes, Cube bikes, Scott bikes, and many more

www.uprisebikes.com

 

[GRW]

I've run a Whyte E160RS for the last 3.5 years. I'd also suggest that a more common brand is likely a better bet than something as obscure as Husqvarna E-Mtb (unless it's a price-competitive clone of an established bike, which is doubtful).

Giant & Merida mfrvtheir own frames, so you tend to get better groupsets, suspension etc than the likes of Specialized, Santa Cruz at a given price point.

Merida aren't huge in the UK but are massive in Europe, & make some very very good bikes at competitive pricing. I'd definitely have Merida on my radar of I was buying another E-Mtb.

I'd certainly check what brand motor the Husky is running & look into relative reliability (when I was buying mine in 2022, it seemed that Bosch was the best of the bunch, so that narrowed my search to Bosch motored E-Mtb's).

Height, Reach, sizing & (if stumpy legged like me) seat post frame height are important considerations. If an mtb doesn't give you confidence & allow you to move around on it as needed to suit the terrain/type of riding he does - then it doesn't matter how good it is on paper.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Giant & Merida mfrvtheir own frames, so you tend to get better groupsets, suspension etc than the likes of Specialized, Santa Cruz at a given price point.

Merida own a 49% stake in Specialized and they share the same manufacturing plants in Taiwan; I didn't appreciate this until I did some Googling earlier today!

 

[Nomad]

Something to think about :
if the battery is part of the frame, will it be worth repairing if / when the battery becomes weak?
same for electronics, if it has "dealer only" parts will you want to pay £££ if anything fails? Will a dealer even carry spares for bikes a couple of years old?

Another option is to buy a pedal bike that he likes and fit an E-bike conversion kit as I did :
Bought a high spec mountain bike with good front suspension (air forks), *good* Shimano gears (beware Shimano also sell some low end ranges)
Buy and fit a complete "E-bike conversion kit" (KT controller & display) after getting lots of good advice on the E-bike forum https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/whats-new/

There are a few well respected UK based designers / retailers of E-bikes (Woosh is one name with a good reputation)
You might find more suggestions here :

Which ebike to choose?!

I have finally received my cycle2work voucher and after months of research I still haven't decided whether to get an ebike or a new non assist bike and an conversion kit. I have a top budget of £1500. My main use will be a 30 minute commute to work and back 2/3 times per week. Ideally I would...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

If possible best try for a few days before you commit, the legal UK limit is 250 watts - that's not a lot of power if he's a big lad or wants to go fast (check the legal limit....).

 

[knighty]

where does he want to ride it?

is ok if it's just pedal assist up to 15mph? (to be legal)

they're cracking right down on ebikes in the north east, not sure about other areas

 

[nickk]

Into town,4 miles,then to several local sites where there’s jumps,in the woods and the hills,he has a lovely Marin full suspension,but most of his mates now have battery models.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Into town,4 miles,then to several local sites where there’s jumps,in the woods and the hills,he has a lovely Marin full suspension,but most of his mates now have battery models.

Aye, once his mates start getting them he'll start struggling to keep up with them; perhaps not so much on the descents but more getting from A to B and any climbing. I succumbed and got mine so I didn't feel left behind when I went out with (not that I ride with others often) mates who are younger and fitter, but I've since found its really but the enjoyment back into cycling.

 

[GRW]

Something to think about :
if the battery is part of the frame, will it be worth repairing if / when the battery becomes weak?
same for electronics, if it has "dealer only" parts will you want to pay £££ if anything fails? Will a dealer even carry spares for bikes a couple of years old?

Another option is to buy a pedal bike that he likes and fit an E-bike conversion kit as I did :
Bought a high spec mountain bike with good front suspension (air forks), *good* Shimano gears (beware Shimano also sell some low end ranges)
Buy and fit a complete "E-bike conversion kit" (KT controller & display) after getting lots of good advice on the E-bike forum https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/whats-new/

There are a few well respected UK based designers / retailers of E-bikes (Woosh is one name with a good reputation)
You might find more suggestions here :

Which ebike to choose?!

I have finally received my cycle2work voucher and after months of research I still haven't decided whether to get an ebike or a new non assist bike and an conversion kit. I have a top budget of £1500. My main use will be a 30 minute commute to work and back 2/3 times per week. Ideally I would...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

If possible best try for a few days before you commit, the legal UK limit is 250 watts - that's not a lot of power if he's a big lad or wants to go fast (check the legal limit....).

Batteries of mfr E-Mtb are "in-frame" but are removable/replaceable (though this can be moot as an MTB used as intended will generally wear most of the rest of it out/fail before the battery dies).
The big advantage over bolt-on kits is often sophistication such as sensing the input from the rider & delivering variable assistance..... but mainly in the packaging & location of the hardware. Bolt on kits often have the motor low slung and probe to catching on step-downs & drops - more vulnerable to damage but also more prone to pitching the rider onto his/her head.
(I ride often with a guy with a Bafang equipped Marin, & while he's a very good rider & the bike does remarkably well in his hands - it is less than ideal for steep/technical terrain).

 

[nickk]

One of his mates has offered his Fantic,only ever familiar with their motorcycles.

 

[GRW]

One of his mates has offered his Fantic,only ever familiar with their motorcycles.

I've never heard of a Fantic e-mtb. I'd want the full spec & its age & mileage - and how much they want for it.
A LOT of Emtbs were sold for full whack through the Covid years - which means there are lots of used emtbs on the market, & prices of new & used aren't anything like as strong.
A brand that's not established - esp. If its older & not great components needs to be cheap - as there's lots of better known stuff out there to choose from - used or new.