This thing is the future and at the forefront of electric bike technology and reliability! Has a far higher top speed and easily outperforms the likes of Trek Rail or Fuel Exe in power, water resistance and versatility while easily being less than a fifth of the price! Perfect to ride on somewhat technical and steep fire roads that most adventurers seek. I would outfit this bike with the 11-speed Shimano linkglide for ultimate durability and sleek shifter system! Those overpriced eMTBs are practically niche bikes now that won't come close to matching this one's versatility and utility!
That does look sweet for under 2k! I think if it were me, it'd be tyres, maybe some SLX 4 pots and an 11 speed SLX groupset. Also I think I've got an AXS dropper somewhere so that would go on too. Looks like it'd be decent for shuttling my kids around the trails!
Ya it’s a sweet bike at the price point even now. I ended up getting one before the tariffs went into effect. So only 1699 for me. I upgraded the forks, pedals, handle bars, and grips. All I need to do now is maybe put a better groupset on it and it will be complete. Depending on the groupset I’ll still be in for way less then the Rambalas and most other options of hardtail emtbs.
Just looked up the Aventon and you can see why it cost so much more. I’d say if you’re looking for a bike that’s made for solely riding on the mountain,,, then get the Aventon. If you want a commuter bike that can handle the occasional mountain bike trail,,, get the Summit 1.
@@JaredHoff I bought one and coming from a BMX background I don't mind the hardtail. So far I'm taking it easy but heading to a MTB trails this weekend. Not going to test the limits but we shall see how it does there, so far I love it.
I think you have to keep in mind who this bike was designed for. It’s a great for some who is looking for the versatility of a bike that can haul everything around as a commuter, yet still ride on the local trails and have fun.
@@victorrojas4857 Sorry that you’ve had issues. You can use an adjustable spanner wrench (crescent) to fix the brake rotor. Add tire sealant to the tubes to fix the tire. They have some good how to guides for trouble shooting. Looks like this error calls for inspecting the brake sensor wiring, but I’d check the Velotric Bike website and follow the instructions.
That surge is fine for street or wide trails. If you are trying to ride technical trails / single track, that boost will throw you off and cause you to crash. I had a Aventure 1.0 and bought a 2.0 2 months later because I wanted the torque sensor. Cadence is un-rideable in the woods.
Around here there's like 10 used Cannondale moterra for sale under 3k CDN, plus all the others I can't remember the model names, Facebook marketplace has it covered 😂
This is a brand new model. Just released. I got to ride it before it was available online which was pretty cool. The guys at Velotric have been a blast to work with and it’s awesome that they sell these at local bike shops for those who want to see it in person.
They all held up just fine to the riding I was doing. I think sometimes we put too much into all the latest high-tech gear the industry sells us on. Don’t get me wrong, I spend wayyy too much on my other bikes. But this bike was so much fun to ride and held up to the abuse I put it through with no problems.
@@OregonCrow I’m sorry to hear that. Did you register your warranty claim? Here’s a link to do that www.velotricbike.com/pages/bike-warranty-registration Also, have you tried calling them? Here’s the number +1888-559-3099 Hours: 7AM~4PM PST (Monday~Friday)
Few people need a better bike. I never owned a E-bike,and even this bike is overpriced for me. But, it's a awesome looking, and more of a bike,than I could ever need! Only the hard core riders would find this bike limiting. Greetings from the everyday bicycle abuser from Croatia 😎
For those with real mountains and big climbs, this thing's motor overheats very rapidly. It'll start overheating in about 5 minutes of climbing our paved canyon roads. Not excellent for big mountains, sadly. Still enjoying it though.
I didn’t have any overheating issues. Maybe the pavement roads at lower altitudes are hotter than mountain trails in the trees 🤷🏼♂️ I had a ton of fun riding it as well.
Nice review man awesome to see how it handles up north! 🤙🏼 I’ve got some good testing on my personal Summit 1 and it’s surprised me how well it handled black single track down here in FL for a value hardtail e-bike. I got video on my channel if you want to check it out!
All I know is it felt good on the trails and was fun to ride. Geared towards an entry level rider or someone who wants it as a commuter, it also want to hit an occasional MTB trail.
@@ShadLifeThey are still overpriced nonetheless...rear hub motors are much less maintenance intensive and are throttle-ready if the chain breaks. Still a massively capable hill climber with 90nm of torque! And the battery in the tube already offsets some of the rear weight. The assistance is a massive advantage coming from an analog cycling background.
@@IHatePikeys I have ridden both $10k eBikes with mid drive motors and cheaper ones with rear hub drive motors. So yeah, there is no comparison. Having all that weight at the back wheel instead of in the center of the bike, and a lot more weight overall, makes the bike much harder to ride as a mountain bike. And when I say mountain biking, I mean technical singletrack, not wide fire roads or double track. Jumping, drops, riding steeps and so on is not something you want to be doing on a bike with an extra heavy rear wheel. My point here is that comparing this bike to higher end mid drive eBikes is a lame comparison because a higher end mid drive eBike rides a million times better than some heavy ass rear hub drive eBike. If it wasn't for his comparison at the beginning of the video, I wouldn't have bothered commenting. So yeah, put me on a $10k mid drive eBike and you ride the thing in this video, then we hit some legitimate singletrack and we can see who comes out on top... 😉
4:05 Absurdly tiny cassette, big chain ring, so heavily geared you need the motor just to ride the bike. Stupid choice. But as you mentioned you can upgrade it. But weird they did not spec a Deore Rd andd Cs on it. 10:24 But you touched on that. Yes why not?. Absurdly slack seat tube angle, so my knees won't like that, I will be uncomfortable, sitting too far back ,and my knees will likely hurt if riding too long, my quads will feel it too for sure. If you know about geometry. This is a deal breaker. 1:24 Hub motor so it will be heavy at the rear, not desirable for a mountain bike. If the wight was in the centre it would make lighter feeling bike. Resin only rotors. so need to swap those cheese rotors. Proper pads and rotors make a massive difference. Shimano resin pads wear out fast, and the rotor has bad bite and gets glazed easily. But a decent rotor doesn't have to be expensive.
You make a lot of good points. This bike is really designed for the person who’s just wants to touch there toes in the e-MTB world, but it needs some upgrades for those, like us, who ride advanced mountain bike trails.
Personally I like the geometry, but the stock bike is not at all good on hills. Great on flats and slight inclines though. Downhill will require an air shock upgrade.
@@tomolryify Yes an air fork will be an massive upgrade, not to say that coil forks can't be good. They exist, but for xc, that's not as common. And An ebike should have a beefier fork, like a trail instead of a skinny light flexy xc fork. Due to the added with of the e bike. For an enduro bike or long travel e bike EXT is likely the best as it's ebike approved, not special version needed, But fox has E bike version of 36. But forr this bike a regular 24 might be fine. I don't know. I know SR Suntour makes better air forks, than their junk coil forks. I've been told they are reliable. But I've not tried it. Which fork do you have in mind?
@@JaredHofftrue. I just felt if it had the rear shocks this would been a must buy. I agree it’s fun to ride I had some lag too in throttle. Did you experience that? Velotric said it could be noise from the brake caliper.
@StayConnectedEV I didn’t experience lag in the throttle but I mostly used pedal assist. Although the throttle is way more fun than I thought it would be 😂
Keep in mind, most singletrack mountain bike trails only allow Class 1 eBikes. That is pedal assist only with no throttle and a max speed of 20 MPH. Any other eBike is likely banned. So this bike would not be allowed on almost all singletrack mountain bike trails in my area and most areas throughout the country.
@@tyman2007 I hear ya, but no rear shock also means less maintenance, more pedaling efficiency, and it’s got those fat tires that offer a bit of cushion.
Wait... 5 minutes in and I'm laughing my behind off... This thing is all over TH-cam, including a video of someone doing some small dirt jumps ( to flat.. so there's that ) .. after four of them, the fork totally failed. Manufacturer response after seeing the video: ow, you should take note of the sticker on the fork: not for jumping / trail use 🤷♂ I mean, even if you would replace the fork you have a frame which has never been tested for trail use since it was never intended for it. This is *NOT* a cheap trail capable eMTB. It's a glorified gravel bike which will do great if you only ride on gravel or fireroads. NOT the dh's or single track section. Normally I would say: f warranty, go for it! But seeing that fork basically collaps resulting in the the front tire rubbing and locking up, that could easily result in some nasty injuries. IANAL and YMMV but I would never trust this on a black
It’s definitely NOT intended for jumps. I stated that in the video. But no fork collapsing for me. I see you made a similar video on your channel about a cheap e-bike. Have you tested many bikes?
@@JaredHoff Decided to build my own after the Eleglide disaster and having ridden some bikes through the lbs which either were to expensive for what they were in the end. Just a bland Giant Talon hardtail where I threw and Tongshen tsdzb2b on. Frame is a proven mtb frame which I know can handle what I throw at it and the fork being a budget oriented SR Suntour XCM 120mm air shock while not being the most responsive on the smalls at least will not fail me. Still not suited well for anything black / steep, since I am using the same mt200 brakes you're using and those just aren't meant for that ( XC brakes, not trail/dh ). But that's fine, I live in pancake country where my closest trails have a ~40m height difference during a ~40km loop so mt200's are fine for my usage. Besides from some of the jumps/drops and probably the rock garden, I think this review bike would probably handle my local trails quite well, and taking the chicken run's to avoid those features. Which means losing out of a lot of the fun of riding the courses, but it will get out out into nature and biking so that's great! I just get really worried when I see people comment they compare this bike with actual eMTB's from Trek for instance and complaining they are six times as expensive... That's without a doubt true, but also because Trek actually makes eMTB's. This thing isn't. It's shaped like one, and it wants to be one, but it wasn't made to be one. And I fear some people will learn that the hard way if they consider this bike to be trail capable 'out of the box' ( or even upgraded, I wouldn't trust the frame, stronger forks would just move the expected point of failure to the headset itself ). If people want a cheap entry level eMTB the best into that is building your own. The only downside are some restrictions on frames you can use depending on which brand motor you go with ( Tongshen / CYC or even Bafang even while I strongly oppose calling anything without a torque sensor as a suitable mtb drivetrain enhancement ). Yes, you will end up with a downtube battery instead of a frame mounted ( internal ) one, and yes this is more vulnerable if you crash... solution is not crashing, and making sure you battery is as secure as possible ( I have straps around my downtube and battery to help the mounting bolts and prevent any and all movement even if I crash ). But this also makes upgrading / replacing down the line non trivial, unlike integrated batteries where you have to hope the manufacturer continues making them in the exact same form factor. Decent second hand mtb + motor/controller + battery = always cheaper as buying an emtb 'as is'. And it's a lot of fun to build imo :)
That bike is not a Class 1,2,or 3 ebike because its throttle and high speed….making it a e-motorcycle and not legal on most all mountain e-bike trails other than those allowing dirt bikes and OHVs. You should stop advertising things like this as mountain bikes for trails since few allow motorcycles. Plus you’re likely riding illegally here. Most trails are not allowing these. Don’t compare this to a Trek or a Specialized as those are all Class 1. It’s misleading.
@@aaronclark280 the bike limits your speed when pedal assist and you can remove the throttle to make it a class 1. I rode it on the trails with other e-bike riders on Trek and Specialized and they were keeping up with me fine. It’s definitely not a dirt bike.
I understand the classes but the fact that it’s “multi-class” means it’s technically out of class /non compliant with any one class and therefore not an ebike but rather a motorcycle by legal definition….weak as it may be. And it’s capable of going 28mph so that’s not C1. Just saying that most people won’t know or care and that leads to illegal use and ultimately public backlash against ALL MTBers. We all lose. At least make a disclaimer statement about the technicality.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for doing a REAL test of this bike. This is exactly what I've been looking for.
@@Scott_Vicious glad to have helped. Cheers
@@JaredHoff Picked it up! Two 30 miles rides in. Love it.
@@Scott_Vicious heck yeah 👍 Stoked for you man!
This thing is the future and at the forefront of electric bike technology and reliability!
Has a far higher top speed and easily outperforms the likes of Trek Rail or Fuel Exe in power, water resistance and versatility while easily being less than a fifth of the price!
Perfect to ride on somewhat technical and steep fire roads that most adventurers seek.
I would outfit this bike with the 11-speed Shimano linkglide for ultimate durability and sleek shifter system!
Those overpriced eMTBs are practically niche bikes now that won't come close to matching this one's versatility and utility!
That does look sweet for under 2k! I think if it were me, it'd be tyres, maybe some SLX 4 pots and an 11 speed SLX groupset. Also I think I've got an AXS dropper somewhere so that would go on too. Looks like it'd be decent for shuttling my kids around the trails!
AXS dropper would be a great option plus the other stufff you mentioned 👍
Ya it’s a sweet bike at the price point even now. I ended up getting one before the tariffs went into effect. So only 1699 for me. I upgraded the forks, pedals, handle bars, and grips. All I need to do now is maybe put a better groupset on it and it will be complete. Depending on the groupset I’ll still be in for way less then the Rambalas and most other options of hardtail emtbs.
Nice 👍
The front shock since it is not recommended for rough trail riding and everything else you said with the drive train I agree
👍
Considering Summit 1 or Aventon Ramblis. Have you compared the 2?
Just looked up the Aventon and you can see why it cost so much more. I’d say if you’re looking for a bike that’s made for solely riding on the mountain,,, then get the Aventon.
If you want a commuter bike that can handle the occasional mountain bike trail,,, get the Summit 1.
Finally someone testing this bike that knows how to ride some, thanks.
Thanks man! I really had fun on this bike.
@@JaredHoff I bought one and coming from a BMX background I don't mind the hardtail. So far I'm taking it easy but heading to a MTB trails this weekend. Not going to test the limits but we shall see how it does there, so far I love it.
I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my Velotric Summit 1. Can't wait.
Nice 👍 Stoked for you!
@@JaredHoff Pray...... I am 76 and haven'tt ridden a bicycle in 30 years. 😁
Are the battery and charger ul listed?
Yes
Nice Review on the Summit 1. It is a fun bike for sure.
Thanks man! I had so much fun riding it.
I would want until Velotric makes the necessary upgrades. This bike can only loosely be called a "mountain bike".
I think you have to keep in mind who this bike was designed for. It’s a great for some who is looking for the versatility of a bike that can haul everything around as a commuter, yet still ride on the local trails and have fun.
bought one two weeks ago, have a brake censor error
tire keeps going flat and came with the front brake disc warped
@@victorrojas4857 Sorry that you’ve had issues. You can use an adjustable spanner wrench (crescent) to fix the brake rotor. Add tire sealant to the tubes to fix the tire. They have some good how to guides for trouble shooting. Looks like this error calls for inspecting the brake sensor wiring, but I’d check the Velotric Bike website and follow the instructions.
I actually like the surge from cadence sensors. is this bike very responsive in boost 5?
Pedal assist is super responsive in Boost. I didn’t mess with the throttle that much but it gives you some good power as well.
It sounds like ìt climbs up really steep hills? My Aventon Aventure gives out ascending steeper trails.
Great video.
That surge is fine for street or wide trails. If you are trying to ride technical trails / single track, that boost will throw you off and cause you to crash. I had a Aventure 1.0 and bought a 2.0 2 months later because I wanted the torque sensor. Cadence is un-rideable in the woods.
@@sxty8goats yea, i found that out the hard way, have to be careful
Around here there's like 10 used Cannondale moterra for sale under 3k CDN, plus all the others I can't remember the model names, Facebook marketplace has it covered 😂
This is a brand new model. Just released. I got to ride it before it was available online which was pretty cool. The guys at Velotric have been a blast to work with and it’s awesome that they sell these at local bike shops for those who want to see it in person.
Dropper and Brakes first... Then Tires and Gearset.. Seat and Cockpit changes as needed...
Might as well change the whole thing. All the components are bottom tier
For sure 👍
They all held up just fine to the riding I was doing. I think sometimes we put too much into all the latest high-tech gear the industry sells us on. Don’t get me wrong, I spend wayyy too much on my other bikes. But this bike was so much fun to ride and held up to the abuse I put it through with no problems.
Well done. Your 1 reason why decided to buy the Summt 1
Nice 👍 Stoked for you!
Got mine with a dead motor, one month later and still no response from the company.
@@OregonCrow I’m sorry to hear that. Did you register your warranty claim? Here’s a link to do that www.velotricbike.com/pages/bike-warranty-registration
Also, have you tried calling them? Here’s the number +1888-559-3099 Hours: 7AM~4PM PST (Monday~Friday)
Few people need a better bike.
I never owned a E-bike,and even this bike is overpriced for me. But, it's a awesome looking, and more of a bike,than I could ever need! Only the hard core riders would find this bike limiting. Greetings from the everyday bicycle abuser from Croatia 😎
Cheers 🍻
The pins on those pedals!!!!!!!!!
The pedals I usually ride have more aggressive pins. Replaceable pedals pins are ideal as well.
For those with real mountains and big climbs, this thing's motor overheats very rapidly. It'll start overheating in about 5 minutes of climbing our paved canyon roads. Not excellent for big mountains, sadly. Still enjoying it though.
I didn’t have any overheating issues. Maybe the pavement roads at lower altitudes are hotter than mountain trails in the trees 🤷🏼♂️ I had a ton of fun riding it as well.
Why in the world would you want to push the bike beyond what it was made to do? What purpose would they be in that? Other than ruining it.
Showing what it can do so people know if it's something they might want
Nice review man awesome to see how it handles up north! 🤙🏼 I’ve got some good testing on my personal Summit 1 and it’s surprised me how well it handled black single track down here in FL for a value hardtail e-bike. I got video on my channel if you want to check it out!
I’ll definitely check out your video. I had so much fun riding this bike 👍
It's a rear hub drive. All the weight in the back means it isn't good for mountain biking. Maybe an okay commuter.
All I know is it felt good on the trails and was fun to ride. Geared towards an entry level rider or someone who wants it as a commuter, it also want to hit an occasional MTB trail.
@@JaredHoff That's fine, then don't show mid drive motor eBikes as the overpriced comparison to this thing.
@@ShadLifeThey are still overpriced nonetheless...rear hub motors are much less maintenance intensive and are throttle-ready if the chain breaks.
Still a massively capable hill climber with 90nm of torque!
And the battery in the tube already offsets some of the rear weight.
The assistance is a massive advantage coming from an analog cycling background.
You’ve never actually ridden this have you? I can upgrade the parts and outride you any day….Dude take a chill pill..
@@IHatePikeys I have ridden both $10k eBikes with mid drive motors and cheaper ones with rear hub drive motors. So yeah, there is no comparison. Having all that weight at the back wheel instead of in the center of the bike, and a lot more weight overall, makes the bike much harder to ride as a mountain bike. And when I say mountain biking, I mean technical singletrack, not wide fire roads or double track. Jumping, drops, riding steeps and so on is not something you want to be doing on a bike with an extra heavy rear wheel.
My point here is that comparing this bike to higher end mid drive eBikes is a lame comparison because a higher end mid drive eBike rides a million times better than some heavy ass rear hub drive eBike.
If it wasn't for his comparison at the beginning of the video, I wouldn't have bothered commenting.
So yeah, put me on a $10k mid drive eBike and you ride the thing in this video, then we hit some legitimate singletrack and we can see who comes out on top... 😉
You can put a 12 speed on the bike
11 speed max. If you watch the video towards the end. I talk about upgrades. You should be able to scroll on the timeline and find that section
@JaredHoff but a 12 speed nx cassette will fit on an 8,9,10 freehub body...... so why is it 11 speed max?
4:05 Absurdly tiny cassette, big chain ring, so heavily geared you need the motor just to ride the bike. Stupid choice. But as you mentioned you can upgrade it. But weird they did not spec a Deore Rd andd Cs on it.
10:24 But you touched on that. Yes why not?.
Absurdly slack seat tube angle, so my knees won't like that, I will be uncomfortable, sitting too far back ,and my knees will likely hurt if riding too long, my quads will feel it too for sure. If you know about geometry. This is a deal breaker.
1:24 Hub motor so it will be heavy at the rear, not desirable for a mountain bike. If the wight was in the centre it would make lighter feeling bike.
Resin only rotors. so need to swap those cheese rotors. Proper pads and rotors make a massive difference. Shimano resin pads wear out fast, and the rotor has bad bite and gets glazed easily. But a decent rotor doesn't have to be expensive.
You make a lot of good points. This bike is really designed for the person who’s just wants to touch there toes in the e-MTB world, but it needs some upgrades for those, like us, who ride advanced mountain bike trails.
@@JaredHoff Upgrades won't fix bad geometry. But if it wasnot for that. Who knows. Welds atleast look decent.
Personally I like the geometry, but the stock bike is not at all good on hills. Great on flats and slight inclines though. Downhill will require an air shock upgrade.
@@tomolryify What do you like interspecifically and why? I'm always keen to learn and know why people like this and that when it comes to bikes.
@@tomolryify Yes an air fork will be an massive upgrade, not to say that coil forks can't be good. They exist, but for xc, that's not as common. And An ebike should have a beefier fork, like a trail instead of a skinny light flexy xc fork. Due to the added with of the e bike. For an enduro bike or long travel e bike EXT is likely the best as it's ebike approved, not special version needed, But fox has E bike version of 36. But forr this bike a regular 24 might be fine. I don't know. I know SR Suntour makes better air forks, than their junk coil forks. I've been told they are reliable. But I've not tried it. Which fork do you have in mind?
Lack of rear shocks was a killer for me
I thought so as well, but the bike was so much fun downhill and no rear shock means less maintenance cost over time.
@@JaredHofftrue. I just felt if it had the rear shocks this would been a must buy. I agree it’s fun to ride I had some lag too in throttle. Did you experience that? Velotric said it could be noise from the brake caliper.
@StayConnectedEV I didn’t experience lag in the throttle but I mostly used pedal assist. Although the throttle is way more fun than I thought it would be 😂
That drop at the end was sketchy!
🤘
Keep in mind, most singletrack mountain bike trails only allow Class 1 eBikes. That is pedal assist only with no throttle and a max speed of 20 MPH. Any other eBike is likely banned. So this bike would not be allowed on almost all singletrack mountain bike trails in my area and most areas throughout the country.
This bike is a class 1, 2, or 3. You can remove the throttle and ride it pedal assist only.
I am intrested
I think it’s a great e-bike for those looking to get out on the trails, have fun, and not break the bank.
No rear shock is a killer for me . Need one with dual shocks specially at that price.
@@tyman2007 I hear ya, but no rear shock also means less maintenance, more pedaling efficiency, and it’s got those fat tires that offer a bit of cushion.
THEY JUST RAISED THE PRICE FROM 1700 TO 2K WHILE EVERYONE IS DROPPING PRICES. COOL MOVE! WONT SUPPORT SUCH BUSINESS. NOT A REAL MTB ANYWAYS.
Tariffs man.
Wait... 5 minutes in and I'm laughing my behind off... This thing is all over TH-cam, including a video of someone doing some small dirt jumps ( to flat.. so there's that ) .. after four of them, the fork totally failed. Manufacturer response after seeing the video: ow, you should take note of the sticker on the fork: not for jumping / trail use 🤷♂
I mean, even if you would replace the fork you have a frame which has never been tested for trail use since it was never intended for it.
This is *NOT* a cheap trail capable eMTB. It's a glorified gravel bike which will do great if you only ride on gravel or fireroads. NOT the dh's or single track section.
Normally I would say: f warranty, go for it! But seeing that fork basically collaps resulting in the the front tire rubbing and locking up, that could easily result in some nasty injuries.
IANAL and YMMV but I would never trust this on a black
It’s definitely NOT intended for jumps. I stated that in the video. But no fork collapsing for me.
I see you made a similar video on your channel about a cheap e-bike. Have you tested many bikes?
@@JaredHoff Decided to build my own after the Eleglide disaster and having ridden some bikes through the lbs which either were to expensive for what they were in the end.
Just a bland Giant Talon hardtail where I threw and Tongshen tsdzb2b on.
Frame is a proven mtb frame which I know can handle what I throw at it and the fork being a budget oriented SR Suntour XCM 120mm air shock while not being the most responsive on the smalls at least will not fail me.
Still not suited well for anything black / steep, since I am using the same mt200 brakes you're using and those just aren't meant for that ( XC brakes, not trail/dh ). But that's fine, I live in pancake country where my closest trails have a ~40m height difference during a ~40km loop so mt200's are fine for my usage.
Besides from some of the jumps/drops and probably the rock garden, I think this review bike would probably handle my local trails quite well, and taking the chicken run's to avoid those features. Which means losing out of a lot of the fun of riding the courses, but it will get out out into nature and biking so that's great!
I just get really worried when I see people comment they compare this bike with actual eMTB's from Trek for instance and complaining they are six times as expensive...
That's without a doubt true, but also because Trek actually makes eMTB's.
This thing isn't. It's shaped like one, and it wants to be one, but it wasn't made to be one. And I fear some people will learn that the hard way if they consider this bike to be trail capable 'out of the box' ( or even upgraded, I wouldn't trust the frame, stronger forks would just move the expected point of failure to the headset itself ).
If people want a cheap entry level eMTB the best into that is building your own. The only downside are some restrictions on frames you can use depending on which brand motor you go with ( Tongshen / CYC or even Bafang even while I strongly oppose calling anything without a torque sensor as a suitable mtb drivetrain enhancement ). Yes, you will end up with a downtube battery instead of a frame mounted ( internal ) one, and yes this is more vulnerable if you crash... solution is not crashing, and making sure you battery is as secure as possible ( I have straps around my downtube and battery to help the mounting bolts and prevent any and all movement even if I crash ). But this also makes upgrading / replacing down the line non trivial, unlike integrated batteries where you have to hope the manufacturer continues making them in the exact same form factor.
Decent second hand mtb + motor/controller + battery = always cheaper as buying an emtb 'as is'. And it's a lot of fun to build imo :)
Aka you don’t want to ride this on trail and you simply don’t want to buy this bike
Still expensive
That bike is not a Class 1,2,or 3 ebike because its throttle and high speed….making it a e-motorcycle and not legal on most all mountain e-bike trails other than those allowing dirt bikes and OHVs. You should stop advertising things like this as mountain bikes for trails since few allow motorcycles. Plus you’re likely riding illegally here. Most trails are not allowing these. Don’t compare this to a Trek or a Specialized as those are all Class 1. It’s misleading.
@@aaronclark280 the bike limits your speed when pedal assist and you can remove the throttle to make it a class 1. I rode it on the trails with other e-bike riders on Trek and Specialized and they were keeping up with me fine. It’s definitely not a dirt bike.
I understand the classes but the fact that it’s “multi-class” means it’s technically out of class /non compliant with any one class and therefore not an ebike but rather a motorcycle by legal definition….weak as it may be. And it’s capable of going 28mph so that’s not C1. Just saying that most people won’t know or care and that leads to illegal use and ultimately public backlash against ALL MTBers. We all lose. At least make a disclaimer statement about the technicality.
Upgrade nothing.
Buy a better bike.
😔