Bike Lab: Lightweight vs Full Power eMTB

[@SuperCaryG]

You nailed it. I just picked up my Rise a couple of weeks ago after riding a Heckler and Levo. I noticed the weight immediately with the Rise and knew it was for me. 60nm is enough for me and my riding style. I enjoy a bike that feels like a mountain bike and easy to unweight and lift or bunny hop over obstacles. Great review and I agree completely with your assessment.

[@bikersedge]

I’ve found 60nm is plenty. It’s not quite as fast as the full power but it’s enough for sure. It makes a huge difference on the DH having the lighter bike.

[@JAFO.]

@@bikersedge If 60nm isn't adequate, get a Yamaha - lol

[@fzr1000981]

Wild FS for me, I like speed and I'm going to derestrict it - oh and I have an S1000RR haha

[@edisonmorgan9199]

i know Im randomly asking but does someone know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost my password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me.

[@edisonmorgan9199]

@Royal Hamza i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and im trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@milesholland6826]

I like how you broke down the comparison in the conclusion. It gave me a really good sense of the pros and cons.

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks for the feedback!

[@myideas8548]

I had a 2022 Levo (Full Power) with a longer fork and now I have a Kenevo SL (lightweight). While the Levo was amazing and probably one of the best all around full power eBikes, when I got it in the turnier, looser, steeper trails of Santa Cruz, CA it was not super fun to ride. It felt like you were wrestling the weight and on the downhill super steep loose stuff, I kept crashing it spectacularly. The mass of the bike was just too much for me to have fun on. Now I have a Kenevo SL and I ride the thing exactly like a regular bike and don't hold back on anything - I don't even think about it... If the trails are very straightforward and the bike is not going to be leaned much, a full power (heavy) eBike would be great. If however the trails are gnarly, loose or are fast with tight turns, drops and jumps, I'd recommend a lightweight eBike and just deal with the lack of power. You'd likely have more fun. Disclaimer: I have a friend who is an exceptional mountain biker (way better than me) , he rides a 2022 Levo and can ride it anywhere (quickly), that said, there are few people with his ability and I would bet, on the rougher downhill trails, he'd like my bike more than his. Uphill, there is no comparison. The heavyweight eBike blows the lightweight one out of the water. Just my $.02

[@PQV-8898]

I have the MX and loving every minute riding it. Mullet setup coupled with SC's vaunted suspension give it an amazing ride. You can detuned the power on the Etube app and that will lower assist levels to your preference. And that was exactly what I did.

[@makoymtb]

Thanks for the good review, ordering my Orbea rise M10 now👍🏼👌🏼

[@otisjordan5613]

Great comparison. Though I feel like it might look different on my local trails, we don't have any rocks, but instead we have roots and very tight trails through our forests, with trails are more ''typical'' downhill or EWS like. I feel like the plantedness of the heckler and the increased travel might help it there.

[@Trailjunkie62]

At the end of the day it comes down to which bike puts the biggest smile on your face...thanks great comparison

[@bikersedge]

You're not wrong. Thats what bikes are all about to me.

[@colingardiner5349]

Nice assessment. I’ve been riding my Rise with my pal on his SC Bullitt and I’m working harder on the climbs but been getting better battery life. Last big ride was 20k with 800m climbing and he had 8% left and I had 31%. The Rise with range extender will blow away the FF with 630wh battery. I’m loving it so far and feel the power is perfect for a fitter rider and it can handle enduro too. I’ve got my Garmin watch paired and shows battery % exactly. Bit of a hassle to set up but once done it pairs in seconds every ride.

[@bikersedge]

I’m loving my Rise. It’s the perfect e bike for how I like to ride. I can’t hang with the full power guys on the uphills but that gap gets smaller on the DH.

[@nesimsarac1841]

Which Garmin smart watch are you using? Just got my m10 😁 and would like to buy a competible garmin smartwatch

[@colingardiner5349]

@@nesimsarac1841 I have the Vivoactive 3. You can pick one up cheap on eBay. I use it for running as well.

[@fbomb1767]

Brother, that was seriously informative. Thank you very much for this comparison

[@bikersedge]

Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it!

[@thefortniteslayer]

Great content, I’ve got a Lapierre eZesty and an Orbea wild fs M20. I love both the bikes and use them both though my everyday user is my eZesty as it’s super light and gives me that natural feel.

[@stephenf1381]

Love the Heckler MX-S. It’s one of the lightest full power emtbs available, Awesome suspension geometry, motor. Overall build quality is top notch too. The Rise seems cool and 65nm should be adequate but I didn’t like the Levo SL at all. It’s like a heavy MTB with an anemic motor.

[@bikersedge]

Couldn't agree more!

[@alancaser4179]

Hi thank you for the test . Next month I should receive my Rise , hope is good as you said . Garmin 560 an other GPS from Garmin can be sync with the Rise Orbea and will give you the precise % of battery and many more . Ciao fro Jersey ( UK)

[@tmwei396]

You probably know this by now but you can get the exact % of power left if you connect a Garmin to it. My Edge 530 will display that info along with other info I'm interested in.

[@williammitchell6921]

Great comparison. I ride a Levo SL which is similar in weight to the Rise. Much prefer a lighter bike over a "full power" like the FF Levo.

[@chipsutcliffe7110]

I believe the "SC-EM800 Display" will show actual battery percentage usage.

[@tomordr]

Great review and giving nuances to the rider type and feel! Thanks

[@gariegalaraga4545]

Your reviews are all spot on it’s a gift brotha keep it up !!my go to channel on bike reviews😃👍👍

[@bikersedge]

Thanks for the kind words!!

[@gbarton800]

Good assessment of the two eMTB types! - I’ve got a Trek FS7 (75 nm and 53 lbs) and have Trek Top Fuel 9.8SL (25 lbs.). To bridge the gap, I have on order a Trek Fuel EXe (50 nm and 40 lbs.). We’ll see if it does but based on what you said makes a lot of sense that it will.

[@993cupswe]

You can connect the Shimano motor to a Garmin to get a better view of battery consumption

[@pinoyurbantactical3374]

Santa Cruz nailed it with the heckler,do it all bike ,ill put my money on the heckler power and performance cant beat that!!👍👍

[@bikersedge]

The new Heckler is even better. They’re crushing it.

[@micheandmikey]

Great comparison Connor, thanks!

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@JoelZieve]

Another awesome video - thanks for the great comparison!

[@bikersedge]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@johnmackie71]

Great test. Got a lot from it. Good job👍

[@bikersedge]

Thanks! Stoked you liked it.

[@Esteb858]

At 13:14 you wished there was an actual way to see battery percentage and there is. On my Garmin 530 the specific “data field” you want is “eBike Battery” and that will give you what you’re looking for. I know there’s a specific “Data Screen” called “STEPS Metrics” but under whatever “Data Screen” you have, you must specify each “Data Field” which is when you select “eBike Battery”. Another note is that you’ll need a Garmin Edge 530 or better for this to work.

[@bikersedge]

Sweet. Thanks for the heads up! I wish the shimano computer would show the percentage.

[@pmmhkim]

First off, thanks for the review. I have to say that I like where you were going with this comparison of light emtnbike vs heavy emtnbike but the biggest variable is you. I think you have to ride the bike differently. You were trying to power up the technical areas but those area you should use balance and trial type of riding. Maybe your lack of technical skills hindered the heckler? But anyways good review. Which was more fun?

[@brianbathgate4944]

Awesome video man! This is exactly the comparison I was looking for… think a Rise is my next bike :-)

[@brianbathgate4944]

Ps, heard pairing with a Garmin will give you precise battery levels 👍

[@bikersedge]

Good call on the Garmin!

[@jimm244]

It’s a big investment and I’m really struggling with making a decision. I’m a SC fanboy; their bikes just seem to work the way I feel a mountain bike should. Yet I think I’m more seeking what the Rise has to offer: I want to feel like I’m on a mountain bike, just with a little help to do more miles. I don’t want to feel like I’m riding a whole different type of machine.

[@resetbikes2265]

Great review. Rise is very tempting. Been converting kids bikes at around 14kg and they rock.

[@JAFO.]

I dunno, I do think this is more of a Rise vs Heckler review because I'll wager 3-4 light E-Bikes, if tested similarly, will show a much greater difference between themselves than between these two in this video.

[@bikersedge]

You might be right. I'd imagine that most of the newer lightweight eMTBs will start to look more like the Rise, however. It can't be long before other brands start throttling back a standard Shimano motor.

[@davehedge5044]

Which profile mode were you in on the Rise? Profile 2 offers more power and quicker spin up time which might have helped it clear some of the tech climbs that rely on raw power. Personally I agree that boost is often too much power and I find it hard to keep the front wheel down/modulate the power so I ride in Eco or Trail 90% of the time. I only use boost on really steep climbs or when I need to charge into something. I wish there were 4 modes really, eco, trail, boost light (like the one in Profile 1) and full boost (gimme everything you got).

[@bikersedge]

I’ve tried both modes. I’m in mode 2 at the moment and believe I was for this video as well. I tweaked my eco and trail setting a little as well.

[@TheMtblady]

Going to mode 2, does it use up more battery I presume?

[@themtchannel2110]

very helpful perspective on ebikes :) what trail was this please?

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks. Zen trail in St George.

[@downhillgroovy]

I've heard other KZbinrs say the boost mode on Rise feels like trail mode on a regular ebike. Is that accurate?

[@bikersedge]

Pretty close. I’d say it’s just slightly more than trail.

[@billderas3420]

Nice commentary!

[@bikersedge]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@CaviDS]

if you get a garmin you can link it to the rise and set one of the fields to show you the % of battery

[@bikersedge]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@mtbmike9866]

Ordered a Rise and a 216x63 shock so I can mullet the bike plus you get 160mm of travel out back. Doing so you need to up your fork to 160 or 170mm. Stunlocker allows you to convert the EP8 RS into a standard EP8 to unleash the full 85Nm if you wish. I would only do this once I get the battery extender

[@bikersedge]

Sounds rad! Are you doing an episode of pimp my Rise?

[@mtbmike9866]

@@bikersedge Thats a great title for my next video 😂. THANKS!!

[@bikersedge]

I’ll be here all week.

[@stevedzurilla2436]

I could see going 160 front on the Rise, but are you sure 170 won’t break the bike in two? It will definitely void any warranty.

[@bikersedge]

@@stevedzurilla2436 Even 160mm has a taller axle to crown height than covered by the Orbea warranty.

[@rufusbass]

Great review- Fantastic trail too..Utah? Which one?

[@bikersedge]

Sure is Utah. It’s Barrel Roll in St George.

[@garybrown9719]

You could measure the voltages drop after the ride.

[@bikersedge]

I ride bikes. I’m not an engineer....

[@maxmachin4894]

He gave you the answer you asked for.. Thats the only way to know for sure and its actually really simple to do. Good video bu the way

[@markwat]

Test voltage with meter before and after for percentage

[@franekdolas2011]

Thank's for great, detailed comparison. Can you also write what's the size of Evoc Frame Pack that you fitted in the Orbea frame? 0,75 or 1L? I suppose Orbea is frame size is L? I have a plan to do the same, and ordered L frame size :)

[@bikersedge]

It the bigger Evoc bag on an XL Orbea Rise. Fits great.

[@janezhocevar2928]

Where did you get that bak for Orbea? I never saw it and am searching for something like that.

[@bikersedge]

It’s an Evoc frame bag.

[@vittoriorubensdamoli]

What a quality!!! From Italy🤘🏻

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks!

[@robinsonsadventures2174]

Great video, do you prefer riding the e bikes more than non e bike mtb ?

[@bikersedge]

I have both and end up riding them both about equally. They each have their own pros and cons.

[@locotommy]

battery consumption? I go to my middle power setting and see how much range I have left. Pretty good measure. I know after full charge I have 74 km of battery....( 635 wh full ) and of course it goes down from there. i can get better idea of level than by bars cheers

[@bikersedge]

Not a bad idea at all. Thanks for the tip!

[@CK21422]

You could buy a kill a watt power meter and see how much power is required to recharge each bike after a ride. You’d probably want to fully discharge and recharge to get a baseline first.

[@bikersedge]

That sounds intense.

[@pizzagorgonzola4699]

you can get the exact percentage with a garmin (orbea makes an app for it)

[@bikersedge]

👍

[@kedrickperkins331]

I believe Shimano feels that they cannot provide an accurate enough “numbered percentage.” Because of this they have stated that for the time being they will not provide percentage numbers.

[@bikersedge]

Good to know. I was wondering why I couldn't find an exact percentage.

[@Esteb858]

On my Garmin 530 the specific “data field” you want is “eBike Battery” and that will give you what you’re looking for. I know there’s a specific “Data Screen” called “STEPS Metrics” but under whatever “Data Screen” you have, you must specify each “Data Field” which is when you select “eBike Battery”. Another note is that you’ll need a Garmin Edge 530 or better for this to work.

[@jakubkraut8430]

Hallo, Thank you for the test. Do you think that this bike is a good option for 192cm, 94kg rider? I am looking for a ebike aside my regular bike to get more runs so I can enjoy more before fatigue kills me. I really like the Rise, but I am not shure how long I can ride as a heavier rider. Because of shortage of bikes I can not try it, so I will be glad if you have any advice for me. Thank you.

[@bikersedge]

The battery won’t last as long as with a smaller rider but I don’t think the rise runs out of battery any faster than a standard 80nm e bike with a 500wh battery. As for sizing I’d for sure say XL. I’m 6’2” so you’re taller than me and the XL fits me pretty well.

[@nobody617]

I have 160nm. It can be alot, but i wouldnt want less. I like how easy it is to climb. Im lazy :)

[@harryirgendwer5132]

Does the support of the EP8-RS feel more natural or is there no difference to the EP8? Does the motor hang better on the pedal? Can you feel something from the Rider Synergy? Or is the only difference the lower force.

[@bikersedge]

The motor doesn’t kick on as early as others. It’s requires you to spin a little faster before you really get much assistance. I think it makes it feel more natural that way.

[@harryirgendwer5132]

@@bikersedge Danke für die schnelle Antwort :-)

[@noonster55]

Entertaining to watch but not my favorite type of riding. Way above my comfort zone. Just looks like a lot of work and not much fun. Maybe 30 years ago in my 40’s. Anyway, it’s impressive to watch. I have a 2023 Orbea Rise M-10. I like doing long old school cross country style riding. I basically use my super light cross country mountain bike and the Orbea as gravel bikes most of the time. It’s fun riding for hours and not having to worry too much about falling on very hard rocks.

[@bikersedge]

The harder the better!

[@trailladymtb7700]

Cool video!

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks!

[@GustavoTestaCorrea]

Is that trail on Saint George?

[@bikersedge]

Yes. It’s the Zen trail.

[@puckcoach3]

Not trying to get you in trouble but are ebikes allowed on SG trails ?

[@thhhx]

Would you recommend the rise to someone new to mtb? I kinda feel like full power e bikes are monster trucks and could be harder to manage for a newer rider.

[@bikersedge]

I for sure would. You hit the nail right on the head.

[@1Lukemusic]

Nah go full power . Then get a lightweight later

[@TwowheeledadventureVT]

Rise vs Levo SL please

[@bikersedge]

We don’t carry specialized so we won’t be able to make that video happen unfortunately.

[@brakesforsnakes757]

@@bikersedge The Rise is less expensive, newer, faster, comparable in weight and IMHO has a better build so I'm not sure why people have all this interest in a comparison.

[@bikersedge]

I’m with you on that one. I think it’s better in every way.

[@stalpinho]

Hey, can you tell me which frame bag you have on that Rise? I am looking for something like that atm. Thanks

[@bikersedge]

It's the Evoc Frame Bag! Great for tools, snacks and a windbreaker.

[@stalpinho]

@@bikersedge I would assume it fits the Occam as well, wouldn't it

[@bikersedge]

@@stalpinho It should. They make two sizes. I have the M, but they make a smaller one too.

[@suspensioncheck]

nice music choice :D !

[@bikersedge]

Ha. Funny you say that. Someone a couple weeks ago really hated it. Made sure I knew how much they disliked hip hop.

[@chawkins45ify]

What song is in the intro part?

[@bikersedge]

Not sure to be honest. Some royalty-free stock song.

[@garypostell5268]

How bad would the Rise be with full power?

[@jamescollinson4343]

You mean good?

[@garypostell5268]

@@jamescollinson4343 yes!

[@jamescollinson4343]

Well I guess it's only a chip away from being 85nm!

[@guntherade3509]

Maybe like the Rowild RE375

[@TwowheeledadventureVT]

I've now owned try Levo SL and Santa Cruz Heckler and prefer the Levo SL. I definitely can feel the weight of the Santa Cruz when trying to bunny hop trail features. The heckler is fast downhill though and has better traction uphill.

[@bikersedge]

I’m probably with you on the lightweight e bike train. Although the big dogs have their time and place.

[@TwowheeledadventureVT]

@@bikersedge selling the Heckler for the Orbea Rise 👌👍

[@thim8009]

Idk man looks like the up should go down and the down up looks more fun riding. I have a levo now and going to be getting a levo sl this spring / summer.

[@bikersedge]

I've ridden it in both directions. It's way more enjoyable the direction in the video.

[@garypostell5268]

Did you run in the lowest mode on the climes or full power?

[@bikersedge]

Watch 13:07 and you'll have your answer.

[@garypostell5268]

Heavy rider full power

[@craigmccallum2202]

eride app give the actual battery percentage

[@Wildsnipes]

Shoot I need an e-bike.

[@bikersedge]

Agreed. They're so fun.

[@jeffforbess6802]

Wrangler 2 door vs Hummer, or Power Wagon. Not sure why you used a green trail, instead of something harder…where’s the shaved rubber? You could hurt yourself!

[@puckcoach3]

I don't believe you ever stated what the weight difference of the two bikes is ??

[@bikersedge]

I did in the written piece on our website. It's about 5lb.

[@Rick-uy4kp]

You said 5lbs in the video too.

[@garypostell5268]

He doesn’t say if he in turbo eco or what?

[@bikersedge]

Like I say in the video I rode in the highest power mode the entire time.

[@brakesforsnakes757]

🤦🏻‍♂️

[@puckcoach3]

I have the Hekler MX. I mostly ride in eco mode but put in trail sometimes. The turbo mode seems like too much power, especially if I was to attempt techie maneuvers. Not a realistic use of the “assist”, imo…

[@gavincooper4673]

Music is nassssty

[@bikersedge]

It’s a good one.

[@roddas26]

Kenevo SL

[@bikersedge]

Half the power and still heavier….

[@roddas26]

@@bikersedge have you ridden it?

[@bikersedge]

Briefly. A friend has one that I took a couple laps on.

[@khai6101]

You need to fix your sound levels as they make the video unwatchable. You speak at a perfectly reasonable volume, and it's great that you don't yell at the camera. But then when you but to b roll the music is SUPER LOUD so it has to be turned way down. Then I can't hear you talking and have to turn it back up, only to have to slam the volume back down again. I didn't even make it to the first test after having to adjust the volume so many times. You may have great tests and things to share, but it's unwatchable.

[@bikersedge]

I just model these after Hulu and their commercials.

[@brakesforsnakes757]

Maybe work on how you are trying to get your message across.

[@bikersedge]

Man, someone’s a party pooper.

[@danytheunicorn95]

not very scientific but ok, good job

[@bikersedge]

Riding bikes is more fun than doing science.