Hardtail E-MTB Roundup. Which one is the best?

[@SnowAngelfish]

I think this is a very important category of e-bikes. Many of us want something that is capable of trails but also good for in town use and dont want to fork out the extra money for full suspension. Also Rear suspension is mosty for steep downhills and jumping which many of us have no interest in.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Some good insight here for sure.

[@RobBigs-lu8bq]

The velotric is the perfect off road bike, not to bomb around like a regular mountain bike, but just camping and out in the woods, transitioning from road to rough off road. Ramblas is by far my favorite.

[@miketamok3369]

You guys are a great on this.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thank you!

[@gravityryder8437]

Thanks guys. Great reviews! I went with the Ramblas. Way too much bang for the buck to pass up

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Awesome. Have fun riding it!

[@Noony79]

Me too. Love it

[@rheabyrd5544]

Great video of an often overlooked segment of eMTBs.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, definitely an overlooked segment.

[@nigew25]

An E-Hard tail at £3000 is an achievable budget for me. At 51 I enjoy different types of riding and these bikes would give me the range for big days out.

[@sd5458]

I bought the Ramblas about 4 months ago and I have been having a blast with it! For me, the Ramblas had the best subset of base features, with lots of room for upgrades. I've ridden hard tails my whole life, and I eat up blue trails on this thing, and even leave my buddy on a full suspension Santa Cruz in the dust frequently. It's about the rider after all! The Ramblas also looks the best with it's hand painted colorways, and weld lines? What weld lines? The other brands gave zero F's about fit and finish, and it shows!

[@richarde1355]

You bought it at the right time! The price is much higher now! Did you buy it mail order or from a dealer? If a dealer, were you charged a fee for assembly? Thanks!

[@awkragt]

Been considering the Tero for commuting even though the gravel is only 10% of the distance and mostly because I don’t want to pick up a dorky city bike.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Would be a fantastic bike for that.

[@runyourcity8702]

I have the Tero 5.0 and use it for commuting, it’s so much fun I love it

[@avidpsychlist8129]

Good video! I'm getting into more mellow trails and gravel bike paths now. Less technical blue as well as green trails are mostly what I will be riding now. I'm getting older and actually need the assistance on climbs to help keep the heart rate under control. I just bought the Marlin+ 8 in purple and will be picking it up Saturday. For me the Trek is a no compromise bike out of the gate. Nothing "needs" upgrading, but if or when I want to upgrade I can get high end components easily for this bike. 29 x 2.6" set up tubeless should make a super comfortable ride for a hard tail. So yeah, eMTB hardtails are not just for people getting into the sport and can't afford a full suspension bike yet. It's also for people like myself who are winding down from the technical stuff and gradually moving to single track and gravel bike paths, where a full suspension is overkill really. I'm not getting rid of my Fuel EX just yet though. lol

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks! Yes those are good use cases for a hardtail E-MTB for sure!

[@jwoody6103]

I'm in the same boat (aging gracefully). Let us know how you like the Marlin8..it's on my candidate list too!

[@avidpsychlist8129]

@@jwoody6103 I'm really enjoying my bike and happy with my purchase.If you're like me, looking for some help on the climbs yet still relatively fit, this bike is perfect. Don't let the specs fool you, this thing is plenty powerful if you still want a workout. I weigh about 200 lbs and I have rarely had to use more than the TOUR + setting. AUTO on the steepest climbs. I've used TURBO only once to see what it was like. I ride almost exclusively in ECO mode. Trick on climbs is to drop down to a low gear and keep your cadence up. I move slightly faster than on my regular bike but with much less effort. I've started turning off the motor on level and downhill sections so it's still a good workout. The bike feels great on gravel roads and singletrack. It shifts/brakes well, looks great with the blue/purple paint job, and lifetime warranty on frame is reassuring. I ride mostly gravel bike paths and country gravel roads and it's awesome for that. I do miss my dual suspension on MTB trails and not crazy about the possible long term damage to the motor/battery when you are constantly going over roots and rocks on a hardtail. So all in all, very happy with this bike, and it's perfect for my needs. Oh... I did switch to an Ergon saddle when I purchased it. So I can't comment on the quality of the original saddle. I have Ergons on all my bikes.

[@jwoody6103]

@@avidpsychlist8129 Thanks for the great recap...very much appreciated. I'm actually just waiting for my local Trek store to assemble the Marlin6 and Marlin8 they received this week so that I can try them out (along with the PowerFly4). I'm also looking at the Specialized Turbo Tero. So many options out there! The EBJournal channel has been a godsend to help sort through it all.

[@avidpsychlist8129]

@@jwoody6103 To me the better components on the 8+ add up to more than the price difference of the 6+, if that makes sense. Full disclosure, coming from a 25 year local Trek bike shop satisfied customer, if the Cube Reaction Hybrid Race 625 would've been on sale for the price it is now when I bought my Marlin 8+... I probably would've gone with the Cube. Check that one out. You lose out on the 8+ dropper post and get 100mm fork instead of 120mm, but you get higher performance Bosch motor with higher capacity battery and an XT derailleur. Like I said, VERY happy with my purchase, in part because at the time the Cube was too expensive so best bang for the buck was the Marlin 8+ (especially with the deal I got). But with the Cube on rebate at $100 less than I paid for the Marlin... I would've got the Cube.

[@arr4ws]

Im on a orbea rise , but i would switch to a hardtail EMTB if there was better bike offering

[@richarde1355]

A dealer near me has a new old stock Turbo Tero 3.0 for $1799! Seems like a crazy good deal to pass up, if a rider is looking for that 70/30 bike (like you mentioned in the video). I really like the lighter weight and streamlined look of that Marlin, though. Price aside, for a 70/30 rider, which would you pick for this person? Great video and perspectives! Thank you!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

That is a good deal for the Turbo Tero 3.0. If you are feeling you’ll be doing 70/30, then the Turbo Tero will be a solid choice for you.

[@jwoody6103]

Can you share the dealer name/location? That's the bike I'm looking at! Thanks!

[@kellyzollo]

Been debating between the Aventon or the Trek Marlin or Powerfly. I really like the idea of the Aventon but the fork set up is what is holding me back I feel st that price point they really need a lock out fork.

[@pwnage402]

You could have picked something like the ride 1 up prodigy instead of the hub drive lmao it’s also goofy as hell to have the ST version of the specialized lmao

[@2002guy]

Thanks guys. This really helped me. Fellow Portlander here. Location looks like Mt Scott? Do you know where I can test ride the Aventon locally?

[@ebaake]

Were you guys using a size regular or large on the Velotric?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Ours was the size large. Did feel a bit long even at 6’ height for tester.

[@hitmaneast9815]

Have the tero 3.0 in London and it’s so underwhelming with it being restricted to 15mph. Considering on bypassing it with a speedbox or pear tune chip but police can then seize it as be classed as motor vehicle 😂.

[@bm5447]

This guy likes the bike cause its his favorite color, he said. Lol

[@miketamok3369]

How noisy are the motors

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Drive units have come along ways over the years. These all are rather quiet. When riding trails you can hardly hear them. On pavement or hard pack gravel fire roads you can hear them when they're under load specifically sustained climbs. But none of them are "loud" so to speak.

[@johnspooner4128]

Nice comparison, I've learned alot from your vieos. I like my ramblas but I would like to remove that whole pop up seat mechanism and put in a suspension seat post, do you know how hard that would be or if even possible?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thank you very much. Not to dissuade you, but if you hang tight we have a video coming out about upgrading the Ramblas. Without giving too much away, one of those components will be changing the dropper post for the PNW Components Coast dropper which is both a dropper post and a suspension seatpost in one. Best of both world in our mind.

[@Noony79]

Thanks for the great review. I bought the Ramblas, on a whim. No biking experience but running was breaking my old ass body. Needed something to keep me fit and it looked like a good option. Pleased that it’s an ok option

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Glad you enjoy!

[@justynah8347]

Why they do not produce carbon hardtail ebikes with top gear like fullsuspension MTB? Hardtail should be maximum till 16kgs = carbon frame, carbon wheels and xtr or xx gear with small battery up to 500W. Instead of that we have alloy frame, low quality gear and weight up to 27 kgs which is completely ridicolous!!!!!!!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Ya unfortunately there is only one carbon hardtail emtb that we're aware of from Focus. Don't quote us, but I think the brands just see the mountain bike world favoring full suspension and are more willing to continue to invest into making lightweight full suspension electric mountain bikes while that segment of the electric bike world continues to evolve. For example, the orbea rise, specialized levo sl, and many more are under 40lbs and have range extender compatibility. Check out @theloamwolf they do a SL emtb shootout that covers many of the options on the market.

[@justynah8347]

@@ElectricBikeJournal There is only one: Rose Bonero Plus 3 - 16.5 kgs

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

@@justynah8347 oh ya looks like the focus carbon is no longer. I'm sure you've considered robust carbon e gravel bikes with a flat bar setup? or is that not enough front end travel?

[@justynah8347]

@@ElectricBikeJournal Not really, I love MTB bikes.

[@Bobhurley-cf5xd]

Velotric is a nightmare. Their customer support after the sale is horrible.

[@SkippyPB.]

Hub drives and hard tails are often frowned upon in the mountain bike community.