Mountain Bike Vs Lightweight E-MTB | Strikingly Similar or Worlds Apart?

With lightweight E mountain bikes becoming more commonplace and carving out their own niche in the market, we are often told that they are the perfect bike for riding with friends who still ride standard! We wanted to put this to the test, heading out for a full day in the bike park with GMBN's Blake Samson to find out if mountain bikes and lightweight e-bikes are still a world apart.
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[@Wissi_MonTana]

In the Corner with de Camera Man, First i thought Blakes Brakes are noisy but then i reallized it was his laughing 😂 very nice 😂

[@tycojewel7979]

They came to same conclusion as me after riding the SL for a few days. My non EMTB is a 2018 Giant Anthem Advanced. I have hated climbing on a bike since childhood. I am now 58. The SL opens up more trails to ride that I previously avoided due to uphill I wanted to avoid. It is magnificent and I highly recommend it.

[@yannicklessire6171]

Yesss. Indeed. Above 50+ vttae IS a games changing... for new trails territory.😉

[@benjameng9475]

I believe as long as e-bikes still have mtb frame and wheels they are like a regular mtb. That being said and is just my opinion as long as the battery holds out the e-bike is just loads more fun to bash around or have the power when and where you need it! Will always still have a selection of regular mtb's for the love of bikes! Hey thanks for all the video's and inspiration!

[@Mcfc2Rich]

I like Blake he's super humble. Can't wait to get my eeebs. So looking forward to this.

[@weihoang9453]

I love how humble Blake is, wish more riders were like him 😍❤️

[@mikehill4028]

I’ve just bought the Levo SL and on my first ride it felt much more like my Whyte T129S and the gear ratios were incredible. Used 13% battery over a 1 hour 45min ride on the Quantock Hills - 2 minutes of electric assist 😃

[@mrjapanimeniac]

These 2 guys are the best together, from the first mtb vs emtb video they rule. Maybe next time give Neil (the Don) the SL and Chris the new Levo to have the 3 "AMIGOS" challenge eh?

[@TheMamajamer]

Great video! Entertaining and fun as always!

[@CurvedSlightly]

I'm finding that, I still get a good workout, without the fatigue. Meaning, I can hit trails sooner.

[@99jerseyboy]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 The best thing about this video is to see two friends having a BLAST TOGETHER riding different types of bikes! Oh and that rooster dirt bath too! Lol! Sure, Blake has to "hike a bike" a bit, but the rest of the time they're RIDING together and having some laughs! This is how it is when I ride my ebike with my acoustic bike riding friends. I'm twice the age of a few of them, but I can keep up with their energy levels on my ebike. Gotta try the tug of war thing though! That's hilarious and nearly had me spit out my morning coffee! 😂 Just the inspiration I need before my morning ride! 👍

[@seanbennett1137]

Would love to see the latest lightweight e bike Vs one of the first mainstream full fat e bikes

[@weihoang9453]

definitely love to see that comparison

[@SimonBauer7]

so the levo sl vs the haibike eq xduro? yea that would be awesome

[@SuperGoooooooof]

no one should be afraid of effort. ever. it's what biking is all about. you don't have to be the fastest, you don't have to win every race. but just get out there and put in the effort, your heart will thank you.

[@another3997]

And pleasure is nothing to do with cycling? Not everything is about racing, physical fitness and endurance.

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

When you get to a certain age you don’t recover as quickly, your max heart rate peels and staying strong is really tough. E-MTB has extended my shelf life as a rider. I still go hard but now don’t get the deep tiredness that shortens a good day. The handling of a light eMTB feels close enough to my rider-only bike. The range of our bike adventures has gone back to like being in my mid-thirties again. Don’t dismiss them , eMTBs have a well earned place.

[@wildcathillsnaturalist9228]

"it's what biking is all about." No, not necessarily. Like so many areas in life "YMMV." I totally respect this perspective, but "biking" can mean many things to many people. On many of my rides, it's about completing a specific ride/loop (including some stops to enjoy a little nature/quiet time) in the time I have available and without totally trashing my body (and thus my riding enjoyment and how I feel later in the day) in the process. An ebike allows me to 'dial in' and have more control over the effort necessary to accomplish my goals, which may not be the same as other riders. Seems to me biking should be a big enough tent to allow for all types of perspectives/goals to achieve on our wheels :)

[@mick2d2]

@@wildcathillsnaturalist9228 I couldn't agree more. "Nobody should be afraid of effort" kind of sums up, what a lot of people still (wrongly) think about e-mtb. It's really about control and being able to get the "right" dose of effort/activity, which can vary greatly depending the purpose of the ride, the length, the age and fitness of the rider etc... Many is the time on a long uphill trail, when I have to back off, to keep my heart rate at a reasonable level, and this is on an e-mtb. Sometimes it's actually worse with the e-MTB, as you are encouraged to go more quickly, with a higher cadence, for longer, and thus a higher heart rate.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

I‘d love to see the same tug of war against Doddy. Blake almost did it but I think he‘s just too light to bring the grip down.

[@deeplato5647]

Very helpful comparison

[@aaronteer3641]

Top crew, top videos 😎

[@kevinjager8007]

I recently just got myself a turbo levo Hardtail and I'm just doing a few local rides to suss it out. I'm definitely not afraid of hard work having a trek 69er single speed as my other bike. What Im really enjoying about the new bike is the ability to go longer and further without breaking the fitness bank, especially on long sustained climbs. It's just so much fun!

[@maxatrillionfatstacks]

I've been looking for a trek 69er ever since I rode a friends and fell in love, but the only ones I've found have been mediums (I ride a large) or have had the original fork swapped out (which is a big part of why that bike is so awesome, I've never seen a hardtail come with an inverted double crown).

[@Drcheeser79]

Great video, now I’d just like to see more selection from the vast number of manufacturers... not quite ready to jump to a 50+ lbs bike just yet.

[@TastyChevelle]

Yes, I love Blake and Chris together!

[@TastyChevelle]

@Chris Smith Eyyy its the man! Love seeing you whip your bike around in the games of "BIKE" as well! One of my favorites is you and Blake in the city doing an urban version!

[@cornish_boy6235]

Don’t think I’ve ever seen Blake so calm! Lol

[@ilionatroya7129]

Great video! I work 10-12 hours a day on my feet and have to leave some gas in the tank. This type of e-bike could really be a game changer. I also mountain climb, boulder, and trail run and find myself too spent for a longer ride somedays. I can’t see much of a negative to this bike except the damn hippies in my area that have banned them from nearly every trail! WTF!

[@claytonprice7833]

This was a great comparison however I'm keen for you guys to compare the Specialized Levo SL and the Orbea Rise on tracks you did in this video for playfulness and assistance.

[@ImmortalCookie]

I whould totaly like to get one of those light ebikes. For those big days out. But only as a second bike.

[@danielcedolin2034]

Be interesting if you had do the same down and up in eco then trail then turbo against Blake 🤔

[@chiccorocker]

Having the assist of the electric motor, even if not as much as in a full weight ebike is still a massive boost. But the weight becomes much more attractive. These lightweight ebikes can add "just" 3-4 kg to the weight of a normal mountain bike making it much more attractive for people not willing to compromise the agility too much and not minding the slight additional effort. I look forward to see more brands coming out with light ebikes, there are not many around at the moment.

[@norv9130]

Think you should race on the flat, also think you should have swapped bikes for a section. 😃👍

[@jeremyn3813]

Agreed. It would have been interesting to hear Blake's opinion of the e-bike.

[@lindsaystewart8288]

If you were to set your mtb up for more up hill riding then downhill would you put the minion dhr II at the front so that you had more grip at the rear

[@johnnymcpherson8493]

Yall most definitely earned a subscribe on this one! Lol

[@Parakitedude]

Great comparative test, I am almost 50 and consider buying a new bike, have looked at levo comp alloy and also the epic..but I do not have the power as I used to buy I am not sure if i want to go all in to the non SL, that is so heavy..tested the Levo alloy comp and it was fantastic but heavy. Can the SL be an alternative to me, thats the question

[@surfbodi.0015]

I took an Orbea Rise demo bike out a few weeks back. Its the first time I've really liked an ebike. It felt much more natural than full fat e bikes. At almost 9 grand though I could never justify buying one. Im currently riding a Vitus Sentier VR and its a cracking bike. You could buy 8 of those for the price of the Rise 😳🤨

[@chargeriderepeat7024]

Nice challenge.

[@eMDee54]

would love to see Blake shred with that ebike

[@Primarch_Vulkan]

Where do i get one of those bungee tow ropes from?

[@diesdas4393]

You should compare the bikes with same rider

[@ashleyholland4853]

Put Blake on the SL

[@tascruel]

What a torture to Blake. At the end he asks if he can have it. Made me wonder what he could pull of with the Levo.. Is that the next video?

[@bitumen83]

1:38 that kid on the left ahahahahhaha

[@dedracingteam]

Hahaha Blake's mindset slowly change avout Emtb as he would like to test it a bit deeper.. would like to see a full video of Blake and Chris on this kind of machine and just shred together , that would be nice

[@theelusiveone147]

Blake is my favorite MTB all time

[@scotlandmyhome7484]

I’ve got the SL and it’s the closest you will get to a normal MTB and suits me bang on as full ebike just too much for me!

[@marcalvarez4890]

How much did you pay for that bike?

[@jkostans]

Me hitting 180bpm wanting to throw up on big climbs… these guys are in shape……e-bike or not

[@MultiTerrainBike]

10:07 I heard a chicken cackling.. lol, it's Blake's laughter.

[@jeremyn3813]

That cackling stoke of Blake after seeing the roost is so good!

[@nomad-pq4yw8iy7v]

Hmmmm I'm thinking how light is the lightest full on fs emtb right now the future is that it will be as light or lighter than current batch of lower power light weights.

[@rolux4853]

I don’t know if there’s a lighter full power one out there, but the Santa Cruz Heckler is at 21kg. That’s the one I want to get, but it still has the „old“ shimano steps 8000 engine, which bugs me a bit. If it had the new ep8, I would get it in a heartbeat, but right now I’m still looking if there a better option out their. That either has the new shimano motor or even better the Bosch! I’d love to get the Turbo Levo, but the Carbon Version is at least 11000€ which is absolutely fucking insane!

[@andrewmtbfreak]

Tug of war, may the heaviest man win

[@MrArtursqr]

3:23 terrible bend of the wheel ;/

[@jimmygrimshaw3318]

U guys need to be on main stream t.v. Maybe through an app .... absolutely love to see u guys going up hill aswell as down and getting to the points of evolution of ebikes..... this is exactly wat us as an audience wants to see .... I’m on a full fat and am already thinking light weight to fit in or maybe to convert others..... keep up the gd work guys ... from a devoted watcher

[@steezerider1480]

Gr8 vid; My Creo evo is even more similar to non eGravel bike; can U include more eGravel bike content, after all we’re all eBikers. All Hail the new “EMGBN” channel!!! 🚩🚩🚲🚩🚩

[@burleigh604]

Where were you? What mtb park were you at? Great vid keep up the good work

[@kaibigbang8308]

It literally says in the video and above the title

[@th_js]

Time to get glasses?

[@ALf-mn3qe]

I guess this video helps to increase the sales of this litle e-bike , isn´t that the idea ?

[@rahuldasmajumder5121]

Wow. Maybe ebikes will be the future of cycling.

[@menghinleong607]

Should invite gcn to ask whether roadies can ride e mtb.

[@Rapid_gherkinz]

I'll be honest I can't say I won't ever get an e bike because I probably would when I'm an old man but I got another 20 years on push bikes yet

[@ozoutdorz2584]

you are so missing out on awesome fun... Just try one !!

[@Rapid_gherkinz]

@@ozoutdorz2584 the fun comes from not having any effort to ride a bike ice ridden one..and i'ce noti edpeople getting them are outtong weight on and loosing strength in there legs..i guess thats whatnhappens when you get a rov9t to do your dirty work

[@therodenthitman]

I don't know if I'd consider "off" one of its power levels. It's like hey guys my car is a 7 speed. 5 forward one reverse and neutral!

[@matthewspring2496]

What a surprise, a bike with a motor beats one without

[@rayglasscock9667]

Just spent about 25min writing then thought who really wants my opinion. Any way one if not best review on the bikes unquestionably, what really came over no nasty pathetic remarks the riding discipline was off what the general mtb rider would ride out about or bike park👍👍👍none of this smashing the crap out of your bike style! We can't all aford to wreck what is gonna take next two to three years to pay off not to mention other connected cost.Yeah great review 😷

[@another3997]

It's hardly a proper comparison when you have two riders, each of different skill and fitness levels, using just one bike all the way through the tests. One person needs to use both bikes on each test. Otherwise you're testing more than just the bikes. 🙄

[@jeremyn3813]

I believe anti-e-bike people need to ride fixed geared bikes if they want to complain. Otherwise, they are embracing technology that benefits them in their riding, just like motor assistance. It's just another step in that evolution that gets you more miles and more smiles.

[@machyne82]

How does being a dad make you less fit?

[@fliptight]

become one and you’ll find out

[@zurbrure]

E-Bike vs Push-Bike 😀.

[@johannespitz]

Downvote for not mentioning km/h Nm and weight (in kg of course!).

[@86309]

Tug of war, brahahahaha!

[@jimthompson717]

When you ride a pink bike, you need to be tough.

[@CurvedSlightly]

Dad of 3? Have you not got the internet, Chris?

[@kingerz]

Needed to be same rider. Takes a few seconds to weigh bikes but he 'has no idea' . eBike is unrealistically in Turno all the time. Poor decisions.

[@paulmerc3960]

That

[@ianmangham4570]

Can i borrow the Ebike please 🤣🙋‍♂️🇬🇧

[@hotf00t13]

You should compare them over about 55miles or so.

[@UbiquitousDIY]

I don't see the point of these comparisons. One has a motor, of course it'll win in the power stakes?

[@mjsmjs7905]

Hahahaha, 320wh that's not a battery!

[@petervanpuyvelde8959]

Please use (also) km kg you are speaking to an international audience

[@johndow14]

we want to see blake shred on an ebike.

[@kiranpatel3131]

What’s this imperial measurements nonsense lads ?

[@RealMTBAddict]

I'm out of shape and passed 10 ebikes on Saturday.

[@MichelBertrand]

Huh... so I went to look for that SL on the Specialized website, and there are 4 models... ranging from $9500 to a staggering $19400 CAD, so with tax 23K?!?!? 🤮 Give me a f...ing break. Love watching Blake riding a bike, and stumbled on this channel for the first time. I'm out. Peace! You guys have a lot more budget than I'm willing to put into this.

[@Albkiller22]

One of my friends just bought an ebike yesterday, it was a cube 625 ebike for 4.5 k euros.

[@scottjameseaton5503]

Another one from the specialised channel. Need to change the name to smbn.

[@michaelh5942]

is like comparing a stagecoach with a modern van🤷🏻‍♂️

[@sebastianwong1170]

If you have an ebike then why do you still need gears? At the very least e-bikes should have a Downhill setup with 7-8 gears.

[@fliptight]

even motorcycles have gears and they have a crapload of power

[@Frankiez220]

You can’t compare heart rates to see who was working the hardest. You can however compare % of heart rates together. There are also other contributing factors. If you get a lightweight xc rider he would ride up those hills all day. That fella is carrying too much weight.

[@jaselikesbikes]

Why on earth didn’t you compare it to the analogue stumpy? Paid content perhaps? Also comparing HR for 2 different people! Please........

[@rolux4853]

Yeah it’s because only the Emtb channel is sponsored by Specialized which is really a shame. I’d love to see the comparison to the Stumpy or stumpy evo!

[@soul2310]

the topic is completely dry and regurgitated 1000nd times watching it only for the presenters. embn topics getting duller. sadly

[@jackryan2135]

Why on earth are you speaking in lbs?

[@Boboo5]

I ffffffking hate it how embn always compares emtb to mtb. Its obvious they are WORLDS apart...

[@greg1083]

Really. Comparing a motorcycle with an actual bicycle. Gee. I wonder who is going to be faster or climb easier. Seems a little silly.

[@fliptight]

smh an ebike is hardly a motorcycle. specially that levo SL it’s pretty low power compared to most ebikes - it’s decide to feel closer to a regular MTB. with that said, the comparison is still silly.

[@sripavanv]

I still don’t see a point for ebike. I mean if I wanted something powered, would get a motorbike (dirt bike) .

[@ozoutdorz2584]

I much prefer my Ebike over my motorbike.. It is the best of both worlds.

[@SpeedBoosted136]

WTF is this bullshit with max HR of 140 and average of a turtle that swims in ocean? As usual the video is a show, instead of comparisons

[@marekj.]

unpleasant, when your sponsor make such an awful and yet orange helmet...

[@HarryKuloh]

Great looking and cool color helmet 💯

[@Duncan23]

It's designed to be easily seen in case mountain rescue or other emergency services need to locate you from the air.

[@adrianotuimeroiti4914]

Kool...i can get into this....🚲🛵 a Giant-dual suspension coil spring .☻

[@carverboycarverboy2097]

eTrash will lead to trail closure as they clog up the back country and irritate other user groups. Keep single track motor free!

[@anthonysears871]

electric bikes of any kind are NOT "BIKES." Ridiculous!

[@ozoutdorz2584]

yes, they are E-bikes. What is a surfboard with a motor in it? or a skateboard with a motor in it or a scooter with a motor in it? - not ridiculous just heaps of addictive fun !!!

[@aussierules3436]

Buy a fuken dirt bike then