New Hardtail Vs Cheap Second Hand Full Suspension E-Bike

[@boxercup1]

I purchased a Specialized HT just over 2 years ago for around £2000, I rode mainly on forest tracks and cycleways. last summer I started to go more off road exploring the countryside and more technical routes, loved the bike and would recommend it to anyone. Anyway because I was now doing more narly stuff I decided to upgrade to a full suspension bike, I wanted to continue with a Specialized but there is no way I was going to spend £6000 plus. My advice is to do what I did and look for a used bike on one of the specialist e bike forums, you can see by the sellers posts how the bike has been used and if you have problems it can be publicly discussed in the forum. I sold my HT for £250 more than I paid for it new, added another £1850 and purchased a low use 2019 Specialized carbon comp knowing that the motor had another 2 years warranty. I loved my HT, but the FS is just so much more fun.

[@jeffp5418]

I had a hardtail EMTB for a while, I really enjoy hardtails. However I found that with an ebike you need to be seated more in order to maximize the use of the motor, with the hardtail that means getting bucked harder and with the added weight it was not a fun ride. When I switched to a Trek Rail it is a game changer. In my opinion hard tail Emtbs are for the street commuter who occasionally hits some dirt. If you're buying an Emtb for single track get as much suspension as you can!

[@mcgherkinstudios]

I went hardtail, and the reason is simple: £2500 Cycle To Work limit. For the price I got a Cube with a Bosch CX Gen 4 and reasonably good hardware. No regrets.

[@chillout1109]

This is the question that I couldn't satisfactorily answer over the past few years that I have been riding. As a result, I now own an analogue full suspension, an eMTB hardtail, and an eMTB full suspension. 3 different MTBs is the format that I have settled at now. I wouldn't have it any other way anymore. Each one of my bikes has it's pros and cons, and I ride them all in different locations.

[@PastyDakar]

Probably worth listing the component costs on the second hand bike to have an idea of motor/battery/chain and cassette costs as well as the average price of a suspension service on a full susser.

[@tommotomlinson3370]

Just bought my first EMTB, the local shop was amazingly helpful and offered great advice. Ended up with a Haibike hardseven 630Wh, went straight up to some Dartmoor trails and loved it....your channel has been a great source of information on what these bikes can actually do so I could gauge the type of bike that would suit me 👌 cheers 🤙

[@embn]

Hey Tommo, That's great to hear that you've just bought your first E-Bike. Your support means a lot to us! Many thanks for your comment! Stay safe out there! 👊

[@SimonBauer7]

solid choice i ride the hardnine sl 2016 and it is super durable and basically maintenance free

[@tommotomlinson3370]

@@SimonBauer7 ,thanks for that, looking forward to clocking some miles 👍

[@Fishster]

I recently got a Haibike too, a mate called saying there was one in my size in stock nearby. Due to the shortage there was no real choice just yes or no. No regrets.

[@joaoafonso70]

I ride a Giant Trance E+ Pro 3 and love it. Wouldn't get a hardtail because in a full suspension you can partially or fully lock the suspension and have the benefits of a hardtail, but you can't have the behavior of FS in any HT. When talking budget, you can allways start with a lower spec bike and upgrade it as you need, but go for the best frame you can buy. Even the better hardtails are going to feel like you are compromising the comfort, the flow and/or the speed in some trails. We have a saying in Portugal that goes " o barato sai caro", translating to "the cheaper becomes expensive". So, think well before making a decision... Cheers to all in EMBN and Happy New Year!

[@pawelodz8050]

I have both. Hardtail on Bosch and full suspension on Bosch as well. I would take used full suspension one no matter what 😁 If you know at least little about bikes you can buy some nice bargain. I bought my full as a used one and I spend some money to upgrade it and some repairs but still I saved a massive amount of money 💰😁 and have £6k bike (when was new) for less than half of that🙂

[@JohnRushworth]

My last two bikes have been full suspension secondhand. Saved me a fortune in initial cost, but you have to be prepared for my costlier servicing over time.

[@Celeon999A]

Given the well known price range of EMTBs , i absolutely cannot see the point of buying a factory new one that comes without a dropper seat. If you're willing to spend this amount of money anyway, then this is propably the worst idea one can have to save a few hundred pounds/euros/dollars. Once you rode a bike with a dropper you will get yourself one too anyway, believe me. 😉 It is THE difference making comfort feature on any MTB. In its presence or absence, propably even more noticable than a higher quality suspension fork. Yes you can install one later on, but its not gonna be that much cheaper. Plus if your bike has internal cable routing, you will find out that installing and properly setting up one yourself is not that easy and trouble free as you may think.

[@cutter4e]

I made this decision of chosing a e-bike few mounts ago. And I chose the second hand focus jam2. Yes I spend extra 300 euros for maintenances (chain, cassette, tires and so on), but no regrets only happy times.

[@denseljosephs9500]

Got a Trek fuel full suspension with a bafang bbshd and a brand new battery. Also got a set of new hydraulic brakes and disks to go on it stands me at £950 .

[@flyondonnie9578]

Where do you mount the battery, since those have a pretty small triangle?

[@njm312]

It would have been nice if Chris had stated wether he been ripped off with his eBay purchase or wether he made the right choice. At the end of the day you have more options (with rear lock out) and a smoother ride on a FSB.

[@tiagorodrigues2736]

Wait, what? That hardtail comes with a xcm 100mm fork and costs £3000 +??? Wtf?

[@Ruffest]

Been through this before. Stuff doesn't last long on ebikes anyway you may aswell get something 2nd hand. Specialized warranty is amazing on 2nd hand bikes. Other brands may be the same but I haven't had one.

[@go4384]

I was looking for a video that would give me some help on whether you buy a quality hardtail for $1,000-2,000 or a cheap full suspension. This is the best I could find. I feel like a higher quality hardtail is probably a better investment than a low quality full suspension, but I'm not sure.

[@JoLe1991]

that XCR fork is just a no-go. hardtails need good forks before anything.

[@Phil_Barker]

I bought a brand new hardtail emtb March last year, had it for 6 months then sold it to buy a 2nd hand full suspension ebike. For me the risk of an older motor and no warranty was worth it as I got a £5k for for £3k and the hardtail was just too uncomfortable on technical descents and I couldn't keep up with friends on full suspension bikes.

[@kieran710]

I brought a new speaclised hardtail 2 years ago for 2200 love it but these hard tails have gone up in price 3000+ i would look for second hand full suss thats what im after now plus more comfort really felt everything on a hardtail.

[@kieran710]

3000+ an no dropper come on......

[@richardn6588]

WFT is "up-to-date geometry"?? sounds like dodgy marketing speak to me

[@AmvC]

(common) bike geometry has become a lot better over the past 4-5 years. If you don't know what that geometry is or means, there are some youtube videos about it.

[@prgrier1]

What are your trails like? comes down to roots and their size.

[@AmvC]

i can only agree with everything said. My new hardtail has an XL frame which suits me better than the L frame my (second hand) fully has. Love riding them both, but they are different animals. If i could, i'd glide to work on the fully and then thrash the way home on the hardtail :) The components are one grade down on the hardtail (Deore-11 to SLX-12, 180mm to 203mm) but, to be honest, i like that right now, with the part's shortage situation and cold-wet-weather conditions. I got the same Battery-Motor-Combo, so i can extend my travel range by 2, easily. Thanks for the Video & Drive safely

[@Hybrid600]

Did you lock out the rear suspension for the climb test?

[@backinthesaddle4861]

The choice if you have 3000 euros to spend, between a new hardtail or a second-hand full suspension. It's simple, the full suspension needs a lot of maintenance, and more wear parts. If you can't be 100% sure of the bike. and if you look at the use for which the full suspension is built. (the rougher stuff) Then there is only one sure choice the new hardtail.

[@stujm8376]

I would love an Emtb hardtail, I ride a lot of xc on my 2014 29er Cannondale trail 4 hardtail and love it. I also ride a lot of enduro-style on my 26er 2010 Commencal meta 5.5. But A hardtail xc would be my dream, I don't really need a motor on the narly stuff......

[@nomad-pq4yw8iy7v]

full suspension is what I ride. So many factor involved. unfortunately right now availability is one of them weather your talking new or parts for a used. Very good point thou if ur riding realistically isn't going to be rough then well....

[@islandaerial3414]

As an eMTB owner that has had DU warranty issues, I would NOT buy a used bike unless, you have connections in the industry That said, can you guys do a survey about reliability and warranty issues on all of the major brand DUs? Cheers!

[@JohnRushworth]

Chris, Chris you’re doing a Jonesy getting confused between Power and Energy! Wh for energy stored or used from the battery, W for power from your legs or motor. Happy New Year from Scotland.

[@joetrapp9187]

One would expect hard tail EMTBS to be much lighter, but the Specialized Turbo Tero 5.0 is 50 pounds.

[@chrisjones6699]

I’m not sure how I feel about this video? I’ve seen some really good deals on “brand new e-bikes” (last years models) for similar money as these two bikes and better spec’ed. i understand that you’re sponsored by huskkvvuanvavaaa but it’s a really unfair comparison in my opinion.

[@kieran710]

Yeah who pays 3000+ for a hardtail ?

[@jimbo4203]

Im looking at buying the Husqvarna cr the turbo tero . I will use it for my commuter and be able to hit some trails too

[@Raven34gtr]

Where can you buy the Husqvarna from?

[@SimonBauer7]

is it jst me or are emtbs getting more expensive each year? my haibike sduro hardnine with the same components cost about half the price of the husquarna like wtf

[@islandaerial3414]

Price increases due to their increasing popularity and acceptance. My local shops don't even have demo eMTBs available currently. Supply chain issues too

[@SimonBauer7]

@@islandaerial3414 it is like gpus for pcs then? scam prices? i am just glad that i have a working emtb in my garage

[@freedcorporateslave]

I am a big fan of buying used but not for an eMTB. Lithium ion batteries, even if properly cared for, have a shelf life.

[@JohnRushworth]

True and a cycle life, but with a motor and battery report you get the number of cycles and max/min temperatures so you factor that into the price vs say £600 for a new battery eventually. Your average rider might get 8 years or so out of a NMC lithium battery. Also if you equate say a 500 Wh battery which gives say 30 miles and you get 250 charges before it’s capacity is 80% of original- then that’s 7,500 miles.

[@AmvC]

Since everything (everything!) has a shelf life, don't buy anything, right? 4.800km, over 99% capacity. But you are right, Batteries should not be handled by everyone. You need some brain and will to keep them healthy. Most people haven't got either.

[@joescott7500]

Wouldn't say either are cheap. The standard of Ebike you can get on FB marketplace is so much higher for less money. Seen kenovos for less than three on there. Those bikes in your video are duds any bike without anodised forks is a red flag.

[@SimonBauer7]

they are just too expensive this comes close to a scam

[@karlhorst3325]

E 8000 in a new Bike ?

[@chillout1109]

It's a 2019 model

[@curtrichardson8002]

Seat isn't straight on F/S

[@marcobigguns3417]

mate im having trouble finding a Husq dealer in south of england can you help me ta

[@JohnRushworth]

Comfort of FS every time for us pensioners. Have to look after our oldie bones and joints….

[@phillee9651]

100 mm xcm forks . .. 120 mm xcr would have been better ...

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

Why limit yourself to a hardtail? FS is so much more versatile - I take mine on 60 mile paved trails and up some really tech terrain - no worries wherever I want to ride. Either way my backside thanks me. Droppers are a must.

[@johnchristopher5075]

I simply can’t see the issue! If you’ve ONLY got £3.5k for the purchase of a e-MTB, you would be out of your mind to buy a used one (unless it too, came with cast iron, rock solid after sales warranty). Only people who have more money than sense would think otherwise. If you’ve got a grand of spare cash as insurance against either the motor, battery or God forbid both, going pop, then knock yourself out and buy a brand new full suss (for £4.5k) For everybody else, poor lesser mortals, you cut your cloth and stick with a brand new E-MTB HT. If Blake can shred a HT, so can you! Hardcore hardtail for life!

[@DopeSmoker]

Hardtail for Life!

[@jimzenglish1]

I’ve just bought a Rocky Mountain Powerplay hardtail brand new. Its a fantastic bike and performs well on rough singletrack in New Zealand. HTs aren’t just for easy trails. When descending steep technical trails my ass is off the seat anyway. Give me a HT with a decent front fork over a cheap full suss anyday.

[@chrisjones6699]

That hardtail is creaking bad!! 😳

[@markrushforth6212]

A good geometry hardtail simply looks far better visually, fact. I'd wager most EMTB riders don't fly down extreme trails and massive jumps either. I do get the feeling this channel is heavily stacked in favour of full suss extreme trail riding bikes, shame.

[@srstrand01]

A guy who spends over $3500 for a bike is worried about his budget?? . . . AAAAaaaarrrrrrgggg!?!?!?!?

[@Designandrew]

I spent 5k on a Trek fuel EX8, "upgrading" from my 2013 giant XTC 29er. What a huge letdown it's been. Right from the start it's had so many problems main one being the creaking, they have taken it apart, replace the headset bearings, but still it creaks like an old wagon. It's literally embaressing to ride. I want a refund but the bike shop refuses and just blames Trek. I will never buy a Trek again, absolute junk, really put a bad taste in my mouth. Hardtails might be a bit rougher but at least you don't waste your life chasing squeaks and creaks.

[@ianmangham4570]

Lovely hardtail

[@rgd1977]

The only reason for buying the new hard tail is peace of mind, although I wouldn’t have much of that if I spent over 3K on the huskawhateveryoucallit.

[@barrismith6206]

What's happened to the Welsh fella that used to present on here?

[@joetrapp9187]

He firmly dislikes hardtails; he's done with them.

[@madmanwheelies6157]

I have bbshd 1500watt mid drive power with 52v 35ah custom made samsung 35e cells 14s10p 1840watt hour throtle only 80 90 km of wheelies and over 65kmh top speed 40mph with almost half the price not even 2k and better and faster then all of this cheap shit 😂😂with weight of the bike around 35kg

[@curtrichardson8002]

Throttle only? Not really a bicycle then. You described a electric M/C. Way too fast for Emtb/MTB trails. Does sound like a fun ride though.

[@madmanwheelies6157]

@@curtrichardson8002 looks same as this bikes only with in traingle frame battery,you have peddal assist but i dont use it just riding it like motorcycle can do 50kmh wheelie easy,waiting for asi bac 855 controler and power of 3.5kw 3500watts mid drive pure power hope to reach 100kmh downhill current personal record is 88kmh,have 9 speed steel shimano deore xt cassete and microshift advent 9 speed clutch derraiuler game changer really can put power down with no much stress on drivetrain, better then 10 12 speed systems and more durable, stronger

[@Lorbo_Turbo]

35kg is waaay too heavy to have fun on trails imo. the stats sound more like a motocycle to me. but i like that u speced your bike the way u wanted it to be 👍

[@madmanwheelies6157]

@@Lorbo_Turbo too heavy 😂😅😅😅😂i can do bunny hops jumping on curb no problems on trails these 20 25kg premade bikes with peddal assist are eating dust only on hard hard downhill they are better otherwise jumps and everything easy no problem uphill espacially ,much more fun sliding and drifting rear tire only throtlle litlle 250w barrely climbs with 20kmh mine setup climbs over 30kmh in first gear in fourth 40kmh uphill 👊when controller ariives first is gonna be 60kmh double the power ,stock 1500w is beast cant wait for 3500w

[@AmvC]

i have 147000 watt in my car, 780 miles of range and it only weights 1500kg. It has full suspension as well. And all wheel drive. And does 235kph. Useless information, but thanks.

[@TESLAenjoyer]

Once you turn 30, hard tails aren’t an option 😂

[@MrGriffone]

I'm 50 and still rocking on the trails on hardtails both normal bike and ebike no problem

[@TESLAenjoyer]

@@MrGriffone sounds like a big problem.

[@MrGriffone]

@@TESLAenjoyer nope it's no problem you either have it or you haven't I'm faster than a lot of fellas rocking fullsus bikes each to their own

[@TESLAenjoyer]

@@MrGriffone I applaud you for that! But I’ll take comfort over speed any day.

[@islandaerial3414]

Suspension seat post! 🤣

[@hiigara2085]

Jezuz

[@stevecrump1375]

Im not strong enough to lift a ebike...💪?

[@aussiebiking]

First again

No, hard tail was fine 25 years ago, but today, and for MTB, no thanks. If you don't have money for fully, choose another sport ;-)

[@markrushforth6212]

🤣young uns eh! pmsl!