One Of The Most Outstanding eBikes Of 2024?! | KELLYS Theos R50

Steve Jones heads out on a trip down memory lane, taking you on a tour of the Wye Valley. Steve's steed of choice for this adventure is the KELLYS Theos R50, equipped with the new Panasonic GX Ultimate. Steve takes you to a few places of interest in the Wye Valley like Tintern Abbey, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant's old driveway and a fence that Steve erected 20 years ago!
In association with KELLYS embn.me/Kellys
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 - Welcome!
00:38 - A Tour Of What The Wye Valley Has To Offer
02:40 - The Features On The KELLYS Theos R50
05:59 - What KELLYS Has To Offer
07:38 - The Panasonic GX Ultimate Motor & Attention To Detail
11:10 - Carrying The KELLYS Theos
13:02 - Suspension Design
15:45 - Is The KELLYS Theos A Capable Climber?
19:11 - Conclusion / Range
Useful Links:
Submit your Photo and Video to us 👉 upload.embn.com/
Check out the latest EMBN jerseys! 👉 embn.me/Jerseys
What are your thoughts on the KELLYS Theos R50? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch more on EMBN...
📹 What Does The Future Hold For eBikes? The R&D Behind The Big Teams 👉 • What Does The Future H...
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 embn.me/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch our Features Playlist 👉 embn.me/Features
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Hemisphere - Ooyy
Departing - Luwaks
Domo Arigato - Lofive
Slushy - Cushy
Come Play for a While - Andreas Dahlback
Roots vs Seeds - Rand Aldo
Cielo - DonVayei
Field of Infinity - Hanna Lindgren
Sequential Habits - L.M. Styles
Funky Munky Biznis - HATAMITSUNAMI
El Paso Bolero - Roy Edwin Williams
Midnattssol - West & Zander
Dragonflies - Helmut Schenker
The Summoning of Behemoth - Of Men And Wolves
zapper - dreem
Snakeboots - Splasher!
Seaglass - Brotin
#embn #ebikes #emtb #ebiking
The Electric Mountain Bike Network (EMBN) is the world’s leading electric mountain bike (eMTB) channel and community.
Dedicated to igniting your passion for eMTBs, EMBN delivers weekly original content to inspire you to take your riding further, faster - and with more fun.
Whether you live to conquer the techiest terrain - both up and down; to access and explore the beautiful backcountry; or simply to pack as much fun as you can into the precious riding time you have, EMBN is dedicated to covering eMTB from every angle.
From inspiring you to go electric - helping you understand what you need, where and how to ride to get the best from your eMTB experience, and more - through showcasing and exploring the latest, most innovative tech, empowering and entertaining features, to skills videos that help you progress and can tackle ever-more adventurous terrain, and much, much more.
Every week we bring you informative and entertaining videos on…
- The know-how…
- The skills…
- The tech…
- The inspiration…
...to go faster and explore more!
EMBN is mountain biking… fully charged: helping you go faster, further, and with more adventures than ever before.
Join the EMBN community:
/ emountainbikenetwork
/ emountainbikenetwork
/ embntweet
/ emountainbikenetwork
Thanks to our sponsors:
Whyte Bikes: embn.me/Whyte
Canyon Bikes: embn.me/canyon
Industry Nine Wheels: embn.me/IndustryNine
Ergon: embn.me/ergon
Garmin: embn.me/garmin
Peaty's Products: embn.me/Peatys
Pirelli Tyres: embn.me/Pirelli
MET Helmets: embn.me/MET
Bluegrass: embn.me/Bluegrass
Funn Pedals: embn.me/Funn
Watch our sister channels:
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Global Cycling Network - / gcn
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
GMBN Racing - gmbn.eu/GMBNracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Espanol - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Francais - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Training - / gcntraining

[@Driftuner]

My bike shop have been selling kellys for 5 years now and honestly, i couldnt be happier. Amazing price/spec for the customer, amazing buy-in prices for us dealers, one of the best dealer service supports of any brand i work with and the bikes are extremly realiable (including the Panasonic motor and their own battery). We have never had a single failure or a single warranty claim on these. Cant recommend them enough and love working with the dudes at kellys, truly a great brand

[@TheBrokenMountainBiker]

Finally! A "proper" video with a Kelly's bike! My previous bike was a Kelly's Swag 170/165mm enduro bike and that did a very hard 2 years round the bike parks. Very good bike brand and that rear suspension system they use feels bottomless.

[@rickywoods3101]

By looking at it , it looks like a low quality design.

[@TheBrokenMountainBiker]

@@rickywoods3101 Having owned a Kelly's previously there's definitely nothing low quality about them.

[@user-bi3ks3br5i]

I have it few months and its such an amazing ebike. Stable in the descents, travel is signficiant for me by high margin but I am not so hardcore downhiller. Motor is very .. dont know how to say... Sophisticated? in terms of power delivery. Its very strong but its not kicking you like wild horse, it pulls evenly and then it gives you the overrun when most needed. Also i like I cant recognize when its hitting on/off powerlimit around 25km(i dont know miles figure). I just cant notice the cutoff barrier because its so smooth. Range is great, tbh never maxed the battery yet. And its pretty good eye catcher.

[@Playwholeday]

Also owned Kellys Swag 160 / 160 - it was brilliant!!! Botomless feeling was due to upside down VPP suspension type. I have no issues with it at all - but I have seen a lot of photoes with cracked Swag frames in the same place...I pushed it hard on Enduro, but I was lucky to save my frame which even had 4 or 5 owners before me) So few normal long term reviews on that company in the internet...but Kellys is really a serious player on the market...simply its not as popular and wide world brand as others. I can give Kellys bikes engineers 10 stars of 10 for minor frame details and their usability , mud resistance of all places is always outstanding - I cannot give even 5 of 10 to 10k $ bikes wich i ride and touch, they are even closely doesnt deserve the same ratings....Also I prefer how Kellys VPP works - much...much better for me than Santa Cruz VPP....the bad thing about that suspension design is incline bicycle speed...but it is an Enduro bike) So no problem at all...bike is not for city ride...for trail riding you get no fun experiece too...its mega plush and bike has no playfullness. My opinion - they give to Theos only 130 mm - to achieve some lively feeling on the rear, and 38 mm stanchions ZEB with Charger should be a standart for all modern EMTB's and Kellys did it here only for 5000 Euro price!!! You'll find RockShox Domain with old RC Motion Control Damper on some E-bikes starting 6000 - 8000 $ + price )

[@asifitmatters1]

This a commercial, not a “proper” video.

[@ElBa55man]

Beautiful video, wonderful countryside and nice to have a tour around your playground Steve. I am very envious as I live in Suffolk which has many charms but does not have the wonderful trails you have over there in the Wye Valley. I can see I will have to book a trip soon I think. That bike looks absolutely fantastic as well and a great spec. Now let's see, what have I got left in the Piggy Bank...

[@stujm8376]

Does anyone enjoy their job as much as Steve? I think not, he’s also got a way of explaining things that just gets better.😂

[@mitch_smith]

Something about a mullet that gets the blood flowing!

[@jimbo4203]

The best battery removal so far !

[@romanb3309]

I like the idea of those mid travel lighter e-bikes as it can bring a lot of fun by giving an opportunity to explore such a beautiful countryside 😍

[@user-bi3ks3br5i]

Finally! I have it from march. Huge upgrade from my older cube. It looks absolutly amazing on the direct sunlight.

[@billmcmillan7735]

Wow you know Robert Plant! I’d rather hear Plant stories than bike stories!!

[@milbose]

Love your reviews, Steve. As a fellow 58 year old, you check off all the review boxes I am looking for as well as inspiring me to get out and ride all I can. Thank you.

[@dado304]

He is the king. And also he has great bike skills.

[@mikefromuk]

Whats even more intresting about this brand is all these frames are roboticaly weld in EU. They produce in portugal in one of the best if not the best bike frame factory in the world. Basicaly its scaled down automotive welding line.

[@JensLurman]

They mentioned at 6:15 . I like the overal technical design. Virtual pivot, the design how the batt is removed is neat. No hole in the side they propably got rid of lot of noise from the usal covers and key locks. Clever

[@user-bi3ks3br5i]

Ok I didnt know that. Not surprised though. The more I use this bike the more I notcie how clever its thought out.

[@stuka78]

Who’s the supplier?

[@mikefromuk]

This is one hell of a unique build. Who mades alloy frames in EU? Reise&Muller and Kellys only?

[@user-bi3ks3br5i]

They are made in eu? I mean frame

[@stuka78]

Many alloy frame makers are in Italy and Portugal, not sure about kellys’

[@mikefromuk]

@@stuka78 Portugal

[@adriano8729]

Brillaint review! You put that bike through its paces and it coped with everything easily. Fantastic to see an E-bike at that price point with a great motor(although quite noisy) and battery. I love the colour of it and the welds actually compliment the bike, Makes it look cool and rustic!

[@andrewwatkins9273]

Living in FOD and delevering building goods all over the Wye Valley i agree and how beautiful it is, also bike looks great

[@damianpokarier2965]

Lush part of the planet mate. Can feel the joy made easy with the bike as is. Just itchin to join in....that's what it's all about. Reinvigorating thanks

[@mtbdon2009]

Not available in the USA? :(

[@jcheco59]

The joy of overcoming and obstacle is great!!!!!

[@josbarnes4280]

Loved the video, what a beautiful landscape. Would love if they included the the gps route for the review.

[@nomad-pq4yw8iy7v]

I want to known more about that motor. Also want to know more about the frame what warranty is and so forth.

[@helicopter12345678]

Omg Steve we have all had hard times, bet your life history would make a great film 😊😊 great vid as always

[@ceriway380]

Very unique layout, i like it . Did you say what the weight of the bike was .

[@waynegiles9320]

Need a GPX of the ride, looks great riding Steve.

[@xav_1029]

Can you fit any other shock in there?? Looks kinda tight.

[@jcheco59]

The motor serviceability factor is the main issue that should be highlighted on all reviews, very few riders that can afford two bikes to be able to keep on riding.

[@dado304]

Some have even 3. ;))

[@oumtaha3834]

Yes

[@oumtaha3834]

Yes

[@neil27pearson]

And the servicing options for a Panasonic Motor? Can you buy parts?

[@Driftuner]

No need, these things never go wrong. My bike shop have been selling Kellys for 5 years now and we have never had a single failure or warranty claim, these things are amazing

[@neil27pearson]

@@Driftuner Still with Shit-mano being so bad. I do feel it's an important topic and one all these mountain biking shows chose to ignore when doing a review. As it's a main component I'd think reliability and servicing would be a higher priority. But the reality is that motor support across the industry is in many places woefully inadequate. You wouldn't buy a 10K motorbike if it had no service support 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@Driftuner]

@@neil27pearson well, all i can say is that in 5 years selling Kellys we have never had a single Panasonic failure, and i personally know the folks at Panasonic in the Munique headquarters in germany and in typical japanese fashion their service is top notch. Shitmano? I dont know what you talking about. We also never had an EP8 going bad on us. Yes the E7000 and the E6100 are very prone to failures, but i dont think ive ever seen a broken EP8. Unline the Bosch CX units that we constantly need to send back to Bosch...

[@neil27pearson]

@@Driftuner It was almost credible until you said you never had a Shit-mano motor go wrong...... But the community will know differently as they have several major and non repairable weaknesses. If you've ever dismantled one you would know... And with Bosch at least there is dealership support and you can buy replacement parts.. Something you can't with Shimano and Panasonic! So for anyone that would rather self service then need to think hard on the mark of the motor.

[@Driftuner]

@@neil27pearson first of all, i dont know if you read my first comment correctly, but i am the OWNER of a bike store, so yeah, i kinda know what im talking about. And second, i only said ive never had an EP8 go wrong. All other shimano motors go wrong. But i am yet to see a broken EP8 in the flesh. And dont tell me about customer support because you never had to deal with those arrogant bastards at bosch. They have by far the worst support ever. If a shimano goes wrong on one of my customers bike, its one single email that i have to write to shimano and in less than a week a new motor shows up at our door step. I only wish the process was that easy with shitty bosch..

[@sarcritchlow]

I like this build ethos with the full power on the shorter travel bike, although i'd want atleast 150rear travel to throw some jumo trails in the mix of an outing. I think bike companies have it mixed up. I'd like a 150/160 bike with full power, probably a cx motor with a 3x3 hub gearing ,big battery plus extender, for my exploring, tech, do everything 55ish lb bike together with a 180/190 bike with a bosch sx motor, thats triple clamo compatible and 2 seperate 500ish batteries, for a shuttle , lift, dh lap bike at 45ish lb. Motor/battery system is the major wieght difference. I dont need the full power motor for fireroads and climb trails

[@AmvC]

Thanks for doing a thing of the Battery removal

[@funkymonkey1198]

So it looks like i have found my next bike. 2 years to go. :-(

[@craigrapporanells8021]

Can you get this bike in the US

[@AppleJack76]

Doesn't look like they have NA distribution.

[@goingoutotheparty1]

Panasonic motor and high density battery ❤💯

[@ravennexusmh]

was something stuck in the spokes or tyres at 7min in. what on earth was that awful noise.

[@mikefromuk]

It seems all around the video the mic exagerates the sound of the motor quite a lot. I have cheaper version of this bike, Theos R30 and the motor is more silent then the ep8 i had before. This mic makes it sound like there is swarm of bees. Exageration is really huge.

[@XLbiker]

I tested the bike in March. It's not bad, but the Panasonic is very loud, whining all the time. Archaic controller. Profiles cannot be set. The motor consumes a lot of energy.

[@dado304]

Hmmm, and Panasonic was one of the first on ebike market. How come not possible to set orofiles or tune parameters? Is it CAN bus? Dont u know?

[@XLbiker]

@@dado304 I couldn't find any settings app.

[@ianccrook8899]

Hmmm… maybe the recording settings but that sounds very noisy. At first I thought the noise was an accompanying drone. But no, it’s the bike. In fairness, I’d like to see another video report that settles the noise question.

[@vashon100]

I've only had experience with Bosch, but from the vid it sounds similar. I could be wrong about actual volume of Pan. BTW, my bosch doesn't bother me.

[@svenball5384]

Absolut brutal frame design & welding finish. Only topped by the PC size of the control unit. Looks like a prototype to me

[@vashon100]

If I hadn't seen the motor I would have thought it was an antique frame LOL

[@michalpeniak]

I am proud and looking to buy home Slovak product

[@kevlowe3181]

I want one. Where’s a dealer I’m new forest area

[@tjeers3098]

Kellys really is un under estimated brand.

[@prodeo2167]

The motor noise sounds like a swarm of bees. Not quite at all

[@user-bi3ks3br5i]

It seems its maybe mic setting. I have it since march and its really silent

[@scottbagley7513]

Yep agree but the bike does look quite impressive good geometry good components!! Reasonably priced..

[@Driftuner]

Its actually quite silent. Agree with the second commenter, might have been a bad mic placement

[@mikefromuk]

I have lower spec Theos R30 with same motor and it is really very silent as they say

[@robertk..]

It's 11-50 cassette not 10-50.

[@jimofmarseille]

Seems to be a great bike. Did you try yet the Hepha 100nm engine ?

[@freeforester1717]

The seat tube frame weld & joint above the motor - a little ‘out-standing’ from this view.

[@stuka78]

The motor area is not visually light at all

[@Dano71R]

Really!? What about the spec levo/kenevo full fat? Imo they look pregnant 😂😂😂

[@stevehughes4734]

Best E bike KZbin

[@adrianford447]

Friend tagged me, used to ridethese trails as a kid, faster wth no suspension or motor. ,

[@mlee6136]

What’s with the weird facial close ups of the rider 😅

[@SergejGrabun]

to add some spirit to the video :) Personality, charm... :)

[@barrysnell6792]

Sub 5k bike. Bargain 🤣

[@Millicente]

Well bargain is a comparison of value for money not cost without any other factors

[@dado304]

Great vid. For that natural terrain wirh rocks, you need throttle. Try it with Bafang M560 and you would know what is fun. :) The battery mechanism is great. Why also other manufacturer can not use a bolt?

[@Erafune]

9:00 Cool, but the rear shock being pelted by dirt is a no-no. Seals be working overtime to keep it clean. Also 3:15 WHAT are those holes in the plastic cover?? Cleaning those from all the mud that's gonna get in there is going to be a PITA.

[@kevinmortimer1883]

quite like that. goid solud revie. very interesting motor that hopefully will be reliable. unlike the bosch rubbish

[@Dano71R]

Motor whine @12ish minute.. very loud! Sounds almost like the sheep nearby!😅

[@robhaskins3068]

The Panasonic motor seems to have great power delivery but the high pitched whine would really annoy me. Yes my bike also gets lighter when I use up one of my two click out 500wh batteries and leave it at the Cafe mid ride.😊 E=Mtb²

[@adamfavsvidc]

103 cadence? I'm a pretty good rider and my comfort/normal zone is 70-85 cadence and I'm pretty fit.

[@funkymonkey1198]

Can thr battery not get nicked?

[@jeremycornishjc]

Lapiere just uses a key to get the battery out

[@did4h2k]

is it wrong to think less of brands like kellys, leader fox and all the other brands that arent called specialized, canyon and the rest? IMO they are cheaper, but not THAT much cheaper to ignore the upfront trust in a brand that you know for years and are well established in the scene... am i a sheep? ;) most of the store that sell brands like kellys and leader fox feel like an offline version of temu (and yes, i know - both brands are european)

[@boulderghost4457]

Those are the same qualities I look for in a woman: seat dropper, fizek saddle, soft grips, BOOM!

[@Adam_Adam_Adam_Adam]

Calling £5k bikes cheap shows just how out of touch EMBN are with most consumers.

[@stableianF1oracle]

This bike doesn’t have anything my cube stereo 140 race has and that cost me £3100. I’ve got 150 front and 140 rear carbon frame 750 wh battery etc etc. the perfect bike for the price.

[@julianw2600]

Try putting it underwater for 24 hours and see if it still works. If not then it's going to fail after a few rides through puddles.

[@mikefromuk]

Panasonic is not gonan fail. One of the most if not the most reliable motors out there.

[@rustynuts4426]

Look at the state of it. Get a carbon Giant Trance E for less money.

[@richardkaz2336]

A very boxy motor mounting with a charge port on top prone to filling with muddy water. The four power modes sound like reworded Bosch modes, but not as well behaved as the Bosch by all accounts. The bike sounds just as noisy and any other eMTB and the motor sounds even noisier than most.

[@user-ku8ip3yy7q]

Looks like Kelly's been busy with learning welding alloy together just to push a battery in! Another con in the market quiet hey nowadays I like to hear my machines! 😂

[@TheMoodyedge]

"A number of reasons"....the main one being they payed you to big it up for 22 minutes.

[@dado304]

How much it could have been? ;)) Also nice video with Rob.

[@somerandomperson8282]

Damn this bike frame looks TERRIBLE, it's really ugly. Also the Panasonic motor is not getting good reviews on the major German EMTB sites, the word "mediocre" is used a lot and the range is also criticized. For 5k I would rather have a Canyon.

[@chrisjones6699]

I don’t mean to be overly critical but that motor sounds like a remote control car and that remote looks awful. For that money, you could buy a 23” orbea wild 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@livinglifeontheedge4261]

I really don't understand the attraction to over run? My Bafang powered bike with torque sensing had it when i first got it and I hated it and luckily was able to tune it out of the program. Torque assist sensitivity is far more important I feel to anyone that has years of experience riding conventional pedal type bikes where crank timing and fast twitch pedaling will get you over most anything.

[@TheHyTek]

No gearbox and belt? Not interested

[@pablojmcglynn2863]

Good advert , thats all tho. Entertaining. Personally not a hige fan of the frame aesthetics, the Panasonic control panel looks dated, and the Panasonic reviews I've read would point to other brands like bosch being better. There are definitely better ebikes for the cost out there. Great video tho.

[@asifitmatters1]

Robotic welding, CNC machining… all OLD technology! The EMBN team need to get out of their little holes and out into the world. CNC and robotic welding are completely standard tech that is now available to even the smallest of companies at a very low price. There is nothing innovative or amazing about this manufacturing process.