Our Favorite eMTB: Kenevo SL vs Range VLT vs 160E vs Meta Power | 2021 Summer Field Test

[@WilliamrikerNCC1701]

Is it just me or does it seem like Henry is the only one who really takes the price of bikes into consideration on these reviews?

[@wyattrutter2473]

Think about it this way; mountain biking is an expensive sport all around (bikes, kit, and maintenance). They look at the most expensive models and most of these bikes offer lower end options. For e-bikes, it’s a different story; we’re so new into the e-mtb world that the best bikes like the Kenvo cost 10 grand plus. Think of the e bike section as a taste of what we could have in a few years.

[@sorinvladu7021]

If you can buy a decent ebike, then price probably isn't an issue

[@WilliamrikerNCC1701]

@@sorinvladu7021 i know of a lot of people, myself included, who can maybe swing the $6-8k for an ebike, but can’t afford or justify spending double that.

[@stevenjam7119]

I know alot of people dont like him as a presenter, but i respect him for being one of the only testers on any platform that takes price into consideration and doesnt just demo or recommend the top of the top line bikes

[@Truthbomb1390]

Just got the Kenevo SL expert and I love it so much. My previous bike was the SC Megatower and the Kenevo feels more nimble. The suspension is out of this world, specially for heavier guy like me. I didn’t ride a full power Ebike because I’m one of those purists that still feels that I need to earn my downhill. Great video guys!

[@rstrakovsky]

Kenevo SL- best descender, best all-around, probably the second best suspension platform, best integration and best looker (IMO). The price is outrageous, but no denying that the bike is super sick.

[@esdubya]

It’s a Scarlett Yohanson bike! Looks amazing, Rides amazing, but can’t afford it on so many levels!

[@rstrakovsky]

@@esdubya Ha, you've given this some thought!

[@electric_boogaloo496]

Bought an aluminum (full power not the SL, SL didn't exist back then) Specialized Turbo Levo in 2019 for around $6000. Prices are crazy now.

[@2dcutout]

@@esdubya Buy a Comp or Expert model then.

[@robvanduren761]

@@electric_boogaloo496 We brought 2 X 2019 Giant E+1 new in 2019 for $5500 New Zealand $ each . Mine has DHX2 coil and Hope V4 brakes +a Fox transfer dropper post. My wife's bike is size medium mine a large. Never ridden or left in the rain (inside van) NO ISSUES with both bikes. NO way I will buy another ebike as the prices have gone from equaling NEW motorcycles to now equaling NEW car prices. MTB companies can get f****d. We will do our other sports when the bikes die.

[@sessionmediaa]

Man Henry gives such good answers! Properly thinks about what he's talking about and it's what we need in MTB journalism!

[@alex1231235]

The Kenevo is the most resolved package and delivers the closest pure MTB experience. It also looks super dope.

[@esdubya]

You’d need to sell dope to afford it! Or be on dope to buy it!

[@maverick2242]

@@esdubya Lmao, so true, I bought a dirt bike instead..

[@roddas26]

@@maverick2242 I can't seem to get away with riding my dirt bike on the MTB trails I get real funny looks.

[@maverick2242]

@@roddas26 lOl I used to ride MtB on 5/“6” travel bikes in a place that was multiple access mostly the best trails were dirtbike trails great in summer, but bigs in winter, MTB trails per se don’t really work well for Dirtbikes, usually too tight but not the other way, that said those days it was pretty isolated spot now with E bikes the baby boomer gens are everywhere, they can’t even drive the pickups in or out of the car parks without a 20 point turn here, they’re even more bloody dangerous on the trails if I was to cross paths I’d be slotting them into a tree and be gone before they call say wasssssup they only here the sound of my 2stroke brapping in the distance… I miss the days when ya went MtB or dirt biking and ya never saw another person, now I can’t go anywhere without the hassle of people ignorant ass hole people everywhere, we didn’t know how good was had it and we’ll never have it again. E bikes are evil like e cars.. wait till ya need a new Battery, Tesla getting in all sorts of shit now they won’t warranty there cars, quotes from 22k to 30k USD to replace a dude in Finland a big KZbinr got another KZbinr who’s knowing for explosives and blowing stuff up on his channel actually blew up with dynamite his Tesla S as the battery replacement was as much as the car was worth. New meaning to burning rubber I guess.

[@peterpositive4565]

I would love to see the YT Decoy Shred in there, actually affordable and very nimble with a coil shock.. Lovely on the decent

[@kyled121]

Great to see Henry reappear but on the other side of the pond!

[@VadikRamm]

I'm wondering how much Henry has changed over the years in terms of eBike acceptance. To the best of my knowledge the guy was clearly on the opposite side of them. Love for eMTBs! :)

[@99MrJ99]

When it comes to battery weight. For example the norco, smallest battery 540wh weighs 7 pounds. The 900wh weight 10 pounds. when a bike is already close to 60 pounds the extra 3 pounds in weight from a battery is pretty minimal.

[@NickyNicest]

I vote the Range VLT because that's the bike I bought

[@christianratcliffe9584]

no santa cruz bullit?!

[@ridingdeep8530]

I have a 2020 Cannondale Habit 4, with a 500ish WH battery, on average I can go for 2-3hr rides and only use 1, maybe 2 bars of the battery's energy. I would be okay with a smaller and lighter battery. I generally leave my bike in the ECO mode, occasionally TOUR to explore the mountains near my home in southern Utah. I am really enjoying this machine.

[@gigachad2293]

Ok off topic but it was 1 year ago since the last grim donut video was released when will we get a new video of it?

[@jimbo4203]

I've had a great time on my 21' levo sl ! 2000 mi and no problems.

[@bill8791]

This is cool and Henry is a great new addition, but please do the 3k budget freindly MTB review with 10 bikes like previous years. This review of bikes which cost insane amounts of money that few of us can afford. I'm not short of cash - i have Santa Cruz bikes - but I'd never touch one of these hilariously expensive bikes.

[@rolux4853]

Yeah I have a fairly high end Tallboy CC V4 with Reserve wheels and top range components, but I’d never pay that amount of cash for a bike, it’s insane. My Tallboy was a dealers demo and I paid around 4500€ for it, which was an insane amount for me.

[@ioannisparaskevopoulos1120]

I thought you would pick the Yeti as an all rounder due to its agility and nimbleness! Anyways, you should review the new enduro from Giant, the e Reign+ 0, with integration like the Kenevo SL but with a 750 wh battery! Keep up the good work!

[@kent426]

How about tryiing out the Yamaha and Husqvarna Ebikes against the standard brands.

[@thewrx2600]

its funny most high end bikes and high end ebikes are very similar price points, so not sure I agree with the fact these bikes are considerably more expensive than their analog counterparts. Also, Its just funny hearing people hate on the new ebike trend, they are just so invested in old tech analog bikes; it keeps them from enjoying what's possible with new ideas.

[@derekbairstow2705]

It's disappointing they didn't review anything with the Bosch motor

[@semogair69]

Agree! And I think they missed a few really great ebikes!

[@HowToGetMoreMetal]

@@semogair69 what are some others? I like bosch.

[@samc821]

The fact that so many manufacturers seem to be going with the shimano even though the bosch is usually tested as superior is interesting, wonder if theres a significant price difference or its just a supply agreement issue?

[@rolux4853]

Yeah it bothers me a lot! All the high end american companies go with the much inferior Shimano system.. My wife has a Cube Stereo Hybrid with the newest Bosch system and it destroys all the high end Shimano bikes in technical climbs. The smart Emtb mode on the Bosch bikes is just perfect! I want a Santa Cruz Heckler with the Bosch motor!

[@SP-ss4uo]

Its a real shame you had 3 bikes with the ep8 motor. Can you explain why you choose those bikes?

[@pinkbike]

We wanted to have a few other options in this one but bike availability played a huge factor in the bikes we had on test.

[@SP-ss4uo]

@@pinkbike fair enough

[@PaulGPixelBike]

WHERE GRIM E-DONUT ?!

[@shemshem9998]

the bike brands said that if the grim E-donut was there they would not send over the test bikes because they knew they would be left in the dust

[@H3avyHaul3r]

on price…been a 20yr Santa Cruz rider of many a high end carbon build of theirs but i couldn’t stretch my wallet to accommodate one of their ebikes….bought a norco sight vlt and damn the bike is awesome, so much that i’ve forgotten what bike is underneath me now….at 15k australian for the santacruz (lowest spec) and 7K for the Norco C2 including 900a battery its as close to a bargain as an ebike gets

[@isaachophan5736]

I would love to see a retro bike round table

[@willeaton2592]

As nice as the specialized or yeti are, very few people who will fork out that much money for them.

[@2dcutout]

Good job brands do more than one specification isn't it, to hit different price points. The Kenevo SL S-Works is obscenely priced, but the Comp and Expert models are closer to being acceptable price wise. Orbea have a lightweight ebike too, but more comparable to the Levo SL (not Kenevo)

[@Woeters123]

I'm always surprised how many sworks i see everywhere, whether its road or mountainbikes

[@vashusan1984]

I live and ride around SLC, UT and see an immense number of S-works branded bikes. This includes tarmacs, Stumpjumpers and just yesterday I saw two Kenevo's. Not sure what these people do for a living. That being said, I accept that MTB has gotten expensive and have adjusted my work habits in order to acquire a $7500 bike. Not sure I can hurl too many stones at those riding $10k+ bikes.

[@rolux4853]

@@vashusan1984 I ride a high end Santa Cruz myself, but I still think there should be good affordable bikes out there! I don’t want mtb to be an elitist sport, then it would loose all its appeal to me.

[@vashusan1984]

@@rolux4853 I can totally agree with that for sure!

[@Dreiviertel]

Orbea Wild ftw! 😊

[@thim8009]

You guys did an awesome job, wish specialized would have sent the new levo. Also wish decoy mx was in the mix, waiting for mine to show up.

[@erich8258]

I'd like to hear Commencal's rationale for the long seat tube. I've heard reviewers complain about long seat tubes for several years now, and yet bike brands keep building them. Do they see them as structurally necessary?

[@thomaslawson9417]

Linkage often comprises seat tube like on the Commencal the pivots kinda near the bend and they need a decent tube length to get the insertion in

[@esdubya]

Of course it’s a factor! I think as well as price of engineering a frame and linkage that facilitates a short seat posts.

[@bea5ty]

I have that model meta power and its a none issue

[@James-dn1hu]

Ain’t even high, they have to note the most minor things just in case someone finds it an inconvenience. Won’t be a problem for most people though

[@thomasoconnor1570]

What about the Santa Cruz Heckler? It’s awesome! Why isn’t this here ?

[@H3avyHaul3r]

stupid money thats why

[@hubmotormadeintaiwan188]

This video is very useful. Splendid.

[@Primoz.r]

Again, the Kenevo is not a 6-bar bike. It has the exact same overall layout as the Range does, a Horst link with co-rotating links (the rocker rotating in the same direction as the chainstay, as opposed to for example modern Rocky Mountains, where the links counter-rotate). Please have someone tech savvy checkt the script before filming if the core team isn't versed enough in these matters.

[@MrTgrasshopper]

i would have love to see the commencal Meta 27(SX) instead of the 29. I think it would have better stack up again the Norco and Kenevo. The yeti is sweet but retail for close to 17500 here in canada this is creazy.

[@bradcrone2611]

How about the YT Decoy with the EP8?

[@kaseyburlingham2861]

You can tell Matt is a Specialized fan boy, must have been his sponsor.

[@sush3450]

or it's possible he just likes the bike.

[@kaseyburlingham2861]

@@sush3450 I've watched enough Pink bike Videos now, he always seems less objective when it comes to specialized bikes.

[@HowToGetMoreMetal]

I will say….i buy a lot of bikes….three a year. My Enduro is the best I ridden.

[@HarryKuloh]

@@kaseyburlingham2861 because specialized the best. The levo is fantastic and even in 2021, nothing even measures up to the 2019 model

[@kaseyburlingham2861]

@@HarryKuloh Seem like 10% of everyone who got that specialized enduro from 2019 crack the frame at the seat tube. Don't get me wrong, that's my dream bike and I love specialized too, But, there needs to be a little bit of objectivity when talking about them. When it comes to the Kenevo that damn bike better be flawless for 15K!

[@tobipaulus1]

There's no round table ☹😅

[@ziggy_rampage]

can we stop including the yeti from here on in? its too expensive

[@esdubya]

I wanna say the Commencal, but the seat post! That’s every Euro bike brand Yt, Merida, Scott, Canyon, you’d think with such steep, huge mountains they’d have no seat posts, But here we are🤷🏽‍♂️

[@mrwisy7735]

turbo levo ¿??? generation 3 mullet ???????

[@absolutemtb6696]

What’s the intro song? Please

[@pimsiebers7333]

Sound hound says: up in the air from DLP. 🙂

[@absolutemtb6696]

@@pimsiebers7333 thanks bud you just made my day I’ve been looking since a long time

[@JDeezle21]

I want a bike so bad but evey time i narrow down a bike and then the next bike and then the next bike they are sold out!!!!!

[@pimsiebers7333]

Which one would you buy with your own money?! I think for me, price aside, I would buy the Yeti. Haha, come on Levi!

[@K1ngJame5-mtb]

Wished they threw in the Santa Cruz bullit in the mix

[@asd5738]

would be nice to see a roun table, of trail ebikes. With that canyon spectral on review

[@cliffsangelsphotography]

I'm only here for Henry

[@seannibecker5500]

lets be honest, specialized makes great bikes

[@esdubya]

Honestly yes that do! Let’s be honest, Specialized makes bikes that are way overpriced!

[@therealphilistein]

@@esdubya I don’t think a base model Stumpjumper is overpriced at all. It’s a lot of bike for the money with an excellent frame that has industry leading warranty backup.

[@jilliansala139]

Great bike , rides smooth kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L I added a bigger spring loaded seat to it . Takes a bit of adjusting cables to get brakes and shifting to perfect . I've owned quite a few bikes in the past that were absolutely uncomfortable to ride and they always ended up as garage wall decor . I'm not seeing that with this one. It's pretty light I've only ridden it a few miles but I like it . As for the pedals falling off in the other reviews , the pedal arms are aluminum along with the pedal studs look to be also . I would not overtighten them. I can see it would be very easy to overtighten them and strip the threads right off . All in all I think it's pretty good quality besides the aluminum pedal thing .

[@LiveLaughLarp69420]

He sounds like batman with an upper respiratory

[@Howling-Mad-Murdock]

Whenever I see a review of a Specialised e bike the comments are full of owners with tales of woe regarding reliability. I wouldn’t buy any of those cos the prices are taking the piss.

[@HarryKuloh]

My 2019 levo motor been problem free so far

[@ila3028]

Why is not there de Levo?, I think it is the elephant in the room....

[@alistairstewart9080]

Elephant in the room, specialised ebikes are totally unreliable, motor issues, and wiring problems. Be prepared for your bike to in the bike shop a lot.

[@tb3780]

Elephant in the room, compare these to Chinese ebikes... you can hate me for saying it, but the Sur Ron is a price-performance beast...

[@deeplato5647]

*HENRY* gets you some ghetto tats on all yo knuckles!

[@Will.Tilcke]

with everyone of these vids, henry seems to have shuffled further into the center of the frame. I expect poor matt beer being pushed out of frame in about 2-3 more reviews

[@scottpratico1315]

Clearly PB is tepid on ebikes.

[@mlaplas9098]

Norco has the worst warranty.

[@99MrJ99]

what did you break?

[@zmiller1840]

I'm not anti ebike, just anti ebike rider. 99% of the time, douchiest riders on the trail.

[@islandaerial3414]

Just about everyone I have met on the trails that has a carbon frame regrets the choice. They are scared shitless of dinging the thing and compromising the integrity of the frame. That said, my $6500 Cdn Powerfly 7 does everything that these do w/a Bosch DU. Reviews on my channel

[@lindsaywootten9127]

Don't know where you ride but everyone I know wants or already has a carbon frame. No one I know regrets the choice.

[@motoboggle7525]

Absolute bunch of tuna melts 🙈🤦‍♀️

[@joshhansen556]

First

[@sandorvarga.6982]

SUCCESS.activasion.

[@sandorvarga.6982]

SUCCESS.activasion

[@joshhansen556]

First