Six Key Questions To Ask Before You Buy Your Electric Mountain Bike

Are you thinking about buying a new or used electric mountain bike? Steve has a series of considerations for you to ensure you end up with the right bike to service your wants and needs! With lots of variables from range, weight, agility, and power on tap, you want to make sure you make the correct decision to deliver maximum smiles per mile when new bike day arrives.
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 - Intro
00:23 - How Much Power Do You Need?
02:08 - What's Is The Range?
03:25 - How Loud Is The Motor?
03:45 - Do You Want To Put In More Or Less Effort?
04:28 - How Agile Do You Want A Bike To Be?
05:27 - Price Per Kilo! How Much Is It?
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[@RicardoPetrazzi]

I never asked myself any of these questions really. Just went straight for a Mondraker Crafty R (Bosch Performance CX motor, 750W/Hr Battery, Trail Geometry) All 29er 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@MTBPerspective]

Just cleared 1000 miles on my Giant Trance X E+ 29 and can't say I'd rather have something else even now. Only changes were grips and pedals

[@Trek_Rail]

I’m 14000 km after 3 seasons on my trek rail 9.7. Replaced drivetrain components multiple times(which is fine) and still on the same battery. Still works like a dream. Spend the money once on the bike and just maintain it. Regardless of which bike suits your needs, be aware that drivetrain components will need replace a bit more frequently and store your battery properly (don’t store battery for long periods of time at full charge. ) I keep my battery at 46% over the winter. Happy trails you guys

[@islandaerial3414]

You haven't had any DU warranty issues?

[@Trek_Rail]

@@islandaerial3414no drive unit issues to date. Mind you I keep my Rail very clean. Drive unit comes out once a season for deep cleaning and inspection. One thing my LBS said was to keep all rotating areas clean. So I usually wash my bike once a week.

[@Trek_Rail]

@@islandaerial3414 none to date!!

[@plokmko0]

Thx Jonesy ! Alloy, long range enduro all day long !!!

[@embn]

Right on!

[@Jtgreen5623]

Just got the new 2024 YT decoy core 3. My first e-bike. Shopped around at the trek rail and specialized. This thing is awesome. Highly recommend.

[@hindesite]

First consideration: are you buying one because you think it will get you started riding? It won't. I have so many friends and neighbours who never ride bikes, and never ride their brand new ebikes. Unless you are already an interested cyclist, don't bother. Second consideration: think about the cost per km. For many people this will be between $1 - $10. I regularly see bikes that are 2-3 years old for sale with

[@oic1968]

I bought a mid assist 2021 in 2023, the varible settings got me in shape last season...range and durable components is most important

[@miindthegaap]

I love how you’re matching colours with the old spectral.

[@bradsanders6954]

@ 1300 trail miles in a year on my Spectral ON CF8? Its been great, its the only E bike Ive ever ridden so far. I have yet to hear a rattle or much of any noise out of the EP8 motor, if it lacks power it sure doesnt show it. 0 problems. Guys online get carried away bitching about the EP8 motor. The bike can carve corners fast and sharp, the brakes are really good. Once the sag is for sure set just so, I dont get many pedal strikes, if its set too soft the pedals hit. I ride manual/amish bikes more, I like contributing power, its what makes the E fun. Having an EMTB has absolutely got me back out way more on mt bikes, either the E or the Intense Sniper XC bike.

[@stuartbayliss9251]

I'd want to ask what's my budget and what type of riding will I do (and if that will change on an ebike). For my own sins - after ruling out all the proper budget end of ebikes - I got a Cube Reaction hardtail with the Bosch CX smart system thinking it would do everything I wanted. Then I found out I do longer rides on the ebike - much longer - and got rattled to **** as they say, especially when off exploring, and would get tired and a sloppy where a hardtail is less forgiving - meaning I crashed, a few times. As it's on cycle-to-work, I am stuck with it, but went and got a non-runner Whyte E150-S for the longer rides out into the unknown, and keep the Cube for commuting along gravel bridleways. As for serviceability, I believe they're all basically as bad as each other, as in, you can't. I knew the Whyte needed a new motor - but what I didn't know was it has also killed two Purion controllers. It's all working now, but ebikes can be very expensive to fix out of warranty. A word of caution to bargain hunters - factor in the possibility of very expensive battery or motor issues. Kudos to ebike Motor Centre for diagnosing and offering a refurbished replacement motor for my Whyte, far cheaper than getting a new unit from the LBS.

[@BikingBadwithTC]

One more important factor, if you frequently ride with others, take into consideration what others in your group are riding.

[@embn]

True! The group ride is what it's all about sometimes

[@bradsanders6954]

For sure, a guy bought into a "small motor/small battery" TREK in our little group of 6 or 7 riders, and he was odd man out. The bike wouldnt do it. Hes not light, or real fit, so it was a poor match. He gave the 6500.00 bike to his wife, she doesnt ride but its a good excuse, and then ordered a 7K bike with 750WH battery. I am A-OK with the 900WH battery in my Spectral ON, somedays like yesterday I click it in boost and leave it there all day just yee-hawing around.

[@vashon100]

3:24 Can you give examples of what full fat emtb's are 20-21kg (ie 45 lbs) including pedals? They seem to be over 52 lb, unless they cut back on power and batt.

[@ryanmichels2981]

What is warranty and product support should be a top issue for anyone looking. Fail on you guys for not covering that.

[@anonymousone6075]

all the motors have crap warranty periods. should be 5 years minimum. the only good manufacturer warranty perk seems to be from WHYTE who life time warranty the suspension pivot bearings

[@islandaerial3414]

I went with Yamaha because of the 3 year warranty. I'm going to test that

[@krazyjey]

I asked my wife about an Ebike ... took me 7 months, she finally said YES !!, I looked at her, took the card and run...

[@EmandSz]

😅

[@terry_hutt]

My ebike a has rear wheel motor and an app. It seems to me the controller and app could be configured to allow a "lock" mode which would cause the motor to turn the wheel backwards hard enough to counteract forward pedaling making the bike unrideable until "unlocked". I'd love to see a feature like this.

[@rxcosmo76]

Love my Merida Big e29. 1800 kms in 5 months. Would not not swap it for the world . Just turned 50 .

[@Beowulf83]

And not forgetting Steve the pinion MGU on brands like Rotwild and Simplon ( imagine no more derailleur 😮) with very low maintenance, just an oil change every 10,000km.

[@perspectivedetective2703]

you forgot to ask" Who do i send the not fit for purpose letter to when i return the bike after it falls to bits."

[@mamadjun]

Availability (and price) of spare parts is one of the top considerations for me.

[@shooterchef]

More and more ebike motor manufacturers sells services kits for the motor. In Norway we have a few electricians who have specialised on repairing ebike batteries. With EU leaning towards a " right to repair " law, companies are removing the encryption from the batteries making it possible to open and restore them.

[@pauleddy5146]

Always remember "power" is only as good as the traction available. "Power" in terms of toque is most susceptible to traction loss. If you make power by rotation, HP, it is more useable in loose conditions. If you over"power" your traction on an uphill plain, you still will fail. Also, torque can be added by crank length or chinring size, but horsepower can only be supplied by the rider or the motor assist. When choosing an ebike, the placement of weight is more important than the overall weight. The energy storage systems today are crude, heavy blocks of underwhelming efficiency. Battery technology needs to progress before the largest issues with ebikes will be addresses. Usable power over time with minimum weight. Once achieved, energy storage systems can be better integrated into existing frame technology. Yes, gotta start somewhere, but these things are rudimentary and overpriced for the result.

[@DJaquithFL]

These bike companies probably could sell 5x or 10x EMB's if they simply offered both fenders and rack options to the 'seat tube."

[@mm.dd.3906]

You mixed the units power and torque. Power is measured in kW. Torque is a Force on a lever and measured in Nm. Both are independent from each other. Example: It easy to achieve 100Nm with a torque wrench but the required power is 0 kW. To climb a steep hill you just need high torque. To climb fast you need power.

[@paulhusky580bts]

Me on 3rd Ebike the 2nd one is Full Suspension 3rd one is Hardtail Ebike for riding to work & very Handy it uses same Battery as Full Suspension so don’t need get Spare Battery & someone told me Price of Yamaha 720wh Battery nearly 2 Grand in UK

[@mrgbluecar]

My trek efuele 9.7 is the best mt bike I've ever had in the last 22 years. Why? I often turn off assist and just ride because its still a very fun and lively bike. But then the reward is turning on e assist and ripping. My heart rate is at least the same or higher in assist mode because you get nothing free even with power.

[@mikerbwind]

so it sounds like you decided on a topic for a video...then came up with your 5 points!! None of which would be part of my consideration first off. Far more general would be what form of riding do I want the bike to excell at, then how much am I prepared to pay to get that, then which bike is best engineered, most reliable, best value for money. If the requirement is a XC bike a mid power bike might come into consideration but not otherwise!!

[@jean-marcvienne]

Interesting

[@quetzalrc]

How much assistance do you need ? This question is very important as it's useless to have 95Nm torque with 300% of assistance if your health condition doesn't allow you to press strong enough on the pedals to obtain the full torque.

[@davet2429]

Here's just three key questions. Will it explode while charging? Will the motor stop working if it gets wet? How much?

[@jmo2752]

Three answers: 1: No. 2: Shouldn't. 3:Anything from around $3,000 - $13,000+

[@bradsanders6954]

If you buy cheap/cheap, then yeah there might be problems. Cheap as chips bikes are that way for a reason. Like the charger for my Shimano EP8 motor, the charger turns itself off when its done charging. No muss/no fuss. Its really best to only charge it to 80% if it might sit a while.

[@CMZPICTURES]

The deal breaker for me is can I remove the battery easily? I need to be able to pull the battery out for storage and charging with minimal tools and phaff. Maybe I'm a freak? :-)

[@CMZPICTURES]

The battery in my current bike is removed using a key, so if the bike did get stolen, the seller is gonna have to answer some questions to get a new key so that's a benefit too as the key number matches the bike.

[@shooterchef]

Most important question: does the brand sell service kits to the motors? If yes, the bike can last you a lifetime 👍

[@jeremygibb9167]

I don’t really understand the low power bikes. I see it as if your going to spend the coin on a ebike get a full power there no placement for displacement. Go big or just stick to your own power you’ll wish you had the full power once you ride with your friends with a Bosch and a 750wt battery.

[@mikenimmick3920]

Question #1...does this bike have a Bosch CX or CXR motor? If not...question #2...can you only show me bikes with the Bosch motor? Done.

[@anonymousone6075]

Full power motor and as big a battery you can get. if you want a light bike get a 350wh batteryand use eco mode boom your bikes now an ebike light

[@border304]

Or do what I did and just buy 2 bikes.

[@ronlind1757]

Same battery... same Bosch motor???

[@TheCmmdk]

Okay. So you clickbait us into a video with a focus on serviceability but never address the actual issue... serviceability and repairability are the main reasons I don't yet own an e-bike. I'm amazed at the whole industry's attitude towards the right to repair our own products.

[@mray8519]

Duh, maybe you need to go back to school and learn to write, and think. Duh

[@jeff-sq4fe]

AGREE !!!

[@TCK71]

WTF are you whomping on about? The video title doesn’t even mention servicing or repair, so how is there any “click bait” involved? The items discussed in the video are completely valid to buying an e-MTB.

[@alanhawkins7591]

The Thumb nail, alludes to the fact that serviceability and range will be on the agenda to be discussed in the video@@TCK71

[@stevejones7956]

Really sorry guys, wrong image was loaded..will sort now

[@jaredb9281]

I think this channel has lost its way. This video is a case in point. Six things to consider before you buy your 2nd or 3rd ebike should be the title. Anyone even familiar with mt biking can quickly get lost with this stuff if they are looking to get into buying an emtb. The first question.. "power. How much power do you want?" makes no sense to most people who would watch a video with this title. "Do you need more, or do you need less?". Then moves to torque... then goes into neuton metres, randomly rattling off and mixing bike and motor brands. The "go to a demo day" bit was the only sage advice here. Jones has lost the ability to guage the audience. Every example he uses has caveat after caveat after meander. For range, he then talks about range extenders, then talks about 'full power bikes'. "More or less effort" is not a buying criteria he says, but he has it in his list all the same. Then "Nimbleness"?... 🤯 I find these videos mind bogglingly unhelpful. "Do you want a bike that weighs less? Then simply buy a bike that weighs less". Is he taking the mick? Surely, this video could've been so much better. Start out with basic explanation of types. Then of price ranges. Then motor brands and sizes. Then battery capacity. It shouldn't be this hard. I used to love this channel, but Mr Jones' interviewing thought process and meandering presentation style is a turn off. It's light years away from the non ebike channel under the same stable. I like his passion, but his head is far too deep in the weeds now.

[@bassw1758]

It's best to build your own e mountain bike, pre-built bikes are over priced, under powder, most likely to break, leaving you without your bike for months.

[@border304]

Nonsense.

[@jmo2752]

Class-1 bikes are regulated to a nominal 250w motor (although peak power is typically 500-600w) on purpose, to allow them to be used anywhere a non-assisted bike can be ridden. A quality brand is unlikely to break unless you fail to perform basic maintenance and know how to ride (and it certainly a better prospect than an Aliexpress motor kit), and again, a quality brand such as Specialized or Trek etc. ought to sort any warranty issue quickly, and to the extent of offering a complete replacement component.

[@bradsanders6954]

You must be commenting from about 1986. Things have changed in a big way.

[@cz287cj]

One question they should ask themselves is why are they so lazy to train up to ride a real bike.

[@zayon0170]

is is the new YT decoy core 3/5mx? no? well, dont buy it :D