E-bike talk: not tech rumor derailment

sethimus
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3/13/2025 5:57am
tabletop84 wrote:
You have to keep in mind tho that most people who buy those bikes never use them for their intended purpose. Especially when it comes to...

You have to keep in mind tho that most people who buy those bikes never use them for their intended purpose. Especially when it comes to emtbs. 

sethimus wrote:

those type of bikes are an extra category, e-atb

tabletop84 wrote:
If you ride in the alps you'll notice that many emtbs are parked near cabins reachable by fireroads owned by middle aged couples that definitely do...

If you ride in the alps you'll notice that many emtbs are parked near cabins reachable by fireroads owned by middle aged couples that definitely do not ride trails. The emtb is basically the SUV of the bike world. They like the look but they don't have the technical ability to ride trails. Also in germany we have government subsidized bike leasing for years now which made many people buy or rather lease expensive bikes they don't need or use for commuting. 

don’t explain my customers to me, thx

8
3/13/2025 10:00am Edited Date/Time 3/14/2025 9:47am

Idk about your customers but I once saw a helmetless 70yo guy riding on a fireroad to a cabin on a rotwild emtb with approximately 50% sag. 

5
tybez
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Jacksonville, FL US
3/18/2025 6:34pm Edited Date/Time 3/20/2025 10:37am

I have an E-bike. I bought it when I couldn't ride after knee surgery. I should say, it is great, especially for people who can't ride for a long time due to age or health issues. My mother also rides an E-bike. She spends much more time outdoors and has become more active. 

I'm just concerned about the long-term battery life and replacement costs. Saw some north american power reviews regarding electricity rates, which affect charging costs. I wonder how many people deny switching to electric bikes (I don't even mention EVs here) because of the current tariffs. 

6
Eoin
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3/19/2025 1:31am

Sometimes Vital contributor Brian Cahal has a really good shootout series on some recently released ebikes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SqLuZlrmGI&t=88s

It's nice that they only got "good" ebikes and are able to articulate really well the difference between each of them. Somewhat surprised at how positive they are about the Mondraker, seems the design team did a great job.

6
3/19/2025 7:49am
tybez wrote:
I have an E-bike. I bought it when I couldn't ride after knee surgery. I should say, it is great, especially for people who can't ride...

I have an E-bike. I bought it when I couldn't ride after knee surgery. I should say, it is great, especially for people who can't ride for a long time due to age or health issues. My mother also rides an E-bike. She spends much more time outdoors and has become more active. 

I'm just concerned about the long-term battery life and replacement costs. Saw some north american power reviews regarding electricity rates, which affect charging costs. I wonder how many people deny switching to electric bikes (I don't even mention EVs here) because of the current tariffs. 

Who the hell downvotes this? Nothing about this statement is remotely negative, more people on bikes and staying active.
image 232
Who hurt you downvoter? Are the ebikes in the room with us?

6
GoldBen
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Boise, ID US
3/19/2025 10:53am

Does anybody have an idea of what we can expect to see in terms of new e-bikes at Sea Otter this year? 

Suns_PSD
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Austin, TX US
3/19/2025 2:46pm
GoldBen wrote:

Does anybody have an idea of what we can expect to see in terms of new e-bikes at Sea Otter this year? 

Should be the Levo and the E-Druid.

2
3/19/2025 6:17pm

Is there a new Kenevo coming soon?

3/20/2025 12:21am

Is there a new Kenevo coming soon?

That'd be pretty sweet but "probably" not. Would be pretty nice to be surprised with a two-E-bike release next month. Specialized has the Enduro on the calendar for this year, and probably the Demo too. 

Eoin
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3/20/2025 1:40am

Is there a new Kenevo coming soon?

The rumors are for 2 versions of the Levo, including an LT versions with 160 or 170mm of travel.

Unfortunately the rumors are also saying only S-works and one model under for sale in 2025 for some serious cash...

sluette
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DE
3/20/2025 3:17am

Levo launch is expected by 08.04. When will SeaOtter take place?

AndehM
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El Granada, CA US
3/20/2025 6:40am

Levo rumors (heard from a guy who ran into a review website guy riding one in Santa Cruz):  800 wh battery, more torque (I heard 110 on race spec, 100 on normal), battery is loaded from side panel, and there's a little storage compartment above it just behind the head tube.  The guy I talked to said it looked ugly. 

2
3/20/2025 11:51am

If that's true it will probably be not much lighter than the old one if at all. Bummer. I want light full power bikes not moar watts. 

3/22/2025 2:41am
tabletop84 wrote:
If that's true it will probably be not much lighter than the old one if at all. Bummer. I want light full power bikes not moar...

If that's true it will probably be not much lighter than the old one if at all. Bummer. I want light full power bikes not moar watts. 

Those are in the making…I guess 60-80nm, with 400-500 watt combined with a 500wh Batterie is the limit for the closer future if you are looking at sub 20kg bikes.

Talking about „normal“ bikes and not what would be possible to gain from components

AndehM
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3/22/2025 7:38am
Looks like Norco quietly dropped the new generation Sight VLT. Probably to keep up with Transition dropping the Regulator CX recently. 800 WH battery under 50...

Looks like Norco quietly dropped the new generation Sight VLT. Probably to keep up with Transition dropping the Regulator CX recently. 800 WH battery under 50 pounds? Very cool.

https://www.norco.com/bikes/e-mountain/e-all-mountain/sight-vlt-cx/25-sight-vlt-cx-c2/

 


 

 



 

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

1
Uncle Cliffy
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Medford, OR US
3/22/2025 8:08am
AndehM wrote:
Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM...

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

AndehM
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3/22/2025 8:52am Edited Date/Time 3/22/2025 8:53am
AndehM wrote:
Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM...

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street...

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

1
Finkill
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GB
3/22/2025 12:58pm
tybez wrote:
I have an E-bike. I bought it when I couldn't ride after knee surgery. I should say, it is great, especially for people who can't ride...

I have an E-bike. I bought it when I couldn't ride after knee surgery. I should say, it is great, especially for people who can't ride for a long time due to age or health issues. My mother also rides an E-bike. She spends much more time outdoors and has become more active. 

I'm just concerned about the long-term battery life and replacement costs. Saw some north american power reviews regarding electricity rates, which affect charging costs. I wonder how many people deny switching to electric bikes (I don't even mention EVs here) because of the current tariffs. 

Who the hell downvotes this? Nothing about this statement is remotely negative, more people on bikes and staying active.Who hurt you downvoter? Are the ebikes in...

Who the hell downvotes this? Nothing about this statement is remotely negative, more people on bikes and staying active.
image 232
Who hurt you downvoter? Are the ebikes in the room with us?

Accidental downvote, the plight of the left handed idle scroller. I would double up vote it if I could, great to hear that ebikes are helping people get out and ride. 

2
bikelurker
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3/22/2025 2:00pm
AndehM wrote:
Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM...

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street...

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

AndehM wrote:

Fun, silly bikes should ve celebrated, I really like the tone of that review

1
brash
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3/22/2025 2:24pm
AndehM wrote:
Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM...

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street...

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

this is my bike, XL Range VLT, DH/DD tyres, 720wh battery. Park tool scale errors out at 28kg lol, so had to use some bathroom scales. 31kg Sad

She thicc, but it's pretty much a downhill bike spec and ride quality. Nothing breaks.

p5pb21740165
12
3/23/2025 12:21pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2025 12:22pm
tabletop84 wrote:
If that's true it will probably be not much lighter than the old one if at all. Bummer. I want light full power bikes not moar...

If that's true it will probably be not much lighter than the old one if at all. Bummer. I want light full power bikes not moar watts. 

DorianKane wrote:
Those are in the making…I guess 60-80nm, with 400-500 watt combined with a 500wh Batterie is the limit for the closer future if you are looking...

Those are in the making…I guess 60-80nm, with 400-500 watt combined with a 500wh Batterie is the limit for the closer future if you are looking at sub 20kg bikes.

Talking about „normal“ bikes and not what would be possible to gain from components

Yeah, I'm only around 70 kg + with gear so I don't need a high powered bike. But DJII with removable 600 Wh and 800 Wh batteres and an efficiency optimized software would be my cup of tea. Should be between 19 to 22 kg depending on spec and mounted battery. My levo carbon weighs 22,7ish kg with the 500 Wh battery and I don't even have light parts...

ebruner
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3/24/2025 12:12pm

Speaking of the transition regulator... I was pretty excited about the way Transition went about this one because I assumed that they had used the same front triangle for the SX motor version as the CX.  I've thought for a while now, that the bike industry has too many skews for oem mfg's and bike shops to be successful.  I thought maybe this would be the first of a few domino's that would fall where brands would have the ability to have the same frame serve both the light weight, reduced power segment as well as the full weight, full power segment.  Being able to order/procure a crap load of frames and then be nimble with regards to the motor power/builds seemed like a great way to protect the brand and the bike shops from a very fast evolving and developing market.  It's pretty hard right now, to look at the emtb segment and make a prediction on if SLs are still going to propagate the market, or if the technology is going to mean that full power motors/bikes with battery capacity and de-tuning at the path forward.  Felt like transition was onto something here.

AAAAANNNNDDD then I found out that the front triangles are completely different and the downtubes have been shaped to fit the specific battery sizing of the 400wh/600wh.  Obviously, they are painted differently because they have either SX/CX painted into the frame after the model designation.  

I digress... pretty hard or product managers to be designing based on an emtb market 24-36 months from now.  I feel like a common frame with fork in the road for battery and firmware tuning to determine SL vs full power is a way to get certainty on where the market is going, and flexibility for consumers.  

Cool bike, but man... feels like a missed opportunity for a very nimble product line.  

3
TheKaiser
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Storrs, CT US
3/24/2025 1:50pm
ebruner wrote:
Speaking of the transition regulator... I was pretty excited about the way Transition went about this one because I assumed that they had used the same...

Speaking of the transition regulator... I was pretty excited about the way Transition went about this one because I assumed that they had used the same front triangle for the SX motor version as the CX.  I've thought for a while now, that the bike industry has too many skews for oem mfg's and bike shops to be successful.  I thought maybe this would be the first of a few domino's that would fall where brands would have the ability to have the same frame serve both the light weight, reduced power segment as well as the full weight, full power segment.  Being able to order/procure a crap load of frames and then be nimble with regards to the motor power/builds seemed like a great way to protect the brand and the bike shops from a very fast evolving and developing market.  It's pretty hard right now, to look at the emtb segment and make a prediction on if SLs are still going to propagate the market, or if the technology is going to mean that full power motors/bikes with battery capacity and de-tuning at the path forward.  Felt like transition was onto something here.

AAAAANNNNDDD then I found out that the front triangles are completely different and the downtubes have been shaped to fit the specific battery sizing of the 400wh/600wh.  Obviously, they are painted differently because they have either SX/CX painted into the frame after the model designation.  

I digress... pretty hard or product managers to be designing based on an emtb market 24-36 months from now.  I feel like a common frame with fork in the road for battery and firmware tuning to determine SL vs full power is a way to get certainty on where the market is going, and flexibility for consumers.  

Cool bike, but man... feels like a missed opportunity for a very nimble product line.  

I'd had the same thoughts as you expressed in your first paragraph. It's similar to the companies out there who have tried offering one front triangle, with different linkage and shock kits to change the travel from trail up to enduro setups, which I always thought was really cool from a biz inventory perspective, even if the consumer is probably going to pick a setup and stick with it. When I saw that the new CX motor was switching to the mounting interface they introduced on the SX, I'd thought "great, now they can really mix and match as needed". 

Thanks for bursting my bubble!😉

1
AndehM
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3/24/2025 2:05pm

Transition is a great bunch of guys that are really helpful when you need it, but they are not engineers.  I feel like a lot of their eMTB releases have been done in the "ready, fire, aim" fashion.  A couple of design review passes would have helped catching some fairly obvious stuff, like the headset routing on the Repeater, the battery door issues & shock fitment on the Relay, the lack of adjustment chips (which are on the CX) on the Regulator SX, and what you mentioned on the Regulator SX/CX.

3/24/2025 2:31pm
I think it would benefit any manufacturer AND the customer if the frame, battery and motor was compatible between specs. 
 
For example: pick a frame, 150mm or 180mm travel. Pick a battery size, 400, 600 or 800. Pick a motor, CX or SX. And out spits your bike. Like Build-a-Bear but for grown ups (?) Build-a-BIke... I have the concept ALL flushed out!
 
4
O1D4
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Vancouver CA
3/24/2025 7:30pm Edited Date/Time 3/24/2025 7:31pm
AndehM wrote:
Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM...

Glancing at the spec sheet, it looks like they basically underspec'd components to get it under the magic 50 lbs.  Endurance front tire, Lyrik, WTB KOM rims, etc.  I'd wager that the frame is the same as their big Grimace bike, so that weight number should skyrocket once you start putting on realistic components for a full power ebike.

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street...

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

brash wrote:
this is my bike, XL Range VLT, DH/DD tyres, 720wh battery. Park tool scale errors out at 28kg lol, so had to use some bathroom scales...

this is my bike, XL Range VLT, DH/DD tyres, 720wh battery. Park tool scale errors out at 28kg lol, so had to use some bathroom scales. 31kg Sad

She thicc, but it's pretty much a downhill bike spec and ride quality. Nothing breaks.

p5pb21740165

Wonder where all that extra weight actually is... My size L Altitude Powerplay with 720Wh battery, coil shock, DH tires, Cushcore Pro comes to ~24kg so that is one hell of difference in weight for a pretty similar bike. Is it really all in the frame? The battery and motor can't be that different in weight?

2
brash
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AU
3/24/2025 9:44pm
That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street...

That’s funny. I have the “big grimace bike,“ and yeah it’s heavy. I can tell you that it’s mostly in the frame. Word on the street is the new Powertube battery is significantly lighter.

Friend of mine has last years Sight size XL, and it’s 58 pounds with carbon wheels and carbon cranks.

brash wrote:
this is my bike, XL Range VLT, DH/DD tyres, 720wh battery. Park tool scale errors out at 28kg lol, so had to use some bathroom scales...

this is my bike, XL Range VLT, DH/DD tyres, 720wh battery. Park tool scale errors out at 28kg lol, so had to use some bathroom scales. 31kg Sad

She thicc, but it's pretty much a downhill bike spec and ride quality. Nothing breaks.

p5pb21740165
O1D4 wrote:
Wonder where all that extra weight actually is... My size L Altitude Powerplay with 720Wh battery, coil shock, DH tires, Cushcore Pro comes to ~24kg so...

Wonder where all that extra weight actually is... My size L Altitude Powerplay with 720Wh battery, coil shock, DH tires, Cushcore Pro comes to ~24kg so that is one hell of difference in weight for a pretty similar bike. Is it really all in the frame? The battery and motor can't be that different in weight?

My mate has the carbon version in XL with the 900wh battery and it's 3kg lighter, similar components. The frame could survive a nuclear blast.

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