E-bike talk: not tech rumor derailment

I'm no welder but that headtube closeup is a hack job. 

Loving that 800 on the Sight / Range - these rigs are so poppy and nimble which is wild for a full fat rig. 

I personally appreciate the non - Kiox display - I mountain bike to not look at another screen. 

Question though: can you power the new XT Di2 deraileur from the Bosch motor, the same way you can with Sram? 

https://ebike-mtb.com/e-bike-motoren-vergleich/

Poppy and nimble with 24-25kg plus real world weight? 

I can't speak for that specific bike, but yes I have had a 26kg long travel ebike that felt plenty playful. You do need to get the unsprung weight down and run your suspension slightly stiff with very fast rebound.

Vital recently blessed us with this raw that definitely answers the above question: https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/macaskill-williamson-barnes-and-more-vital-raw-scottish-slay-session (they are nearly all on ebikes as far as I could tell)

I know about the rebound trick which light work for some people or on flow trail jump lines but it's not ideal for tech. It's can't really offset the weight in all circumstances. 

Percived weight is also Ina relation to rider weight and fitness I think. Plus technical ability on the bike. So obviously very good riders will make an ebike look like it's easy to ride but that doesn't translate to everyone. 

There's not much riding on a mountain bike that I can't do on an e-bike because of the extra weight. The steering stop headset that some of the have isn't that big of a deal usually either. 

You can do most of the stuff you can do with a normal bike but it will simply be way more sluggish. Like a bunny hop alone is a different league on a bike without a motor that is 5-15 kg lighter. The flickabilty, jump/airtime options and easy tech maneuvering are just not on the same level with a full power ebike, especially when you don't have extremely good skills and fitness. 

I think much of it has to do with the type of riding.

If your local trails/terrain is lame enough that you need to make your own fun, lighter is always better. 

Personally, I find zero difference between my acoustic enduro bike and my e-bike. The e-bike is actually faster in many places on descents, and opens up interesting line options/side hits sometimes, due to carrying speed better.

Weight is good for riding chunk but you have to be more careful with rim dings and stuff. And I also like less weight for tech stuff because as soon as I have to flick the bike for little corrections or lift the front for a manual/jump/drop the lighter bike always feels better and I don't have to time everything perfectly and ride a perfect line. I have more room for correcting errors with the smaller battery. Like I had to dismount sometimes with the bigger one and a frame bag becauee  I just couldn't get the corner and also it pushes and dives more in steep corners. 

With a lighter weight bike I find it more likely that I’ve been pinged off line on the higher speed inch perfect tech. I’ve even noticed the sidewalls of my tires with more rub marks than usual on the full fat e-bike compared to the enduro bike it replaced. 

My suspension settings also, obviously, require more spring to hold the heavier bike up and more damping to control that higher spring rate. 

Both are fun, but the e is a bit less stressful in holding my lines but more stressful in that I’m carrying more speed in most places where my skills are the limiting factor. 

I mean its different if we're talking heavy full power to light full power or light ebike to acoustic bike. They all have different ride characteristics but on a full power you can't go as light to loose any of the advantages of the heavier weight. You can only gain in handling. 

I'm a pretty big fan of continental's downhill casings on the e-bike. Argotal ss front and kryptotal s rear.

At 49.5 pounds, I'll charge about anything on the e-bike that I would on my 37 pound coil/coil dreadnought.

I liked their dh casing for trail riding but not on the dh bike, too much squirm that required a ton of air pressure. It’s why I haven’t tried the radial casing from Schwalbe yet. 

I find the continental to be one of the more stiff casings. I'm a serial tire burper in corners, it's one of the few that keeps the sealant and air inside the tire. 

The radials feel very disconnected in comparison. Great on tech, but a bit weird in mach chicken corners.

Atherton ebike coming, based on the s150 and dji motor

https://youtu.be/P99oVLZOANw?si=beBHZ7Jm1iXlH86W

E-bikes and sour dough yum…

Bike check on this GT decoy dropping soon lol

Word on the street is a brand will be increasing their max motor power to 850w in 2026. Obviously not Avinox cuz they are already there. It’s not Bosch or Shimano either because they advocate for maintaining 750w as max power for class 1.

I’m thinking that leaves Specialized. Current max power is 666w (720w on S-Works models). Anybody hear anything else on this rumor?

A good source told me Specialized

yes, there was a specialized university video up shortly, the lower spec one gets the bigger power update than the sworks, but there will still be a difference between them

"Thanks to automatic updates via the Specialized app, your bike keeps improving over time — right from home. Specialized isn’t sticking with the old formula; they’re redefining what a top-tier e-MTB can do.

With more peak power, more natural power delivery, quicker responsiveness, and new customisation options, the S-Works motor now gains 18% more peak output, reaching 850W, while still delivering 111Nm of torque.
The standard model gains 22% more peak power, reaching 810W, with 105Nm of torque.

The new Dynamic Micro-Tune system lets riders control power with more precision than ever before.
The new Zero-to-100 mode provides fully variable assistance, adjusting the motor output exactly to the rider’s effort.

Riders get a more natural pedalling feel and smoother assistance transitions as they approach top speed. They also get more responsive support to help clear large roots, steps, and obstacles without falling into a “dead zone,” thanks to snappier re-engagement when they start pedalling again.

This is much more than a simple update — it’s the next evolution in e-MTB performance, and proof that the Gen 4 platform keeps getting better with time."

I don't think this Ai was trained to use synonyms for "more."

it’s a translation of the video content, i saw it too. original was french or italian…

Rando Q: With the new US ban on imports of new foreign (Chinese) made drones, and with DJI being called out specifically, what do you think the possibility of that ban being extended to ebike power systems is? Disclosure, I took issue with the connectivity requirement for DJI bike motors from Day 1 (I prefer to ride without a phone as much as possible) but am also far from supporting policies of the current US regime. 

That's why Avinox was spun off. Wouldn't worry at all. There will be a lot of Avinox powered bikes this year. Hopefully that brings the price down with more options to choose from. 

I highly doubt the system would be getting taken on by so many manufacturers if they thought there'd be a US ban.

FWIW I have an Amflow and don't need my phone connected in order to ride it.

 Good question! ive been wanting to bring this up for a while - I feel like there is a lot to be concerned about with a number of large tech companies entering the biking market - if you look at the trends in other industries like lack of repairability and features being locked/disabled without a subscription. DJI is a prominent name but not the only one, I still wonder if there could be knock on effects with avinox even if they are "technically" a separate company, or at least slowly changing the operating model to being similar to drones and cameras where you need an account to be able to use the device at all

And on this topic - CES the electronics show is on and ifixit does a "worst in show" for the worst trends in consumer electronics. I was expecting the Samsung smart fridge or similar, but nope - Bosch e bikes! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTZ2fudj-P5/?igsh=cGV2eTF2Y2tydGE0

Early on I decided to replace a dead Bosch motor. It may have been the strange quirky commuter bike shop I chose to go through (they were one of the few eeb sellers in Seattle at the time), but the Bosch experience was uncomfortable enough to color my opinion today this day. They wouldn’t let me keep my old motor (I wanted to at least crack it open and look at it all), it felt very automotive industry. I didn’t fight too hard, I just wanted a working bike again, but it stuck with me. Looks like it’s worse now. 

Side note: Cory Doctorow is great, he must have an eeb…

Does anyone have any real world experience with the new 2026 giant reign E+? Or giant e bikes and Yamaha motors In General?

 It’s quite the appealing bike to me, The battery capacity seems to be the only obvious drawback if you want to do a really big day, but fine for 90% of rides I suspect. I spoke to a dealer and they said they could supply me with a second battery if I decided I wanted one; at a very appealing price .

I'm curious as to why the SIM req for their system and as stated in their manual after a 'trial' period the motor needs to be paired to a device (whether that's carried when riding seems to be moot per homie veefour), which seems in line with their drones' requirements as well. As for co's spec'ing it, I can only surmise they started placing orders well prior to this drone ban taking effect, so the thought of a potential engine ban never came up. I haven't bothered to wade into the legalese of their fine print, but perhaps it's time to do so and bounce things off my attorney friends. 

Again, tiny bit of a Luddite here but not one that kiboshes ebikes. They're a hoot to ride even if they're not my cuppa atm. I find matters like this interesting. 

Following the late 2024 recall related to potentially faulty battery housings, the Spectral:ON and Torque:ON are now back in Canyon's line-up, featuring all-new batteries that provide less juice (800 Wh compared to 900 Wh for the original batteries) but better energy efficiency and lower weight. The pricing is also very aggressive (no doubt it needs to be, given that these bikes are still powered by old Shimano motors):

https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/canyon-relaunches-spectralon-and-torqueon-800wh-batteries.