I’ve been doing a lot of research in this area. Specialized seems to be the clear leader from what I can tell, but others are catching up. It appears weight doesn’t matter much, so spending more money on a super light frame, isn’t high on my list. Bosch motors get a ton of love. Specialized seems to have the best user interface for telling how much battery remains. Spesh has also just recently come out with bikes that come standard with a 700wh battery, which is a nice step up and means a good long mtb ride without worrying about the battery.
I can’t come up with a reason to go any higher than an Alloy Turbo Levo, MAYBE the Comp version.
What was the Giant issue? Motor or bike? That Yamaha motor gets a lot of love…plus no rattle!
The Yamaha also has the nicest handlebar integration. Bosch on the other hand? Strapping a basket and streamers to your handle bars would be less obvious hehe
He’s had several issues, some just bad luck, all very expensive.
His most recent was a complete failure of the motor, not covered by warranty, requiring an expensive replacement. In my mind the motor’s should be expected to last the life of the bike. Crazy that the batteries would outlast it.
Interesting. You’re correct in that a motor should outlast the batteries, but if you calculate the half life on most batteries you can conceivably get 20 years of life. Just that ride in 20 years time might only last ten minutes lol.
How often do any of you (or your friends) who are eMTB riders typically find themselves wishing for more battery life? Or is that not a very serious consideration for many folks?