How Much Power Do You Really Need? | Mid-Assist Vs Full Power eBike!

E-bikes are great! They act as your own personal uplift, turn gruelling climbs into fun technical ascents, and in general, you will have more fun on your rides. But how much power do you really need? We've got two brand new Whyte Bikes EMTBs to find out, the E-Lyte, a 50nm lightweight trail bike, and the E-160 with its 85nm of power and heavyweight Enduro capable build kit.

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What would you choose for your gearbox motor, a chain or belt? and why? Let us know in the comments! 👇

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[andy_]

im a total novice with my e-bike scott 950 aspect bosch motor had it a week now reason for getting it was a suggestion from my physio- had a stroke in 2022 and was house bound and missed going out missed my freedom this bike has turned a bad situation into a brilliant way for me to go out and ride i live in cannock chase a massive forrest with loads of deer and love seeing them and now i can its sunday today rode for 6hrs got home not even out of breath love it

[PeteSobolev]

Great info ... but you all clearly demonstrated that no matter what kind of bike you're riding, rider skill ultimately determines what kind of terrain you can tackle. I love the cinematography in your newer videos!

[Govermentsound]

Very true about the superb grip factor with full fat eebs, you just feel confident on sketchy grounds, going up & going down 💪🏾

[TheBrokenMountainBiker]

Funny thing, I bought an ebike recently, I went for a full power one (Kenevo) but spend 90% of the time in eco mode! Lol. I still prefer having the full 90nm there as a "just in case" though and I find the heavier bike feels nice and stable which I also like.

[plokmko]

World class video !!! The production values are simply the best !!!

[ragstir]

Sunday morning perfection, home cooked breakfast, double expresso and more excellent EMTB content featuring another Steve Jones hike a bike adventure 😂 . 3 rides in from changing from a mid range trek exe to a full fat turbo levo here 👍

[TheBarnz]

That was epic! Really enjoyed that! I love my trance e+0 advanced! Just a joy to ride and can handle everything I chuck at it with ease!!

[andyarchitect]

I got to demo the new Levo SL and was impressed at what it was capable of riding up. Pointed it at a hill thats on the limit of what I thought a full power could do where you are on the verge of breaking traction but it cleaned it. The battery life definitely felt more limited though. I think for generally flatter terrain (such as undulating trails without significant elevation change like a mountain) then lighter lower powered bikes excel. Once there are much larger hills with long climbs the benefits of a larger battery start to outweigh any weight advantage. Personally I'd rather they just made batteries modular do you could pop in 100wh segments at a time into your full power bike to suit the ride length.

[Cheapsht]

Great to see a variety of riders on this episode. Please more of this

[cnewto]

Steve loves his kick turns doesn’t he, great video everyone involved.

[chrislynch]

Great film Steve. Loving the adventure content. Inspired to visit Stwlan dam area on my 2020 turbo levo comp 👍

[wsl]

Good info that answers all the questions I had about mid vs full power. My first first e-mtb would be mid-assist.

[felixduprey]

Great video...will love to see this done again but on the kind of trails most people ride on...

[Todd]

First I want to say that I watch a minimal 98% of these vids in my living room on my 80” 4k TV and that the quality of the video, editing and even presentation are next level.
I ALWAYS enjoy Steve’s perspective, although I might not always agree.
The quality, the content….such a waste for just 18 min…I mean not really a waste (poor choice of word) but this video is no different than the rest of the videos this channel puts out….everything is in place for MUCH longer vids. They are just so next level. I’m always sad the time ends so quick with the content and delivery SO good. I am always amazed by the full quality. These are all prime time, high end production shows ( at least that’s how they look and hit).
So GREAT JOB everyone!!!

I would like to see the orange spoked wheels, the orange Fork on the bike Steve was riding in the video…such good colors. And speaking of colors, everyone’s helmets looked fantastic! I really like the satin or flat finish and the colors!

The opening when Chris rode to the peak….that was badass. Amy and Chris kept blowing me away with their riding abilities.

Anyway to get a long show??! Maybe a Christmas or New Years Special?! 🤞
Merry Christmas 🎄🇺🇸

[jeroenjansen]

Great review! You seem to be more down to earth than other mountain bike reviewers. This is how I like my mountain biking. Not going down at breakneck speeds and doing massive jumps every 5 seconds

[TCK]

Excellent video! I love going on 40-50mile all day rides on my full power, full fat, big battery Giant Reign E+0, no half measures.

[denesk]

From time-to-time I consider a light e-bike, but then I realise I mostly use my e-bike to self-shuttle in bike parks. Half-way into the day I use more and more "boost" on the steeper stuff and often times I empty my 630Wh battery completely. I have an extra in the car, but usually I don't over-last a (new) 630Wh. My 2 year old 630Wh drains much faster (has about 2000km on it).

I regularly ride my "normal" bike though. If I didn't, I would probably get a light e-bike. But having normal bikes as well, if I want a nimble, fast, light bike, I just take my motor-less bike out.

On steep climbs I often times find, that the best technique is a slammed seat, boost mode and sitting down. Standing up on wet roots/rocks is a fast-track to losing traction :), unless in a lower assist. Really depends on the terrain. Costa Rica can get rally slippery during the 5 months of rainy season. Not unlike UK weather.

[eBikerHowie]

I work in the bike industry, and I've been lucky enough to get to ride just about everything out there. My personal bike is the Pole Voima 190mm travel with an 85nm Bosch motor. I ride everywhere in the USA, but I live in Colorado. We have flow trails, techy rocky trails, and everything in between. I can use the power how and when I want. The SLs and Mids just don't have the grip and grunt, that is required, when the terrain gets serious. I am fortunate to be able to ride almost 5000 miles (500, 000 feet of climbing) every year, and I can't imagine being able to do that on anything other than a full-fatty. On a side note, my wife (5'3") loves her full-fatty Trek Rail as well. Cheers.

[dewindoethdwl]

Oi, that’s my backyard you’re playing in 😂……shared with many others. The eMTB has been a brilliant boost for my riding as the aging process steals the power from my legs. I’ve gone back to the joy of trials riding without an engine. I prefer my full-fat Levo over the SL for adventurous & tech riding, like the lost path you walked. Uphill is the new downhill 🎉🎉🎉

[Dannyjones]

I can't imagine a bike with less than 85NM now. It allows you to get up stuff you never thought was possible. Although, technique plays a huge part. I like the techy trials stuff.