Lightweight eBikes are Pointless!?

Who exactly are these lightweight ebikes actually for? Can they climb steep stuff? And how do they feel on the trails? Featuring Mondraker Neat, Unno Ikki, Trek Fuel EXE and Scott Voltage, powered by TQ eBike HPR50 motor systems.

ETHICS, DISCLAIMER and TRANSPARENCY: This video is Sponsored by TQ. TQ hired me to create this collaboration piece and produce a video for on my YouTube channel, and is such labelled as a paid partnership on YouTube.

[HeintjeMTB]

The biggest issue with lightweight e-bikes is the price. When you buy a full power one an extra kilo doesn't matter that much. So you can easily go for an aluminium frame and cheaper components. However with a light weight e-bike you're much more inclined to get the lowest weight possible, making everything way more expensive.
Or at least that's how my brain works.

[jokermtb]

Being able to actually bunny hop trail bits using the same effort as I do with my acoustic bike is why I like lightweight eebs (like an Orbea Rise M series).

[RobRidesEMTB]

That climb looks so easy on video haha... Can we just take a moment to appreciate that climb was WAY steeper than it appeared 😂😂😜😜

[mrlemonadesandwich]

I actually like the extra weight of my 23kg full power ebike. The extra weight generates more grip and more speed/confidence in downhill chunder. For me, an ebike is about getting you up the hills to enjoy the downhill fun.

[bigdog]

Lightweight e-bikes are great for strong riders who already have MTB skills. I have been racing XC MTB and gravel for a long time, and on the MTB, I have always had to compromise between weight and suspension. I recently got a Transition Relay, and between my weight and FTP, it can actually feel overpowered. However, now I have a 160mm suspension that has me climbing and descending over things I never could in the past. And I don't feel like I am riding a motorcycle, which is key for people who are used to riding featherweight bikes. Bottom line, I don't think mid-power bikes are the best bikes for the weaker riders but rather for people who have been riding a long time and are looking for that +1 "bike, ". I would also say I don't waste your money on shaving grams, it simply does not matter, and it is nothing more than the marketing guys playing into our race obsession. I have a GX build and it is perfect.

[jimsteinway]

The point is to let us older mountain bikers ride with our 30 year old son who has a VO2 max of a Tour de France domestique. I don’t want a motocross bike to go up the trail I still want to work at 65 years old

[jdi]

I've owned a Fuel Exe 9.7 for about 1 year and sold it.
It's a very nice bike, however I had no one to ride with. 99% of my friends have full fat ebikes and the small motor and battery just can't keep up.
You can't really ride steep climbs as well as you can with regular ebike so that also makes it hard riding with friends.
As far as handling goes the bike still doesn't feel like a regular 14kg enduro bike.. the weight is noticeable.
Basically the SL is a whole new category that is not like regular bikes and not like full fat ebikes.
I sold it to get a full fat ebike instead so I have more options to ride with.

[iannorris]

Just serviced my sl & been riding it around for a bit.
Jumped back on my hard-tail today.
Boy does it fly in comparison !

[davefellows]

I recently got a Transition Relay 170mm and it's epic! Had a full powered Pivot Shuttle XTR V3 before and love this bike way more. 60nm, 430WH battery. It has an extra boost mode which gives you an additional 100W for ~10 seconds which really helps for steep sections.

[Derestricted]

I ride my LYKE lightweight eMTB and think it's the best thing since sliced bread and the only bike I need, just pure agile poppy exhilaration. Then i ride my full power bike and think it's much faster most of the time, way better at climbing and just as fun on the downhills, and the lightweight bike is underpowered. Then I ride the lightweight bike again and love it... Hopefully that answered the question.

[mycyclingdisorder]

Thanks for the video. I like pedalling and used to ride heaps more than I do these days but I appreciate the gentle hand of god assistance that a lightweight eMTB delivers on a climb. Everywhere else it just feels like mtb! I’ve owned a full power eMTB and I was not a fan. I moved it on.

[JohnWilliams-sn]

Having started on MTBs in the early ‘90 first hard tail then full suspension my Levo SL is the closest I can get to that experience - it gives me the power and endurance that I now lack! It brought me back to mountain biking. If I just did bike parks and steep technical stuff I’d go full fat but I still really enjoy cross country and exploring.

[adamfavsvidc]

Rob i would like to see a comparison of a normal light weight enduro bike on that climb vs lightweight emtb....

[mikenimmick]

Light emtbs are for some people no doubt...but it is a very small piece of the emtb market. Just buy a full power bike with a smaller battery if you want lighter weight. One of my bikes is an Intense Tazer MX Pro. EP8 (85nm), 504 battery, full carbon build. Very light for a full power emtb. It's one of the best riding bikes I own. I run single track in the midwest USA. Never an issue going any where with it. Battery life for me is easily well over 3 hours and I'm on full boost with the motor 99% of the time.

[Haro]

I gave you a thumbs up for that realistic crash xD 3:53

[jason-dyou]

I own a Pivot Shuttle SL and absoutley love it. I use it mostly to explore new trails when I go to new places. I can do many more miles to explore. Then I go back to the trails with my Switchblade and ride. They are a blast to ride.

[chrisjones]

Great video, love my Rise. Did Snowdon on it last year. Epic. I would love to see you do that climb on the full power, SL and an analog bike so you can show the difference between the three.

[krzychumalina]

Hi Rob! I enjoy your channel a lot. I used to ride Levo Gen2 for 5 years and now I own Trek EXE and I love the way this bike descends, however I must say the TQ motor is not very efficient and consumes a lot of battery power uphill. I"d choosen the EXE because you can swop the bettery easily. In my opinion most SL ebike's batteries are just too small. Buying Unno or Kenevo and be able to ride just for a couple of hours sucks. Unless you can easily change the battery I don't see the point to spend the money. Range extender is an option, but it adds 3 pounds to the bike and leaves no place for the water bottle.... My point is : let the manufacturers instal larger batteries or design frames with an easily removable battery! Cheers

[leavemealoam]

got my second sl last year, its on ebay now as im fit enough to ride my normal bike after 6 months on it. My FF levo is still in my garage and used for uplift esq riding. The SLs are so niche, its for a rider who wants to continue normal mtb but isnt fit enough to ride the distances.

Im a fit rider on a normal, so when i go on my electric i want full power fast flat out hit all the trails etc. If i was a one bike garage it would still be a normal but! if i was a one bike emtb garage, i think it would be a SL as i still enjoy getting a workout in. I know alot of people will be smashing "you do on a FF" into their keyboards, but its not the same type of workout in my opinion.

Great video rob, camera work looks good! I think i saw that will greenfield was helping on this shoot? might be wrong.

[whitest_kyle]

Looove my Fuel EXe. Rides like a regular bike but doesn't suck to climb.