E-MountainBike 2025 30 Bike Shootout

[Fangs2k]

Lots of discussion and stats about motors and batteries and weight and uphill climbing but not mention of bike travel and sweet fa about the bikes descending prowess's........

Really if you are comparing weight you need to do it in line with the travel the bike has. A 170mm enduro monster will weigh more than a 150mm trail bike and they really shouldn't even be compared together.

I think rider weight (along with skill/size) comes into it as well.

Somebody barely twice the weight of what they’re trying to move about will have a different experience to somebody who is 3 or 4 times the bike weight.

“It’s physics Jim” was the phrase wasn’t it?!

All we can ever get from riding reviews/group tests is the impressions of the test rider/s, it’s why it’s important to try and test ride whatever it is you’re about to drop several thousand £/$/€ on.

Easier said than done these days admittedly, I mean who has test ridden the much hyped loved Unno Mith? Doesn’t seem to stop people throwing money down on it. Dentist behaviour if ever I saw it!

 

[Plummet]

I think rider weight (along with skill/size) comes into it as well.

Somebody barely twice the weight of what they’re trying to move about will have a different experience to somebody who is 3 or 4 times the bike weight.

“It’s physics Jim” was the phrase wasn’t it?!

All we can ever get from riding reviews/group tests is the impressions of the test rider/s, it’s why it’s important to try and test ride whatever it is you’re about to drop several thousand £/$/€ on.

Easier said than done these days admittedly, I mean who has test ridden the much hyped loved Unno Mith? Doesn’t seem to stop people throwing money down on it. Dentist behaviour if ever I saw it!

Certainly there's no hope for me to test boutique offerings before purchasing here in NZ.
So its all about stats and geo and write up and on line reviews.

Yeah, there's a lot of cashed up people keen to drop coin on the latest thing. I enjoy those first adopters because they will iron out the bugs for me... i always wait for gen 2/3 to come along before diving in.

But yes, you have to get into the reviewers head and take their advice with applied to how they like to ride. A 150/160mm conservative rider who doesn't go big wont enjoy a 170+mm bike. Some of their negatives are my positives.

 

[irie]

Certainly there's no hope for me to test boutique offerings before purchasing here in NZ.
So its all about stats and geo and write up and on line reviews.

Yeah, there's a lot of cashed up people keen to drop coin on the latest thing. I enjoy those first adopters because they will iron out the bugs for me... i always wait for gen 2/3 to come along before diving in.

But yes, you have to get into the reviewers head and take their advice with applied to how they like to ride. A 150/160mm conservative rider who doesn't go big wont enjoy a 170+mm bike. Some of their negatives are my positives.

Like you did with Pole?

 

[Astro66]

Hard to call something a best buy if you then have to swap parts over to get it how you like. Give us more spec options

I have already purchased a new rear tyre for my Amflow. I got a Maxxis Minion DHR 2.6. It cost me AUD$60 online. That's like £30. I'd hardly call putting different rubber on, a lacking issue when it comes to specs.

It also has the flip-chip so I'm going to switch to 27.5 rear wheel. So once again. As long as it can be mulleted. That's what is required.

I prefer the manufacturers keep costs down by not producing lots of different specs. Especially when it comes to wheels and rubber, That are quite inexpensive to change.

That said. I agree that Amflow should produce a longer travel spec. Because suspension is very expensive to change. But it's a company that has just launched. So give them a chance to get established. Grab some market share. Then grow the range.

My Amflow PL Carbon Pro arrives next week. I have 2 friends who used to race downhill, who have ridden the lower spec Amflow at Thredbo, which is a very big gravity park. One owns a few years old Levo. The other a Norco Sight VLT. Both have said the Amflow will blow my mind compared to previous bikes I've owned. I hope they are right.

 

[Citylad77]

The Best E-Mountain Bike of 2026: 30 eMTBs in Direct Comparison in Our Huge Group Test.

The best e-mountain bike of 2026: 30 eMTBs tested over 3 weeks in Tremp with 26,000 vertical metres – find out who wins and what truly matters.

ebike-mtb.com

Thanks for posting, it’s a great read very informative..

 

[Yoak]

As a Trek Rail guy, I’m biased, but weird they didn’t have any Trek bikes for review. I was looking forward to read about the new Rail

 

[ZR1]

It's a good read but it doesn't help that much to help me pick a new bike, I have a emtb already that does most things ok, I end up leaning towards an amflow/waiting for more avinox bikes for the looks and slight weight reduction

Stuff like this doesn't help me decide though, this is what they wrote about the amflow:

from the group review 30 eMTBs in our huge 2025 E-MOUNTAINBIKE comparison test: What’s the best eMTB of the year?

"The low front end also comes at the expense of security, which means it quickly reaches its limits on demanding trails."

from the individual review Exclusive test: 2025 AMFLOW PL Carbon Pro – What is AMFLOW’s eMTB with its DJI Avinox Motor capable of?

"When the trail gets rough, the integrated riding position and high front end inspire huge amounts of confidence"

 

[Fangs2k]

It's a good read but it doesn't help that much to help me pick a new bike, I have a emtb already that does most things ok, I end up leaning towards an amflow/waiting for more avinox bikes for the looks and slight weight reduction

Stuff like this doesn't help me decide though, this is what they wrote about the amflow:

from the group review 30 eMTBs in our huge 2025 E-MOUNTAINBIKE comparison test: What’s the best eMTB of the year?

"The low front end also comes at the expense of security, which means it quickly reaches its limits on demanding trails."

from the individual review Exclusive test: 2025 AMFLOW PL Carbon Pro – What is AMFLOW’s eMTB with its DJI Avinox Motor capable of?

"When the trail gets rough, the integrated riding position and high front end inspire huge amounts of confidence"

Different riders and different impressions at a guess? The magazine itself doesn’t have thoughts, the people who write for it do.

In the standalone test, what was written may be perfectly valid, depending on what experience the test rider and writer has and what they usually ride. In the group test, the Amflow does seem to have a low front end versus a lot of the other bikes.

This is why it’s crucial you test ride whatever it is you’re thinking of spending big bucks on, and find out for yourself whether it suits your riding style, and where you ride.

I’ve only ever purchased 2 bikes without test riding, and I didn’t get in with either of them really and they got sold.

Nowadays, and whilst review channels like Rob’s might get me interested in a bike, if there’s no test ride available, then it’s not on the short list.