Yotaismygame
New Member
This one is for the bike nerds! Please lets keep this civil and about the two bikes. Not just about Avinox! The propain is my second ebike...
I just received my new Propain that replaced my custom build Marin Alpine Trail E1 and want to give my thoughts on the two.
Comparison: Both bikes are/were sporting most of the same parts. I moved most of the parts off the Marin to the Propain.
Propain (AL) ------------------- Marin (AL)
54.34lbs ------------------------- 54.60lbs
M2S---------------------------------E7000 Shimano
600wh ------------------------------504wh Removable
Mullet ------------------------------- Mullet
Vivid Air Ult 205x65 trunnion -----------Vivid Air Ult 210x55
160MM ----------------------------- 150MM
Zeb Ult 170mm -----------------------Zeb Ult 170mm
DT FR541 Front/Rear------------------- DT FR541 Front/Rear
Hope Pro 4 hubs---------------------- Hope Pro 4 hubs
Tubeless-----------------------------Tubeless
12spd XO Cassette--------------------XT Linkglide 11spd 11-50T Cassette
GX Transmission Drivetrain------------ XT Linkglide
2026 XT 4 piston brakes--------------- Old Gen xt 4 piston brakes
HS2 220/200 rotors--------------------HS2 220/200 rotors
DHR2 Dh/Assegai DD MG---------------DHR2 Dh/Assegai DD MG
One up 210 DP------------------------Fox Transfer 210 DP
Carbon Bars 35mm------------------ Carbon 35mm bars
35mm Stem-------------------------35mm Stem
Tenant Occult V2 Pedals--------------PNW Loam Pedals Composite
As you can see both bikes ended up being very similar in weight with very similar builds. I'm thinking the Propain frame is slightly lighter considering its housing a heavier battery. The Marin downtube is only .25" wider so IMO both bikes look pretty appealing. Both are low and slack and get ridden on enduro/Freeride trail systems with some sizable drops and jumps.
Motors: The M2S feels light years more refined than the e7000. It's smoother, quieter, and no rattles. The e7000 feels like raw on off power, pretty noisy and rattles on rough terrain. It's funny I never actually noticed the rattle until riding the quiet M2S. The entire Propain build is just flat out quieter. The M2S obviously makes way more power. Boost mode is crazy! The software adjustments on the M2S is really something. The e7000 I can only adjust power in each level. Which gives me a total of 9 power levels to ride in. Overrun is programmed in and the more power the more overrun you get. I did a little test up a paved hill and even though the e7000 is a 60/500 rated motor in trail mode turned all the way up I was able to keep a faster MPH uphill compared to the Avinox set at 80/500. This surprised me. I really feel like the E7000 rating is higher then its advertised as. All in all both motors get me up the PNW fire roads just fine. I wouldn't say the M2S is going to drastically change the overall experience.
Range: The E7000 gets pretty lousy range. I generally would ride in middle trail and that would net me around 3000 vertical feet for a 504wh battery in mild temps. The M2S on the same trails I was able to do 3000ft with 37% battery left. And that was in a mixture of 80/400-500 with some boost used. But having two batteries for the Marin I never had a range issue.
Overall Experience. I guess price does play a factor. I bought the Marin second hand with low miles for $1700! Now IMO it needed a fork and brakes at a minimum. The Propain was $7000 with a decent build. Is the Propain better? Yes. Is the overall experince on the hill leaps and bounds better? Deffinitely not. They both got me up the hill in good time, they both are of similar weight. Both get enough range. Both descend well. Without a doubt the Propain is much more refined. The overall balance of the bike is better, it's more plush, it's poppier and for some reason felt faster. I'm not a full power rider so the extra power of the M2S is cool but not a huge factor for me. I really don't think people need to go out and upgrade just because there's so much hype right now. I bought the Marin with the intentions of not having it long. Really wanted to try out Ebiking before I dropped some serious coin. I really could have just kept riding the Marin and been happy. And if the E7000 took a dump, upgrade it to a Ep8 and keep riding.
I'm very pleased with the Propain. I am happy to have a warranty and support from Propain that is local to me. Who ever buys my Marin will get a great Ebike at a stellar deal. IMO someone out there needs to produce a simple very budget friendly Ebike. Like this Marin. For me this proves a EMTB is not just about the motor. There are so many other factors. So although I went out and bought a avinox powered bike I really don't think upgrading your old shimano powered bike is necessary. Just enjoy the fun experience Ebikes give us.
I just received my new Propain that replaced my custom build Marin Alpine Trail E1 and want to give my thoughts on the two.
Comparison: Both bikes are/were sporting most of the same parts. I moved most of the parts off the Marin to the Propain.
Propain (AL) ------------------- Marin (AL)
54.34lbs ------------------------- 54.60lbs
M2S---------------------------------E7000 Shimano
600wh ------------------------------504wh Removable
Mullet ------------------------------- Mullet
Vivid Air Ult 205x65 trunnion -----------Vivid Air Ult 210x55
160MM ----------------------------- 150MM
Zeb Ult 170mm -----------------------Zeb Ult 170mm
DT FR541 Front/Rear------------------- DT FR541 Front/Rear
Hope Pro 4 hubs---------------------- Hope Pro 4 hubs
Tubeless-----------------------------Tubeless
12spd XO Cassette--------------------XT Linkglide 11spd 11-50T Cassette
GX Transmission Drivetrain------------ XT Linkglide
2026 XT 4 piston brakes--------------- Old Gen xt 4 piston brakes
HS2 220/200 rotors--------------------HS2 220/200 rotors
DHR2 Dh/Assegai DD MG---------------DHR2 Dh/Assegai DD MG
One up 210 DP------------------------Fox Transfer 210 DP
Carbon Bars 35mm------------------ Carbon 35mm bars
35mm Stem-------------------------35mm Stem
Tenant Occult V2 Pedals--------------PNW Loam Pedals Composite
As you can see both bikes ended up being very similar in weight with very similar builds. I'm thinking the Propain frame is slightly lighter considering its housing a heavier battery. The Marin downtube is only .25" wider so IMO both bikes look pretty appealing. Both are low and slack and get ridden on enduro/Freeride trail systems with some sizable drops and jumps.
Motors: The M2S feels light years more refined than the e7000. It's smoother, quieter, and no rattles. The e7000 feels like raw on off power, pretty noisy and rattles on rough terrain. It's funny I never actually noticed the rattle until riding the quiet M2S. The entire Propain build is just flat out quieter. The M2S obviously makes way more power. Boost mode is crazy! The software adjustments on the M2S is really something. The e7000 I can only adjust power in each level. Which gives me a total of 9 power levels to ride in. Overrun is programmed in and the more power the more overrun you get. I did a little test up a paved hill and even though the e7000 is a 60/500 rated motor in trail mode turned all the way up I was able to keep a faster MPH uphill compared to the Avinox set at 80/500. This surprised me. I really feel like the E7000 rating is higher then its advertised as. All in all both motors get me up the PNW fire roads just fine. I wouldn't say the M2S is going to drastically change the overall experience.
Range: The E7000 gets pretty lousy range. I generally would ride in middle trail and that would net me around 3000 vertical feet for a 504wh battery in mild temps. The M2S on the same trails I was able to do 3000ft with 37% battery left. And that was in a mixture of 80/400-500 with some boost used. But having two batteries for the Marin I never had a range issue.
Overall Experience. I guess price does play a factor. I bought the Marin second hand with low miles for $1700! Now IMO it needed a fork and brakes at a minimum. The Propain was $7000 with a decent build. Is the Propain better? Yes. Is the overall experince on the hill leaps and bounds better? Deffinitely not. They both got me up the hill in good time, they both are of similar weight. Both get enough range. Both descend well. Without a doubt the Propain is much more refined. The overall balance of the bike is better, it's more plush, it's poppier and for some reason felt faster. I'm not a full power rider so the extra power of the M2S is cool but not a huge factor for me. I really don't think people need to go out and upgrade just because there's so much hype right now. I bought the Marin with the intentions of not having it long. Really wanted to try out Ebiking before I dropped some serious coin. I really could have just kept riding the Marin and been happy. And if the E7000 took a dump, upgrade it to a Ep8 and keep riding.
I'm very pleased with the Propain. I am happy to have a warranty and support from Propain that is local to me. Who ever buys my Marin will get a great Ebike at a stellar deal. IMO someone out there needs to produce a simple very budget friendly Ebike. Like this Marin. For me this proves a EMTB is not just about the motor. There are so many other factors. So although I went out and bought a avinox powered bike I really don't think upgrading your old shimano powered bike is necessary. Just enjoy the fun experience Ebikes give us.
