Newbie from Hertfordshire (just north of London)

[swannmatt]

Afternoon all!

Thanks very much for the forum access.

As with a lot of other new folks, I am looking for some advice. I've been hooked on the idea of getting an eMTB for a good year or so now but don't really know where to start. Years back I used to love bombing around the Chilterns although never joined a club or anything.

I've recently lost around 3 stone and still going strong, now that I am considerably fitter than I was I really want to keep it going by getting the bike. However, I am still around 22 stone. I mention this as I imagine rider weight could be a serious consideration.

I've seen a fair number of articles and YouTube videos however they seem to be aimed at MTB moving to eMTB. I've only really ever had battered old second hand MTBs that I've maintained myself, never really looked into buying something new.

So my question: Where to start?

Things I may want to do on an eMTB in the UK;

• Get into downhill (after some time getting used to cycling regularly again).
• Cycle to work (15 miles to and from).
• Do some longer distance adventures.
• Potentially have Pannier bag on the back (not all the time but potentially for the above adventures).

 

[Zimmerframe]

Welcome ..

So just some quick thoughts ..

Get into downhill (after some time getting used to cycling regularly again).

Be sensible to start with an FS bike

Cycle to work (15 miles to and from).

Most if not all EMTB's will be fine doing this. The more aggressive your tyres the more drag you'll have and something like Maxxis Minion DHR/DHF, I found really noisy on tarmac. The 25kph assistance limit might be an issue when commuting.

Do some longer distance adventures.

Might want to look at the Bosch gen 4 motored bikes with the 630wh batteries like a Trek Rail 7 or the Levo with a 700. There are lots of other options too, but they're good starting points.

Potentially have Pannier bag on the back (not all the time but potentially for the above adventures).

No idea But there are plenty of threads where it's come up and quite a few threads on which bike for bigger guys if that's a concern. The search function was updated recently and generally works pretty well now.

 

[swannmatt]

Thanks for the reply! I'll have a look about.

Cheers!

 

[Sharpcroft]

Hi from Hemel