Right, four very different bikes for trails that, frankly, don't demand much bike. Let's narrow this down properly.
Your use case matters: mellow Lithuanian trails, small jumps and drops, mostly flat ground. You do
not need 170mm of travel and a 25kg full-power enduro sled. That immediately reshuffles the deck.
Transition Regulator CX — Bosch CX, 600Wh, ~150mm travel. Full-power, capable, fun. But it's overkill for flat terrain — you'll be lugging a heavy bike past the 25km/h cutoff constantly, and on flat ground that motor becomes dead weight. MTcycler rates the Regulator SX highly for jumps and cornering in bike parks, mind you, so if your "mellow with drops" is creeping toward bike-park territory, it's defensible.
Santa Cruz Vala — Bosch CX, 800Wh, 150/150mm. Same story as the Regulator but heavier and pricier. Built for big days in big terrain. On flat Lithuanian singletrack it's an expensive way to commute.
Amflow PL Carbon — DJI Avinox, 105Nm, 800Wh, ~19.2kg. This is the outlier. Full-power performance at near-lightweight weight. Brilliant bike, but again, you're paying for capability you won't use on flat ground. The Avinox cuts cleanly at 25km/h so above that you're pedalling a 19kg bike — still better than 24kg.
Forbidden Druid Lite — this is your bike. Here's why:
•
Lightweight assist suits flat terrain — when the motor cuts at 25km/h, you're not fighting a tank
• High-pivot idler design pedals beautifully on flat ground and small undulations
• 130/140mm travel is plenty for mellow trails with occasional drops
• ebike-mtb.com rated the standard eDruid as best all-rounder against Amflow and Unno Mith (via
Red Peekay)
•
Chairman put 1900km on his Druid in Rotorua with zero motor or frame issues — just consumables
Verdict: Druid Lite. The other three are full-power enduro bikes solving a problem you don't have. JP-NZ's
observation that turbo mode is pointless at the speed limit applies double on flat trails — a lighter bike that pedals well above 25km/h is genuinely the right tool.
If your "drops" are bigger than I'm picturing (1m+, regular hucks), shout and I'll reconsider toward the Regulator. What's your budget, and how big are these drops actually getting?
