What other bike options?

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Oxon

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I'm toying with the idea of getting an EMTB but don't really know much about them.

Currently looking at the Trek Fuel Exe 9.7, they're heavily discounted and available for around £3250 at the moment.
What other options are there that are worth looking at this price? I'm not wanting to spend any more than this as it's going to be a spare bike to use on days like today where my legs are cooked after yesterday's MTB ride but the weather's good and I want to get out and ride!
Riding for me is around the Chilterns in the UK and usually a trip to the Lake District a couple of times a year.

www.balfesbikes.co.uk

Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 SLX/XT Electric Full Suspension Mountain Bike 2025 in Deep Smoke

The Fuel EXe 9.7 redefines e-mountain biking with a revolutionary motor that tucks away neatly for a ride that's light, lively and just as playful as a traditional mountain bike, with the added benefit of pedal assist to help you crush climbs.
www.balfesbikes.co.uk
 
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That's a lot of bike for the money.

It falls into the "lightweight" category. Meaning that it has a small motor and small battery.

If you've not ridden an EMTB before, you'll probably love it. Lots of people prefer the lighter bikes (motor and battery can make up a significant chunk of bike weight).

If you ride a "full fat" bike, you may initially think the additional power is completely unnecessary. It just depends on your preferences, where you're riding, how high you want to climb, how must assistance you might need whilst doing that so you can go for longer and so on.

From what you've said, it would potentially be perfect for what you want. The Levo SL bikes are generally also heavily price reduced these days for another lightweight option.
 
Oxon said:
I'm not wanting to spend any more than this as it's going to be a spare bike to use on days like today where my legs are cooked after yesterday's MTB ride but the weather's good and I want to get out and ride!
Riding for me is around the Chilterns in the UK and usually a trip to the Lake District a couple of times a year.
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Consider also that it is highly possible that your "use case" will change once you own it... So, flexibility should IMO be high priority (long range, etc.) in the selection.
 
That's one of the bikes I considered when I was first in the market for my first ebike, but ultimately I was put off by the small battery and low powered motor. I also didn't want a full fat tank so in the end went with a heavily discounted 2025 Orbea Rise LT H10 as a more middle weight/power option.

How long is your average ride and how much climbing?

Another thing to think about is what you're friends are riding. If they're all on full fat bikes then get one too or you'll be left behind.
 
The small battery may be an issue, I really need to get an idea of range on these bikes.
With regards considering others, I mainly ride solo so no reason to be concerned about what others are using. My group riding will still be on my Epic as our group are all still pedal powered!
 
Oxon said:
I'm toying with the idea of getting an EMTB but don't really know much about them.

Currently looking at the Trek Fuel Exe 9.7, they're heavily discounted and available for around £3250 at the moment.
What other options are there that are worth looking at this price? I'm not wanting to spend any more than this as it's going to be a spare bike to use on days like today where my legs are cooked after yesterday's MTB ride but the weather's good and I want to get out and ride!
Riding for me is around the Chilterns in the UK and usually a trip to the Lake District a couple of times a year.

www.balfesbikes.co.uk

Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 SLX/XT Electric Full Suspension Mountain Bike 2025 in Deep Smoke

The Fuel EXe 9.7 redefines e-mountain biking with a revolutionary motor that tucks away neatly for a ride that's light, lively and just as playful as a traditional mountain bike, with the added benefit of pedal assist to help you crush climbs.
www.balfesbikes.co.uk
Click to expand...
My advise is stay away from the 350Wh battery. My neighbor has this bike and he gets decent range but he only weighs 160lb. I have this same battery / motor combo on my Canyon Spectral OnFly and at best I get about 22 miles with about 1,200 ft of climbing. I weigh just under 200lb. If you want to go SL, get the TQ60 motor and a 580Wh battery. I know this will push you into a higher price point but you’ll be much happier in the long run because you will end up riding it WAY more than you think.
 
MeatBike said:
How long is your average ride and how much climbing?
Click to expand...

Average ride would probably be around 30-40km with 1000m climbing at most.
Any longer stuff I’d be on my Epic so no worries about range there!

The new Amflow PR has caught my eye but it may be overkill for me.
Looking at other brands, Specialized don’t seem to have anything in my price range, Trek also have the Rail which could be an option.
Otherwise there’s a few Santa Cruz Heckler SL in my budget but I’ve not read great things about the Fazua drivetrains.

Ideally I probably need something from a shop which is reasonably close for the almost inevitable warranty claims.
 
Oxon said:
Average ride would probably be around 30-40km with 1000m climbing at most.
Any longer stuff I’d be on my Epic so no worries about range there!

The new Amflow PR has caught my eye but it may be overkill for me.
Looking at other brands, Specialized don’t seem to have anything in my price range, Trek also have the Rail which could be an option.
Otherwise there’s a few Santa Cruz Heckler SL in my budget but I’ve not read great things about the Fazua drivetrains.

Ideally I probably need something from a shop which is reasonably close for the almost inevitable warranty claims.
Click to expand...

Similar to what I do on my Rise.

That being said, it would be hard to ignore the new Amflow PR for £4K if I was in the market for a new bike. The power would be overkill for me too, but you can always tune it down.
 
MeatBike said:
Similar to what I do on my Rise.

That being said, it would be hard to ignore the new Amflow PR for £4K if I was in the market for a new bike. The power would be overkill for me too, but you can always tune it down.
Click to expand...
I agree the PR looks a compelling bike for the cash, but turning the motor down just leaves you with a mid powered 24kg+ bike which is a bit different to the 19.5kg Trek mentioned in the OP?

If you want a full power e-bike though, then it’s probably where the ‘smart’ money would go at around the £4k price point.
 
Oxon said:
Average ride would probably be around 30-40km with 1000m climbing at most.
Any longer stuff I’d be on my Epic so no worries about range there!
Click to expand...
For this level of ride, I'd take a serious look at the Santa Cruz Vala. It is light with a 600Wh battery, has full power Bosch motor (rumored to be updated again soon) that you can tune down, and allows for a Range Extender for longer rides should you need it (which might happen on an emtb). Yet you don't carry the weight of extra battery all the time when not needed. Cheers! 😎
 
jeanmarc said:
For this level of ride, I'd take a serious look at the Santa Cruz Vala. It is light with a 600Wh battery, has full power Bosch motor (rumored to be updated again soon) that you can tune down, and allows for a Range Extender for longer rides should you need it (which might happen on an emtb). Yet you don't carry the weight of extra battery all the time when not needed. Cheers! 😎
Click to expand...
As nice as the Vala looks, it's well over budget so sadly it's a non-starter.

I've had a look at the Trek Rail+ Gen 5 today at a local shop. They had the Rail+ 8 which was a nice looking bike but a bit pricey. I've seen the lower spec Rail+5 for a reasonable price in a couple of places so this may well work for me. It's not the best spec but it's easily upgradable as parts wear out.
Need to see if the local shop will do anything to price match other stores.
 
Oxon said:
As nice as the Vala looks, it's well over budget so sadly it's a non-starter.

I've had a look at the Trek Rail+ Gen 5 today at a local shop. They had the Rail+ 8 which was a nice looking bike but a bit pricey. I've seen the lower spec Rail+5 for a reasonable price in a couple of places so this may well work for me. It's not the best spec but it's easily upgradable as parts wear out.
Need to see if the local shop will do anything to price match other stores.
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Would be surprised if doesn't price match, but has to be done diplomatically. Softly softly catchee monkey. ;)
 
irie said:
Would be surprised if doesn't price match, but has to be done diplomatically. Softly softly catchee monkey. ;)
Click to expand...
I’ll see why they can do.
Failing that I’ve got a Trek store nearby and I know they price match.

Just need to stop talking myself into the dearer 8!
I reckon I could upgrade the 5 to a better spec for less money with some careful shopping.
 
I don't own an emtb but plan to in the future. It's a real minefield and the new Avinox motor has blown the market wide open, their older motor was already plenty powerful enough from what I'd read but this new one is next level.

I've posted this a few times but I'd seriously take a look at a SL (Lightweight) class bike with the Bosch SX Motor. It has the same 60nm of torque as the Trek, but almost double the peak wattage at 600w which is the same as the more powerful CX motor on the Gen 5, albeit you have to pedal at a higher cadence to generate that maximum power. Even at a lower cadence it's still going to generate 350-400w from what I've read so for me personally, I think I'd rather have a bike with that motor.

Marin do the Rift Zone EL range and the Mondraker Sly r looks better again, both are within your budget.

Worth a look mate. You sound like a fit person as is, the Bosch SX will feel like you've got bionic legs I'd have thought and you will breeze up for most stuff and fireroads easily.
 
Oxon said:
Average ride would probably be around 30-40km with 1000m climbing at most.
Any longer stuff I’d be on my Epic so no worries about range there!

The new Amflow PR has caught my eye but it may be overkill for me.
Looking at other brands, Specialized don’t seem to have anything in my price range, Trek also have the Rail which could be an option.
Otherwise there’s a few Santa Cruz Heckler SL in my budget but I’ve not read great things about the Fazua drivetrains.

Ideally I probably need something from a shop which is reasonably close for the almost inevitable warranty claims.
Click to expand...
The Exe would do it but on little support between 80-110% so depends how fit you are.

on my Old Exe I'm 110kg and did 32km and 900m of climbing. If you are quite fit and don't mind the effort it will do more.

Good info on here > https://www.emtbforums.com/threads/...stand-range-and-altitude-possibilities.29470/
 
Crazylegs1892 said:
I've posted this a few times but I'd seriously take a look at a SL (Lightweight) class bike with the Bosch SX Motor. It has the same 60nm of torque as the Trek, but almost double the peak wattage at 600w which is the same as the more powerful CX motor on the Gen 5, albeit you have to pedal at a higher cadence to generate that maximum power. Even at a lower cadence it's still going to generate 350-400w from what I've read so for me personally, I think I'd rather have a bike with that motor.

Marin do the Rift Zone EL range and the Mondraker Sly r looks better again, both are within your budget.

Worth a look mate. You sound like a fit person as is, the Bosch SX will feel like you've got bionic legs I'd have thought and you will breeze up for most stuff and fireroads easily.
Click to expand...
I need to take a look at some models with the Bosch SX motor, I'll have a Google today and see what's out there.
The Merida eOne Sixty SL seems to get pretty good reviews and runs that motor.
 
Crazylegs1892 said:
It gets a great review but it's expensive. Lot of bike though!

There's a fair few bikes with the Bosch SX. Whyte do some as well. 👍
Click to expand...
The Whyte Elyte 150 looks like it could well fit the bill for me, sadly there's no local shops that sell them. Not sure I want to have the hassle of returning the bike or travelling a fair distance in case of any warranty issues.
 
Be prepared - once you get the emtb you won't want to put it down. Even for your group rides.

You will be the first to convert, then within 12 months your entire group will be on ebikes.

They let you go faster, further, for longer. More riding for the same time commitment.

Get a full powered bike with a good sized battery. 20/30/40 mile rides are now the norm on these machines.
 
Plyphon said:
Be prepared - once you get the emtb you won't want to put it down. Even for your group rides.

You will be the first to convert, then within 12 months your entire group will be on ebikes.

They let you go faster, further, for longer. More riding for the same time commitment.

Get a full powered bike with a good sized battery. 20/30/40 mile rides are now the norm on these machines.
Click to expand...
I second that... If only one in your group gets a full powered emtb you'll be sorry. There isn't much weight difference, it mostly comes from the smaller battery. So much choice these days!
 
I have that bike (9.5 with lyriks), I love it and it’s plenty powerful for me (not ridden full power ones though).

Very much normal mountain biking but me 2.0.

However the range is a bummer for me normally, as I normally uplift my self for shortish steep tracks. 9-14miles on medium power and it’s always drained.

So I wish it had the newer 580w!!!
So I can’t recommend it.

But for group rides where everyone is is fitter and on non eeeb’s, I can sit there on medium power all day long (well 15+ miles) with the group and feel super human.
 
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