What's important to you in your next EMTB?

[Plummet]

Fair enough. I'm 6'7, so don't have that problem luckily. The height of a transmission derailleur on a 27.5 wheel is horribly low. No wonder you've killed 3 derailleurs already.

I run link glide not transmission. No way im running a $1000nzd derailleur on my vine and stick infested trails.

The last xt link glide derailleur i bought cost me $167nzd.

Also 29er wheels doesn't seem to Make difference re torn off derailleurs. If seen as many 29ers get derailleurs torn off

 

[Plummet]

I don't really buy the more nimble. The geometry doesn't change. Sure, the wheel is a little bigger, but the contact patch is in the same place.

And on downhills it doesn't matter much that it's an emtb for the rollover, except the slightly higher system weight

At 6'7 you definitely dont need mullet. Your arse will be well way from the tire even on the steepest trails.

Interestingly on the dh world cup circuit mullet is the current go to....... so there must be some speed advantage to be had. Im guessing its the position the body lower and maneuver the bile onto tighter angles before arse impact on bigger chunkier stuff.

 

[jever98]

Re 29er not ripping off fewer derailleurs: i find that hard to believe. It's further off the ground, so less prone to contact.

Re DH: sure, it seems that it offers benefits at the extreme end of DH racing. I was thinking about more enduro applications by mortals. I'm just a middle aged guy who rides his bike at moderate speeds and tries to have fun and get home on one piece. It does involve steep pnw tech, but I'll never own the KOM on, say, predator at Tiger Mountain. That's where my perspective comes from

 

[Powerslider]

Gyroscopic effects will be less with a smaller wheel. That’s what I thought contributed to MX wheelsets having improved maneuverability.

 

[Plummet]

Re 29er not ripping off fewer derailleurs: i find that hard to believe. It's further off the ground, so less prone to contact.

Re DH: sure, it seems that it offers benefits at the extreme end of DH racing. I was thinking about more enduro applications by mortals. I'm just a middle aged guy who rides his bike at moderate speeds and tries to have fun and get home on one piece. It does involve steep pnw tech, but I'll never own the KOM on, say, predator at Tiger Mountain. That's where my perspective comes from

Well, i haven't seem less derailleurs torn off by 29er wheels. Those sticks that take out derailleurs seem to be big buggers. In theory your logic is sound. In practice there seems to be little difference that i observe.

Re enduro mullet action. Its probably more of an advantage on lower speeds and steeper stuff. DH tends to be fast/open/slapping burms rather than controlled slow steep. Here's an instance where mullet is awesome, A real steep rock roll with a sharp transition out. You have to control speed, you can't just let the brakes go. Getting weight low and back really helps with control and the 29er wheels can get in the way, particularly shorter riders.

rock

 

[jever98]

Well, i haven't seem less derailleurs torn off by 29er wheels. Those sticks that take out derailleurs seem to be big buggers. In theory your logic is sound. In practice there seems to be little difference that i observe.

Re enduro mullet action. Its probably more of an advantage on lower speeds and steeper stuff. DH tends to be fast/open/slapping burms rather than controlled slow steep. Here's an instance where mullet is awesome, A real steep rock roll with a sharp transition out. You have to control speed, you can't just let the brakes go. Getting weight low and back really helps with control and the 29er wheels can get in the way, particularly shorter riders.

rock View attachment 173132

Nice! I get the argument for normal sized riders and that scenario.

This is an older pic of my bike before I fitted the coil and went full 29. 89cm saddle height above bb in pedal mode, so arse buzz isn't something that happens to me much

 

[steve_sordy]

Has to be a mullet bike. My first emtb was a 29er (also a first). I had to fit a mudguard to the rear to stop mud and stones being anally inserted when descending steeps. I'm 6' 1" so I never thought that would be a problem. My current emtb is a mullet and I have no arse buzz problems.

Dropper: anything but Reverb. Every time I have a bike with a Reverb, the dropper fails just outside the warranty. Every other make (so far!) either fails well within warranty or never fails at all while I own the bike.

160mm front travel. Fox 38 or Rockshox equivalent, I have no preference, but high end either way and with an air spring.
150mm minimum rear travel. FOX Float DPX2 or Rockshox equivalent, same as above.

I have had Shimano motors so far and they havev been flawless, almost noiseless and with a great ride feel. But I do not want another one, unless they come up with a mould-breaking EPX that is highly rated. Otherwise a Bosch gen 5 Performance CX, but not the Race version.

The bike must have five stars when rated in the magazines. I must like the look of it, a lot. I must love the test ride.

Apart from a geometry check (later edit: now done) and the test ride (still to do), it's looking increasingly like the Santa Cruz Vala. But which one, probably the S. I'd also buy the battery extender to go with it.

Ooops, I have just spotted one with £1100 off!! I'm not ready! I must get ready asap to take advantage of last minute deals.

 

[Base]

Amflow is the current Emtb I would love to have but thats 11k CAD for the non pro model. If there was an internal gearbox it would prob checked off all the boxes aside from price. With the Tariff war going on and Bike companies knowing the Emtbs are selling for what they are asking which is well over what they should be at it'll prob be a long while before they come down in price.

Would be great if motor mounts were standardized as well.

 

[Deleted member 37410]

I love my full fat kenevo gen 2 with avalanche suspension, perfect geo for me

But I hate my derailleur drivetrain, and I hate range anxiety

So an upgrade for me needs a paradigm shift in either range or MGU (+30-50% range compared to now for example)

I need to be able to derestrict the MGU which is not possible with pinion, 25 km/h is great for safety in cities but not where I ride

Another item to my list:
I want proper protection (bash guard / rock guard) so I can smash into logs and rocks and what not without worry. I am not aware of any e-bike that does this really well. It should be some expendable wear and tear item that is very durable and secured to the frame. It would then be replaced in extreme cases. On a motocross bike, you have very good protection for this exposed area, but on e-mtbs it seems like an afterthought, or even worse

Can I make the bunny hop over this log? I want my immediate thought to be "lets find out", and nothing else

 

[B1rdie]

I'm curious: why mullet? I rode my Relay in mullet first and went to 29er, only noticed advantages: far fewer derailleur strikes, better roll over, seems more efficient.

A smaller wheel at the rear, for me, means better clearence and ease to move on narrow rocky ditches, making it easyer to clear the rear deraileur from a side kick. About rolling resistance of 29's it doesn't seem to be much advantage on the rear end where traction is provided with the assistance from the motor, and the increased ease to move the body over the rear wheel that the 27,5 allows, for riders not as tall as you.

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm curious: why mullet? I rode my Relay in mullet first and went to 29er, only noticed advantages: far fewer derailleur strikes, better roll over, seems more efficient.

Arse clearance.
On my 29er I had to have a blade mudguard on the rear wheel the whole time. When dropping over steep stuff, the tyre otherwise would stuff grit and mud into my crack.
On my mullet, no problem, no mudguard needed.

 

[steve_sordy]

Nice! I get the argument for normal sized riders and that scenario.

This is an older pic of my bike before I fitted the coil and went full 29. 89cm saddle height above bb in pedal mode, so arse buzz isn't something that happens to me muchView attachment 173133

Look at the distance from the saddle to the pedal at the bottom!
That bike looks like a 26er!

Edit: But are you sure that the 29.89cm is correct? Even allowing for a 16.5cm crank that only gives an 18" inside leg. The alternative is 29.89 inches plus a 6.5" crank to give a 36" inside leg.

At 6'7" I reckon the inside leg is closer to 36" than 18".

 

[steve_sordy]

The rolling height of the axle on a 29" wheel vs a 27.5" wheel is not 3/4" higher. The name 27.5 is a marketing thing because it is half way between 26 and 29. It's more like 28". The tyres can make a difference as some seem to stand taller. I would be able to give more accurate figures, but I cocked up my computer yesterday and I'm having difficulty finding data I know I have.

In other words a mullet wheel axle and hence mech is not a full 3/4" of an inch lower than that of a 29er, but less than that.

 

[Scott_123]

I already have a Canyon Spectral OnFly (TQ50) but after 1,500 miles I realized I probably want a second EMTB so if one bike needs work I ride the other with no waiting around. The sale Amflow put on up to Jan 1 in the US was irresistible. After 297 miles it has been flawless.