Answered Which to buy?????

[Hinett]

Looking at taking the plunge with my first
E mtb. Choices at the moment are between the cube stereo hybrid 160 sl 500 or the Merida eOne sixty 800 27.5 plus
Both have very similar spec with the main difference being cube has a Bosch motor and the Merida uses shimano. Having no experience in riding either motor what would be the forums choice if it was your money and why please

 

[Theolegit]

Check out the latest issue of this mag I reckon it’ll answer you question, E-Mountainbike Magazine

 

[Robotaff]

I have tried the Merida E900 and that was brilliant to ride just very expensive. Treadz have a nearly new bike on offer for around £5500 which is a good deal.

I have ordered a Commencal Meta 650B+ Fox which has the Shimano steps motor and excellent component spec, look it up on their website.

 

[Doomanic]

Evans have discounted the Trek Powerfly range by up to £750. I think Cube are still lagging behind with the geometry, they're now slack but they're still short. Having said that, I'm not sure I'd buy a Bosch motored eBike at the moment (and I've got one). It was the first decent eMTB motor but it's had it's day with Brose and Shimano bettering it now. Seeing how adaptable the Spesh Brose is, I'd be buying a Kenevo if I was looking now, although the Brose-motored Fantic with 630Wh battery is also interesting.

 

[Blackbird]

I have test ridden a few and from my (limited) experience Bosch was the one that gave me the most of a kick, especially at higher RPM’s. I also read reviews of people riding Brose they had trouble keeping up with friends on Bosch bikes. This ofcourse comes at the expense of a “natural” pedal feel. For me this is not a problem, at the “Tour” power setting i don’t really feel the support yet it helps me maintain a higher speed than unsupported. I am by no means an expert but i would very much buy a Bosch again.

EDIT: And when it comes to battery capacity, Bosch now offers the dual battery system with up to 1000Wh. I have ordered the system for my Haibike and have sourced an extra 400Wh battery so i’ll won’t have a 1000 but still 900Wh.

 

[R120]

the bosch is really good in hybrid/city bikes - my father in law has a Bergamont with the Bosch performance motor, and its by far the best system i have tried for normal riding, around town, tow paths etc. I find if you are looking at doing technical MTB riding the way the power comes in on the Shimano works really well, especially in trail mode, as IMO you don't want a sudden power kick if you are going up tricky ascents.

It really comes down to how you use your bike, and one system may be better than another depending on what you want to do.