Seconded - I think my Nukeproof mega feels *better* than my Orbea Rise because of it (and that's a light e bike). I've ridden heavier e bikes and yes, they'll thunder through stuff in a straight line but they take more effort to ride and are more tiring as a result (I feel it more in my shoulders afterwards). Some of that is weight distribution - if the weight is really low it's different (I had a Pinion bike) and that's where DH riders add weights (and the Orbea Rallon). I could definitely feel the RE weight on my mk1 Rise and it was only 1.5kg.
The difference should be less than 10kg - Avi motor and 800 battery is 6kg - but I do think theres a sweet spot around 20-22kg and I reckon theres a kg to be saved on a Karve *without* compromising performance which would be worth having.
On the other stuff I don't think theres 3kg between the Karve and the Karve Evo. The only spec differences are the suspension and the rear triangle material (and full 29 will be heavier than mullet). A kg at best. I'd love it to be 3kg but you look at the parts and tell me where that weight saving is going to come from - I just dont see it
"A lighter ebike also means more range."
Not to any appreciable extent. My partner is 20kg lighter than me and I've riding mates who are 20kg heavier. A couple of kg on the bike isn't material for range - it's maybe 2% of total system weight.
