10 Most Asked Q's

Having spent the year listening to questions from e-mtb riders from right across the country there’s a handful of questions that keep popping up time and time again. And so in this article we’ll set out to give the answers to the 10 most commonly asked things about e-bikes in year crazy year that was 2020.

- Darren Mallard

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ENTRY-LEVEL E-BIKE AND THE TOP-LEVEL BIKES?

Okay, so let’s use the Merida E-One Sixty 300 as the benchmark for entry-level and the Santa Cruz Heckler top build as examples. The Merida comes in at $5,999, and for that, you’ll get, Suntour Suspension, Shimano Deore Groupset, and entry-level four-piston brakes. All of that is bolted to a 160mm alloy frame, while an E7000 motor from Shimano assists the bike. The Geo is modern(ish) with a 65.5 head angle, 439.5 mm chainstays and has a reach of 460mm on a large. On the other end of the spectrum, many, many, many miles away is the Santa Cruz Bullit. It is a premium 170mm carbon fiber frame powered by the new EP8 motor and is littered with Kashima coated Fox Factory goodness. The bike comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame along with a lifetime supply of pivot bearings. A Sram X01 drivetrain takes care of transferring power, super-powerful Code RSC brakes take care of stopping this monster and Reserve carbon rims make sure you won’t be stuck with broken wheels in the middle of nowhere. There are more modern geo numbers like a 475mm reach (LG), 64-degree head angle, and 449mm chainstays. So in summary, literally just about everything is different!

CAN’T I UPGRADE THE PARTS ON MY E-MTB AS I GO?