EMTB or MTB+conversion (full suspension)

[zYx]

Hey all,

I'm new to e-bikes. I've always been too busy working and driving my nice car to look into this properly.

There are some nice EMTBs, and my favourites so far are:

Haibike ALLTRAIL 4 Fullseven E-mountain bike Yamaha PW-ST System, 70Nm, 25km/h ebike

Haibike Bike Northern Ireland at John M Hanna Cycles Lisburn. Yamaha PW-SE motor

www.jmhcycles.co.uk

Haibike AllMtn 1 Full Sus Electric Mountain Bike from E-Bikes Direct Outlet

Designed for advanced XC and pushing your limits off-road, the entry level e-MTB in the AllMtn range has a 29” front wheel and a 27.5” rear wheel to help conquer the terrain in style and a 160mm travel front fork to take whatever is thrown at it. Com

www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk

Buy a Lapierre Overvolt AM 6.6 Full Sus Electric Mountain Bike from E-Bikes Direct

"Climb mountains while enjoying the scenery. Ride brilliant downhill routes while concentrating purely on the landscape. That's what Overvolt AM offers. It can cross mountains and redefine your limits."

www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk

Or do I convert a bike like this (to a 1000W Bafang system)?

https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/specialized/stumpjumper-alloy-2022-mountain-bike-708567

I had a look at some installation videos and I don't like how the brake sensors are installed on a custom build, i.e., bafang, they use double-sided sticky tape. To me, it looks a bit off.

I'll be doing all sorts of rides (road, town, off-road) with my wife who has a back problem so she won't be doing any "off-road" rides or at least not in an extreme way.

Do I go with a factory-made legal (UK) e-bike with 250W or do I build my own 1000W e-bike? I want it to be a full-suspension bike.

What does maintenance look like in terms of battery replacement and other parts in factory-built e-bikes? Will I be able to get a replacement battery for my bike in say 5 years' time? They are so expensive I would not want to buy a new bike just because older models are no longer supported.

My budget? Well, I don't want to pay more than £3-3,5k. This is super expensive and I'm not a pro but I do like nice quality things.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[major masingil]

I don't want to answer all of your questions. I will give you a little experience though. Bafang makes ebrake levers that don't need to use glued washers, but they aren't as nice looking as most regular brake levers. They aren't 100% necessary either. If you convert a bike you get a lot of freedom, plus throttle only use. The kits make your bike less balanced, and you probably won't do any extreme Mtn biking on it. I converted a hartail using a big motor and battery, and I am having a great time using it. It's a different kind of fun than when it was just a mountain bike. I can ride 15-20 miles without peddling if I want. I can't do harder trail riding and downhill. If I bought a factory made bike it would be balanced and look amazing, but I would have to peddle like a bike 100% of the time. As far as converting your own bike, 750w or 1000w are pretty sweet. I haven't tried a lot of different types of do it yourself motors. The only one I have ridden is 1000w. I have also ridden a new factory ebike by Specialized and it was a work of art. Still would rather have 20 miles of no peddle cruising than a 14,000$ ebike that I have to peddle to get the motor to kick in.

Based on your stated budget, I'd go with a build your own. Especially if you're going to be the one that builds it. You'll get a sweet ride that is better than the store bought in a lot of ways. You'd be able to get whatever you wanted for that amount plus you will learn a lot about maintaining your bike.