Electric MTB

[johnnyboxer]

Thanks for the replys guys, in trail mode what % of power is coming from the bike and how much from the rider please ? wife is hoping to be able to ride at least 40 miles on a charge with maybe a 50/50 split of rider/bike, is that a realistic possibility when say riding in the Peaks ?

Mine’s a 2018 1.3 spec motor (2020 are 2.1 motors) and with a 504w battery 30+ miles is easily achieved in trail mode which gives a good level of assistance
On flatter & easy trails/road I use eco and bike is easy to pedal
I don’t use turbo much
If I need more range I will get a range extender battery to pop in the bottle cage, which will yield another 250-300 w of battery power

Just been reading a bit about range extenders .. seems the consensus is that it is better to get another battery, .. same,ish price and more range, though the bottle ones don't need to be carried in u rucksack.

I dunno .. you guys must all be fit and strong or summat
I can't seem to get a flow going with anything less than `turbo` .. I thought I had got fitter and stronger so one day recently , I tried my old mtb … admittedly the gears were knackered, but I was laid up for a week after.
I must be older than i thought

So .. on full turbo, I get just under 30 miles .. which is just a bit shorter than i would wish, as it gives a 14 mile distance before returning? .. but an extra battery is about £500?
I have managed to get over 15mph, with assist, with amendments, and my average is about 12mph, taking it easy, and 15+ mph going some.
This doesn't sound much but that is doing 20 to 30+ in parts and higher downhill.

percentage of power? ... full turbo is much higher than i thought .. maybe 3 times my input, but impossible to really know, tho the ktm action 271 is actually advertised as that ratio, at max flow.

Hardtails are a lot cheaper and recently, over xmas, were some good deals for les than £2000, on the specialised levo .. I got a link somewhere in this site.

I guess full suspension is good if you can afford it .. especially if u doing bike park downhills n stuff? .. but normal hard bike trails are fine on a hard tail …. tho I have yet to try a serious cross country trail. .. but hoping to when the weather improves.

I doesn't seem to matter, on full turbo how you ride the bike .. taking it easy or blastin away .. you still get the same distance outa the battery?
I read that the motor is at peak efficiency at highest revs .. so that figures then, as I am often in top or next to top gear, with slower motor revs, so perhaps faster pedalling with smaller gear (bigger rear cog) will be better for range?

I have read that some bikes have a throttle .. ie no pedal assist? … but I've never seen one .. and the battery must die very quickly?

most ebikes around 500wh seem to be similar in price looks and performance?

o .. another thing .. my emtb has a lot of motor drag when the battery is not connected or run out, and it is really hard work to get home if caught short in the battery department.
Some bikes have no drag, so I been told.

Specialised have no drag
Easy to deristrict too, via your phone to get 20 mph off-road

[garyboy]

If I bought another emtb I would make sure it has no motor drag .. huge difference I suspect

[johnnyboxer]

If I bought another emtb I would make sure it has no motor drag .. huge difference I suspect

Yes, it does
You can ride the Specialized with the battery turned off or even removed from the bike - it’s that good

[Cone]

I think you guys must be a bunch of old farts riding tow paths.... I ride regularly with ebike las of all shapes and sizes we have come to the conclusion that it’s not miles but vertical feet that challenges us. My bike has 5 bars of batt and I’ll get 3500-4000 feet

4000ft if I’m really trying hard to conserve the battery.

Hard tails go so much further but are no where near so much fun down the steep twisties and drops

[Cone]

To add to this is I stick my bike on emtb and really go for it on the trails I’m looking more like 16miles range

[P4ulie]

A bought a 2019 Turbo Levo HT back in Nov, now I've moved to Brighton it's taken the place of the motorbike for commuting. If you've never ridden one up a hill you're in for a treat. Game changer.

The distance you get on the battery has a tonne of variables, your weight, the mode you're riding in but Cone has it, it's the vertical feet you cover, they're designed to be ridden uphill, you should get between 4-5000 vertical feet to empty which equates to about 30-50 miles on the flat.

I get about 40 miles range from a charge, mainly tarmac about 70% on level ground in eco.

Be aware the motor certainly does drag hard once you hit 15mph & it's hard to keep it above it on the flat. If you're planning a lot of road or gravel & want a decent speed, you're going to be better off with a Haibike etc with a different motor or derestrict.

They're an excellent option & you can still find a 2019 HT for £1800 if you look

Johnnyboy, you can no longer desrestrict new specialised via a chip (software has been amended) but there is a mechanical derestrict that works

[johnnyboxer]

A bought a 2019 Turbo Levo HT back in Nov, now I've moved to Brighton it's taken the place of the motorbike for commuting. If you've never ridden one up a hill you're in for a treat. Game changer.

The distance you get on the battery has a tonne of variables, your weight, the mode you're riding in but Cone has it, it's the vertical feet you cover, they're designed to be ridden uphill, you should get between 4-5000 vertical feet to empty which equates to about 30-50 miles on the flat.

I get about 40 miles range from a charge, mainly tarmac about 70% on level ground in eco.

Be aware the motor certainly does drag hard once you hit 15mph & it's hard to keep it above it on the flat. If you're planning a lot of road or gravel & want a decent speed, you're going to be better off with a Haibike etc with a different motor or derestrict.

They're an excellent option & you can still find a 2019 HT for £1800 if you look

Johnnyboy, you can no longer desrestrict new specialised via a chip (software has been amended) but there is a mechanical derestrict that works

I see 2017/18 motors can still be done with the reduced wheel size rear wheel hack I guess

[garyboy]

https://www.emtbforums.com/the-speciali ... 19-review/

the 2019 Turbo Levo HT does not have a very good review .. but I think a pinch of salt is required in digesting it .. I bet it is a really good first ebike.

it pulls back really hard (drags) after the EU 15mph speed limit .. hmmm .. mine does that in all the modes except `turbo`, which is why I now only use that. I think there is something wrong with the transfer from controller to motor, or summat, .. when i got it first, 30 miles in emtb and only 2 bars used ... deffo a problemo somewhere.

Now i have hijacked the speed sensor, to the crank, it really flies .. but still drags hugely in any other mode .. and when the battery is exhausted it is a drag queen's nightmare ...... tho ... as mentioned .. I am probably just a feeble old fart

Obviously, there are many factors affecting range, and gradient and height must be a major one .. but i can tell you that my ktm action 271 really flies up hills, and is only restricted by my availability of air and electrolyte in the legs. .. not the motor. .. though the gearing could be a lot lower to make combat with really steep slopes off tarmac. .. but you got to get the right technique, getting the torque and pedal speed to that sweet zone.

it would be interesting to see how far the bike will go in eco and tour and emtb …. but its not going to be me that tests it, as I just can't believe the drag, non-turbo .. but I suspect 60-100 miles ?? .. on easy pathetic tarmac tow paths

[sven]

I bought an Orbea Wild HT hardtail last year and the battery range is disappointing, but some of this is down to technique. If you’re grinding the pedals you’re putting a lot of torque through the motor, so the motor matches this. More torque = shorter range. Being heavier and fitter also means you’re putting a lot of torque through the pedals.

One of my local climbs (Alter Lane in Bingley, Yorkshire) used to be used as a downhill section in the British MTB Championships and is a 2 mile climb. I went up there grinding the pedals too much and it used 2-3 bars of power in 2 miles in trail mode. By using higher gears and spinning the cranks more I only used one bar despite maintaining the same speed.

[Redmurty]

your range will depend on

your weight

tyre pressure

tyre size

tyre type

terrain tackled

level of assist used

temperature both outside and battery temp when you switch the bike on

I have a full sus Giant and I rode the Malverns yesterday north to south and back, it's a tad lumpy I used 3 bars out of 5. I usually ride around in eco and only go up in power when needed. But i am going places on it I would never of attempted before so a real game changer for me.

buy and enjoy

cheers Spud