# 10 new ebikes for 2020



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

I like this guy. Pretty sharp and enthusiastic






Any favorites that stand out?


----------



## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

You could do better than that pommie FC. Of the ones mentioned by my count here you will see the Commencal, Trek and Cannondale and that is all. You need to get a US top ten going!


----------



## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Bigwheel said:


> You could do better than that pommie FC. Of the ones mentioned by my count here you will see the Commencal, Trek and Cannondale and that is all. You need to get a US top ten going!


Unfortunately, we don't have a "Rob" like guy here in the US doing something like him.


----------



## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

ziscwg said:


> Unfortunately, we don't have a "Rob" like guy here in the US doing something like him.


Actually there is a site that does go over lot's of different bikes including eMTB's https://electricbikereview.com

However they are not focused solely on mtb's and they charge for their "services" in that manufacturers submit products to them and pay a fee as I understand it. I have watched a few of them and the guy is a bit goofy and wears his helmet all the time, even at events indoors, and rides in white sneakers but for the most part he is honest and now it seems he has taken on another person, "mikey", that has done some factory tours also.

Someone described Rob as a professional forum maker and Patreonizer and I think that is an accurate description. I don't think he really knows all that much about bikes and is learning as he goes along. Can't dispute that he has gathered a following and get's invited to the product launches so he has that going for him.

Perhaps MTBR would be in better shape with regards to getting bike companies to submit for "review" if this part of their empire wasn't so known as anti-e bike and those that manufacture them lists it has allowed in the past and the general negative vibe that gets inserted here with regularity even after the new "rules" were laid down. This site does well written content and could easily do so with eBikes.


----------



## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Bigwheel said:


> Actually there is a site that does go over lot's of different bikes including eMTB's https://electricbikereview.com
> 
> However they are not focused solely on mtb's and they charge for their "services" in that manufacturers submit products to them and pay a fee as I understand it. I have watched a few of them and the guy is a bit goofy and wears his helmet all the time, even at events indoors, and rides in white sneakers but for the most part he is honest and now it seems he has taken on another person, "mikey", that has done some factory tours also.
> 
> ...


i have seen a number of his videos. He seems to go over the bike and what's on it, but does not do a whole lot on how it rides. The Rob guy likes to ride, but appears to be out of his comfort zone when he goes down anything much more than a flow style trail. Some of his comments riding the new YT were things like "I don't normally ride this chunky........"

In any event, we can see some of what is available from the blokes across the pond


----------



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Agree. Rob is new but he is getting better every month!!

The electricbikereview guy is mostly a commuter

Interesting landscape. Of course there is EMBN.


----------



## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Good info on EMtb Forums.


----------



## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Being new i might be missing something but at this moment the offering still needs to improve.
- Shimano 7000 seems to be hated as a cheap low value so buying it we might have very low resale value
- Specialized is overpriced, they put big $ in marketing and customers pay for that
- in Canada Brose is hard to find
- Yamaha is found mostly on Giant, partly on Haibike
- Bosch is unknowned, will the new deliver? To me the old was ridiculous with their 2.5X the tiny front was too big to climb
- quality Efat are Norco with 2 model substract the 7000 = 1
- the used market is allmost non existent

Please correct me, i want to know what i missed.


----------



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

33red said:


> Being new i might be missing something but at this moment the offering still needs to improve.
> - Shimano 7000 seems to be hated as a cheap low value so buying it we might have very low resale value
> - Specialized is overpriced, they put big $ in marketing and customers pay for that
> - in Canada Brose is hard to find
> ...


Excellent summary. Appreciate it very much.


----------



## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

Count me as one who does not like the direction the industry is going with the in-tube battery concept. First off, I believe the new Bosch 625 in tube battery is not compatible with a 500wh in-tube Bosch as it will physically not fit in the smaller compartment on the previous Bosch gen bikes out there in the hands of bike owners. On top of that, if one were made to fit an older bike, I've yet to read if the bigger battery BMS is compatible with the older Bosch design.....

Second, here in NJ I live in a 4 season climate and ride in each season. After each ride, I bring the battery in to recharge it. Come winter, temps here can run anywhere, from 40 degrees to the teens to below zero in one of those every-10-year-arctic-fronts. There is great utility in having to simply release my battery lock and remove the battery to take it inside. I don't see this happening with the new in-tube batteries.

But an owner of one of these new design bikes best think about how to extract the longest life out of that very expensive battery and give thought that charging up the bike while it sits inside a cold winter's garage day after day is not going to be a good thing for the battery and it's longevity. 

I'm a big fan of Electric Bike Review as well as a member on their forums. Very nice bunch. Court as well as Mikey are very honest and open about the bikes they test. He was the only one out there in the US doing extensive video reviews of E-mountain bikes early on. I had no idea a fat tired ebike was a possibility until I lucked upon his review of the Haibike FatSix and Felt Outfitter. His review of those 2 bikes, as well as the Full FatSix convinced me the Full FatSix was a safe investment and a quality bike to own. 

7300 miles later on the Full FatSix, same battery and drive system; no issues except the occasional flat tire. Could not have been happier.


----------



## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

MikeTowpathTraveler said:


> Count me as one who does not like the direction the industry is going with the in-tube battery concept. First off, I believe the new Bosch 625 in tube battery is not compatible with a 500wh in-tube Bosch as it will physically not fit in the smaller compartment on the previous Bosch gen bikes out there in the hands of bike owners. On top of that, if one were made to fit an older bike, I've yet to read if the bigger battery BMS is compatible with the older Bosch design.....
> 
> Second, here in NJ I live in a 4 season climate and ride in each season. After each ride, I bring the battery in to recharge it. Come winter, temps here can run anywhere, from 40 degrees to the teens to below zero in one of those every-10-year-arctic-fronts. There is great utility in having to simply release my battery lock and remove the battery to take it inside. I don't see this happening with the new in-tube batteries.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your input. I might keep my Haibike for a while, got it recently.
I see it like you. In Montreal we get minus 40 and the large battery is just very expansive to replace, fit specific so u must pay what they ask. Good luck trying to resell in 3 years nobody will offer a decent amount not knowing if the battery will last. They will buy new on 24 months plan i guess. The bikes are just not an investment. Bad economy they can find 95$ bikes. Well my hope is Walmart will sell decent ones because i love my Ebike and will buy maybe a Efat.


----------



## dodger (Feb 10, 2004)

MikeTowpathTraveler said:


> Count me as one who does not like the direction the industry is going with the in-tube battery concept. First off, I believe the new Bosch 625 in tube battery is not compatible with a 500wh in-tube Bosch as it will physically not fit in the smaller compartment on the previous Bosch gen bikes out there in the hands of bike owners. On top of that, if one were made to fit an older bike, I've yet to read if the bigger battery BMS is compatible with the older Bosch design.....
> 
> Second, here in NJ I live in a 4 season climate and ride in each season. After each ride, I bring the battery in to recharge it. Come winter, temps here can run anywhere, from 40 degrees to the teens to below zero in one of those every-10-year-arctic-fronts. There is great utility in having to simply release my battery lock and remove the battery to take it inside. I don't see this happening with the new in-tube batteries.
> 
> ...


I agree for different reasons. The internal battery sure looks clean but in so doing they are becoming longer. I do 40-50 mile/8,000-9,000 ft rides where I carry a spare Shimano battery in my camelbak. It's length just fits. Make the battery 4 or 5" longer and I lose that option.


----------



## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

dodger said:


> I agree for different reasons. The internal battery sure looks clean but in so doing they are becoming longer. I do 40-50 mile/8,000-9,000 ft rides where I carry a spare Shimano battery in my camelbak. It's length just fits. Make the battery 4 or 5" longer and I lose that option.


I want to see what Riese and Muller are going to do with redesigning their Bosch in-tube dual battery system, already in use with their 500wh power tube batteries in the top and down tubes. It's an interesting dilemma the in-tube manufacturers have created with these longer batteries.

My immediate riding area is a water-level; but my thing is distance riding when I can. I picked up the new Ortlieb E-Mate panniers for my Full FatSix; which is designed to carry inside each bag an external battery. For longish rides, I'll carry my spare 500wh battery and it works like a champ. Can't imagine lugging a 6-7 pound battery on my back all day; but it's what the industry expects an ebiker to do when carrying an extra battery. For my type of on and off road, water level riding, the E-Mate is perfect. On a 5000 foot downhill with rocks and single tracks, maybe not so much!


----------



## b.a.e (May 13, 2008)

Go to www.embn.com


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

33red said:


> Being new i might be missing something but at this moment the offering still needs to improve.
> - Shimano 7000 seems to be hated as a cheap low value so buying it we might have very low resale value


STEPS was promising a year or two ago. It also had an integrated battery to offer. But as of today, it is less exciting.



33red said:


> - Specialized is overpriced, they put big $ in marketing and customers pay for that


Yes and no. Yes they skimp on components. Yes they spend on marketing. But they also spend on R&D, and it shows. Their bikes are 3-4 years ahead of most of the competition. For example, a 2016 Turbo Levo is only now being matched by other brands - and not even really.

They have the quietest motor, no drag when battery dead, the most stealth (except LaPierre but that is just a 250Wh battery and weaker motor), a 700Wh battery, the best app, the most units sold by a huge margin, etc.

So is it annoying that they cost so much to get a decent component spec? Yes. But is there anything less expensive that is better? No. So one can argue they are overpriced, but not necessarily in the sense that one should buy something else because the alternatives are not as good in some ways.


----------



## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Where is FC? I hope you are well.
You have your opinion, i have mine.
From all i read the reliability is not there to my liking.


----------

