If you have come across this article, it means that you have many doubts, but don't worry: through some simple steps I will try to move you towards the correct choice, it being understood that during your life you can always change your mind and only the thorough use of a certain tool can make us understand definitively if the choice has been correct.
"Only the dead and the stupid never change their mind."
JAMES RUSSELL LOWEL
ELECTRIC OR MUSCLE? E-MTB OR MTB?
The first difficult choice: e-bike or muscle? It's like saying: viagra or not? Those who have a very open mind will say that you have more fun with viagra. Ditto about the e-bike. Joking aside, everyone has fun with the e-bike: both trained and untrained bikers. The fact of being able to decide how much to get help, allows you to dose the level of effort and make you work hard anyway (less and less than a normal one, otherwise why do you take the e-bike?). To work harder you should turn off the engine or set the help to very low levels, but it would be an act, pass me the term, masochistic.
If you have been an athlete in the past and you know what it means to have those positive endorphins in your body after a long climb, then you can continue to evaluate a traditional mountain bike. While if you have not been sporty, I would say that the e-bike is a more recommended choice, as long as you are not driven by a big motivation in terms of performance. (also recommended if you want to lose weight: the e-bike allows you to spend many more hours in the saddle at optimal beats).
CROSS COUNTRY OR ENDURO? TRAIL OR ALL-MOUNTAIN?
Whether we are talking about e-bikes or traditional mountain bikes, we are faced with an important choice: what type of bike to get? We find Cross Country bikes (front and full), Trail, All-Mountain, Enduro and Downhill (the latter only full-suspension). These are the main categories (from the Cross country ones more suited to pedalling up to the downhill more suitable for descent). Absolutely 29″ wheel format (or mullet at worst, i.e. 29″ in front and 27,5″ in the back).
E-BIKE (or e-MTB): FRONT
If we talk about e-bikes, it is useless to evaluate solutions that are too geared to pedaling (front suspension bike) having the engine that helps us uphill. Especially if we like the thrill of paths and single tracks. The FRONT I recommend it only if you are a beginner and do not have the incentive to venture into technical trails but keep yourself on well-trodden asphalted or dirt bike paths. Know that without an adequate technical level it is not easy with a FRONT e-bike to make technical / single track trails (I always recommend a nice mtb course to start off on the right foot). The same goes for a traditional MTB: a front requires good riding technique otherwise you risk not having fun and indirectly staying on easy routes in order not to risk (comfort zone). Benefit? Definitely the much lower price than a Full 🙂
E-BIKE (or e-MTB): FULL
In the world of full-suspension bikes, various categories open up: from full CROSS COUNTRY bikes up to the DOWNHILL. In this review, we remove the downhill, too technical bikes that you are certainly not interested in if you are reading an article of this type.
Let's start by saying that "more excursion" is not the same as "bike that goes better": if you are a biker with a motorcycle past / present, or have always been sporty, surely (with due care / advice) you will be able to ride a enduro 160mm in no time. Otherwise, if you have a passive / fearful ride, too much travel may limit you and you'd be better off with a Trail / All-mountain bike (120mm / 140mm of travel). This because? Because a bike devoted to downhill requires an aggressive and, indirectly, more physical ride than a beginner would not know how to carry due to technical / physical deficiencies.
With modern geometries (used by all well-known brands), already with 140mm of travel in 29 ″ you can tackle most trails without problems (with the necessary technique). Going above these excursion values means that we have clear ideas about the downhill use we will make of them. Going below (120 / 130mm), on the other hand, could mean the desire in your heart to do some mountain trails but without exaggerating. And the value of the battery? I'm just saying that with the 625wh of now we already have plenty to be able to do 2500m of altitude in eco (we talked about it here). Different speech if I want to use the e-bike as if it were a moped, then there is no autonomy value that holds.
FULL MTB
If you are still a lover of traditional MTBs (be praised), here you have to do a thorough examination of conscience and understand what you want from the bike: you do not have the engine that helps you and a too downhill choice will make you come up with new Ostrogothic words in climb.
However, the same thing applies here as with e-bikes: with 140mm of travel in 29 ″ you can tackle most of the trails without problems (with the necessary technique), so if you like the descent (but you don't compete) don't I would venture on models that are too pushed (160mm in 29 ″), unless your goal is to thrill the weekend with friends by getting into a shuttle (van). This is because the risk of struggling too much uphill, and losing motivation, is high.
If you like cycling, those Trail models based on XC bikes, such as the Cannondale Scalpel SE or the Canyon Lux Trail, are super recommended. Many brands offer bikes born with a 100m platform but brought to 120mm with dropper post, so very fun models and everything to do.
E-BIKE LIGHT?
Light e-bikes, therefore with "weakened" engines and batteries with less autonomy, lead to less invasive pedaling assistance while still maintaining discrete autonomy. But you have to be trained, have a good leg as they say in the jargon, so I recommend these bikes only to a technical and expert audience who have chosen this product to satisfy their desires/needs. One of the reasons for this choice is being able to work like one cross country light but then having a downhill enduro bike.
PROJECTED IMPACT
As you have seen it is a beautiful jungle but with a little personality you will come out well: do not get too influenced by the "bigger is better" "the more it costs the more it is fantastic" "1000wh better than 625wh" (references to the battery value are purely random). And try to find a dealer who is up to it in order to find an excellent ally both for the choice of the bike and for any assistance later on.
