Getting into eMTB

Recently purchased a trek rail 5 gen2 on the cheap…always pick brands that have easy access to parts and mechanics (bigger brands have specialized stores, no pun intended, etc.) but clicking on the bikes without checking specs I would say Santa Cruz! Goodluck and keep us updated what you decide

Ive ridden a bunch of ebikes now. Lots of experience on Spoecialized, Rocky mountain, and Orbea (same motor at the Santa cruiz)

1. Dont listen to these gapers shitting on eMTBs….. Just laugh at them suffering while you are passing them on the same uphill for the third time in an hour.

The biggest thing that matters on the ebikes is the motor system obviously. Specialized uses their own motors made by Brose. Santa cruiz uses Bosch, as does many other brands. Rocky mountain have their own motor called Dyname. The other common one is Shimano. All these motors have different control systems, reliability, feel, etc.

ebikes can only be serviced at shops that have the same motors, bike brands dont matter. So Specialized and Rocky Mountain ebikes can only be serviced by Specialized and RM shops respectively because of the proprietary motors. Bosch and Shimano motors can be serviced at any bike shop that carries bikes with those motors, even if the bike brands are different. So your comment about Specialized service being easy might be a bit different than you think. If your Specialized bike shop sucks, you are going to be stuck there or have to find another specialized dealer. The Santa Cruiz can be taken to literally any bike shop because Bosch motors are so common. This applies to ebike related warranties as well. Anyone can contact bosch for a warranty claim.

Sorry to say, but the specialized ebikes are my least favorite out of everything. The motor control is more like a button and they have a huge problem climbing steep stuff. The Specialized motors just apply torque in a dumb way and ends up spinning the tire very easily. So you lose control and fall off.

My favorite bike is the Rocky Moutnain. The sensor system they use is very organic and its hard to tell what is your power and what is the bikes power. I have to wonder if there is some sort of traction control system in there as well, because it fucking CLIMBS steep stuff and barely slips a tire. I will tip over backwards because the hill is too steep before that bike loses traction. Ive tested this side by side with friends on their Levos and the RM just blows them out of the water.

The Bosch bikes are somewhere in the middle feel and traction wise. They definitely feel a lot better and climb better than the Specialized, but not as good as the RMs. Everything else is totally adequate about the Bosch system. I think you would be totally happy with a Bosch system. I would be.

Challenges for the RMs would be service if you dont have a dealer nearby. They are less common than Specialized. I think objectively, they might be less reliable than the Bosch system, but who knows. No one is keeping statistics on these things. My bike shop owner friends say that the RMs are pretty reliable and its typically a sensor that fails, not the motor. Even so, the risk is worth it because of how much fun that motor is.

Some other tidbits Ive learned:

* Bosch is a super reliable and well respected brand. I dont think youll be unhappy with their motors at all. They were noisier than the RMs, but the same as Specialized.

* The specialized motors are not sealed against water, funny enough. So you can ride them in a casual rain. But you absolutely can not submerge them or power wash them. Water gets in and rusts them immediately. I would not really spray them with a hose or have them on a bike rack in a downpour either. Look this up on youtube. Theres actually aftermarket seal kits people have made because the factory seals are so terrible.

* The RMs are the only bikes where the crank is not attached directly to the center of the motor. My bike shop friend taught me this. He said that impact forces from hard pedal strikes are directed into the actual motors on other brands. Where on the RMs, those forces are put into the bottom bracket and the motor is isolated. I dont know how much this really matters, but I do know that I beat the shit out of my pedals and cranks on the eMTBs. Pedal strikes on an analog are nothing, because you are going 2MPH over anything that you might hit a pedal on. But on eMTBs I am going downhill speeds on the uphills, so I really have to watch where I put my pedals. And I hit things HARD with them daily. The pedal strikes have been enough to toss me off the bike. Uphill crashes are a thing, lol.

So out of the bikes you listed, I think the Santa Cruiz is the only real option there. I always advocate for Rocky Mountain, just because they still have a hyper focus on being a real biker’s bike. Tolerances are smaller. Tech and feel are better. They built a motor system around their bikes instead of building a bike around an off the shelf motor like everyone else has.

This really shows up in how the RMs ride. I have a cheaper RM eMTB (A50) and am about 80% as confident on it as I am with my $10k perfect enduro bike with gold suspension when it comes to really ripping downhills. I could never get confident on the Levos. Downhills were always a big compromise. My friends with them all agree too.

If you don’t already know your mountain bikes at a decent level, it’s just a $7000 emtb vs another $7000 emtb. The Levo has been a classic since it’s release with its all-around stumpjumper-ish geometry and Santa Cruz has been making some of the highest quality mass-made bikes for a very long time, despite the Vala using different kind of suspension than what Santa Cruz became famous for. The “bike calling to you” cannot be ignored either, if the bike makes you want to ride it, that’s worth paying a little extra for imo