Electric mountain bike recommendations

[itstoohotinhere]

I've been thinking about getting one for a while. Dh & dd2 frequently go out on their mountain bikes and I can't keep up with them. I haven't tried in ages as I feel like I'm slowing them down! We live in a hilly area and think electric could be my answer.
Is the cheap (cheap in electric mtb terms!) carrera vengeance going to be ok or do I need to spend more? I'm lost!

Anyone?

I didn't know they did electric mountain bikes! Bump.

If you are going to be using it for ‘fun’ on family trips it should be fine.

There isn’t much difference in the electric motors in this price bracket so it’s more about getting the size right. Don’t worry about gears too much - I’ve got 21 on my converted trek mountain bike and I use about 4.

It will be much heavier than a standard bike so make sure you can transport it safely if you need to and make sure you’ve charged your battery because it’s hard work pedalling them back with no battery assistance

Well Halfords have always had a terrible reputation for bikes, with poor quality components and poor build quality.

But a similar bike from a decent company like Giant is likely to cost at least twice as much.

I'm not an expert, but the differences I can see at first glance between the Halfords and this Giant]] is that the giant has a more powerful battery, hydraulic rather than mechanical brakes, a faster battery charger and maybe other advantages.

What sort of terrain are you riding? What type of bikes do DH and DD have? If your DH is a MTB enthusiast with a decent bike himself, maybe you can both go to a proper bike shop and pick something of a similar spec to his?

The big bike manufacturers like Giant (no pun intended!) have good warranties and do interest free credit as they know paying a lot for an ebike in one go is a big stretch for most people.

I'd take the claimed battery life with a pinch of salt. To get upto 40 miles, you will need to be using it minimally, it's not going to get you up anywhere near 40 miles of hills.

The other option is to convert your current bike if it’s a decent one. I converted my Trek for about £300

Thank you. My dh and dd have Trek bikes - nothing fancy. About £500 each. Currently I don't have a bike. The problem is I don't want to spend £2000 if I don't get out enough on it.
I had considered buying a bike like theirs and buying the Swytch conversion kit for £500.
They frequently go out for 12-15 miles rides around the hills. Occasionally they'll go 30.
I've been faffing around for ages and feel like I'll never make a decision

Decent ebikes do have good second hand value of decide it's not for you and want to sell it.

Can you get a bike via a work cycle to work scheme?

A warning though. You getting an ebike might trigger DH and DS into wanting one too, it could turn into a very expensive experiment.

Unfortunately I have a 5 minute walk to work! I have looked at the Giant website and they look much superior to the Halford ones. Thanks for your advice - I hadn't really thought about the fact hills would hit the battery more ...I was being a bit dense!

I’m a keen mtber but don’t ride an ebike, but from what I understand from those that have bought them is that the warranty is absolutely the key.

Many of the motors will give up after a year or so, so having a good warranty is very important. The motor is often really expensive so check the ability to get a replacement at cost or free if this happens to you.

The other thing is that is a hub driven ebike, the better ones have the motors down by the cranks. I expect the latter will be better for power delivery but tbh I’m speculating a bit there.

Thanks for help....ended up spending double the price of a carrera! I bought a Haibike - Bosch motor. Just been out for my first ride and it was amazing. I love it!