(chill hip-hop instrumental)
- What on earth are you doing?
- Well, I'm just giving this bike a quick spin
around the showroom. And this thing feels amazing,
it turns amazing, the suspension is something else.
This is the one Steve.
- No, no.
- I'm going to be buying this.
- No, no.
- Yes, yes.
- No, no.
Now look. If you're going to be riding your E-Bike
in a showroom, or maybe on a tarmac road,
then actually this is quite a good test.
However, if you're going to go mountain biking,
it's time to get your hands dirty
and demo that E-Bike in the woods.
Because there's a ton of factors to consider to make sure
you get the right E-Bike for you.
So, why then would you do a demo event in the first place?
Well, the primary aim is actually to make sure
you make the right decision of E-Bike for you.
It's also a good way to open your eyes
to exactly what's on the market.
After all, the market is overflowing with different brands.
For example, Lapierre, Orange, Specialized, Cube, Canyon.
There's so many bikes out there.
Its not only just the bikes, it's also the model
within the range as well.
For example, this Haibike, an Enduro, 180 millimeter travel.
Or the AllMntn, 150 millimeter travel.
It's not just the models, it's the specifications
with that range as well. Plus of course,
there's that important thing about fit and sizing.
Chris, what are you doing now?
- Well, I'm checking out this little bike.
Word on the street is that you buy a bike that's
too small for you. It's going to return a really
lively ride out on the trail.
(buzzer)
But, there is a big question you need to ask yourself?
Hardtail or Full Suspension?
If you're riding smooth trails,
then a Hardtail is going to be perfect.
But if you're going to be considering
proper mountain biking, off road stuff,
then a Full Suspension is really a must.
Then there's a big question of, what motor?
- Yes, what motor?
And there are lots to choose from.
From Yamaha, to Brose, to Specialized,
to Bosch, to Shimano. Each have their own
characteristics and their own personality.
So, it's really important to get to a demo event,
to sample all of these,
to see exactly what motor is for you.
(chill hip-hop instrumental)
So, what are the methods then to demo your first E-Bike.
Well, the first way, is by a brand demo.
Individual and accustomed for that brand only.
Second way, could be festivals, or maybe bike races.
And then of course, you've got magazines,
who have their own custom demo days too,
where they bring in lots of brands from around the market.
- [Chris] So, the second option is heading
to an independent bike stop, like Race Co Cycles
here in Stourbridge. Obviously, there's a standard car park
test, where you can head out the front
and have a bounce around on suspension,
and try the different power modes.
- [Steve] Or, you could ride another showroom floor,
like Chris did earlier.
- [Chris] Yeah definitely.
Or next up, they do a one-to-one service,
where they'll head out to your local trails,
with different bikes in the van for you to try out
on the trails that you ride.
Lastly, you can borrow a bike for a weekend.
Leave a deposit, and ride the trails that you ride
all the time, to take a true comparison
on a different E-Bike.
- [Steve] Now, obviously there's a deposit involved
when we would be doing such a test like that.
But, we will be covering that off a little bit later on.
I think the final way, Chris,
is actually to borrow a E-Bike off your friend.
So, I think its time to start making a load of friends.
- [Chris] Loads of friends, make sure they've got E-Bikes.
(chill hip-hop instrumental)
- How then do you approach your first demo E-Bike event?
Chris, what do you take to your first demo?
- Take some photo ID, a credit card, pedals,
and of course your riding kit.
And a notebook, don't forget your notebook Steve.
- But also, you need to be furnished,
a little bit information about sizing,
about models, about brands. And of course, the motor.
Chris, come on, let's get in here.
So, where do you go?
Well, were here at Race Co Cycles to get ourselves
in the diary.
Paul, can you meet us in the forest in the evening?
We need every brand, every motor, every size.
We basically need everything for a whole weekend.
Is that okay?
- We can do that, yep.
- Yes!
- Get on it.
- Alternatively, if you're going to borrow your mates bike,
just make sure you try and borrow it
when he's away for a holiday or something.
If he won't let you, try and remember
the combination code for his padlock.
Go, let's go.
(chill electronic music)
- Chris, do you think that sizing is probably
the number one thing to be armed with
before you go to a demo event?
Because there's a lot of misinformation out there
- Yeah.
- when it comes to sizing.
- Definitely, a lot of people are misinformed,
that buying a smaller bike, you know,
one that's too small for them, will in return,
provide a lot more nimble and playful bike out on the track.
Simply isn't true.
What you really need to do, is get the sizing dialed,
and get that bike, you know, sizing is definitely key.
- Yeah, getting the correct size bike should be
your number one aim when you go to a demo event.
As an example, this size, medium Levo,
could actually be the same size physically
as a large from another brand.
- Mhm, yeah exactly. At home, I ride a large Kenevo.
But I think if I was riding a Levo,
I would probably go up to an XL.
- Exactly, and that's the whole point of going
to a demo event, is to get that bike size right.
(chill electronic music)
Now a really really important part of demoing bikes,
is make sure you get the setup right on each
and every bike that you take out.
Because, like I mentioned earlier,
you need to make comparisons between all the bikes.
Now, if for example you're with a reputable bike shop
on a demo day, such as Race Co Cycles.
Their mechanics and engineers will be able to setup
that bike exactly for you.
Such things as, the air pressure,
front and rear, in the fork, and in the rear suspension.
Such things as, the tire pressure, front and rear.
Now, if you're about say, 90 kilos,
you should be around about 26 - 28 psi in your tires.
Make sure you've got the right tires
on that bike for the type of riding
you're going to be doing.
The cockpit setup is equally as important.
Seat type is probably number one.
First of all Chris, you need a seat in there.
- Definitely going to need a seat.
Saddle height is definitely key when it comes to demoing
an E-Bike. Get the saddle set right.
Because too high, you're going to feel
perched up too high on the bike
(buzzer)
and if its too low, you're going to feel too bunched up.
(buzzer)
So getting that dialed is definitely right.
Moving the saddle forward in the rails,
and back as well, is going to differ the reach on the bike.
Also, the cockpit is vitally important to get set up.
You need your levers in the right position,
get your bars rolled, get the stem set on the spacers
as well, its going to make big difference
to how that bike feels.
(chill electronic music)
So the shop talk is all done, its time to swing
a leg over that bike and get out there.
(upbeat hip-hop instrumental)
- [Chris] It's all very tempting to jump on an E-Bike,
and stick it in the highest power mode possible,
and blast out a demo.
But is that really how you're going to ride the bike?
If it is, you're really missing out on the bikes
true potential when it comes to range.
Try the bike in eco, just to see if its manageable
for the bigger rides. Even trying it switched off
is a good idea too because you will, one day,
run out of battery, and you need to experience
what the drag is like from the system.
Fitter riders can often ride with the motor
switched off in sections when their assistance is needed.
Be sure to exceed the speed limiter.
All motors differ with a decoupling above the speed limit.
You really need to try a few different motors out,
and see what works for you.
- [Steve] What then do you do when you when you get
to your demo event?
Well, the first thing to bear in mind,
is that you need to replicate your rides,
which is going to enable you to make
direct comparisons between the bikes.
So Chris, well you were out on the trail.
Top six things to think about and explore?
For me, it's got to be suspension, motors, and displays.
It's got to be, that's the first three right?
- Definitely, and I think you need to remember
control unit, apps, and all the extras
you're going to need to buy too.
(chill hip-hop instrumental)
- So, you are at your demo event, and there's a massive
array of bikes there.
I think the first thing to think about is suspension.
Have you gone for a Hardtail or a Full Suspension bike.
And if you have gone for Full Suspension,
how much travel is it going to be?
Is it going to be 120 travel, 130, 150, 170?
- So, the motor is probably
number one on most peoples lists, and they differ massively.
You've got lots of different options out there.
We've got Shimano, Brose, Yamaha, Fazua,
the list is literally endless.
And they all differ massively in the way they actually work.
The way they deliver power, the reliability,
the noise they make, and the way they differ
and the derestriction limits.
- Plus Chris, of course, you have
the displays to think about.
You could go for the COI complex Bosch system,
which is different, there's actually
four different displays on the Bosch system.
- Or, you've got the minimalist specialized system.
Yeah, very uncluttered handle bar. Stealth mode,
its literally a totally different world to that bike.
- But Chris, we've not even talked about batteries.
Yet.
- Internal or external?
And if it is internal, can you actually
demount that battery, to take into your hotel room
for example, to charge it up over night.
Lots to think about here.
- Yep.
- And what about watt hours?
Now a lot of these bikes come with 500 watt hour batteries.
But such bikes as the Specialized,
which we looked at earlier, 704 watt hours.
You've got the Rocky Mountain with 660 watt hours.
- Yeah, and smaller ones, 378 watt hours,
meaning that the bike is going to be a lot lighter,
but you're not going to get the range out of that battery.
- Yeah, such as the Fazua. But that not quite right Chris.
Because the Fazua has got a 250 watt hour battery,
but because there's less power on that bike,
it means you actually get the same amount of range.
So, quite a complex subject, batteries.
- [Chris] Definitely.
- You know it's very easy for this to become a
minefield of information, and a sort of product guide
on what E-Mountain Bike to buy.
Rather than some practical tips here on what you
actually do on the trail Chris.
But there's a lot of things to think about.
For example, what we talked about suspension.
How do you actually work out whether you need a
Hardtail or Full Suspension, and if you do choose Full
Suspension, how do you know much suspension you want?
- Right, I think you need to,
obviously at the demo day, try a few different tracks,
try some technical downhill stuff, hit it on a Hardtail,
do feel comfortable if you feel you're getting
beaten around. Try it on a shorter travel bike,
does it feel comfortable?
You're going to flip it in reverse, try coming up the hill,
does that big travel bike climb
as well as the short travel bike?
- Yeah, is hill climbing for you?
Because, you know, maybe, a lot of people are more
gravity orientated, a lot of people
want to do loads of downhill, other people want to
do more cross-country.
What type of E-Mountain Biker are you, when it comes to
choosing the suspension?
These are the things that you need to be thinking.
Motors though, I mean, everybody thinks that motors
is number one.
- Definitely.
- For me, I think its about, how much noise do they make?
Because, you know, you might choose one motor over another,
yet you got on the trail and gone, hmm this is a bit noisy?
- Definitely.
To think how much torch it produces as well. You know,
you can get the most powerful motor out there,
but if it rides totally different to, you know,
a normal bike, then you might find this a totally unnatural
feel. So definitely try the different brands of motors out.
- Yeah, just don't go looking at the numbers.
Just because one brand has got 180 millimeters,
and another one has got 60, doesn't mean to say its a better
bike out on the trail for you right?
- Definitely make sure you exceed that speed limiter,
because they differ massively.
- Yeah.
- Make sure you go above 25 kph and feel that resistance.
And there might be none, there might be a little bit.
It's something you need to know to deal with.
- But maybe, equally, maybe some riders don't actually
go on ride trails which exceed 25kmh.
- Yeah.
- It comes back to, think about
how you're going to apply this, when you get back home.
Is that bike going to work
in the environment you're going to ride it back home.
So, there you go. Demo events, lot's to think about.
I'm sure you guys have got some comments,
which you need to leave down in the notes below.
- #askembn, comment box below,
we will get back to you asap.
- Yeah, so you might well have found your
near perfect E-Bike, maybe not.
But remember, it doesn't end there, you might
just want to get some add-ons,
some after-markets, so you can make your bike perfect.
But I think the important information here from demo events
is, be armed with a bit of information before you go there,
so the demo event is actually just a narrowing down process
to find the correct E-Bike for you.
And also while you're there, don't forget to
ride the right trails Chris.
- Yeah definitely, I think you need to be true to yourself,
think about what sort of riding really do actually do
back at home on your home trails.
If you're more of a cross-country rider,
make sure you're demoing a cross-country bike.
No point in taking a 180 millimeter downhill style E-Bike
out to the trails, and riding that. Its nice to
experience yeah, and get an idea, but you need to
be true and get a real idea of what you're actually riding.
- And do you know what? A demo event is a great way
to open your mind, and definitely sometimes
throws curve balls out there.
Maybe there's that 120 bike there,
with a bigger volume tire, which is like, oh hold on, that's
actually better than the 150 bike.
- Exactly.
- It's all about just experimenting right?
- Yeah, getting out there and trying those different bikes.
- Yep. So for now, if you want to see more about motors,
there's a Motors Fundamentals we've done here.
Don't forget to subscribe EMBN.
- Yeah, and if you fancy sticking around a little bit more,
Hardtail Vs. Full Suspension, really cool video,
lots of different options out there. Get demoing.