The explosion of e mountain bikes in the past few years has been unparalleled, riders that thought their days of trail riding were behind them have found a new lease of life thanks to good old electricity and other riders are pushing the boundaries in search of unridden terrain with the new found range. It’s also revolutionised trail riding for us mere mortals too, gone is the lengthy push up for a few minutes of gravity assisted fun as the battery in the bike is now the limiting factor rather than our legs.

In the early days, e mountain bikes were awkward looking things and didn’t ride much better either but design and geometry has come so far now that these electric assisted rippers are nearly imperceptible to their leg power cousins with motors and batteries being hidden away whilst only adding a few kilos to the weight.

As with most things in the cycling world, there’s a bamboozling array of choice depending on intended use, budget and personal preference. We’ve assembled five of the best ranging from budget friendly to ‘how much!’. Spec levels will be slightly lower than traditional bikes at the same price point because of the added tech but don’t let that put you off; we’ve had some of our best days on the trails on very ordinary machines.

Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 HPC Race 750 27.5

£4699 | Buy from Cube

For:

• Great price

• Shimano 12 speed Deore is ever reliable

Against:

• Geometry not conducive to high speed riding

• Heavy at nearly 25kg

On the face of it, the Stereo Hybrid 160 is a steal of a bike, packing 170mm of trail munching travel into a carbon frame with a 750WH battery powering a Bosch motor. There’s also a host of other practical features, such as space for a bottle which is an often overlooked requirement on a mountain bike, especially one designed to ride all day.

Cube has done their homework on the suspension setup too, their ‘Efficient Trail Control’ series which optimises the suspension leverage ratios to make sure the suspension remains sensitive over small bumps yet can gobble up the roughest rock gardens with ease. Couple this with a Boost 148 rear hub which is wider than standard to offer laser sharp handling to keep you on the trail. The head angle might be too steep for those looking to ride very steep or fast trails but for the more casual rider this won’t pose a problem.

Suspension duties fall to RockShox, in this case the Domain R up front and a Deluxe Select at the rear.

The battery and motor are integrated sleekly into the frame yet the battery is easily removable so you can quickly and easily swap out a fresh battery. The Gen 4 Bosch motor offers 85nm of torque and 250 watts of power to provide some extra oomph up the steepest hills.

Shifting is taken care of by the ever reliable Shimano Deore 12 speed groupset which strikes a great balance between price and performance and braking duties fall to a pair of 4 piston Magura MT Thirty calipers mated to 203mm rotors.

Orbea Rise H10

£6299 | Buy from Orbea

For:

• Lightweight for an e bike

• Smart spec choices

• Aggressive geometry

Against:

• Own brand finishing kit might leave a little to be desired

The Rise is Orbea’s lightweight electric trail bike, with the alloy framed H10 tipping the scales at just north of 20kg and the all singing, all dancing carbon version a scant 15.9kg. Orbea say the Rise is a new standard in lightweight e-bikes which provides a more natural feeling ride brining riders closer to the trail. Some e-bikes can feel like a monster truck; weighing a ton and rolling over anything rather than allowing riders to pop over obstacles or adjust their line mid corner but rh Rise M10 aims to dispel that image.

The alloy frame offers 140mm of rear travel via the Fox FLOAT X and 150mm at the front with the revered Fox 36 Float Performance fork providing the squish. Some may expect a carbon frame at this price point, but it’s clear that Orbea have decided to use higher spec components rather than upgrade the frame. This theme carries on with the drivetrain too; an XT Shifter and mech is mated to an SLX cassette and 4 piston Deore brakes take care of stopping.

The Rise M10 uses the Shimano Steps EP-801 motor which provides 85nm of torque from a motor that weight just 2.7kg which goes some way to reducing the heft of the bike. Orbea has developed a custom tune for the motor to offer more natural pedal feel. The 540Wh battery provides around 100 miles of range but if you want a lighter package, there’s also a 360 Wh option. The motor’s custom firmware means it’s more effienct so Orbea reckon a 540Wh battery is comparable to a 810Wh battery on a standard e bike.

BMC Fourstroke AMP LT TWO

£7999 | Buy from BMC

Whilst many brands are electrifying their longer travel models to make the dreaded push up easier, BMC have taken a slightly different tack and have opted to electrify their already very brisk XC bike. Sporting a scant 120mm of travel, the Fourstroke AMP LT is designed to go as fast on the uphill as it does going down.

The Fourstroke AMP is powered by a TQ-HPR50 which packs a maximum torque of 50Nm and output of 300 watts. The motor only weighs 1.85KG which goes some way to shaving weight from the overall bike which only weighs 15.9KG. The battery is only 360WH which in comparison to the other bikes in the guide is tiny, but less power is required to move a lighter bike.

BMC has applied their ‘Big Wheel Concept Race Geometry’ to allow space for two water bottles inside three main triangle and fully internal cable routing keeps cables out of harms way.

RockShox’s world cup tested SID SL fork and SIDLUXE shock take care of suspension duties and a mixture of 12 speed Shimano SLX and XT components make up the drivetrain and brakes.

Being a shorter travel, more XC focussed bike, the geometry is more balanced with regards  to pedalling and climbing but the 66.5º head angle will inspire confidence when the trail does head downhill.

Santa Cruz Heckler GX AXS 29

£10,699 | Buy from Santa Cruz

For:

• Can tackle just about anything

• Makes going up as fun as coming down

Against:

• Yes, you could buy a car and probably a motorbike for the same price.

Santa Cruz is one of the biggest names in mountain biking and when the brand released the Heckler, eyebrows were raised and the industry sat up and took notice. Powering the Heckler is a 720Wh interchangeable battery which provides juice to a Shimano EP-800 motor. The size of the battery should provide some indication to the intentions of the Heckler; Santa Cruz say it ‘allows riders to expand their own trail map, accessing previously unreachable trails and cramming more into less time’, the Heckler also weighs 22.21Kg so that will take a bit of power to get moving too.

The full carbon frame has space for both 27.5” and 29” wheels or if you’re feeling on vogue, you can run. Amulet setup of a 27.5” in the back and 29” up front for the best of both worlds. A Fox 36 Performance 160mm fork sits up front and a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ out back to soak up the trails. Santa Cruz have tuned the suspension to ensure it’s optimised for both going up and coming down with less anti squat to keep traction on the steepest and most technical ascents. The tried, tested and revered VPP suspension linkage is compatible with both air, coil and piggyback shocks and also leaves enogh space for a water bottle too.

SRAM’s excellent wireless, electronic 12 speed GX AXS groupset takes care of shifting brakes are taken care of by a set of Code R which offer plenty of power to keep speed in check.

S Works Turbo Levo SL LTD

£13,500 | Buy from Specialized

Highs:

• Very high end spec sheet

• Lightweight motor and battery system

Lows:

• ahem…price?

• Battery capacity might be lacking for those that prefer to ride bike park laps

Specialized aren’t known for being a budget option and the price of the S Works line bikes make us audibly gasp and wince a little but one thing is for sure, you’re getting a bike that is packed with tech and Specialized being Specialized, you can be sure it right on the bleeding edge of innovation.

The Turbo Levo SL LTD is no different, Specialized have prioritised handling to make sure the Turbo Levo SL LTD rides like a top end trail bike by trimming excess weight and dialling in the suspension kinematics and geometry.

Unlike the other bikes in this guide, Specialized use their own propriety motor, dubbed SL 1.2 which provide 50Nm of torque and 320 watts of power and the 320Wh battery pack is good for rides up to around 5 hours depending on the terrain.

The rest of the components are suitably high spec too, carbon handlebars, carbon wheels and a RockShox Reverb AXS wireless dropper post is just the start. Suspension duties fall to the RockShox Lyrik Ultimate and a SuperDeluxe Ultimate; both are equipped with Flight Attendant technology which automatically adjusts damper settings to the terrain.

Shifting is taken care of by a SRAM XX Eagle 12 speed transmission with a 10-52 cassette to hoist you up the steepest of climbs and a pair or SRAM Code 4 piston brakes are on stopping duty.

A brief glance at the geometry chart highlights what this bike is made for; ripping fast and technical descents, the 64.6º head angle creates stability at speed yet keeps the bike manoeuvrable on technical terrain.

£13,500 is a lot of money full stop, let alone for a bike but if your pockets are deep enough the S Works Turbo Levo SL LTD will not disappoint.