nice test comparison, thank you!❤ bosch may be the all-round best motor but what about the geometry, I know no bosch bike that comes close to the geo of a levo gen3 or rockymountain. for me the geo is the most important then the motor...
@@8664antonio this is 100% true as mentioned at the start of the video. Many low powered small battery bikes are coming on the market so clearly power is not the most important factor. This is fun as it is something that can be measured. Handling and how fun a bike is cannot be measured and I imagine each rider would have liked his own bike the best.😄
Got a chance to test the Rocky's on a demo day here in Canada. Awesome bikes. I bought a used Growler Powerplay for cheap to gain confidence in the brand. I usually ride on the lowest power setting but going Ludi for the crazy stuff opens up so many options on otherwise unrideable sections.
Great video Lance. Love the Capetian and his factory bikes. Chris is always fast!! Would be interesting to do a similar test on a trail with half up and half down hill but mixed rather than straight up and down. I do enjoy it with the other lads commentary too. Only drawback today - no “Yeah boy”
I did a similar test, with the trek rail and the rocky instinct. The bosh accelerates faster leaving the impression that it's a faster bike but when you are on big climbs it becomes apparent that the rocky has more power.
I agree with you. This is partly why I did this video as when I reviewed the RM I didn't think it felt more powerful than the Bosch. The times don't lie though. A significant difference between all three.
28 seconds to list the Marin on trade me ! ‘‘Twas like a Ferrari going past a Prius , or do we think think the captain has had too many Xmas puddings? ! Lovely video Lance
The Problem with powerplay is the lazy power delivery and no overrun. It is the most powerful motor but only when you can sustain pedaling on easy climbs like this one. When it's technical terrain where you have to crank the pedals to avoid strikes the Powerplay becomes really slow and can't hang with Bosch's instant power delivery and overrun. Bosch gives near full power when you touch the pedals. But powerplay requires a one crank to get started.
I took the rm a50 and I'm happy. The only thing I relied on and heard from you was the 108nm motor being the most powerful. I had the 85 nm bosch and with the turbo it was more explosive and copious than the 4.0 dyname. I did a "recovery" with a friend of mine who has the bosch in turbo and I in ludicrous and we were even though my leg was more trained than his
Great video Lance you boys are keen having a competition to see ho is the best bike on stitch up that trail is a killer it’s so steep it almost kills me with a motor lol. Hope you have a wonderful new years and see you in 2023 🎉
I've just purchased a Rocky Mountain and did quite a lot of research. From what ive gathered is the RM seems to require a higher cadence to hit the sweet spot to maximize the torque. And as such youre putting in a bit more effort yourself. The result being that youre faster because the bike has more torque and youre adding a bit more as well. Also interesting I watched a video that showed the RM as the most efficient as well and could climb more from a given Watt-hour when the battery size was adjusted for. But it was noted that it did require higher user input than the other bikes tested.
The Dyname motor certainly feels very different to ride. It has no overrun so if you stop pedaling the motor instantly stops. You are right you need to keep the power and cadence up to get the maximum out of the motor.
A good test. Nice that both perceived and objective results are congruent. I'm disappointed you did not speak on motor noise. For many that is a deal maker or breaker. Just from the recordings all three motors sounded pretty noisy.
The funny thing about noise is when you get your first e-bike it is an issue. Many of my first reviews I talked about noise a lot. Now I don't even notice it. I also think it is interesting that you can follow someone up a hill on a normal bike and they often don't hear you. Nobody gets a moto cross bike and worries it is too noisy.
Great entertainment factor. Would be interested in a comparison if all the motors feels the same when the engine cuts out at 30 odd km/hr. The Bosch just feels like you are peddling a tank and the most dangerous feature when needing a tad more speed for a jump. Even a gradually reduction in support would be better.
Now I work in a bike shop and I once had someone come in who wanted to try some E-bikes back to back. The ones they tried had a bosch motor and a shimano motor. Their comment was that back to back, they felt that the shimano motor had much less power compared to the bosch motor. And bear in mind this is just riding in a loop around a carpark.
If you ride the Shimano it feels great. I have ridden many bikes now with shimano motors and loved them. Infact riding a Heckler tomorrow. However jump off an ep8 onto a Bosch and you will notice the difference.
@@bestdayevermtb2 And I guess if you were someone who has never tried an E-bike before, even with the shimano motor they would probably feel like they're Nino Schurter up the climbs!
@@bestdayevermtb2 Yeah the only E-bike I have properly ridden was a Norco sight VLT, which has a Shimano EP8 motor and it felt ridiculous, like it was the most powerful thing to exist, especially on short rooty climbs. Have you ever considered reviewing one of them actually?
@@randommountainbiker9305 I review most bikes I can get my hands on. I rely on people letting me borrow their bikes or bike shops offering me the bike to try.
Nice video lance, Would have been great to see the syncdrive pro on the giants in the mix too to see how it fared, but you can only work with what your friends have got lol. Any reason you or your friends haven’t looked at the trance or reigns? Actually I think you did a vid on a reign. I Have the current trance e+ but waiting for the new 2023 bikes to come out to get something with more travel and capability. Fingers crossed we have better availability of newer models this year and not have to wait months for them to arrive 😊
One of the guys has a Reign and I did think about trying to get that one as well. Initially I just wanted to compare the dynsme and Bosch after I reviewed the RM but thought the ep8 would add more interest. Maybe I do another with the Yamaha and Brose.
Totally custom except for those that are not, which are non custom, what we call stock. Darm Graham has a way of using a lot of words to say not much. I didn't see where you made them carry ballast so you were all at the same weight
I've done the same climb on a 22 reign with yamaha pwx3 & trek rail with bosch , the rail smoked me, I was surprised just how much more grunt the bosch had considering there both 85nm maybe running 29er vs 27.5 rear makes a big difference?.
There are lots of factors. Rider weight and fitness is a huge factor. Brent always smoked me uphill so I did the Bosch vs Brose video. Turned out the motor was not the problem 😆
Sounds like the start threshold torque could stand to be reduced a bit on the Rocky. Rocky's aim was to make the bike as smooth and natural as a regular bike. In short, you get out of it what you put into it.
Wife and I are on our 3rd or 4th year with power play. We bought them as tow pigs for my 5 and 7 year old. I tow the big kid. When I tow my older boy the power play tows 370 lbs up the mountain !!! We do laps on laps enduro style up. We have never had problems. I’d say the power play is a big V 8 equivalent, to all the other Ebikes. I still have never killed a battery, my wife has done 2 rides and got it low. I would say some times it has a power glitch at start off, like a goofy stroke. Never had problems with the torque sensor. I don’t like the control on the handle bar, wish it had a display like the new ones. Last weekend at one of my local BC mountains it was all Ebikes going up. I’d say they are here to stay. If you had to stop riding due to a injury or your fitness is gone these are excellent about getting you back from the trail. I still sweat like crazy and get lactic acid burn in my legs. I’m just going faster and father then once I did. My knee never bugs me. Only down side is we don’t want to ride them in the park or try and take ‘em on a lift.
Interesting on the towing. The towing is probably no different (or no more of a load) than going up a steep(er) trail, even if you were towing an adult on a non-ebike.
@@vashon100your not wrong, but no matter what hill or how long of a climb the rocky power play doesn’t over heat or bog down. I just rode the Jordi, Lund bike park and that was for sure and up up and up scenario.
The Rocky Mountain has a lot going for it. Quieter, more torque, better handling. The lack of overrun takes a little time to get used to, but once you do you cant go back.
Chris the owner of the bike absolutely loves it and much prefers it over his previous Bosch bike. I found the noise of the RM quite annoying and preferred the Bosch or Shimano in that respect.
@@bestdayevermtb2 can you say why RM noise is annoying? I own both Bosch gen4 and Dyname 4.0 and the difference with the noice is like day and night. Dyname almost sounds like acoustic bike.
@@lifestyleCHANNEL. ua-cam.com/video/6R66kQV-0QQ/v-deo.html This is the review video I made of the bike and where you can hear the noise and me discussing it.
@@bestdayevermtb2 Yes, I can hear it clearly through the video. Maybe the owner has not kept it clean? Because I for sure dont have that noise. It’s so silent, that sometimes ill have to double check if the engine is on. Even when I put +2 boost on, I still don’t hear it while riding. Dyname 3.0 was horrible with sound, but they fixed it with 4.0. First I didn’t like it that much, cause I was so used to Bosch quick response, but after a while, been learning to like Dyname 4.0 with more natural feeling.
@lifestyleCHANNEL. not sure the reason but before I made the video I went back to the owner and asked if this was normal and he replied yes. To me it didn't seem normal.
Power is relative. You get used to whatever you have. If E bikes had come out with 40Nm motors, we would all still have thought that was amazing. I have ridden the Orbea Rise and the bike feels great. The only time you notice the lack of power is when you can't keep up with others on bigger motors. Power is interesting but as stated in the video is not the most important factor when choosing an E bike.
@Best Day Ever MTB completely agree, it is indeed relative. I ride on my own quite a bit so even less likely to notice the reduced power. It's been a game changer for me, getting so much more riding done. Cheers.
bafang throws high power at their lack of engineering. They do not provide smooth power for trails. Stop pedaling then start again and you'll see why bafang isn't considered a performance bike.
@@xmateinc I disagree with that statement. I have no complaints with my Bafang Ultra. It's power delivery is fine for MTB, and it also has more power to boot. I have heard a few reports that the bafang m520 has issues with the tunes. But I dont have that motor and cannot comment. I can only comment on the ultra that I have, which is great
@@BramBiesiekierski yea its great it you want a motor with a lot of power. But on a tight MTB trail i wouldn't trust the power output of bafang. There is no power meters in those motors, that why when you start pedaling the bike jerks. Or when you switch gears the whole back end shakes. Ultra is what it is, but not a performance motor.
Also love the Bosch and have ridden the Yamaha as well but own a ep8 and keep up with others just fine on hill climbs. Shimano falls behind with not being as forgiving with gear selection tho.
Could have potential got a Yamaha motor in this test. Would have had to do an extra run. Getting 3 at one time was a challenge. Would have been interested to see how it compared.
It's frustrating when companies create an excellent bike but equip it with an EP8 motor, like the Canyon Torque. However, reading through the comments, I see many people saying the EP8 is actually quite decent. This leaves me confused. When you're about to spend around £8,000 to £9,000, you really want to be sure you're making the right choice. It's a big decision.
Here is the funny thing. When you ride any E bike they all feel powerful. I thought the Dyname and Bosch were similar, but this test showed it was clearly not the case. I think the Shimano and Bosch are close enough that if you rode with friends, it wouldn't matter uphill and certainly wouldn't matter downhill. Given the choice I would get a Bosch bike over a Shimano one but wouldn't not buy my dream bike because it had the EP8. I am aware that the new ep8 01 can go to 45km/hr in NZ but not much help to you. This may change my mind here but have not tested one yet.
Good idea but in practice impossible for me to do. I know one person with a Dyname motor and about 40 with Bosch. If the Dyname doesn't fail but 6 Bosch do, which is the most reliable?
@@ericmin7645 I agree we need to have these talks but again I don't have access to any data. The last thing I want to do is single out one local bike shop due to poor service to one customer. I am lucky, I get looked after very well but appreciate not everyone does. I have said in many of my videos when asked what is the best bike to buy. Get one from a good local bike shop that will look after you if you have a problem is always my answer.
@@bestdayevermtb2 it's usually not the bike shop but the manufacturers... since warranty and repairability is a trickle down effect coming from corporate.. if shimano and bosch and or brose made their motors repairable.. we wouldn't need these talks but here we are unfortunately..
I think probably slightly faster than the Bosch but slower than the Dyname. Would have been nice to test more bikes. I did do a Bosch vs Brose 2 years ago. It came out very close.
@@bestdayevermtb2 yup, saw that video too! But would be great to see an updated test, since now both Brose and Bosch can be fine tuned in their respective apps to dial up everything to the max
You were driving Shimano in Boost mode as per the video (yellow one). Boost is not supposed to be used for climbing. Trail mode is purposed for climbing and has better support and torque. So that test is not correct.
@ you are wrong😉 I have an opportunity to drive shimano ep8. Trail is much better then boost for going up. It gives more boost from the start and is purposed for climbing.
Funny you should say that as when I reviewed the RM I really didn't like the noise it made. So much so I returned to the bike owner and asked if it was normal
ITS Not the world difference. They feel pretty the Same ITS Just Placebo. Idk why U Sax that. I prefer Shimano for easy derestrict without using a Chip. Bosch Peak Power is better thats all
Yeah massive difference between Shimano and Bosch. On max effort Shimano is 30 seconds slower than Bosch on moderate effort on a 4 minute technical segment.
Thts the problem with people with e bikes.. Which is the most powerful n fastest up.. I tried the rocky mountain and marin and marin was better goin down and overall fun, jumps and drops nicer etc. The whole idea of e bikes is to get up easier but its the going down tht shd be reviewed more i guess. Wnt i look at the e bikes is which is best going down, the corners, handling and overall performance aside of climbing cos thts a given with e bikes.
Not sure if you actually watched the video but I did explain that there is a lot more to an e- bike than climbing. In fact, all the bike reviews I have done have concentrated on the downhill handling characteristics. I have reviewed The Marin and the Rocky and I did like the way the Marin handled downhill and on the jumps. I did say if you feel tempted to state the obvious in the comments to give yourself an upper cut. I find it hysterical that you still went ahead and stated the obvious anyway even after me making that comment in the video. This video is just meant to be a bit of fun and people find them interesting. Clearly the increase in lighter lower powered E bikes shows that the consumer realizes that power is not the most important factor when choosing an e bike.
The EP8 is less powerful than the Bosch but I must admit I have always been happy riding Shimano bikes. I have ridden 50 and 60Nm motors and I think you get used to whatever power you have. The only time you notice is when you ride with others on more powerful motors. I am not sure about range. Maybe that might make a good video comparing Range of Bosch vs Shimano
@@bestdayevermtb2 I agree Lance won how the bike feels... Im 92 KG and 15/1600m climbing is about max with it on eco. Down here in Canterbury climbs are steep so it is more taxing. But a typical Craigieburn loop I will run out and ride last 3/4k without motor and the Bosch guys with similar weights and setups will have 10-15 percent left and will have used more EMTB mode than I will have trail
@@chrissinclair3136 It may be worth looking at closer. I am a similar weight and tend to run out of battery first simply because I am heavier and lazier. Not the easiest test to do as I would need to ride a Bosch bike then a Shimano bike with similar bike weight, suspension and tires as range has so many variables.
Be very careful with Rocky Mountain. These guys build a great looking machine but they fall flat on their face on the support end. My Altitude C90 has been broken most of the time I have owned it. nobody knows how to fix inconsistent torque. My bike clips the torque at the top of every pedal stroke and doesn't throw a code. The dealer can't get parts without an error code. My 11500 dollar bike sits in limbo waiting for someone to do something. Rocky Mountain doesn't support their dealers with spares or technical help with odd driveline issues. Its a little odd that a cutting edge company doesn't care about issues that would lead to improved quality and fewer issues after the sale. I actually own two Rocky bikes. My 2019 Altitude power play A70 has been a great bike which is why I took a chance on the 2023 C90. I regret the latest purchase as I am supporting a company who doesn't care about you after the sale.
Sorry to hear that. Very frustrating when you have a problem with a bike and just nobody seems to care. I don't think RM are the only company where this happens. Good luck getting it sorted.
Not sure I agree with your logic. If you can accustomed to eating slightly less each day would that mean you would be happy not to eat at all? On that subject I took your advice and lost 20kg ua-cam.com/video/OCiZkSngAGM/v-deo.html
Thanks for the feedback. We did a pretty straight forward test with a pretty conclusive result. People always say but what about handling, range, power delivery etc etc. The video never claimed to say which bike was the best overall but simply which got up the hill faster. Not sure if you understand the word hearsay but that clearly doesn't apply to this video.
The Rocky Mountain drive unit is better. Feels exactly like a normal bike, standard replacement crank, it seems silent, and more refined. Good job Canada, I’m buying one, no need to haul the 700 lbs KTM 530 into My truck, no oil changes, or expensive maintenance.
This one is going to be popular! The Rocky all the way although the Bosch would still get my vote at the moment for parts / reliability etc.
Thanks for that. Hope 2023 is a crash free year for you.😄
nice test comparison, thank you!❤
bosch may be the all-round best motor but what about the geometry, I know no bosch bike that comes close to the geo of a levo gen3 or rockymountain. for me the geo is the most important then the motor...
@@8664antonio this is 100% true as mentioned at the start of the video. Many low powered small battery bikes are coming on the market so clearly power is not the most important factor. This is fun as it is something that can be measured. Handling and how fun a bike is cannot be measured and I imagine each rider would have liked his own bike the best.😄
@@bestdayevermtb2 Me too! See you out there.
@@8664antonio What kind of geo are you looking for? More extreme or more reserved and nimble, surely I've seen examples of both
Got a chance to test the Rocky's on a demo day here in Canada. Awesome bikes. I bought a used Growler Powerplay for cheap to gain confidence in the brand. I usually ride on the lowest power setting but going Ludi for the crazy stuff opens up so many options on otherwise unrideable sections.
Nice edit Lance, very enjoyable.
Happy new year mate
Great video Lance. Love the Capetian and his factory bikes. Chris is always fast!!
Would be interesting to do a similar test on a trail with half up and half down hill but mixed rather than straight up and down.
I do enjoy it with the other lads commentary too. Only drawback today - no “Yeah boy”
I think this video was a hard one for the captain to swallow as we all know that his bike is the best. Happy New Year to you.😁
@@bestdayevermtb2 😂🤣 and a Happy New Year to you and the crew. Here’s to another year of injury free riding.
I did a similar test, with the trek rail and the rocky instinct. The bosh accelerates faster leaving the impression that it's a faster bike but when you are on big climbs it becomes apparent that the rocky has more power.
I agree with you. This is partly why I did this video as when I reviewed the RM I didn't think it felt more powerful than the Bosch. The times don't lie though. A significant difference between all three.
28 seconds to list the Marin on trade me ! ‘‘Twas like a Ferrari going past a Prius , or do we think think the captain has had too many Xmas puddings? ! Lovely video Lance
Happy new year to you. Looking forward to some epic sends this year😁
Hey Zak, when you are on the Marin Factory Race edition it’s all about the journey not the race…😊
Great test.
Great video, watched till the end and subscribed just after. Well done 👍
Thanks for that. It is very much appreciated.
The Problem with powerplay is the lazy power delivery and no overrun. It is the most powerful motor but only when you can sustain pedaling on easy climbs like this one. When it's technical terrain where you have to crank the pedals to avoid strikes the Powerplay becomes really slow and can't hang with Bosch's instant power delivery and overrun. Bosch gives near full power when you touch the pedals. But powerplay requires a one crank to get started.
I agree with you 100%. In this test, it was clearly the fastest, but I much prefer the Bosch for the reasons you describe.
I took the rm a50 and I'm happy. The only thing I relied on and heard from you was the 108nm motor being the most powerful. I had the 85 nm bosch and with the turbo it was more explosive and copious than the 4.0 dyname. I did a "recovery" with a friend of mine who has the bosch in turbo and I in ludicrous and we were even though my leg was more trained than his
I forgot to write that I calibrate the bike every outgoing and boost +2 ever
Great video Lance you boys are keen having a competition to see ho is the best bike on stitch up that trail is a killer it’s so steep it almost kills me with a motor lol. Hope you have a wonderful new years and see you in 2023 🎉
Thanks very much and a happy new year to you as well. The funny part is Chris forgot to turn on the gopro for the last run, so we had to repeat it.
Great video Lance. I’ve come up with the same conclusion between the ep8 and the Bosch. More range with the bosch too
It is an interesting test but the ep8 is still a good option. Reviewing the Santa cruz Heckler with the ep8 yesterday and it felt great.
Great! I’ll look forward to that review
I've just purchased a Rocky Mountain and did quite a lot of research. From what ive gathered is the RM seems to require a higher cadence to hit the sweet spot to maximize the torque. And as such youre putting in a bit more effort yourself. The result being that youre faster because the bike has more torque and youre adding a bit more as well. Also interesting I watched a video that showed the RM as the most efficient as well and could climb more from a given Watt-hour when the battery size was adjusted for. But it was noted that it did require higher user input than the other bikes tested.
The Dyname motor certainly feels very different to ride. It has no overrun so if you stop pedaling the motor instantly stops. You are right you need to keep the power and cadence up to get the maximum out of the motor.
A good test. Nice that both perceived and objective results are congruent. I'm disappointed you did not speak on motor noise. For many that is a deal maker or breaker. Just from the recordings all three motors sounded pretty noisy.
The funny thing about noise is when you get your first e-bike it is an issue. Many of my first reviews I talked about noise a lot. Now I don't even notice it. I also think it is interesting that you can follow someone up a hill on a normal bike and they often don't hear you. Nobody gets a moto cross bike and worries it is too noisy.
Ricky mountain has no over run ? Does that make it harder to get up a rock ledge for example?
I think it does. I personally missed the over run. I guess you would get used to it. I guess the extra power may make up for it.
Great entertainment factor. Would be interested in a comparison if all the motors feels the same when the engine cuts out at 30 odd km/hr. The Bosch just feels like you are peddling a tank and the most dangerous feature when needing a tad more speed for a jump. Even a gradually reduction in support would be better.
I agree. I don't like the Bosch when it cuts out. I personally don't think they should cut out at all but best not to get me started on that subject.🙄
Great video. I wish you had a brose in the mix
That would have been cool. I did make the same video a few years back comparing the Bosch with the Brose.
@Best Day Ever MTB I'll check it out thanks.
Solid real world test and informative 👍.
First time I have done something informative. 😁😁😁
Now I work in a bike shop and I once had someone come in who wanted to try some E-bikes back to back. The ones they tried had a bosch motor and a shimano motor. Their comment was that back to back, they felt that the shimano motor had much less power compared to the bosch motor. And bear in mind this is just riding in a loop around a carpark.
If you ride the Shimano it feels great. I have ridden many bikes now with shimano motors and loved them. Infact riding a Heckler tomorrow. However jump off an ep8 onto a Bosch and you will notice the difference.
@@bestdayevermtb2 And I guess if you were someone who has never tried an E-bike before, even with the shimano motor they would probably feel like they're Nino Schurter up the climbs!
@@randommountainbiker9305 If you rode a 50Nm it would feel amazing. Power is all relative.
@@bestdayevermtb2 Yeah the only E-bike I have properly ridden was a Norco sight VLT, which has a Shimano EP8 motor and it felt ridiculous, like it was the most powerful thing to exist, especially on short rooty climbs. Have you ever considered reviewing one of them actually?
@@randommountainbiker9305 I review most bikes I can get my hands on. I rely on people letting me borrow their bikes or bike shops offering me the bike to try.
Nice video lance, Would have been great to see the syncdrive pro on the giants in the mix too to see how it fared, but you can only work with what your friends have got lol. Any reason you or your friends haven’t looked at the trance or reigns? Actually I think you did a vid on a reign. I Have the current trance e+ but waiting for the new 2023 bikes to come out to get something with more travel and capability. Fingers crossed we have better availability of newer models this year and not have to wait months for them to arrive 😊
One of the guys has a Reign and I did think about trying to get that one as well. Initially I just wanted to compare the dynsme and Bosch after I reviewed the RM but thought the ep8 would add more interest. Maybe I do another with the Yamaha and Brose.
@@bestdayevermtb2looking forward to that review. Great job btw!
Is the overrun on the Bosch more fun or is the Rocky more Fun ?
Everyone is different. Chris prefers the Dyname over his previous Bosch but I still think I prefer the Bosch.
The Rocky is great for doing wheelies! more natural and easier to control.
@@2wheeled-adventures must admit I struggle to hold a wheelie on an e bike.
Totally custom except for those that are not, which are non custom, what we call stock. Darm Graham has a way of using a lot of words to say not much. I didn't see where you made them carry ballast so you were all at the same weight
Graham has a way with words. Weight played no part in the test as it was not a measure between riders but bikes.
I've done the same climb on a 22 reign with yamaha pwx3 & trek rail with bosch , the rail smoked me, I was surprised just how much more grunt the bosch had considering there both 85nm maybe running 29er vs 27.5 rear makes a big difference?.
There are lots of factors. Rider weight and fitness is a huge factor. Brent always smoked me uphill so I did the Bosch vs Brose video. Turned out the motor was not the problem 😆
Thanks for doing this video. Rocky makes awesome bikes. I love their geometry but man, they’re not great looking bikes.
Sounds like the start threshold torque could stand to be reduced a bit on the Rocky. Rocky's aim was to make the bike as smooth and natural as a regular bike. In short, you get out of it what you put into it.
Must admit I haven't ridden a RM since this video was made.
Wife and I are on our 3rd or 4th year with power play. We bought them as tow pigs for my 5 and 7 year old. I tow the big kid. When I tow my older boy the power play tows 370 lbs up the mountain !!! We do laps on laps enduro style up. We have never had problems. I’d say the power play is a big V 8 equivalent, to all the other Ebikes. I still have never killed a battery, my wife has done 2 rides and got it low. I would say some times it has a power glitch at start off, like a goofy stroke. Never had problems with the torque sensor. I don’t like the control on the handle bar, wish it had a display like the new ones. Last weekend at one of my local BC mountains it was all Ebikes going up. I’d say they are here to stay. If you had to stop riding due to a injury or your fitness is gone these are excellent about getting you back from the trail. I still sweat like crazy and get lactic acid burn in my legs. I’m just going faster and father then once I did. My knee never bugs me. Only down side is we don’t want to ride them in the park or try and take ‘em on a lift.
Sounds like you get a lot of use from them. E bikes are very popular in NZ. I so take mine to bike parks and put on shuttles no issue.
Interesting on the towing. The towing is probably no different (or no more of a load) than going up a steep(er) trail, even if you were towing an adult on a non-ebike.
@@vashon100your not wrong, but no matter what hill or how long of a climb the rocky power play doesn’t over heat or bog down. I just rode the Jordi, Lund bike park and that was for sure and up up and up scenario.
Perhaps I missed it but, what are the price points of each bike.
I think the RM is about $20 000nz the KTM 14000 and the marin not sure.
Great vídeo
The Rocky Mountain has a lot going for it. Quieter, more torque, better handling. The lack of overrun takes a little time to get used to, but once you do you cant go back.
Chris the owner of the bike absolutely loves it and much prefers it over his previous Bosch bike. I found the noise of the RM quite annoying and preferred the Bosch or Shimano in that respect.
@@bestdayevermtb2 can you say why RM noise is annoying? I own both Bosch gen4 and Dyname 4.0 and the difference with the noice is like day and night. Dyname almost sounds like acoustic bike.
@@lifestyleCHANNEL. ua-cam.com/video/6R66kQV-0QQ/v-deo.html
This is the review video I made of the bike and where you can hear the noise and me discussing it.
@@bestdayevermtb2 Yes, I can hear it clearly through the video. Maybe the owner has not kept it clean? Because I for sure dont have that noise. It’s so silent, that sometimes ill have to double check if the engine is on. Even when I put +2 boost on, I still don’t hear it while riding. Dyname 3.0 was horrible with sound, but they fixed it with 4.0. First I didn’t like it that much, cause I was so used to Bosch quick response, but after a while, been learning to like Dyname 4.0 with more natural feeling.
@lifestyleCHANNEL. not sure the reason but before I made the video I went back to the owner and asked if this was normal and he replied yes. To me it didn't seem normal.
I have an ep8 RS and having never had or ridden any other ebike I find 60nm a huge amount of power 🙂
Power is relative. You get used to whatever you have. If E bikes had come out with 40Nm motors, we would all still have thought that was amazing. I have ridden the Orbea Rise and the bike feels great. The only time you notice the lack of power is when you can't keep up with others on bigger motors. Power is interesting but as stated in the video is not the most important factor when choosing an E bike.
@Best Day Ever MTB completely agree, it is indeed relative.
I ride on my own quite a bit so even less likely to notice the reduced power.
It's been a game changer for me, getting so much more riding done.
Cheers.
Bafang ultra for me. 160nm, 1000w (1500w peak). It's KOMs for days with one of those on a decent full squish platform
Never tried a Bafang. Looked at doing a conversion on the Mrs bike but her bike was too small.
@@bestdayevermtb2 they do a few conversion motors. But the ultra is a dedicated PAS mid drive. So the frame needs to match the motor mounting
bafang throws high power at their lack of engineering. They do not provide smooth power for trails. Stop pedaling then start again and you'll see why bafang isn't considered a performance bike.
@@xmateinc I disagree with that statement. I have no complaints with my Bafang Ultra. It's power delivery is fine for MTB, and it also has more power to boot.
I have heard a few reports that the bafang m520 has issues with the tunes. But I dont have that motor and cannot comment. I can only comment on the ultra that I have, which is great
@@BramBiesiekierski yea its great it you want a motor with a lot of power. But on a tight MTB trail i wouldn't trust the power output of bafang. There is no power meters in those motors, that why when you start pedaling the bike jerks. Or when you switch gears the whole back end shakes. Ultra is what it is, but not a performance motor.
Also love the Bosch and have ridden the Yamaha as well but own a ep8 and keep up with others just fine on hill climbs. Shimano falls behind with not being as forgiving with gear selection tho.
Could have potential got a Yamaha motor in this test. Would have had to do an extra run. Getting 3 at one time was a challenge. Would have been interested to see how it compared.
It's frustrating when companies create an excellent bike but equip it with an EP8 motor, like the Canyon Torque. However, reading through the comments, I see many people saying the EP8 is actually quite decent. This leaves me confused. When you're about to spend around £8,000 to £9,000, you really want to be sure you're making the right choice. It's a big decision.
Here is the funny thing. When you ride any E bike they all feel powerful. I thought the Dyname and Bosch were similar, but this test showed it was clearly not the case. I think the Shimano and Bosch are close enough that if you rode with friends, it wouldn't matter uphill and certainly wouldn't matter downhill. Given the choice I would get a Bosch bike over a Shimano one but wouldn't not buy my dream bike because it had the EP8.
I am aware that the new ep8 01 can go to 45km/hr in NZ but not much help to you. This may change my mind here but have not tested one yet.
u should redo this series with... which is the most reliable and has the best aftermarket support
Good idea but in practice impossible for me to do. I know one person with a Dyname motor and about 40 with Bosch. If the Dyname doesn't fail but 6 Bosch do, which is the most reliable?
@@bestdayevermtb2 I'd say talk about the one that has the biggest aftermarket user repairable support.. we need to start having these talks
@@ericmin7645 I agree we need to have these talks but again I don't have access to any data. The last thing I want to do is single out one local bike shop due to poor service to one customer. I am lucky, I get looked after very well but appreciate not everyone does. I have said in many of my videos when asked what is the best bike to buy. Get one from a good local bike shop that will look after you if you have a problem is always my answer.
@@bestdayevermtb2 it's usually not the bike shop but the manufacturers... since warranty and repairability is a trickle down effect coming from corporate.. if shimano and bosch and or brose made their motors repairable.. we wouldn't need these talks but here we are unfortunately..
Bosch are Grunty and Shimano are effective on higher cadence from experience.
Great comparison and video! Now the million dollar question, how do you think a Turbo Levo would have fared?
I think probably slightly faster than the Bosch but slower than the Dyname. Would have been nice to test more bikes. I did do a Bosch vs Brose 2 years ago. It came out very close.
@@bestdayevermtb2 yup, saw that video too! But would be great to see an updated test, since now both Brose and Bosch can be fine tuned in their respective apps to dial up everything to the max
@@bestdayevermtb2 How would you have rated the newer Yamaha motors on the Giants in order of strongest?
That was great. Thank you. Can you do a video telling us the handling differences between these three bikes?
I have done individual review videos on all three of these bikes. Check out my review playlist.
Awesome video! did you get a new KTM? Review video please :)
No, it is nearly two years old now. Still running well.
You were driving Shimano in Boost mode as per the video (yellow one). Boost is not supposed to be used for climbing. Trail mode is purposed for climbing and has better support and torque. So that test is not correct.
I am 100% confident the bike is not going to be faster in trail mode.
@ you are wrong😉 I have an opportunity to drive shimano ep8. Trail is much better then boost for going up. It gives more boost from the start and is purposed for climbing.
@@Gowann-n4u Lets agree to disagree.😂
it also seems like the rocky was quieter,
Funny you should say that as when I reviewed the RM I really didn't like the noise it made. So much so I returned to the bike owner and asked if it was normal
I've swapped from a Bosch to a Shimano and the Shimano is absolutely no where near as powerful. Bosch is definitely the best overall.
I prefer the Bosch but would still have a bike with the Shimano. Will be interesting to see what the new Shimano motor is like.
ITS Not the world difference. They feel pretty the Same ITS Just Placebo. Idk why U Sax that. I prefer Shimano for easy derestrict without using a Chip. Bosch Peak Power is better thats all
@@lakaldrak I would certainly swap less power for being derestricted.
Bosh is awfully loud, and definitely not the best.
Levo 2.2 , e8000, pwx2 next :)
Yeah massive difference between Shimano and Bosch. On max effort Shimano is 30 seconds slower than Bosch on moderate effort on a 4 minute technical segment.
I was quite surprised by the difference. I thought it would be closer.
Thts the problem with people with e bikes.. Which is the most powerful n fastest up.. I tried the rocky mountain and marin and marin was better goin down and overall fun, jumps and drops nicer etc. The whole idea of e bikes is to get up easier but its the going down tht shd be reviewed more i guess. Wnt i look at the e bikes is which is best going down, the corners, handling and overall performance aside of climbing cos thts a given with e bikes.
Not sure if you actually watched the video but I did explain that there is a lot more to an e- bike than climbing. In fact, all the bike reviews I have done have concentrated on the downhill handling characteristics. I have reviewed The Marin and the Rocky and I did like the way the Marin handled downhill and on the jumps. I did say if you feel tempted to state the obvious in the comments to give yourself an upper cut. I find it hysterical that you still went ahead and stated the obvious anyway even after me making that comment in the video. This video is just meant to be a bit of fun and people find them interesting. Clearly the increase in lighter lower powered E bikes shows that the consumer realizes that power is not the most important factor when choosing an e bike.
@@bestdayevermtb2 geez take a chill pill dude, i said people, not u. E mtbers r sure sensitive.
This is excellent news!! I always new the reason I was slowest up the hills was because of my shimano motor!🤣
I have always been slow uphill's and thought it was my motor. Turns out I am just unfit. 😃
"guys getting bored half way through ride," statement funny!
I have an EP8 on Mreida e160 10K... and its less powerful and struggles on range....its the one motor I wouldn't buy again
The EP8 is less powerful than the Bosch but I must admit I have always been happy riding Shimano bikes. I have ridden 50 and 60Nm motors and I think you get used to whatever power you have. The only time you notice is when you ride with others on more powerful motors. I am not sure about range. Maybe that might make a good video comparing Range of Bosch vs Shimano
@@bestdayevermtb2 I agree Lance won how the bike feels... Im 92 KG and 15/1600m climbing is about max with it on eco. Down here in Canterbury climbs are steep so it is more taxing. But a typical Craigieburn loop I will run out and ride last 3/4k without motor and the Bosch guys with similar weights and setups will have 10-15 percent left and will have used more EMTB mode than I will have trail
@@chrissinclair3136 It may be worth looking at closer. I am a similar weight and tend to run out of battery first simply because I am heavier and lazier. Not the easiest test to do as I would need to ride a Bosch bike then a Shimano bike with similar bike weight, suspension and tires as range has so many variables.
I drove a car the other day that had a battery in it, it was also quite fast up hills hmmm 🤔
Be very careful with Rocky Mountain. These guys build a great looking machine but they fall flat on their face on the support end. My Altitude C90 has been broken most of the time I have owned it. nobody knows how to fix inconsistent torque. My bike clips the torque at the top of every pedal stroke and doesn't throw a code. The dealer can't get parts without an error code. My 11500 dollar bike sits in limbo waiting for someone to do something. Rocky Mountain doesn't support their dealers with spares or technical help with odd driveline issues. Its a little odd that a cutting edge company doesn't care about issues that would lead to improved quality and fewer issues after the sale. I actually own two Rocky bikes. My 2019 Altitude power play A70 has been a great bike which is why I took a chance on the 2023 C90. I regret the latest purchase as I am supporting a company who doesn't care about you after the sale.
Sorry to hear that. Very frustrating when you have a problem with a bike and just nobody seems to care. I don't think RM are the only company where this happens. Good luck getting it sorted.
How did you know about my cat video fetish???? 🐈
Cat videos it is then. Cheers 😁
You say that you get accustomed to how much power you got. Why riding a E-bike then? That gut is waiting to give u heart problems dear sir.
Not sure I agree with your logic. If you can accustomed to eating slightly less each day would that mean you would be happy not to eat at all? On that subject I took your advice and lost 20kg ua-cam.com/video/OCiZkSngAGM/v-deo.html
Your test is lacking details. You did not show much attention to details. Another hearsay video.
Thanks for the feedback. We did a pretty straight forward test with a pretty conclusive result.
People always say but what about handling, range, power delivery etc etc. The video never claimed to say which bike was the best overall but simply which got up the hill faster. Not sure if you understand the word hearsay but that clearly doesn't apply to this video.
The Rocky Mountain drive unit is better. Feels exactly like a normal bike, standard replacement crank, it seems silent, and more refined. Good job Canada, I’m buying one, no need to haul the 700 lbs KTM 530 into My truck, no oil changes, or expensive maintenance.
You will have a lot of fun on it, I am sure.