The mountains promise you the thrill of a lifetime.
Your mind keeps telling you this. That's why you always go back to them and tackle the trails. Yet, you never seem to get there. The ultimate thrill eludes you. You know you have the skill, but do you have the right bike for it?
You know what you need is a bike that can help you transcend the highest level of thrill. If you haven't purchased a full-suspension electric mountain bike for sale, then we hope this article will help nudge you on the right path.
Riding a full-suspension e-bike is where the party is at right now. It's a sneak peek at the future of mountain biking. But while full-suspension electric bicycles have found their early adopters, some enthusiasts—especially the purists—are still on the fence.
We get it. Riding an electric bike with suspension seems like overkill, and it probably does not differ much from your average full-suspension bike. So let's lay down the attributes that make e-bikes similar to and different from a regular mountain bike (MTB).
Parts
One quick visual inspection of the electric bike, and you'll mistake it for an analog bike. It uses the same parts: handlebar, frame, brake system, suspension, and drivetrain. That means it won't be as difficult to source parts because e-bikes use the standard components.
Care and Maintenance
Given their similar parts, the maintenance and care also don't differ. You can do the usual care and maintenance and upkeep for your e-bike that you do for your analog. If the tire goes flat, the brakes become clunky, or the handlebars become misaligned, you can take them to any bike repair shop, and they'll know what to do to fix it.
An e-bike has an electric-powered motor.
You have different components added to your e-bike. You will find the motor situated within your crankset, the battery hidden on the thick down tube or behind the seat tube, and the displays located on the handlebars or the top tube. Naturally, these will add more weight to the bike.
You have more power than usual.
The purpose of the motor on an electric mountain bike is to assist your pedaling. Electric bikes, also known as pedelec, support your cycling by adding more power as you pedal.
Power begets power. The harder you pedal, the harder the motor assists. That means if you're climbing toward a steep uphill, the e-bike's motor will give you a boost, and you'll exert less force as opposed to an analog bike. The best e-bikes have a throttle button that allows you to control the motor's power as you ride.
Electric bikes with full suspension can deliver the same feeling and adrenaline rush as analog bikes, and this applies across all the known full-suspension MTB disciplines. So if you want to level up the fun in your trail adventures, buy a full suspension and amp it up by going for an electric bike.
While getting the best full-suspension e-bike levels up the fun, it's an entirely new level of adrenaline if you pick the right type of bike for the discipline of your inclination.
Choosing a discipline is important when you want to get the full swing of thrill on your MTB ride. If you've already selected one and plan to stick with it, this section will reassure you that you chose the right one and give you a glimpse of the different sides of mountain biking.
On the other hand, maybe you want to try several disciplines apart from what you started with. That's okay. If you're curious as to what bike suits which type of MTB rides, we've got you covered.
Best For: Long rides, on and off the road
The cross-country (XC) discipline is commonly mistaken for roadies. That's because a cross-country race mostly involves cycling on roads, but it also involves off-road trails. The main focus of the cross-country discipline is on long rides. Professional racecourses are lengthy and mean to test your endurance in varying environments.
But unlike other disciplines, cross-country is lighter when it comes to off-road tracks. Usually, it only involves single tracks across woodlands or mountaintops with little to no obstacles. But the fun is in how well you endure cycling through these conditions as fast as possible.
If cross-country is your choice of discipline, Paselec offers a gnarly full-suspension rig with an intelligent power system that adjusts to the type of trail you’re cycling on. The Paselec e-bike is an XC full-suspension electric MTB built for speed and endurance.
On the other hand, if you’re into riding on sandy beaches or snow, you may want to consider getting an electric full-suspension fat bike like the Cyrusher fat-tire electric bike.
Best For: Light to moderate single tracks and mountain trails
The trail discipline involves more action in short bursts. It is the rebellious sibling of cross-country. You pick up this discipline if you want some unbridled fun on the mountain trails, free of all the time pressures and the delayed gratifications of cross-country. With a trail mountain bike, you can go to more unusual tracks with more interesting trails involving climbing and hopping.
If you're looking for an adrenaline rush, trail would be a good choice of MTB discipline. You'll enjoy it to the highest level with a full-suspension e-bike like the one Focus offers. The THRON 6 series looks the part of a nimble, powerful full suspension built for mountain trails.
Best For: Moderate to extreme downhill trails
The downhill discipline is the ultimate adrenaline-pumping experience. It's an adult's souped-up playground slide made more fun on two-wheels.
Most downhill courses are more challenging than trail or enduro courses. They keep the trails extreme by loading them with technical corners, jump-off sections, and obstacles along the way.
However, what will have your adrenaline shooting through the roof is the challenge of timed descent. You have to go downhill as fast as possible, which will require you to always be alert and responsive and acquire agile balancing and braking skills to keep your speed and descent optimal.
If you're a serious downhill thrill-seeker who gets off on free falling on cliffs and ramps, speeding down the mountain tracks, and testing your limits, go for downhill and do your best to get to the end in one piece. The Haibike XDURO DWNHILL Pro model will help you get started.
Best For: Moderate to extreme uphill and downhill long course
The enduro/all-mountain discipline has a high level of challenge and thrill. This ultimate mountain biking category gives you several timed moderate to extreme downhill sections.
The enduro is more wicked than its downhill cousin. Unlike in downhill, wherein you can ignore the uphill climb by taking yourself and your bike on a lift, the enduro makes you work hard for it several times. This grueling discipline will demand every piece of you, and you have to do it fast, too.
On the other hand, enduros give you a bit of a break with fewer ramps as they use naturally challenging terrains to test your endurance in extreme mountain environments. Overall, this discipline is not for the faint-hearted. You'll need a Specialized Turbo Levo series to battle it out in the long-course mountain enduro to push you beyond your limits.
We've established all the good things a full-suspension e-MTB can do for you as well as the different types of electric bikes you can use for every kind of discipline. You've also gotten a glimpse of what the world of full-suspension electric bikes is like. Are you up for it?
Be warned: the MTB disciplines requiring full-suspension MTBs aren't for leisurely cyclists and newbies. The price alone will intimidate MTB bikers who aren't willing to dedicate themselves to the discipline.
A full-suspension electric mountain bike for sale, on average, costs from $4,000 to as high as $14,000 online and in the market. But if you’re willing to shell out and prepare yourself for the challenges ahead, you’ll get the ultimate thrill the mountains promise.
