DOWNHILL ONLY

Q: I’m what you might consider a “park rat” and pretty much avoid anything to do with riding uphill, because all I have is a downhill bike. I want to get another bike, but I don’t think an enduro bike will work for me. Are there any ebikes out there that you think will match my style?
Kyle Chase
Rutland, Vermont

A: There is a huge shuttle ebike culture building as gravity riders discover the advantages of them for getting radical, all-day shuttle sessions on the bike. There is more than likely a crew who already does this in your area. There are a lot of ebikes we can recommend that fit into the category of “big senders.”

Let’s start off with the Yeti 160E. Yeti Yeti designed this e-bike specifically for enduro racing and proved its mettle by winning the E-Enduro World Cup series with Ryan Gilchrist.

Then there’s the Canyon Torque:ON; this is a bike that reminded us of a downhill bike in the way it hammered down the mountain with stability and confidence. It’s a heavy rig that is a lot to handle on tight singletrack with a lot of hairpin corners, but on jumps, technical rocks and high-speed trails, it really shined.

Another bike we really enjoyed reviewing is the Pivot Shuttle LT. This bike was a powerhouse that felt a little bit lighter under foot than most other full-power, long travel ebikes and that’s even more the case with the latest redesigned version with the Bosch Race motor. It is an excellent climber and tackles all kinds of descents with poise and agility without losing any of its downhill stability.

We’ve ridden and tested a lot of other bikes that also fit this bill, like the Ibis Oso, which is endlessly customizable and brings a unique ride quality that is both stable and agile. If you want to go full “park rat,” you can even add a dual-crown fork on the front and hit “send.”

The GasGas ECC is another contender, which combines mountain bike and motocross suspension technology into something we really like. This bike has a lot going for it like the SRAM Powertrain, as well as the WP/DVO suspension collaboration bringing cone-valve suspension technology into the mountain bike world.

Another bike to consider is the Devinci E-Troy, which we tested in our last issue. Each of the bikes we’ve listed should be enough to keep up with you as you send those shuttle laps at your local bike park or beyond.

No list would be complete without mentioning Rocky Mountain’s ALtitude Powerplay. This hard hitting 160mm travel eMTB features a mid-high pivot style suspension system and one of the most powerful drive units we have tested.

One of the best gravity insipired E-mountain bikes we have recently tested has to be Norco’s Range VLT. This high pivot 170mm travel monster is spec’d with a 180mm travel fork and downhill inspired geometry. Its Bosch drive unit and generous 750 Wh battery that’s expandable with the 250 Wh Power More battery extender means you’ll likely run out of energy lapping your favorite DH trail before the bike does.