An electric hard tail mountain bike with front suspension, powerful mid-drive motor and battery, aggressive and fun riding, and some great features
Includes front suspension, great locking ergonomic grips, Kenda knobby tires, beautiful wire loom wraps and integration, and a lot of other features like bottle cage bosses
Makes use of a powerful Dapu mid-drive motor and 48v 14ah high capacity battery, complimented well with a 9 speed Shimano system and Tektro hydraulic brakes with motor inhibitors
No rack provisions or lights, kickstand can produce pedal lock when reversing, and the saddle is on the athletic and active side which lacks comfort
Key-Disp 718, Fixed LCD, Backlit, Adjustable Brightness (Double Tap Info Button, + and - and Info Buttons to Navigate, Hold + to Toggle Between Sport Mode and Eco Mode, Hold - to Enter Walk Mode, Hold Light Icon to Toggle Headlight and Backlight)
Readouts:
Battery Indicator (Percentage), Clock, Speed, Max Speed, Average Speed, Odometer, Tripometer, Range, Calories, Trip Timer, Pedal Assist (0-5) (Advanced Settings: Unit of Measurement, Brightness, Auto Off, Default Mode, Power View, SOC View, Trip Reset, Wheel Size, Speed Limit, AL Sensitivity, Set Max Speed
Display Accessories:
Independent Button Pad on Left, USB Charge Port Underneath Display
To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Electric Bike Technologies. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Electric Bike Technologies products.
If you haven’t noticed, Electric Bike Technologies has been keeping their new bike names straight forward and simple. Such is the case with the bike we are reviewing today, the ‘Electric Mountain Bike’. To reduce redundancy and confusion, we will refer to it as the EMB for the rest of the review. As the name says, it is just that; a hard tail electric mountain bike… it should also be noted that it is competitively priced at $3,298. It is powered by a Dapu mid-drive motor that features torque based pedal assist, a thumb throttle, and adjustable speeds in the menu. More on that later, for now, let’s jump into some of the features. The frame is made of aluminum alloy and comes in this high-step frame. As is common with mountain bikes, the EMB has a higher standover height and an aggressive body geometry position. I like the matte black we are testing today, it looks great with the glossy accents too, like the decal that says ‘mountain’ across the frame. In the front you have a nice RST Alpha suspension fork. This fork has 110mm of travel, along with both preload adjust and compression lockout. The tires here are a nice set of Kenda 27.5” x 2.3” knobby tires. So all in all, good size, good tread, and they are even complimented with these 13 gage spokes. I did notice some fender mounting points around here, but sadly, no rack provisions. There are no included lights either, which is likely not a big deal for many, but more and more hard tail mountain bikes are being used each day by commuters, so you may be lacking those features here. You do however get a great set of locking ergonomic grips. These even have a horn on the ends for a couple of different hand positions to relax the tension of your ride as spoken of in the written review. They also included an adjustable angle stem, so you could dial it even more for your geometry preference, something I really appreciate. I have to compliment Electric Bike Technologies for the wiring here too, it is neat and clean thanks to internally routed cables and this great wire loom zipper case. Having this here really helps for maneuverability as well as keeping the frame from being nicked. I should also mention it is easy for maintenance and keeping those wires in-line means better aggressive riding. The saddle is an active saddle, another common feature of mountain bikes, but it does have a 30.9mm seat post so you could swap out the seat for something more comfortable, or even get a suspension seat post to get a more full suspension feel. Other features include aluminum alloy Wellgo platform pedals, bottle cage bosses, and an adjustable angle kickstand, although it is mounted near the crank, so you can get pedal lock when reversing.
Driving the bike is a Dapu MD250. Despite the 250 in the title, the motor can be configured in a number of different ways to meet the needs of bike manufacturers and users alike. On the EMB here, it is set for a rating of 350 watt nominal and 720 watts at a peak rating. This is using a very nice torque sensor, so you get that more natural feeling torque based pedal assist as opposed to the more basic cadence based pedal assist. The modes of assist go from 0-5 and there is even a thumb throttle on the left which I found to be a lot of fun along with the assist. Mechanically, the EMB makes use of a 9 speed Shimano Alivio system. This has an 11-34 tooth cassette in the front with a 36 tooth chain ring in the front. I love the trigger shifters with gear indicator window. The crank arm here even has a bash guard on the outside, so again, something I appreciate. Stopping the bike is done with a fantastic set of hydraulic disc brakes. Hydraulic disc brakes may be a little more difficult to maintain as opposed to mechanical brakes, but they are far worth it in my opinion. The immediate stopping power is a much welcome asset, especially in a high powered setup such as this. The brakes here are Tektro Auriga with 180mm dual piston disc rotors in both the front and rear, complimented well by motor inhibitors that cut power to the motor as soon as you squeeze the brakes.
Powering the bike is a lithium ion battery at 48v 14ah. With the combination of the voltage and amp hours, I would consider a very high capacity pack. The battery is easy to get in and out of the housing and is protected by lock and key. I love that it has a USB port so you can power devices off of it or even use it as a portable power bank. It also has an LED light on it that shows respective power levels if you are wondering how much juice is left without needing to turn on the bike. To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells. Try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry.
Operating the bike is simple enough. I’m kind of a control center geek and I always love to see comprehensive stats while riding. The control center on the EMB does just that. It displays pretty much everything, including current speed, top speed, average speed, range, battery level, pedal assist mode, wattage output and more. More importantly, I could read it in direct sunlight! I love that it is color and uses an automotive motif. A big win here is that the battery power is listed in percentages. Some ebikes use just 4 or 5 ticks on the display to portray battery life. This can leave you guessing at the last tick. Do you have 25% battery life left? Do you have 2% left? You simply will have to guess. Not with this display… since it is written in percentages, you know exactly how much battery you have at all times. The only downside to this display was that it’s not removable, so I might worry about it getting dinged up when the bike is being parked or transported and just taking more sun and rain damage over time. It does however angle, and I love that the controls can be pressed easily by your left hand since they are positioned well as to keep your eyes on the road. Electric Bike Technologies was kind enough to enter a deep menu mode. By holding the UP and DOWN button, it will allow you to get in there and change things like the top speed or motor output. A great feature that goes well with Electric Bike Technologies customer support that can help you get it to where you want.
So spending time with the EMB has left me quite pleased. I loved the knobby tires, aggressive feel, quick speed, and torque sensing pedal assist. It may not be for everyone though, so let’s look at some of the tradeoffs to see if it is right for you. There are no commuting features here like lights or racks, which is probably fine for most people. It does have fender provisions, so at least that is there. I noticed the kickstand was mounted near the pedals, so you get pedal lock when reversing the bike with the stand down unfortunately. But probably the biggest trade off is comfort. The saddle is quite athletic and is made more for pedaling than sitting. The rigid seat post only added to this, however, both can be swapped out for more comfortable options like a gel seat or suspension seat post. All in all, I think the EMB is quite capable. I love Electric Bike Technologies customer service and support as well. When you couple that with all that you are getting, I think the offering is simply great. I want to thank Electric Bike Technologies for letting me check out the Electric Mountain Bike.
As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own a previous version of the bike, have taken a test ride, or are brand new to the space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also join the Electric Bike Technologies Ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
Pros:
An electric hard tail mountain bike with front suspension, powerful mid-drive motor and battery, aggressive and fun riding, and some great features
Features an RST Alpha front suspension fork with 110mm of travel, along with both preload adjust and compression lockout
A set of Kenda 27.5” x 2.3” knobby tires that have a good size, good tread, and they are even complimented with these 13 gage spokes
Amazing locking ergonomic grips, these have a horn on the ends for a couple of different hand positions to relax the tension of your ride or help out with newer or older riders get comfortable again
I love the wire setup here, it uses internally routed cables and this great wire loom zipper case, having this helps for maneuverability, keeping the frame from being nicked, makes it easy for maintenance, and keeping those wires in-line means better aggressive riding
I really appreciate that they made room for bottle cage bosses here, this is great for water bottles or even other accessories for your ride like a folding pump or bike lock
The Dapu MD250 is powerful, here it is set for a rating of 350 watt nominal and 720 watts at a peak rating, and keeps weight centered for better riding by making it a mid-drive
Not only do you have a trigger throttle here, but it also makes use of 5 modes of torque based pedal assist, so it feels more more natural than cadence based pedal assist found on other value mountain bikes
The brakes here are Tektro Auriga with 180mm dual piston disc rotors in both the front and rear, complimented well by motor inhibitors that cut power to the motor as soon as you squeeze the brakes
The battery is one I would consider high capacity, thanks to its 48v 14ah rating, it can really go the distance and then some, I love the USB port on the side for charging your items or even using as a portable power bank
The display is color and is easy to read, it also has a percentage readout for the battery, which keeps out the guess work of how much you have left
Electric Bike Technologies has added a deep dive menu into the system which will allow you to tinker with your bikes electric capabilities if you so wish, the support is great and the company will help you change things like top speed or number of pedal assist levels for example
Cons:
The kickstand is appreciated, however, it is mounted near the crank arm which can produce pedal lock, an annoying occurrence where reversing the bike with the stand down will lock up the pedals and not allow it to move, really annoying when backing out of a garage for example
I did notice some fender mounting points around here, but sadly, no rack provisions if you wanted to take some cargo with you in the mountains
There are no included lights either, which is likely not a big deal for many, but hard tail value priced bikes are being used more and more each day by commuters, so you are lacking those features here
The frame does not have a step through version, so if you have problems getting up and over a higher bike, this may not be the setup for you
The saddle here is thin, narrow, and made for active pedaling rather than sitting, it can be quite uncomfortable for some, but luckily, both the saddle and seat post can be swapped out for more comfortable options like a gel saddle or suspension seat post
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