STILUS E-BIG MOUNTAIN
£4,999.99 Can this bike from a lesser-known Decathlon brand keep up with the big players?
Trying to break into the e-MTB market is no easy task, especially with all the major (and many of the smaller) brands having already added e-bikes to their ranges. Of course, if you’ve got French retail giants Decathlon behind you and a competitive price tag, things may be a bit easier. The Stilus E-Big Mountain certainly looks like it means business. It pumps out 170mm of front and rear- wheel travel, uses Bosch’s top-of-the-line Performance Line CX Gen 4 motor and a large 750Wh battery, has mixed-size wheels and boasts geometry to compete with the most modern enduro e-bikes.
THE FRAME
The industrial-looking chassis is built from 6061 alloy, with straight tubes giving a clean aesthetic. A tried-and-tested Horst-link fourbar linkage is used out back, just like on a YT Decoy or Canyon Strive:ON. The frame has plenty of modern features, including internal cable routing threaded through the headset, as is becoming the industry norm. There’s a mount for a bottle cage inside the front triangle, Boost rear hub spacing and modest amounts of frame protection.
For the price, it’s impressive to see Bosch’s Gen 4 motor here, which dishes out 85Nm of max torque and 600W of peak power (250W continuous). The 750Wh battery is integrated into the down tube and is removable with a key. Stilus use Bosch’s chunkier Kiox 300 display and remote.
Only three sizes are available – medium, large and extra-large – with geometry that’s capable for the bike’s intended enduro use. Our medium bike has a sensible 450mm reach, stable 445mm chainstays and a slack
THE BIKE HIDES ITS WEIGHT WELL, AND ITS HANDLING IS DECEPTIVELY AGILE. IT FINDS PLENTY OF GRIP AND CAN BE THROWN CONFIDENTLY THROUGH THE TURNS
64-degree head angle. While the seat tube is nice and short, at 420mm, it’s not as steep as some, at 75 degrees.
THE KIT
Branded parts are specced throughout, which is great to see for the price. The 170mm-travel Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Coil fork and Bomber CR coil shock are capable units, while SRAM’s NX Eagle drivetrain takes care of shifting. The bike also gets fourpiston SRAM Code R brakes with big 220mm front and 200mm rear rotors, while the cockpit is made up of a Renthal Fatbar 35 handlebar and Apex 35 stem. Wide (35mm internal) SUNRinglé Duroc SD37 wheels are wrapped in chunky Vittoria e-Mazza tyres. There’s just one spec letdown – the 125mm TranzX dropper post, which is just too short. All in, the bike weighs a hefty 27.4kg.
THE RIDE
The Stilus E-Big Mountain is a lot of bike. It does many things incredibly well, but struggles with others, and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
On climbs, the geometry makes seated pedalling a comfortable task. We never found the slacker-than-some seat tube angle to be a problem. The position is relaxed, but it doesn’t take a big effort to load the front wheel to keep it tracking on steep trails. Thanks to the powerful Bosch motor, the bike will grind up most hills with little fuss, and there’s plenty of traction from the grippy rear tyre and well-proportioned chainstays. We never missed a climb switch on the shock, with the rear end providing a decent pedalling platform, especially with the assistance from the motor. Overall range is good
– we managed over 30km of riding with 1,250m of climbing in Bosch’s eMTB mode, which automatically adjusts the level of assistance to suit the terrain.
Versatility isn’t the Stilus’s strong suit, but considering it’s a 170mm enduro e-bike, it shouldn’t be. This is a sled for those winch-and-plummet riders who aren’t fussed about travelling quickly unless they’re working with gravity. On flow trails, the bike’s weight makes it a demanding ride once you get above the motor’s speed limit, and it takes a lot of effort to maintain momentum in situations where the drive unit can’t aid you. This isn’t helped by the supple coil suspension.
However, on gravity-fed trails, it’s a bump-swallowing beast. The fork and shock feel so smooth and composed, and the frame so stable, that the bike ploughs over anything you put in front of it. Small bumps vanish, and bigger square-edged hits are absorbed proficiently, with minimal feedback or disruption to the direction of travel.
With all that descending capability and speed potential, you need to be able slow this bike down. Unfortunately, even with the large rotors, the Code R anchors don’t make you feel confident on steep, fast trails. A brake upgrade would be welcome, as would a longer dropper. The Stilus hides its weight surprisingly well, though, and its handling is deceptively agile. It finds plenty of grip and can be thrown confidently through the turns, offering a stable and predictable ride character. On the right trail, it’s a great bike. Luke
A good e-bike with an impressive price-to-performance ratio, if your focus is on the descents
Saracen are confident that their Ariel 50E is a do-it-all machine worth serious consideration. Its 150mm of frame travel, dual rear-wheel options, aggressive geometry and smart spec choices should give it the versatility to conquer anything. But how does it fare on the trails?
THE FRAME
Built using Saracen’s ‘Series 3’ hydroformed 6013 aluminium tubing, the frame looks clean and simple. The medium size we tested comes with a 29in front wheel and 650b rear, but it can be converted to a full 29er using the supplied convertible linkage. Features include internal cable routing, space for a bottle, modest chain protection and 12x157mm Super Boost rear hub spacing.
Saracen’s ‘Signature TRL’ suspension platform delivers 150mm of rear-wheel travel, via a single-pivot swingarm and linkage-actuated shock. This gives the bike a progressive leverage curve, which means suspension support increases as it moves through its travel. If the frame tubes are relatively slender for an e-bike, the 38mm main- pivot bearing is anything but, giving a stiff connection between the front and rear, and improving suspension performance by minimising lateral loads on the shock.
Pedalling assistance is provided by Shimano’s previous-generation E7000 motor. This uses the same bolt pattern as their top-spec EP801 unit, but is lighter and not quite as powerful, with 60Nm of max torque. The down tube hides a removable 720Wh Darfon battery, accessed via a lockable plastic cover on the underside.
The geometry blends aggressive length numbers with more modest angles. Our medium frame has a long 480mm reach and stable 465mm chainstays, with a trail-orientated 65-degree head angle and moderate 76-degree effective seat tube angle.
THE KIT
Saracen have been smart with their kit choices, speccing practical and well-performing products. The Fox Float X Performance shock is a capable unit and well-matched to the air-sprung, 160mm-travel Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork. Shimano provide their proven 12-speed Deore drivetrain, with an SLX mech upgrade. While the Deore
brakes are the two-piston M6100 version, they pack a punch with 203mm rotors. The rest of the kit comprises branded products, including a Race Face Chester 35 cockpit, Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO tyres, and a KS Rage-i dropper. DT Swiss H 522 rims on KT hubs complete the bike.
THE RIDE
Don’t be put off by the older E7000 motor – it packs a punch and will help you conquer all but the steepest climbs. Plus, the lower power means the battery lasts longer than on other bikes with the same 750Wh capacity.
The seated position is comfortable, and feels more compact than you’d expect from its numbers on paper. Thanks to the long chainstays, there’s good traction and stability on steep climbs. The suspension provides a stable pedalling platform so we never used the shock’s climb lever on smoother trails.
Even with its long wheelbase, the Ariel 50E isn’t a pain to ride around tight corners. Overall, it has a pretty active feel, with its lively suspension giving it an engaging ride that keeps it fun and entertaining on a wide variety of trails. The initial travel is sensitive, helping to smooth out trail chatter and find traction over bumps. In the mid-stroke, progression builds smoothly and the bike doesn’t wallow, giving a firm platform to push against through high-load turns and on heavy landings. The Saracen allows riders to pop and play – as much as is possible on a full-power e-bike – while still giving hard-chargers enough capability to mute the worst of the bumps.
It hides its size well and feels short considering its 480mm reach, which, paired with the long stays, meant we were able to keep our weight centred between the wheels and didn’t have to move a lot to control the bike. Given its 1,280mm wheelbase, it's surprisingly agile, and can be manoeuvred with ease.
One issue is the tyres. On slower, more technical trails, the relatively thin EXO casing moulds around roots or rocks well. But on fast runs and under high forces, its instability makes the tyres prone to squirming.
Range, price and functionality – from steep tech to winding singletrack – are all good. If you need one e-bike to do it all, this should be on your list. Luke
A bike with a wide comfort zone that’ll handle nearly everything – even more so with a tyre swap
THE SARACEN ALLOWS RIDERS TO POP AND PLAY, WHILE STILL GIVING HARD-CHARGERS ENOUGH CAPABILITY TO MUTE THE WORST OF THE BUMPS