FINALVERDICT

While e-MTBs have evolved hugely in recent years, all of the bikes in this test are still flawed in one way or another. In the end, the win was a close call between Specialized’s Turbo Kenevo and Mondraker’s e-Crafty. While the Spesh is refreshingly quiet, chuckable and gobbles up bumps, we found it a little too wallowy on climbs, too short when descending and sometimes slow to get going. But if you’re a shorter, lighter rider than our Seb, these issues are less likely to concern you. The composure of the Mondraker on gnarly terrain won us over. But smaller or less experienced riders will struggle to get the front wheel aloft, in which case it may not be for you.

The differences between the Bosch and Brose motors were interesting to experience, with both having their quirks. When we were calling in bikes for testing, we tried to get hold of at least one fitted with a Shimano STEPS E8000 drive unit. Having ridden a few Shimano-powered e-bikes, we reckon it’s the best of the commonly-available motors – smoother and less draggy than the Bosch and less sluggish than the Brose. Unfortunately, so many e-MTBs were either sold out or not available in our size (XL) and price bracket, we simply couldn’t get our hands on one in time.

If none of the bikes in this test takes your fancy, it’s worth looking at Canyon’s Spectral:ON (Shimano motor), Scott’s E-Genius (Shimano or Bosch) or Rocky Mountain’s Altitude Powerplay (Rocky’s own motor). All have impressed us in the past, and you can find ‘first ride’ reviews on BikeRadar.com.