Electric mountain bikes fall into one of two categories, Full fat (full power) or lightweight (lower power but lightweight). So which is the best electric bike? Well both of these E-mountain bikes have their pros and cons which we’ll discuss as you read on.

Full Fat E-Mountain Bike

The first and most common of the two is a full power electric bike, which is often referred to as ‘full fat’.

These bikes have high-torque output motors, usually around 80-85Nm (newton metres) for better climbing and acceleration. These electric motors have high power outputs of over 600 watts in some cases, and high capacity batteries up to 800Wh (watt hours) for longer riding time and tend to be on the heavier end of the scale.

Because of the heavier weight, they can be less responsive when compared to lightweight electric mountain bikes. However, if your goal is to cover as much ground as possible, do not let the weight of a full fat E-MTB put you off.

Lightweight E-Mountain Bike

The second category is the lightweight electric mountain bike. A growing part of the market with more bike brands and motor brands launching bikes and motors each year.

These bikes traditionally use smaller and lighter electric motors than the ‘full fat’ bikes. However they mostly have lower torque levels usually between 50 and 60 newton metres; lower power levels usually between 300 and 400 watts, and smaller batteries commonly no more than 400 watt hours compared to full powered E-bikes.

Lightweight E-mountain bikes tend to be lighter in weight and more manoeuvrable. But the trade off is shorter riding times and you have to do more of the work. With that said, lightweight E-mountain bikes feel much closer to an analogue mountain bike as they are more playful.

Combining lightweight and full power

Up to now it’s been very clear cut which camp an E-MTB falls into, but the two categories don’t play together well. If you have a lower power lightweight E-bike and you’re riding with riders on full fat bikes, it can be a struggle to keep up.

Introducing the Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite

Our new Elite level electric trail bikes can be both and anywhere in between with our unique motor and battery technology. We use a full fat motor that is fully adjustable so you can adjust the levels of torque, assistance and what we call Launch Control which can vary how quickly the torque and power is delivered by the motor.

Starting at under 19 kilos these bikes definitely qualify as lightweights but with torque levels adjustable between 20 and 85 newton metres, power over 600 watts, assistance levels of between 50 and 400% and a battery capacity of up to 600 watt hours, these bikes can be all things to all riders.

The Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite combines the full fat power and torque with the handling benefits that come from a lightweight electric bike. If your goal is big days out in the saddle you can turn down the levels for a longer range. The Intrigue X Elite’s adjustability is what makes it one of the most unique E-mountain bike’s on the market.

The only small downside is that our motor is around 800 grams heavier than some of the motors our competitors are using in their lower output non adjustable lightweight E-bikes. However in our opinion 800 grams is a small penalty for the gains that motor gives you.

They can be Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde at the swipe of an app.

Intrigue X E+ Elite E-bike Technology
Intrigue X E+ Elite E-bike Technology