Upgrading your eBike

Upgrading to a New Electric Mountain Bike

All of us spend hours flipping through the pages of ebike magazines and mountain bike websites in search of that one bike that draws our attention. But how do we figure out which bike is the best for us? That is a question that everyone should consider. Since every mountain biker is different, we all may not agree on the same bike.

RIDE e MTB Pro Tip: With eBikes growing in popularity learning all the terms and definitions can be a bit overwhelming. Let me help with this comprehensive glossary. 👉 eBike Glossary

Define What You Want in an EMTB

First, let’s look at our strengths and weaknesses and the type of mountain biking that you do. If you are very strong at ascending an incline, then a hard tail bike would be suitable for you. On the other hand, if you have the desire to have more comfort while riding over the rough terrain, then a full suspension bike would be the bike of choice.

Consider what type of mountain biking you do and at what intensity. Some parks have a lot of difficult terrain to traverse through, while others have trails that are very smooth and easy to navigate through.

e biking picture
e biking picture

If the mountain biking that you do is mostly smooth and does not have a lot of rough terrain, then a 26er is best suitable for you. But if you’re the type that rides on single track trails that have a lot of roots and rocks to ride over, then a 29er would be your best bet.

Bafang Mid-Drive Electric Bike Conversion
Bafang Mid-Drive Electric Bike Conversion

Did you Know You Can Convert a Regular MTB to Electric?

Bafang a leader in DIY electric bike conversions has a mid-drive kit that will fit on most regular bikes. I’d recommend the BBSHD kit, it’s a complete setup with a huge capacity battery and a 1000 watt motor. Why this setup?

  • Heavy duty 1000 watt motor (built for cargo bikes)
  • +50 volt 17.5 Ah battery for speed and distance
  • Easy installation with provided tools.

If you’re considering a conversion, do what I’m doing get the BANFANG BBSHD 1000w eBike Conversion with Battery

What’s Your EMTB Budget

Now, we should look at price and determine if a $5,000 bike is best for you, or if you could get away with a $2,000 bike instead. Typically, as the price of a bike increases, the performance level also increases. But this isn’t always the case.

If you are into mountain bike races and looking to get the most for your buck while still being able to beat your completion, then you may not need that bike that is over $5,000. You could ask yourself, what would better suit me: a very expensive bike that is a full suspension 26er or an inexpensive hard tail 29er.

Both bikes will deliver a great performance, but it is up to you to weigh your options and see if a more expensive bike is really worth the money. Plus, if you choose to get an inexpensive bike, you can always do a few upgrades to it in order to increase the comfort and the performance level of the bike.

eMTB Tip: Learning how to maintain your bike is a must! You might have spent thousands, take care of your bike. Read this article on Mountain Biking Maintenance – READ

Find a Local Bike Shop You Trust

The next step in your search to upgrade to a new mountain bike is by far the most critical. If you plan on making your bike purchase at a bike shop, you may want to ask if you can take your bike of choice out for a ride (preferably at your local mountain bike park). Some bike shop owners may be willing to let you do this or they may just let you try out their bike in their parking lot. If you do try out a bike in their parking lot or on the street that the bike shop is located on, then you will have the chance to at least see how you’re positioned in relation to the bike.

What I strongly recommend, is asking your local bike shop if there will be a bike company rep. at their shop or at your local mountain bike park. If so, then you will have the chance to test out any of their demo bikes before making that major purchase on the bike of your dreams.

RIDE e MTB Tip: Are you thinking about building an eBike? It isn’t very hard – Heck I’ve got step by step instructions with videos along with all the tools. Check it out 👉 How to Build a Mid-Drive Electric Bike

Keep Pedaling

There is of course more information that can be given to you, but for now this will most definitely get you started. Since there are lots to remember when making that final decision on your next bike, whatever bike you decide upon, I’m sure you’ll be able to ascend to new heights!


David Humphries Author at Ride e MTB

Hi David Humphries here the guy doing all the pedaling behind the scenes with this blog. I’ve been in the MTB world for a while and recently started getting into eMTBs. You can check out more about me HERE and on my other passion project – DIYMountainBike.com