Powered by Outside

On the Hunt - Light Assist Enduro EMTB

PB Forum :: eMTB
On the Hunt - Light Assist Enduro EMTB

 Post Message | Latest Comment
Author Message
flag quadrouplecrownaddict
Posted: Dec 12, 2024 at 6:07 Quote
Looking for owner opinions/reviews on lighter assist enduro style EMTB's, particularly the Slash + as owner reviews seem pretty rare.

I am considering adding a light assist EMTB to the stable. I currently have an XL Pivot Firebird and an XL Trail 429. I typically ride solo or with a few friends on analog bikes. I am looking for a light assist EBike to run on my solo laps so I can increase my milage with the same effort/workout.

I previously owned a 2023 Orbea Rise but I could not get along with the geometry. It felt great when riding XC or light trails but as soon as the going got steep it felt twitchy. I am also a larger built fella (6'4", 235lb) and the back end of the Orbea always felt quite flexy. I typically rode that bike on trail mode which leaves me comfortable with the level of support the TQ motor can offer. I also demoed the Santa Cruz Heckler SL and wasn't particularly impressed with the Fauza unit.

Interested in hearing anyone's experience with the Slash + (or other similar style e-bikes). On my potential list in order of interest are:

1. Trek Slash
2. YT Decoy SN
3. Transition Relay PNW
flag venturavin
Posted: Dec 15, 2024 at 9:56 Quote
Ok it looks bad on paper, but hear me out. Gen 1 Kenevo SL.

First of all, it is without a doubt one of the best riding long travel bikes (electric or not) of our time. Truly incredible.

Second, while the motor is sad on paper, it is operating so far within it's capabilities at max torque that it is one of the most reliable motors out there and stretches the SL battery the farthest. And the 35nm would be problematic if you were riding with a group of buddies with faster bikes, but for your use case it is perfect. Enough power to 2x your laps, but if your eyes are closed (not recommended) you'd think you were on an analog Enduro on the downhill.

Third, thanks to the new 1.2 SL motor the 1.1 bikes can be had pretty cheap on the used market. And due to reliability it's not too scary to buy used, whereas a Fazua bike would be way too much of a gamble IMO. I'd buy one new with good LBS support, but wouldn't roll the dice on a used one.

Just my $0.02. I totally see the appeal of the bikes on your list too, and frankly I will probably sell my KSL eventually to try one of those haha. But if I had the money I would keep the KSL in my garage forever because it truly is a historically good bike.
flag gnarforfun
Posted: Dec 15, 2024 at 17:16 Quote
I looked at the Slash+ and Relay PNW. Ended up going with the Relay as I couldn't demo a Slash and the reviews I could find implied it was more of a smash/plow down the trail and in my head I'm more playful and like to pump/jump around. My wife has a Fuel EXe and that is a really nice ride too, but if I was going 'e' I wanted all the travel so I could lap some rougher tracks.

The Relay has been awesome in the two months I've had it. It's stupid fast downhill, really stable but also fun and poppy like every Transition I've ridden. I'm 6' 1, and 175ish lbs so not the same size as you but I can't think it would be flexy. Power wise it's all I need, noticably more assist than the EXe which shares a motor with the Slash+. Like you, I wanted to get in more riding in a similar time and it's been perfect for that. I enjoy the downs way more than the full power bikes I've ridden (but not owned) just from it being more playful feeling with that lower weight.

I've just had a few chairlift laps on it over the weekend, I didn't have it turned on as it pedals well enough downhill to not need it. It felt every bit as capable as my 2016 Summum on the tracks I was riding (grade 4 and 5), but that is an older bike with not as good suspension on it so may not be a fair comparison.

I'm a massive fan of the Relay.
flag quadrouplecrownaddict
Posted: Dec 16, 2024 at 5:52 Quote
venturavin wrote:
Ok it looks bad on paper, but hear me out. Gen 1 Kenevo SL.

First of all, it is without a doubt one of the best riding long travel bikes (electric or not) of our time. Truly incredible.

Second, while the motor is sad on paper, it is operating so far within it's capabilities at max torque that it is one of the most reliable motors out there and stretches the SL battery the farthest. And the 35nm would be problematic if you were riding with a group of buddies with faster bikes, but for your use case it is perfect. Enough power to 2x your laps, but if your eyes are closed (not recommended) you'd think you were on an analog Enduro on the downhill.

Third, thanks to the new 1.2 SL motor the 1.1 bikes can be had pretty cheap on the used market. And due to reliability it's not too scary to buy used, whereas a Fazua bike would be way too much of a gamble IMO. I'd buy one new with good LBS support, but wouldn't roll the dice on a used one.

Just my $0.02. I totally see the appeal of the bikes on your list too, and frankly I will probably sell my KSL eventually to try one of those haha. But if I had the money I would keep the KSL in my garage forever because it truly is a historically good bike.


I can definitely get behind the though process in your recommendation. How do you find the maintenance on the linkage of your bike. I previously owned a SWorks Enduro and while that bike rode fantastically I found the maintenance required on that linkage to keep it quiet was excessive. That is partly what drove me towards the simpler DW-Link bikes.
flag venturavin
Posted: Dec 20, 2024 at 9:36 Quote
Fair concern, I've seen that complaint around. I had a used Enduro that I put a few hundred miles on without linkage issues, and now have my KSL which I bought with 120 miles and is now at 320 miles without linkage issues. Three riding buddies have/had Enduros they put a good bit of miles on without issues as well. Interestingly non of these were s-works and I feel like most stories I've seen have been with s-works frames... Specialized has a pretty strong history of making frames that work quite well, so I always assumed the stories of linkage issues must have been a bad batch of frames or most likely a bad batch of bearings. I could see how that would put you off from buying a KSL though if you experienced one of the bad ones, but my $0.02 is that it is extremely unlikely you would encounter another lemon.

The most appealing bike on your list that I would ditch my KSL for would be the Slash (for the battery), which I think warrants much more concern about rear end noise/issues. If money was no concern I would have got a Slash by now anyway, but for the money I think a used KSL + range extender is perfect to tide me over until the lightweight eeb market makes a little more progress in terms of power/range/weight.
flag DOxvrPTw
Posted: Dec 20, 2024 at 18:33 Quote
It sounds like we are looking for the same thing in a bike. Take a look at the Santa Cruz Vala. I'm also coming from a firebird and this seems like a good option. Its full power but the weight is somewhere between the light weight and full fat ebikes. It's sub 50lbs. New Bosch drive unit, 600wh battery.
flag RobMis
Posted: Dec 22, 2024 at 8:07 Quote
Slash + in XL will be perfect for you. I was riding 3 years a Kenevo SL and switched recently over to S+. While the KSL is an excellent bike the S+ is everywhere a notch better. The climbing position is more efficient because of the more modern geo, you can run much longer dropper, the battery is removable, the rear end works exceptionally well and it is an even more confidence inspiring descender than the KSL. Range is of course bigger as well with the larger battery. The weight of KSL with the range extender is about the same as S+ without and it is almost impossible to make a proper ride on the KSL without the REX so no really a weight advantage on the side of KSL as well.
I was riding a YT Decoy for a while and own a Transition Spire. I was eyeing at the Relay and the Decoy SN as well but I’m pretty confident that the S+ is the best descender of those all three bikes. Horst link bikes do not have much of a chance against this high pivot Trek conception.
flag venturavin
Posted: Dec 23, 2024 at 6:39 Quote
DOxvrPTw wrote:
It sounds like we are looking for the same thing in a bike. Take a look at the Santa Cruz Vala. I'm also coming from a firebird and this seems like a good option. Its full power but the weight is somewhere between the light weight and full fat ebikes. It's sub 50lbs. New Bosch drive unit, 600wh battery.

The Vala is soooo close, but I was so disappointed to see it was YET another 150mm travel ebike. Nothing against them, but the world has plenty of 150mm e-bikes. I can have fun with 150mm, but I also can pedal 150mm without a motor. I love the KSL because I can do big XC rides while hitting proper gnarly DH trails in the middle. Maybe a good candidate to long shock/fork?

Great to hear that Slash review, roQer!
flag quadrouplecrownaddict
Posted: Dec 23, 2024 at 8:24 Quote
venturavin wrote:
DOxvrPTw wrote:
It sounds like we are looking for the same thing in a bike. Take a look at the Santa Cruz Vala. I'm also coming from a firebird and this seems like a good option. Its full power but the weight is somewhere between the light weight and full fat ebikes. It's sub 50lbs. New Bosch drive unit, 600wh battery.

The Vala is soooo close, but I was so disappointed to see it was YET another 150mm travel ebike. Nothing against them, but the world has plenty of 150mm e-bikes. I can have fun with 150mm, but I also can pedal 150mm without a motor. I love the KSL because I can do big XC rides while hitting proper gnarly DH trails in the middle. Maybe a good candidate to long shock/fork?

Great to hear that Slash review, roQer!

I agree 100% with this sentiment. My Firebird is a pretty snappy peddler at 170/165 so when it comes to an EBike I am not willing to sacrifice suspension travel. Ideally I can get something with 160/170 rear that performs the same as the Firebird but lets me double my distance covered per unit of time. I had looked at the Vala, Troy E-Lite, Fluid VLT but they are all in the 140-150 range.
flag arweatherby1
Posted: Mar 18, 2026 at 6:40 Quote
Wondering if you are still riding the S+ and whether you have any long term reviews? I am looking at getting a used 2025 S+ 9.7. Interestingly I also own a spire, which I really love for descending. Wondering if the Slash + could replace my spire as well? Do you ever ride it without the battery?
flag Rugger55
Posted: Apr 11, 2026 at 8:41 Quote
Why not the Pivot Shuttle LT? ...Your bike now but e-version. I'm in same spot as you (I ride a Firebird), love it but I see the benefit of doing 3 laps vs 1 in same timeframe, etc.

Strangely the Shuttle AM matches the Firebird geometry pretty closely, up until its 160/150 vs 170/165. The Shuttle LT is quite a bit longer.... so I don't know. But I'd really like to hear more input -- and what you ended up with.
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2026. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.008609
Mobile Version of Website