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Bike suggestion for a dad

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Bike suggestion for a dad

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flag ribafish
Posted: May 20, 2026 at 4:56 Quote
Hi! I’m looking for some bike recommendations…not even necessary exact model, for starters I’m not even sure what type of e-bike makes most sense for me.

I’ used to ride downhill and bike parks a lot (10ish years ago). I still have my old do bike (trek session 8, 2012) and 4x bike. Other than that I have a ~18 year old basic mtb I really don’t like and which I’d like to replace. I have a wife and a small kid (1y8m). The kid loves his balance bike, he loves going to the pump track, so we bought the MacRide. We live in the Alps and my wife has a Specialized Turbo Vado, so I’m kinda lagging behind.

I’d like to ride more and I think with the kid growing up we could do that. I’d like to go on some trails, now with the MacRide, later on acting as the shuttle for him. I don’t think my wife would enjoy trails, so the fact that she doesn’t have a real mtb isn’t that big of a deal. I think. We might ride weekly during the summer, but this is my first kid so realistically I have no idea. He really likes the outdoors though, so maybe.

So now the question, do I get a electric fully, and if so do I go full power or SL? I'm 187cm and 103kg. Would a emtb hardtail be enough? Perhaps even a good analog fully? If I’d get a (electric) fully, I’d probably sell the session. With a hardtail I’d keep it.

Budget is 3500 EUR, new or used.

What do other dads have, is it enough, do you wish for something different? Money no object I’d just get a electric fully, but with the prices…it’s not really that it doesn’t matter. I'm not looking from yall to answer the question how and how much I/we're gonna use the bike, but it'd be great if there were others in a similar situation, or you have both an SL and FP ebike, etc. Smile

Note: Generally I'm leaning towards a full power fully in the 150mm 29er range. But I'm not sure if that'll get used enough to warrant the price increase over a 29er e-hardtail for example.
flag BenLow2019
Posted: May 20, 2026 at 8:39 Quote
ribafish wrote:
Hi! I’m looking for some bike recommendations…not even necessary exact model, for starters I’m not even sure what type of e-bike makes most sense for me.....

Note: Generally I'm leaning towards a full power fully in the 150mm 29er range. But I'm not sure if that'll get used enough to warrant the price increase over a 29er e-hardtail for example.

I'm not going to suggest a specific style of bike, but I will offer this for your consideration: the bike frame and the motor system are two separate things that come from different manufacturers. This is important if you have a problem with one or the other. People have been dismayed to discover that their new bike develops an electrical problem, but the bike maker won't fix it.

If you have a new bike, but it has motor or controller or battery or software or hardware problem then the bike manufacturer may not be able to solve it. They may tell you to seek a remedy from the party that makes those electrical things. So, do some research and select a bike with a reliable electrical/motor system or a system that has very good customer support.

Good luck.
flag venturavin
Posted: May 20, 2026 at 12:55 Quote
Kids ride pretty darn slow, and get tired pretty easily, IMO as a parent it makes much more sense to be on an analog bike. Sell the Session and 4x bike if you aren't riding them. Try out a modern 130-150mm travel trail bike. It is going to blow your mind how fun it is to ride DH, and how easy it is to pedal.

As a dad, ebikes are good for some very specific things. For me, it allows me to do the same 20-30 mile rides I used to love on the analog bike, but I can do them in 1-2 hours and I am not exhausted when I get home. So for solo shredding missions jammed into a parenting schedule, ebikes are awesome.

But your use case sounds like you are more focused on riding WITH your child. My kid is 2 so we are just starting to consider that option. For that it is analog all day. It's going to be many many years before your kid can keep up with you on your analog bike, let alone an ebike. And while I'm pro-ebike for sure, no way on earth is my kid riding an emtb as a child. Primarily just because a foundation of riding analog makes you an infinitely stronger rider.
flag ribafish
Posted: May 26, 2026 at 3:17 Quote
Thanks!

I test rode Spec Turbo Levo, both in full power and SL form and kinda preferred the SL... on the store parking lot (in another town). I need to rent it close by to test it out on the local trails, but I'm waiting for the store to reopen.

The SL still felt like a bike, I was also considering getting a modern analog ~150mm full sus bike, but I'm not a huge fan of climbs, so I have a feeling SL would help enough, without feeling I'm just motoring up.

I think it would be a mix of riding with the kid and (hopefully) some short (~1-1.5h) solo rides after work.

And yes, I agree, I don't plan to have the kid on an ebike anytime soon, hence the towrope idea/plan for steep/long climbs Smile
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