Reading the comments, it is interesting to see that they are mostly focusing on the motor as oppose to bike character, suspension behavior, agility, fun level, speed... Maybe a great topic for an upcoming video! 😊
Ridding this bike for the last 2.5 months with a focus on Enduro ride as opposed to trail ridding. This bike is a versatile weapon, the frame works really well with air shock! Not the best motor, but plenty of juice and a really nice and natural power delivery when going up technical single track (not sure why you need 1000w when doing proper MTB) and when climbing fire road, got enough juice to bang off the speed limiter constantly! If you want a bike that brings you up the hill comfortably and rips down the hills, probably above it's weight /travel particularly if you do not ride every week within high mountain ski resort like I do, this is a bike I recommend considering. BTW, flat out, I do with one charge 45-50km / 1500m D+ no problem (I weight 85kg). All this for ~EUR5k less than any other brand with same equipment ! My only complain: the integrated headset! (Unnecessary too complicated)
@@BenoitCajelot I agree with you, Im not sure who needs 1000w on a bike, i have a Bosch CX4 and I can count with the finger of one hand the times I used the turbo mode in the last 3 years, instead of 1000w they should lower the power and increase the range in the DJI. No Shimano is not even a topic to cover, there is a reason why 90% of the latest models bikes are coming out with Bosch, Shimano is nothing but problems or at least on my experience.
Nothing wrong with the Shimano… I quite like it. Ive only ridden the Shimano and Brose on Levo and they are both more than adequate for me as a 90kg geared up rider… just gotta use the gears. All the people saying wrong mother or needs the DJI have they actually ridden the Shimano extensively? And I don’t even have the 801, just the old still so much fun EP8… Looking at the Merida eOneSixty 875 as my next bike, was a great ride and in 18-24 months they’ll be on spesh in Australia. Great review Rob… always love your videos. Propane great looking bike, in fact I love the looks of it.
Rob, this is in my humble opinion your very best review. Production, visuals, honesty and breadth of detail are bob-on 😊 As a set, your recent reviews of the seasons drops make it straightforward to decide what to test-ride (which isn’t easy to arrange in the U.K., so shortlisting is essential). 🎉
Integrated headsets are a nightmare. It works when you don't own bikes long enough to do maintenance on them but when you do it's either going to be very costly in maintenance costs or you are going to be losing your mind working with the horrible system. Never again. Integrated headset, stem, handlebar miss me with that garbage.
@@LEGENDofBEANY maintenance, durability, availability of parts (there is no current standards for the headsets so you are at the mercy of the oem if you need replacement parts) and repairs become unnecessarily complicated. If I want to change out the brakes now it’s basically a full bike tear down.
Rob very well sensed that the Propain suspension (named Pro10) is not plush even with a coil shock. I totally agree with that, my impressions from Pro10 are the same.
Nice vid Rob, but with all the other options out there who would buy a bike equipped with the Shimano EP801 motor. Shimano needs to drop the EP901 motor with 90Nm of torque and fast!
Absolutely sick video! This bike may very well replace my gen 1 Ekano next year. I would gladly give a bit of travel for a much more playful and nible bike! Also really like the Shimano motor. I would configure it without display though - I want a clean cockpit.
Power and connectivity-wise I think they are not so different, but since bosch has solved the rattling issue, I would not be willing to spend thousands of dollars on an ebike with such a major flaw from now on. Before, you just made your peace with it because it didn't make any difference if bosch or shimano (and most bikes are using one of the two systems), but from now on you have a choice and I wouldn't accept it anymore, because I would always have in mind, that there is a more pleasant alternative (to be fair, it took bosch a long time to fix it, but finally it happened). It's even more noticeable on a bike like this, optimized for rough terrain. So when buying a NEW bike, I would also not take anything with shimano, until they fix this issue as well (and it will not getting fixed on older motors, don't expect shimano to release a kit to update the current ep801 when buying such a bike now, this will not happen). For older bikes, where you get huge discounts, it's something you can easier tolerate in my opinion, but for new bikes within a higher price range shimano is no longer a reasonable motor choice until they fix this issue. I think bike brands will notice this quite soon (santa cruz made the right choice to switch to bosch, shimano can no longer be seen as premium)
I got an CX 4.gen and the ´´old´´ EP8 and i actually prefer the EP8 much more. It´s just more natural and silent, also feels more like a real bike... :)
I don't quite get why many people get so annoyed by 1) a bit of motor noise...?? These motors are somewhat primitive... a bit of whir etc. is to be expected - they are motors after all... i.e. not analog. 2) battery level display. If the battery display has 10 bars like this one does, then you are getting 10% increments, and you quickly get used to an approximate amount of time/effort is involved between the 10% increments, so you have a very good idea of how much battery you have left and when you will run out of battery....
Wer will ein 9000€ Ebike das aussieht wie 100Sachen80, aber dann max 20Sachen5 liefert, scheißegal ob da ein Shitmano, Busch oder DIY dranhängt, es ist und bleibt ein Pedelec@@whitest_kyle
I do not like my EP 8 battery status indicator as 80.1 looks like a full battery. So it looks like your battery is at 100% even though you are almost 20% less.
At least it’s a 10-bar reading… I hate the pithy Shimano displays, I mean how hard is it to have a percentage… such an easy change I would have thought; to have a decent battery indicator.
Well......yeah, I guess if you are in the E-bike game you have to put out a 160/150 "also-ran" that costs about 6k US, and you try to make it as good and unique as possible. Have to say I'm unimpressed by the noise the motor makes, but that's most of them. Nice that it comes with the Fox 38 and is rated bombproof. These are improvements over stuff like my old Levo, came with in this price point that isn't recommended for a coil either. Better? Yes. Marginally better? Yes. Enough to make me change up? Not really. I think if you ride E and you initially bought a bike spec'd like this, you are probably looking for more suspension on your next bike if you ride places that can make use of it. Otherwise you will just keep riding whatever you bought. For me I want 180mm+. If I have a motor for dragging around extra kit, then extra suspension is the kit I want to drag.
@@fzr1000981 Said what I said, not enough, and you aren't wrong, they need to put in more effort. Wouldn't buy another unless they upped the game with a fresh sheet design. Last Kenevo was only 180mm anyway.
Open to interpretation but I see it as the process of creating and developing a look, feel, and functionality of a bike making sure it’s also useful (can ride it, change the flip chip, access bolts easily etc etc) and visually appealing.
Video production is TOP NOTCH Rob!!! Keep it up!!!
Thanks- shout out to Will Greenfield for getting all the shots!
Reading the comments, it is interesting to see that they are mostly focusing on the motor as oppose to bike character, suspension behavior, agility, fun level, speed... Maybe a great topic for an upcoming video! 😊
Ridding this bike for the last 2.5 months with a focus on Enduro ride as opposed to trail ridding. This bike is a versatile weapon, the frame works really well with air shock! Not the best motor, but plenty of juice and a really nice and natural power delivery when going up technical single track (not sure why you need 1000w when doing proper MTB) and when climbing fire road, got enough juice to bang off the speed limiter constantly! If you want a bike that brings you up the hill comfortably and rips down the hills, probably above it's weight /travel particularly if you do not ride every week within high mountain ski resort like I do, this is a bike I recommend considering. BTW, flat out, I do with one charge 45-50km / 1500m D+ no problem (I weight 85kg). All this for ~EUR5k less than any other brand with same equipment !
My only complain: the integrated headset! (Unnecessary too complicated)
@@BenoitCajelot I agree with you, Im not sure who needs 1000w on a bike, i have a Bosch CX4 and I can count with the finger of one hand the times I used the turbo mode in the last 3 years, instead of 1000w they should lower the power and increase the range in the DJI.
No Shimano is not even a topic to cover, there is a reason why 90% of the latest models bikes are coming out with Bosch, Shimano is nothing but problems or at least on my experience.
Nothing wrong with the Shimano… I quite like it. Ive only ridden the Shimano and Brose on Levo and they are both more than adequate for me as a 90kg geared up rider… just gotta use the gears. All the people saying wrong mother or needs the DJI have they actually ridden the Shimano extensively? And I don’t even have the 801, just the old still so much fun EP8… Looking at the Merida eOneSixty 875 as my next bike, was a great ride and in 18-24 months they’ll be on spesh in Australia. Great review Rob… always love your videos. Propane great looking bike, in fact I love the looks of it.
Rob, this is in my humble opinion your very best review. Production, visuals, honesty and breadth of detail are bob-on 😊 As a set, your recent reviews of the seasons drops make it straightforward to decide what to test-ride (which isn’t easy to arrange in the U.K., so shortlisting is essential). 🎉
Integrated headsets are a nightmare. It works when you don't own bikes long enough to do maintenance on them but when you do it's either going to be very costly in maintenance costs or you are going to be losing your mind working with the horrible system. Never again. Integrated headset, stem, handlebar miss me with that garbage.
Internally routed headset cables are an absolute no to me. The Wild was on the top of my list before I found out it had headset cable routing.
This is indeed the only complain I have on this bike !
better get used to it, it's becoming a trend unfortunately..
May I ask why you’re so opposed to it?
@@LEGENDofBEANY maintenance, durability, availability of parts (there is no current standards for the headsets so you are at the mercy of the oem if you need replacement parts) and repairs become unnecessarily complicated. If I want to change out the brakes now it’s basically a full bike tear down.
Propain is the best name for a bike, ever.
And the greatest band.
Best name for a XC bike. Definitely a style of riding that embraces the suck....which is not me.
Mmmm Forbidden dreadnought!!
Rob very well sensed that the Propain suspension (named Pro10) is not plush even with a coil shock. I totally agree with that, my impressions from Pro10 are the same.
Another great bike from Propain. Beautiful and well thought.
Now put a Pinion MGU on it and I will sell the house to buy it...
yes please, are you listening Propain?
Great bike and excellent video production! Thanks!
Nice vid Rob, but with all the other options out there who would buy a bike equipped with the Shimano EP801 motor. Shimano needs to drop the EP901 motor with 90Nm of torque and fast!
That frame with the ZF Centrix or Eco drive system would've been incredible.
Absolutely sick video! This bike may very well replace my gen 1 Ekano next year. I would gladly give a bit of travel for a much more playful and nible bike! Also really like the Shimano motor. I would configure it without display though - I want a clean cockpit.
Had the samessue with my SC Bulit ep801 I had to plug the wire several times before it worked
Is there an update incoming with the Shimano motor?
Propains are just pretty 🤩
This bike with the Dji Motor would be sick!
Nice looking bike and great review as usual, Rob. How would you rate this bike in comparison with an Orbea Wild?
What a shame it’s not paired with the new Bosch CX5. Shimano ebike motors seem to be way behind other brands.
This bike released like 2 months ago. I guess rob just got around to it. Props on have yet to release any Bosch models
@@sety409or the bosch cx4 system. Again, just not impressed with shimano motor/devices.
Nothing wrong with Shimano, still a great motor.
Power and connectivity-wise I think they are not so different, but since bosch has solved the rattling issue, I would not be willing to spend thousands of dollars on an ebike with such a major flaw from now on. Before, you just made your peace with it because it didn't make any difference if bosch or shimano (and most bikes are using one of the two systems), but from now on you have a choice and I wouldn't accept it anymore, because I would always have in mind, that there is a more pleasant alternative (to be fair, it took bosch a long time to fix it, but finally it happened). It's even more noticeable on a bike like this, optimized for rough terrain. So when buying a NEW bike, I would also not take anything with shimano, until they fix this issue as well (and it will not getting fixed on older motors, don't expect shimano to release a kit to update the current ep801 when buying such a bike now, this will not happen). For older bikes, where you get huge discounts, it's something you can easier tolerate in my opinion, but for new bikes within a higher price range shimano is no longer a reasonable motor choice until they fix this issue. I think bike brands will notice this quite soon (santa cruz made the right choice to switch to bosch, shimano can no longer be seen as premium)
I got an CX 4.gen and the ´´old´´ EP8 and i actually prefer the EP8 much more. It´s just more natural and silent, also feels more like a real bike... :)
I can't see the beauty that Rob is talking about. Looks like a run of the mill trail bike?
They all seem to run together, but it definitely says "I do jank stuff" as it stands.
The Marin Rift Zone E2 that you tested already had that removable battery
Impressive weight for a category 5 bike and full power
Great video Rob! Out of interest where are the shots filmed at about 3:30mins?
I don't quite get why many people get so annoyed by 1) a bit of motor noise...?? These motors are somewhat primitive... a bit of whir etc. is to be expected - they are motors after all... i.e. not analog. 2) battery level display. If the battery display has 10 bars like this one does, then you are getting 10% increments, and you quickly get used to an approximate amount of time/effort is involved between the 10% increments, so you have a very good idea of how much battery you have left and when you will run out of battery....
Such a sick looking bike. Just needs 120nm of torque.....
Gearbox and belt drive
@@nobrakes7247 Both those options have their own issues too. I'm happy with a 10 speed with a chain ATM. Lol
She's a beauty. I wonder if a 2025 update to the Ekano is coming?
Rob would love you to test out one of the haibikes all mountain 10 in black or the enduro 8
No Bosch … no party 🎉
I think propain makes great bikes, however.... who wants Shimano motor in their bike nowadays????? it is all about BOSCH.
Actually i like the Shimano pretty much, at least it wasn’t that ugly like Bosch the last years 😂
Nothing wrong with Shimano, have you ridden one extensively? The Bosch is great, but the Shimano is awesome as well, more than adequate.
Who wants Shimano OR Bosch when DJI is out here dominating their performance?
Wer will ein 9000€ Ebike das aussieht wie 100Sachen80, aber dann max 20Sachen5 liefert, scheißegal ob da ein Shitmano, Busch oder DIY dranhängt, es ist und bleibt ein Pedelec@@whitest_kyle
true@@whitest_kyle
Bosch CX plz
I do not like my EP 8 battery status indicator as 80.1 looks like a full battery. So it looks like your battery is at 100% even though you are almost 20% less.
At least it’s a 10-bar reading… I hate the pithy Shimano displays, I mean how hard is it to have a percentage… such an easy change I would have thought; to have a decent battery indicator.
@@timscarman4599 10 is at least a 10% indicator. I'd rather just have a bar at the tope the gets shorter as you ride.
very nice and light bike, it's just a pity that the battery is 625
Well......yeah, I guess if you are in the E-bike game you have to put out a 160/150 "also-ran" that costs about 6k US, and you try to make it as good and unique as possible. Have to say I'm unimpressed by the noise the motor makes, but that's most of them. Nice that it comes with the Fox 38 and is rated bombproof. These are improvements over stuff like my old Levo, came with in this price point that isn't recommended for a coil either. Better? Yes. Marginally better? Yes. Enough to make me change up? Not really. I think if you ride E and you initially bought a bike spec'd like this, you are probably looking for more suspension on your next bike if you ride places that can make use of it. Otherwise you will just keep riding whatever you bought. For me I want 180mm+. If I have a motor for dragging around extra kit, then extra suspension is the kit I want to drag.
You want a Crestline
@@fzr1000981 Really I want Spec to fresh sheet the Kenevo and bring back the DH fork.
@growlith6969 my Crestline has Bosch race, full AXS, Fox rear coil and 38 front. Specialized is an overpriced club imo and not a fan of Brose
@@fzr1000981 Said what I said, not enough, and you aren't wrong, they need to put in more effort. Wouldn't buy another unless they upped the game with a fresh sheet design. Last Kenevo was only 180mm anyway.
I didn’t know Mtbs had ratings for downhill use.
Fuck, I was hoping on the Propain/Bosch Kombo.
Do they have an amateur pain for us punters?
😂
Why would you want to remove your battery while on the trail?
I like this
If only it was with the gen 5 bosch hehe
Very good looking indeed. I just despise Carbon for enviromental reasons.
they have AL options too ;)
How does it compare to the Vala?
headset cable routing... at least they could use speed connectors on hydro-brake cables..
They had a 25% off sale recently
what is industrial design
Open to interpretation but I see it as the process of creating and developing a look, feel, and functionality of a bike making sure it’s also useful (can ride it, change the flip chip, access bolts easily etc etc) and visually appealing.
form follows function
With the new Bosch motor this motor seems a bit out dated
Rattle , rattle, and more rattle 😂
Looks great, but it's 3kg too heavy.
you can easily drop 3kg from your own weight if you really care about that 😉
I know bike motors is just a small part of what Shimano do but it really seems like they are so slow to innovate in their bike tech
Dont get this bike and the new sc Vala, 2025 ebikes with 600 batteries?? Wtf
I’m a big fan of 600wh batteries. My bike has a 750, and I’d trade down for weight if I could. I rarely come back with less than 30% showing.
For a bike under 46lbs being full power.. what’s wrong with the 626wh battery ? Pretty rad If you ask me
No DJI motor. Don't buy.
Headset cables are a deal braker, zero interest here.
Среш? Сру...
Nice bike, wrong motor.
They must be getting them shimanos cheap.
Not DJI not worth it.
Oh no! Why a Shimano! Boo!
seems like just an average ebike
28kl😮🚴🙃😎👊,,,
How can you not take even the most basic care to get the title right, does nobody check or know how to read anymore?
ADHD
The brakes are terrible...
What brakes are they?
How much price??🤯