Electric mountain bikes have been designed for winding around dirt paths and climbing steep mountain trails, but they can do so much more. In my opinion, they also make perfect commuter bikes and often perform better than your typical comfort or city bikes.
When commuting or running errands, comfort is king
Full-suspension electric mountain bikes are simply more comfortable than a rigid-frame city e-bike. Even e-bikes with front suspension can’t compare to a full-suspension electric bike.
If you think about it, there is a reason why cars and motorcycles have suspension in the front and rear. First of all, it is more comfortable but more important than comfort is that it improves handling. I love being able to hop a curb or roll right over an obstacle without feeling the shock in my wrists, ankles, or rear.
There’s simply no substitute for a nice, cushy ride on a full-suspension e-bike. In fact, full-suspension rides are so much better on the street that we’re starting to see more commuter e-bikes borrowing mountain bike-inspired full-suspension setups. This again is due to comfort but also handling and as the technology continues to improve everyone will want a full-suspension e-bike.
eMTB’s usually have more power
Due to the demanding type of riding that electric mountain bikes are designed for, they are often outfitted with higher-power motors, and most of us enjoy the powerful motor when needed. Nothing worse than trying to get up a hill and your motor just can handle it.
The powerful Bafang M620 mid-drive
Sure, a 500W e-bike is fine for casual riding, I’ve tested plenty of them but once your ride something with power, you will want to upgrade more than likely. The extra power is great for when you need it and just like the family sedan can reach 100 mph but don’t do it often, having extra power in an e-bike doesn’t mean you have to use it, it just means it’s there if you need it.
Higher-quality batteries
This isn’t guaranteed, but normally electric mountain bikes are built around higher-quality battery packs.
The reason for this is that higher power motors and riding over hillier terrain both draw much higher current from the battery. When you draw more current from the battery, you need higher-quality battery cells to prevent the voltage from sagging too low and causing the battery to shut off.
They often have larger-capacity batteries to help riders go further, even while doing battery-draining hill-climbing rides.
Also, considering that the battery is usually one of the more expensive components of an e-bike, I’ll gladly take the best-quality battery that I can get. Higher-quality battery cells last longer and wear down slower, meaning more years of good riding from your bike.
Electric mountain bikes are just better
Full-suspension electric mountain bikes are usually much higher quality than typical commuter bikes. I say “usually” because there are still cheap electric mountain bikes out there that use cheap components but for the most part, good-quality full-suspension electric mountain bikes come with more robust components including better frames, chains, pedals, cranks, bearings, saddles, and even paint jobs.
The type of riding that electric mountain bikes are designed for means that manufacturers usually can’t spec the same lazy Sunday ride type of components. Instead, higher-quality parts are used to withstand the wear and tear of mountain bike riding.
While cheaper components might be fine for commuter bikes at first, they’ll wear out quicker (often right after the warranty has expired) and aren’t designed to withstand the test of time but using higher-quality mountain bike components for lighter-duty commuting means your bike will last longer and perform better.
Check out these recommended models by category:
- High-quality entry-level electric mountain bike.
- High-quality commuter step-through
- High-quality step-through for the commute AND trails!
- Voyager HYBRID – M600
- Voyager ULTRA – AM1000 V6
- For the bike with every possible option – Voyager EX – BEAST