After weeks of testing, three bikes were left in the race to be crowned MBUK BIKE OF THE YEAR
E-BIKE
WE RAMPED UP THE INTENSITY, HEADING OUT IN ALL CONDITIONS – FROM SNOW TO BOG-WET AND EVEN OCCASIONAL WINTER SUNSHINE
With the pressure on to find a worthy winner of our inaugural E-bike of the Year test, we ramped up the intensity of our testing, heading out in all conditions – from snow and freezing cold through to bog-wet and even occasional winter sunshine – and riding the widest variety of terrain allowed by each bike’s battery capacity, to shine a light on the true performers. Most of the riding was done in Scotland’s Tweed Valley, home to the UK’s Enduro World Series (EWS) round and the famous Glentress trail centre, between them providing the kind of mix of trails any good e-MTB should be able to handle. Deciding on a final winner was a bit of a headache, and the top spot flip-flopped between two of these three bikes more often than we checked our tyre and shock pressures. As usual, picking a champion came down to the wire, but the more we rode the winning bike, the more comfortable we were with our choice.
PACKING A PUNCH
It’s no coincidence that our three favourite bikes – the Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Factory, Whyte E-180 RS and Mondraker Level R – all have 170mm or more of progressive suspension travel front and rear. Out back, Nukeproof and Whyte both go the four-bar Horst-link route, as with many other brands in this test. The Megawatt’s ‘V4’ layout, with down-tube-mounted shock and top tube swinglink, is also used on the race-winning Mega enduro bike, while Whyte claim their design, where the shock attaches to the top tube and is driven by a rocker, is “slam happy” and ready to take on the gnarliest trails. Mondraker stick with their proven ‘Zero’ system, where a ‘floating’ shock is compressed by twin short links.
SPEC
MONDRAKER LEVEL R £5,999
Frame ‘Stealth Alloy Evo’ aluminium alloy, 170mm travel
Motor/battery/ controller Bosch Performance Line CX/Bosch PowerTube, 750Wh/Bosch Kiox 300
Sizes S, M, L*, XL
Fork Fox 38 Float GRIP EVOL, 180mm travel
Shock Fox DHX2 Performance Elite
Wheelset Mavic E-Deemax 29 wheels, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DH 29×2.5in WT tyres
Drivetrain SRAM GX/NX/SX Eagle with Race Face Æffect cranks (1×12)
Brakes SRAM Code R, 220/200mm rotors
Bar/stem ONOFF Sulfur, 800mm/ONOFF Sulfur, 30mm
Seatpost/saddle ONOFF Pija dropper/fi’zi:k Terra Aidon X5
Weight 27.27kg (large, without pedals)
The Mondraker uses the same Bosch motor as the Whyte but has a better Kiox 300 display and larger battery 
All the top-three bikes have a Fox 38 fork, but the Level’s has a more basic GRIP damper
MBUK VERDICT
An impressive performer in gnarly terrain, the Mondraker’s weight and reduced battery life limit its all-round performance
The start of each bike’s travel is soft and fluttery, to help with traction and comfort. Support ramps up in the mid-stroke, to provide stability in turns and compressions, and there’s plenty of bottom-out resistance, too, to reduce harshness on flat landings or meaty impacts. Suspension progressiveness does vary between the three, though. The Level’s 170mm of rear-wheel travel is the least progressive, at 18.67 per cent, followed by the 170mm Megawatt, at 21.68 per cent, and the 180mm E-180, at 27.69 per cent.
In terms of geometry, there’s a recurring ‘long, slack and low’ theme. We tested the large size of each bike. The Nukeproof’s 475mm reach is the shortest, followed by the Whyte’s 480mm, but beaten by the Mondraker’s 490mm. It’s the mullet-wheeled Megawatt that has the most compact chainstay and wheelbase figures, too, at 442mm and 1,264mm, respectively. Again, the 650b-wheeled E-180 sits in the middle, at 444mm and 1,270mm, while the Level 29er is the longest bike on test, measuring 455mm and 1,290mm. BB heights vary hugely, from a low 328mm on the Whyte to a middling 349mm on the Nukeproof and a relatively high 357mm on the Mondraker.
When it comes to the angles, though, it’s the Megawatt that leads the way, with a seriously steep 78-degree seat tube angle. That compares to 76.5 degrees on the Level and 75.3 degrees on the E-180. The Nukeproof shares its 64-degree head angle with the Whyte, in the ‘high’ position at least; switch the E-180’s ‘Shape.it link’ to the ‘low’ setting and its head tube slackens to 63 degrees. Mondraker opt for a steeper 65-degree head angle.
To keep costs down, all three bikes have aluminium rather than carbon fibre frames. These still show plenty of attention to detail, though, from integrated chain-slap protection to accessory mounts on the underside of the top tube (on the Level and Megawatt) and down tube bottle mounts (on the E-180 and Megawatt). Each bike has internally-routed cables, although the Nukeproof’s are directed through the headset rather than ports on the side of the frame.
SUPPORT RAMPS UP IN THE MID-STROKE, TO PROVIDE STABILITY IN TURNS AND COMPRESSIONS, AND THERE’S PLENTY OF BOTTOM-OUT RESISTANCE
FULL POWER!
Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor with 85Nm of max torque is fitted to both the Whyte and Mondraker. The Level’s full-colour Kiox 300 display has Bosch Smart System functionality and smartphone connectivity that the E-180’s more basic Purion controller lacks. It also has a larger-capacity battery – 750Wh, compared to the Whyte’s 625Wh. Both Bosch systems have the impressive auto-adjusting ‘eMTB mode’, but only the Mondraker has the additional ‘Tour+ setting’, a lower-powered option for off-road riding. The Nukeproof uses Shimano’s STEPS EP8 motor instead, which has the same 85Nm of max torque, along with Bluetooth smartphone connectivity as standard via the colour display. Its has a 630Wh battery, stored, as on the Bosch-equipped bikes, within its chunky down tube. The Shimano drive unit has three basic modes, versus the Bosch system’s four or five, but you can adjust the power output in each setting using the phone app.
In terms of spec, there’s little to differentiate the bikes. Each has a Fox 38 fork, with the Megawatt and E-180 getting the top-spec GRIP2 Factory version, while the Level has a bottom-tier Performance unit with the less adjustable GRIP damper. The Nukeproof and Whyte use the same Fox Float X2 Factory air shock, while the Mondraker has a coil-sprung Fox DHX2 Performance Elite damper. SRAM’s GX Eagle takes care of drivetrain duties on the Level while the E-180 gets the posher X01 Eagle and the Megawatt is decked out with Shimano XT. It’s the same story for the brakes – the Nukeproof has four-piston XT M8120 stoppers with 200mm rotors front and back, while the Whyte and Mondraker are fitted with SRAM Code RSCs and Rs, respectively, with a 220mm front disc and 200mm rear. The similarities don’t stop there. All three are fitted with a Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip tyre up front, with the Level getting a DH casing, the Megawatt a DoubleDown carcass and the E-180 an EXO+. The Mondraker and Whyte also have an Assegai out back, while the Nukeproof has a Maxxis High Roller II. Each bike’s rubber is truly sorted, then.
MBUK VERDICT
The Whyte delivers a speedfocused ride with supportive, sorted suspension and Goldilocks geometry
SUPER-CHARGERS
With immense and addictive power, the Bosch motor fitted to the Mondraker and Whyte makes climbing a fast and exhilarating affair. Thanks to its clever assistance-mapping, it’s easy to control wheelspin on steep technical gradients, backed up by the Assegai’s immense traction on the rear. In its top ‘boost’ setting, the Nukeproof’s Shimano drive unit can be more on/off in its output, so hard starts on steep gradients aren’t as straightforward, although the High Roller II rubber helps eke out maximum traction. The Bosch system’s power comes at a price, however, with the Level’s bigger 750Wh battery and the E-180’s 625Wh cells depleting more quickly on the same terrain and in equivalent modes than the Megawatt’s more frugal Shimano motor and 630Wh power pack. For us, getting more range from a full charge outweighs outright power, so we’d prefer to take the Nukeproof out for a long day in hills than the Bosch-powered bikes. Your needs may differ.
The Megawatt’s steep seat tube angle puts your hips over the BB rather than behind it, improving pedalling efficiency and enhancing comfort and bike control. On the Level, the ride position is further enhanced by the long wheelbase and top tube, making you feel truly centralised and spreading your weight more evenly between the wheels. Being picky, the E-180 could do with a steeper seat tube; we had to tilt the nose of the saddle down and push it forward in the seatpost clamp to centralise our hips.
Thanks to good sprung-to-unsprung weight ratios (the mass of the swingarm, rear wheel and drivetrain is much lower than that of the mainframe, motor and battery), all three of our bikes have fluttery, traction-rich rear ends. The initial part of the Mondraker’s travel is impressive, absorbing plenty of trail chatter. However, the Spanish brand’s engineers have built in plenty of anti-squat (higher than 100 per cent), to combat pedal bob, and this makes it feel choked and less eager to absorb medium and larger hits when pedalling. The Whyte and Nukeproof are smooth at the start of their strokes, too. Their progressive suspension stops them from eating too far into their travel through medium-sized compressions, and also prevents their seat tube angles from slackening excessively as the suspension compresses on steep inclines. Unlike the Mondraker, however, neither of these bikes choke up as the terrain gets chunkier, edging them ahead slightly in terms of feel and performance.
SPEC
WHYTE E-180 RS £7,699
Frame 6061 aluminium alloy, 170mm travel
Motor/battery/ controller Bosch Performance Line CX/Bosch PowerTube, 625Wh/Bosch Purion
Sizes M, L*, XL
Fork Fox 38 Factory GRIP2 EVOL, 180mm travel
Shock Fox Float X2 Factory
Wheelset DT Swiss HX 1700 wheels, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 27.5×2.5in WT (f) and Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DD 27.5×2.5in WT (r) tyres
Drivetrain SRAM X01/GX Eagle with Race Face Æffect E-bike cranks (1×12)
Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 220/200mm rotors
Bar/stem Race Face Turbine R, 800mm/Race Face Atlas, 35mm
Seatpost/saddle Crankbrothers Highline 3 dropper/fi’zi:k Terra Aidon
Weight 25.58kg (large, without pedals)
SERIOUS SPEED
You’d be forgiven for thinking e-bikes can’t be fun and playful, given their meaty weight figures. The Megawatt defies that perception, however, with a seriously impressive combination of geometry, suspension and spec that blends stability with an insatiable appetite to bound across the trail – but only if directed to do so. This eagerness to please makes cornering intuitive, helped by the low centre of gravity and generous stack height (the vertical distance from the centre of the BB to the centre-top of the head tube), which makes loading the front wheel confidenceinspiring rather than perilous. The relationship between hands and feet makes you feel truly ‘in the bike’, too, sitting you behind, rather than on top of, the bar.
In contrast, Whyte’s designers have focused on speed, and providing the most stability possible. With the E-180 in its ‘low’ geometry setting, we found its 25.78kg weight a bit too much to handle; unless we were riding at 100 per cent, the bike tended to run away from us. Switching to the ‘high’ position made it easier to control as speeds increased, and once we’d found the sweet spot, the mix of agility and composure – with a bias towards more stable handling – was addictive. The Whyte’s weight helps keep its chassis planted, while its long-travel, supportive and massively supple suspension works overtime to iron out chatter, but also provides plenty of support to push against in turns or through compressions. It has an element of softness to its ride, too. Banging through rough terrain isn’t a toothrattlingly harsh experience. Instead, the E-180 feels smooth and muted, with bumps perceptible but not creating fatigue. Grip is rich through corners, making hammering around turns seriously exhilarating.
THE MEGAWATT DEFIES THE PERCEPTION THAT E-BIKES CAN’T BE FUN AND PLAYFUL, WITH AN IMPRESSIVE COMBINATION OF GEOMETRY, SUSPENSION AND SPEC
SPEC
NUKEPROOF MEGAWATT 297 FACTORY £6,999.99
Frame Hydroformed, triple-butted aluminium alloy, 170mm travel
Motor/battery/ controller Shimano STEPS EP8/Shimano E8036, 630Wh/Shimano EM800
Sizes S, M, L*, XL, XXL
Fork Fox 38 Factory GRIP2 EVOL, 170mm travel
Shock Fox Float X2 Factory
Wheelset DT Swiss H 1700 wheels, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxTerra DD 29×2.5in WT (f) and Maxxis High Roller II 3C MaxxTerra DD 27.5×2.5in WT (r) tyres
Drivetrain Shimano Deore XT M8100 (1×12)
Brakes Shimano Deore XT M8120, 203mm rotors
Bar/stem Nukeproof Horizon V2, 800mm/Nukeproof Horizon, 50mm
Seatpost/saddle BikeYoke DIVINE dropper/Nukeproof Horizon Enduro
Weight 24.52kg (large, without pedals)
MBUK VERDICT
Exceptional performance across a broad range of terrain makes the Megawatt one of the best e-bikes currently available
At 27.27kg, the Mondraker is even heavier. Combined with its long wheelbase and reach figures, this means it feels well-behaved and calm on steeper or faster terrain, where we had to do less work to keep it level and stay in control. Its short stem and relatively steep head angle help keep the steering quick and sharp, but, when combined with its weight, don’t result in any twitchiness. The Level’s rear end gobbles up most small bumps, and provides plenty of mid-stroke support and bottom-out resistance, too, even though it’s the least progressive bike here. However, even fitted with a coil shock, the high anti-squat values cause it to feel harsh in certain scenarios. With the chain under tension, the rear wheel doesn’t move out of the way easily enough over roots and rocks, which, after 60km of riding, caused several spokes to loosen. This, added to its immense weight and reduced battery life, makes the Mondraker less of a generalist than the Whyte and Nukeproof, with a real focus on high-speed descending performance rather than all-mountain capability.
E-BIKE WINNER
NUKEPROOF MEGAWATT 297 FACTORY
The Mondraker Level R is a great bike, but its more speed-focused handling, high weight and slightly unforgiving suspension, along with its shorter battery range, meant the chase for the E-BOTY title ended up being a two-horse race. While the Whyte E-180 RS is more playful-feeling and intuitive to ride than the Mondraker, it lags behind the Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Factory in these areas, with the Nukeproof delivering both without sacrificing any stability or outright speed. This makes the Megawatt a bike that’s easy to jump on and ride fast, and engaging to move across the trail. Thanks to its fluttery suspension, it can stick technical, high-speed lines all day long, and its relatively low weight means it’s also a blast to ride around trail centres or on all-day epics. The Whyte is the best bike here for charging downhill, but not as much of a generalist as the Nukeproof. Its price also rose by £450 during our test period, making the Megawatt look like even better value for money. The Nukeproof totally defies its weight and travel until you need the extra stability they provide, in which case you can rely on it to pull you through chunky terrain without drama. Its magical mix of qualities makes it a truly worthy winner.
THE NUKEPROOF TOTALLY DEFIES ITS WEIGHT AND TRAVEL, UNTIL YOU NEED THE EXTRA STABILITY THEY PROVIDE
RUNNERS-UP
MONDRAKER LEVEL R
An impressive performer in gnarly terrain, but its weight and battery life limit its all-round performance
WHYTE E-180 RS
The Whyte delivers a speed-focused ride with supportive, sorted suspension and Goldilocks geometry