This was posted 3 years 18 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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  • out of stock

Electric Mountain Bike $1799 + Delivery @ ALDI (Online Only)

770

Another Black Wednesday deal from ALDI. Catalogue photo

  • 250W 36V motor (looks like a mid drive motor, nicer for control in MTB setting! Also integrated into the frame)
  • hydraulic disc brakes (basically a necessity for this kind of bike, so that's good)
  • dropper seat post
  • 27.5" Schwalbe tyres
  • Shimano gears
  • Suntour XCM32 fork

Battery integrated into the down tube which is nice, and I can see it locks with a key.

Single speed 1x drivetrain - seems like the rear cassette doesn't have heaps of range but the motor should power you through all of your climbs.

Seems like pretty solid value.

This is part of Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for 2021

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closed Comments

  • +17

    this really needs a video review to judge if its a deal

    • +5

      Just needs someone to identify which bike it is - I think in the past Aldi have just reskinned (or reskinned with some components swapped) other bikes. If someone can identify from the images what it's a reskin of we just need to find reviews of that bike!

      • +7

        I the past some Aldi bikes were made by Polygon bikes (an Indonesian bicycle manufacturer). However they were not re-skinned bikes, the components didn't match the any particular model of Polygon branded bike. Aldi is a big enough to go to a major manufacturer and get custom orders built to their specification.

        This bike and the one ones on sale last week are branded "Estate" which is not a well known brand.

    • +20

      The real test here is a really fat guy going up hill. If he can't, it's no good for me. I'm asking for a friend.

  • +1

    Looks good, I’ll do a bit of research but it’s a possible buy.

  • +1

    Is 250w enough for a MTB? I know that wouldn't be much for an electric scooter.

    • +20

      If you want it to be legal it is.

    • +1

      The brand-name 250w mid-drive E-MTB's do quite well but it's all about the gearing… The largest rear sprocket on this bike looks quite small so it may not be great at mountain climbing…

      • Yes the hearing makes all the difference.
        My ebike only has 6 gears and the motor gets me to 25km/h easily but will only maintain that speed to comply with regulations. If I want to go any faster I have to pedal like a crazy man at a spin class because the gears are so low.

        • +11

          Pardon?

          • +10

            @1tightwad: Haha stupid autocorrect… I’ll leave it - it’s funnier. :)

      • Hi Flickit,

        The Estate e-mtb has an 11-34 rear cassette, and a 34t front chainring. It's a pretty good climber, especially with 80nm of torque from the motor to help you.

        • Hello! I'll have a couple of questions: 1) How many gears/speeds? 2) Fork stanchion diameter? Thanks

          • @frogzie: I've watched the video. It appears that the fork is an XCM32 and I counted 9 speeds?
            Another question: is the bike come in one size only , i.e. Medium?

    • +1

      250W will get you up the hills on a road, paved or not, without needing to make any effort.
      Since this is a mid-drive, you should have plenty of torque for climbing up trails as well.

      • +2

        I bought the Aldi folding eBike.. it's also 250w and it couldn't even handle a moderate hill

        • +1

          I can't speak for the ALDI, but 250W is supposed to match a fit rider, and eBikes I've tried have plenty of torque.
          Of course more power is better if you want to go fast off-road. Don't expect it to anything like a trail-bike.
          This is just meant to assist you on the climbs.

          With mid-drive, the motor has the advantage not only of internal gearing, but extra torque choice from using the derailleur gears.

          • @bargaino: I have a 750W mid drive. It crawls up 30% grade hills at about 14km/h in low gear no peddling. A 250W mid drive would need to be geared so low that you would fall off the bike.

            • +5

              @tomlut: You think that a running pace up a 30% grade is "crawling"???

              God forbid you ever had to pedal under your own power. Yes, 250W is not a motorbike, it is what a normal healthy adult does with their legs.
              If you want a motorbike, buy a motorbike.

              • -1

                @bargaino: lol so true. i bought my ebike because it had a throttle, thinking i'd use regularly when i got tired. throttle-only, it could do 40kph everywhere without pedalling, and yet i pedalled basically all the time because it's so much more satisfying to do so. i could still get up to 40kph if i wanted to bust my legs getting there. only time i actually used the throttle was when i had to follow behind pedestrians i couldn't overtake yet, and slow pedalling would make me go too fast to maintain a safe following distance

              • -1

                @bargaino: I don't want a motorbike. I can and do peddle. Come take a few rides in the hilliest city in Australia and see how far that judgemental haughty attitude gets you.

                • @tomlut: I get wanting a motor in a hilly town. I just think you have unrealistic expectations, even allowing that the steepest road is probably 20%, not 30%.

                  250W is intended to match human power, so on a very steep climb is walking speed at best. On a mountain bike, by the time you reach bottom gear, it is almost as fast to get off and walk. A true 750W bike is a more moped than a bicycle with assist.

                  • @bargaino: Nope it really is over 30% I measured it when bikely was a thing. Annoyingly it's between my place and the shops.

                    I don't ride with 750W power applied all the time. The bike has force sensors on the cranks and applies power proportional to the pressure applied, it also has three power levels, Eco, Normal and Sport that adjusts the peak power available. I normally ride around in ECO mode unless I need the hill climbing power. It really does ride like a bike but makes you feel like you have bionic legs. This is it btw, https://i.imgur.com/4Rf5PYF.jpg

                    If you want to see ridiculous check out he Sur Ron or the Stealth Bomber.

                    • @tomlut: oh yeah, 30% is 17 degrees, which sounds right. I'm not used to thinking in rise/run.

                      The bike has force sensors on the cranks

                      Did that cost a fortune? Real power meters are normally $500-1000 just for a crank arm with torque sensor.
                      Sounds like a cool machine, but not fair to compare to the ALDI, which is street-legal.

                      • @bargaino: About $4.5K including import fees (direct from the factory in China).

      • Agreed - I have a 250W Cube with mid drive. Largest gear at the back is a 36T I think. Once I drop to lowest gear pretty much any hills is minimal effort (if you are willing to put up with the snails pace tho).

    • how common [easyt] is it to upgrade these eMTb motors?

      • +6

        There's nothing common between the manufacturers, they're all very proprietary, if this is a Bafang motor you could probably buy a higher wattage Bafang motor/controller/display to throw in that frame, but it wouldn't be cost effective… You can get parts and gear for the chinese drive system though, with the other brands you would probably struggle to get parts to upgrade…

        What turns me off the Bosch, Shimano, and the other name-brands is that they're VERY proprietary, on most you cant even use a generic battery or after-market battery, you have to purchase from the company, and parts are very expensive and hard to come by, even with warranty claims, it seems they prefer to be using their parts to sell new bikes rather than support existing owners.. They all seem to have a finite life and planned-obsolescence..

        (this is my general opinion, I may not be correct)

        • that controller looks like a tongshen.

          • @ziggy1312: Quite possible, the motor doesn't appear to be any of the current Bafangs, and at the price it wouldn't be one of the name-brands.. ..

    • +13

      The wattage is less important than the torque output.

      The top-of-the-line Shimano and Bosch motors are both 250w, but are able to add an extra 85nm of torque to the pedals, which for both are more than enough to get the average rider up most normal hills.

      You have to keep in mind with these kinds of mid-drive ebikes, the motor isn't doing the work, you are. The motor is just reducing the amount of work you need to do. I'm gonna get a little technical here, so bear with me (also I'm very much not a mathematician, so this is cribbed from Quora:)

      • A pedal is 15 cm away from the hub
      • An average cyclist weighs say 65 KG

      The torque generated is 2mgπr which would be 65 * 9.8 * 3.1416 * 0.15 * 2 which is about 600 Newton-meters at the exact 90 degree angle of the pedal when the person is standing on the pedal.

      The average torque over the entire 360 degrees would come to about a third of this, or 200 NM

      Then take into account that you cannot really pedal with 100% bodyweight all the time - probably half of that is more reasonable - so about 100 NM.

      So and this is based on weight and crank size, so it's not really a great explanation. But the average rider who isn't putting their whole weight on their crank through the entire pedal stroke can expect to do around that kind of NM of power.

      Now, what a mid-drive ebike does is add additional torque on top of that number, so it's as if you've got another person standing on the pedals all the time. This helps in one of a few

      1. If your putting all your power into each stroke, it increases said power by a pretty decent amount, which means at slower speeds you can climb much steeper hills than is possible on an analogue bike.

      2. If you're in a lower gear, it still allows you to get a lot of power to the wheels while maintaining a high cadence (your pedal RPMs), which means you can maintain a more constant speed, even on hilly terrain

      3. You can stay in a lower gear, still be cycling, but still have the same kind of power you'd get if you were putting every bit of power down you possibly could on an analogue bike, which can help you go much further than you would normally be able to, since you're using less of your muscles and stamina with every pedal stroke.

      When it comes to ebikes, I want an ebike, and a throttled ebike is basically just a terrible low-power motorcycle, or if you prefer an impractical oversized electric scooter.

      • +1

        That is a great explanation, thanks.

      • +2

        Keep in mind: power = torque x rotational-speed (at crank or wheels)

        So if you can select the right gear, they are equivalent.
        However with electric motors peak power occurs at the designed cruise speed, while peak torque is at zero/low speed.
        On an eBike, you can just stand on the pedals to get started on a slope - so peak (static) torque is not important. It's not a truck.

        With mid-drive motors, you can change the gearing to get max power over a wide range of speed, compared to a hub motor which has a fixed gear.

        The motor is just reducing the amount of work you need to do.

        That is the theory, but the way most eBikes work, you just need minimal force to turn the pedals. They have no strain gauge to sense how much effort the rider is making, and most riders just kid themselves that they are exercising.

      • The torque generated is 2mgπr

        On a steep, slow climb, a real cyclist is lifting with one foot while pushing with the other, and not just relying on his weight. So torque can be much higher.

        But that's only because you don't have a low enough gear for optimal cadence at such low speeds.

        Torque = power x velocity x gearing / wheel-radius.

        e.g. 250W, 3m/s (11km/hr), 32:40, 0.35m -> 190Nm at the cranks (motor + rider-average)

        If we assume 400W total, 100kg, that is equivalent to a 10% grade on a hard road.
        The motor needs 120Nm to achieve 250W at that speed.

        In real life, even a Bafang will not do anywhere near the rated power on such a climb. You need a "500W rated" motor to get 250W up a 10% road (or 6% dirt trail?).

      • Bear in ming the important fact legal bikes are rated in their nominal power at 250w. Brief legal peak power could be from 400 - 700w

        Extract from this site - https://www.electricitybikes.com/blog/nerdystuff
        "Nominal Watts vs Peak Watts So the same limitation on peak vs continuous power for humans apply to electric motors - they are rated "nominally" for how much power they can safely output without overheating. However, this can be subjectively determined, mostly to conform to EU regulations that require an eBIke with more than 250 nominal eWatts to be regulated like a motorcycle, which requires registration at the DMV, a drivers license, and a license plate. Typically the peak eWatt usage of the modern mid drive motor is between 400-600 watts, even if they are stamped with a 250 eWatt "nominal" rating."

        Very interested to know the brand/model of the motor.

        • Controller is Tongshen, so motor is likely the same as mentioned by another poster

    • +1

      From riding with a powermeter on my bike 250w will happily get me up to 32km/h
      So yes it should be more than enough

  • +11

    Single speed refers to one gear ratio. This has a rear derailleur so it's a 1x.

  • do you think this could handle greens/blue, they dont mention what brand the motor is aye

    • green/blue

      Is this a trail?

      • ya actual offroad

      • +7

        MTB trails are rated for difficulty using a simple colour/shape system, similar to Ski slopes

        Green Circle: Wide, flat trails, little to no technical sections, minimum steepness (think fire roads)

        Blue Square: more technical sections like loose gravel or rocks and roots, still not super steep, but some single-track stuff, maybe a few small jumps

        Red Triangle: a lot of technical sections such as rock gardens or other features like skinny logs or slaloms, larger jumps and drop-offs, moderately steep sections up and/or down

        Black Diamond: large jumps with wide gaps, very steep sections, many difficult technical features, basically you have to be highly skilled to even attempt it.

        In easiest terms, Blue tracks can be done by anyone who can ride a bike, and any bike that isn't purely for road riding. Green tracks can be done by most people with minimal off-road experience and most mountain bikes that aren't the cheapest of the cheap kmart bikes (also by gravel bikes). Red requires a higher proficiency of skill and a bike that is capable of handling more rough terrain. Black should only be attempted by riders of profecient skill and bikes that are specifically designed to take the biggest hits a rider can throw at it.

        For my money, I would expect any bike that calls itself a mountain bike to be able to handle at the very minimum Green and Blue trails

        • +2

          Daim man, that's a great synopsis!!!

        • +2

          I have never seen a red triangle in any of the places I’ve ridden, is that widely used in other countries?

          • @whatgift: As far as I’m aware, it’s a worldwide standard for MTB trails.

            It’s possible a lot of places simply go straight from green to black, to cut down on potential confusion. It’s easier to tell someone they need to be highly skilled to do such-and-such trail, rather than have them think that a red trail is only a little bit harder than a green and try something they’re not capable of doing.

            • @TheRealCJ: Also never seem a red triangle. Except as an individual hazard feature with an exclamation point in it.

              You also missed double black diamond, extremely difficult.

          • @whatgift: I've been riding for years and I've never even heard of red triangle. It's certainly not used in Australia or North America. Must be a European or possibly even British thing.

        • It varies a lot, the gradings really only differentiate tracks at the same park. EG I've found the blue trails at Mt Cotton easier than the green trails at Parklands Sunshine Coast

    • I was wondering this, there's a picture of a rider going down some rocks in the listing so they're advertising some "real mountainbiking". For sure wouldn't be sending any black trails with coil forks. Green's would be alright, but am interested to know how good it'd go given box weight is 31KG!

      • Wow that's a good 6-8kg heavier than other eMTBs.

        This thing will feel like a weak motorbike, rather than a mountainbike.

        • +1

          Saw a comment below that the manual says the bike itself if 26 kg, other weight must be packaging and charger etc on the box weight amount.

        • Box weight includes all the packaging, and I think they include tools for assembly, plus the charger and manuals and any other accessories that aren't part of the bike itself, tbf. I imagine all that weight probably 5-7 kilos more than the assembled bike.

      • +1

        these coil forks. Nothing wrong with coils in a decent fork.

        • yes fair correction, *these.

    • This thing would be fine on green cross country style trails but I wouldn't be on anything blue and above. That it fork is is factory set to 80/100/120mm of travel and is coil sprung so its only going to take small hits and might give you some pretty sore wrists if you plan on hitting larger obstacles/jumps. Not to mention that derailleur is going to slap around the chain like crazy and potentially drop it.

      Keep in mind you can get a really nice hard tail mountain bike for this money with an air sprung fork and clutched 12 speed derailleur. You just have to get fit?

      • technically can upgrade those items on this aldi bike tho eh?

        • An excellent way to waste even more money. Start with something decent, don't try to fix junk from the get go.

      • +1

        Clearly I was just imagining riding blue trails on a fully rigid bike, if bikes with 120mm travel can't handle them. (Not that I recommend it, but its more a matter of comfort than being able to ride the trail).

      • Hi Friskie,

        We've been beating on the first prototype Estate e-mtb for more than 12 months and it's still going strong. I don't mean green fire roads either, but blue and above around Sydney's northern beaches including Mt Narra, Twin Peaks, Belrose and more. We developed the bikes geometry and changed forks from the original spec through this testing. Our product development team are avid mountain bikers. For example I ride an Evil Insurgent and a Specialized Demo (Thredbo and Whistler), and we really strive to develop bikes that we can comfortably recommend to friends who want to get into the sport without spending thousands. I think what makes an e-mtb great is that people who are less fit can go for a ride with their hardcore buddies and not be left in the dust up hills, and enjoy their riding more.

        • Its pretty cool that you are on here but maybe note that you are associated with the bike so that people can openly see your position.

          I don't have a problem with ebikes. All I'm saying is that you can get a pretty great hard tail for that price if you don't mind the exercise. As someone that rides high end downhill/enduro I'm sure you're aware that this isn't even close to being in the same league and I'm sure that you'd still be picking Insurgent over this for any trails with decent sized features.

          In short, my advice to anybody looking at this deal would be to do your research, maybe even hire an equivalent priced non-electric mountain bike for a day and take it out and see what you think. At least then you can decide on whether you value higher end drive train and suspension or if you would prefer the electric assistance.

          • @Friskies: I 100% agree with you Friskie. And yes if it wasn't clear, note the username is Estatebikes, and I represent the brand and am involved in bike development at Estate.

  • +30

    $1800 seems to be a lot of money for a no brand electric bike

    • +6

      1 year warranty too.
      I'd want it to last a little longer!

    • +11

      Have you seen what a "brand name" mid drive ebike is worth now? If you can get one… At least 4k for a hardtail.

      • +7

        "Comparitivly cheap" sales is the backbone of many industries including bikes. A customer convinces themselves it is a good deal because it cost less than the alternative.

        • +1

          I dunno if there is too much of that going on here… Maybe in the mainstream brands where the 12k "top of the range" makes the 7k "mid Ranger" look like good value as it's 85% of the top range bike for nearly half the price.

          This is just a typical ALDI style deal where it's about as cheap a product you can make whilst still being semi "decent".

          Show me a cheaper mid drive mountain bike with front suspension and X1 drive?

          • +2

            @Binchicken22: The point is that just because it's the cheaper/cheapest option, doesn't make it a good purchase.

            The general consensus is that this is a ~$500 bike with an unknown motor/battery system that adds $1300 to the price. If the only goal is to buy the cheapest mid-drive ebike, then sure, this is probably it. Personally I suspect 99% of people would be better keeping the $1300 and just buying a $500 bike.

            Semi "decent" is debatable. Pretty much every corner has been cut to make this the cheapest. This not only makes it comparatively cheap but also comparatively crap. In someways if nothing else is cheaper then this is probably the worst choice.

            • +1

              @CyberGenesys: A $500 bike isn't an ebike though is it.

              So if they want an ebike, they wouldn't be in the market for an normal bicycle.

              No, you most likely aren't going to be setting any Strava records on this thing compared to people on their 12k specialised ebikes with carbon frames and motorcycle disc brakes 😅 but for commuting, gravel riding or some basic MTB it will most likely be fine.

              I understand what you are saying, basically, don't buy this bike and expect it to last if you flog it around the harshest trails, maybe it will, maybe it won't, but that's not the only reason to buy an ebike.

      • I have a rough idea of pricing after some friends showed me their Focus mid drives… too much for me

      • I recently got Giant Talon E+ 3 29er (2022 model) with Yamaha mid drive motor and 400 Wh battery for $3200. It's a normal price in Australia without any discount.

    • Would this bike use cheap materials prone to rust and breakage?

  • Compared to Cullen V3? What do people in the know think?

  • +1

    'Estate' branding in jarringly retro font, for those that care.

    • I have always quite liked Magneto font, but I don't think the letter combination quite works in this case.

      • yeah nothing against the font itself, it's great when used effectively.

        For this bike though it makes zero sense, imo

        • No no - pick fonts because of their name, not how they look, then it's perfect

    • +11

      Car needs petrol, rego and insurance apart from other maintenance costs. Owning the bike is much cheaper.

    • +3

      Cars depreciate, cost a lot of money to run, and you have to pay for parking. Electric bikes are cheaper in many ways. Plus you can park wherever and short distance commuting is quicker.

      • +1

        Plus driving a car: no exercise.

        Riding a pedalec: exercise.

        You're not getting as much exercise as riding an analogue bike, but you're also not getting as puffed out as quickly. And riding an ebike for 10km to work each way is still gonna get you fitter than sitting in traffic for the same distance.

    • +3

      if you have to ask, you're in the wrong thread

    • The point is having fun and enjoying life.

    • +1

      Tell us more about the free rego, free insurance, free fuel and free parking

      • This is the modern Norwegian car owner experience.

  • +12

    https://www.estatebikes.com/product-page/e-mtn, this looks to be the one.. dropper post included which is nice suprise.

    • Also a thru axle on the fork by the looks of it.

      • -1

        On the video is a fixed axle

      • +1

        Hi Cyber, you are correct, the fork uses a 15mm through axle. Boost 110mm standard.

  • +1

    What size do people think this is? would it fit someone who is 175cm

    • +6

      From the manual:

      Technical specifications
      Electric Mountain Bicycle Model number EST-EMTB275
      EPAC cut-off speed 25 km/h
      Mass of EPAC in the most usual configuration
      (weight)
      26 kg
      Electric motor max. continuous rated power 250 W
      Max. permissible total weight 126 kg (bicycle + rider + luggage)
      Dimensions (assembled) 1880 x 730 x 1080 mm
      Rechargeable li-ion battery 10INR19/66-3 Model number TH-MY3610
      Rated voltage 36 V
      Rated capacity 10 Ah, 360 Wh
      Dimensions and net weight 430 x 65 x 72 mm, 2.5 kg
      Battery charger Model number XVE-4200150
      Output 42 V, 1.5 A
      Input 110-240 V~ 50/60 Hz, 1.5 A MAX
      Charging time (from 0% to 100%) approx. 7.5 hrs

      • Yah, is that a M size or L size?

      • +5

        26kg is heavy…

        My ebike is the same weight and I tried peddling without the motor when my battery died after 50kms and I couldn’t get it up a hill. Had to get off and push…

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