£5,999 • 29/27.5 in • privateerbikes.com
This bike is heavy on the scales but rides light on the trails. How often have you heard that said about an e-bike? I’ve certainly written something like that on more than one occasion, and I’ll use it again here to describe the Privateer E161. But what does that actually mean?
For clarity, here goes. I mean that it’s heavier than an average e-bike (23-25kg) and you can feel that when lifting it into a workstand, sliding it into your car, or kicking it off you when you’re lying upside down in the bushes. (Hopefully not the latter too often.) That weighty feel drops off when you’re riding the bike though, you can use the weight to compress the suspension, the damping is light enough to allow this, and the rebound is fast enough to help you out of the hole again. Basically, judo by mountain bike.
