Several of the bikes in this feature don’t even look like e-Bikes, and most of them can easily be pedalled with the power turned ‘off’ and you wouldn’t even know there was a motor down there at all. And unlike  a lot of those full powered e-MTB’s you don’t have to give yourself a little ‘pep talk’ and brace your muscles before trying to lift the bike off the ground, with an SL you can pick them up and throw them around with ease – which definitely makes life easier and more enjoyable. Several brands have released new SL models down here in Oz during the past 12 months. In this article we’ve handpicked these bikes from a stacked field, as these are the models that have stolen our attention and tickled our fancy the most! 

“This is the bike we chose to star on the front cover of our 2024 [E]volution Annual mag that recently hit the stands. It is also the only bike that can claim the title of the world lightest full powered e-MTB, Giant sure have created something special with this one. The Mullet wheel combo makes the bike feel lively and agile and that new compact Yamaha motor produces an exhilarating amount of power in its max mode, but it also has the ability to be dialled right back (via the smart App) which then massively extends the bike’s range allowing for this bike to cover a lot more trail than most SL e-Bikes between charges. This is a bike that we’d happily spend our own money on!”

Frame: Advanced-Grade carbon throughout 

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: Mullet

Travel: 150mm front, 140mm rear

Motor: Giant SyncDrive Pro2 Magnesium

Max Torque: 85Nm

Battery: 400Wh

Weight: 18.8kg

Price: Starting at $8,999

Browse: www.giant-bicycles.com

This bike would have to be one of the most exciting new releases of 2024. Norco are one of the brands that place a huge amount of focus into their e-Bike range and their first dive into the SL category (this bike) arrives unsurprisingly stacked with features but lacking weight with the lightest version of this bike claiming to tip the scales at just 18.1kg! Its frame showcases the brands proprietary ‘Optimized Ride Aligned suspension design’ so we know it’s going to have great trail handling, and it also comes out swinging with Bosch’s brand new super lightweight SX motor.

Frame: Full carbon

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: Mullet! 

Travel: 150/140mm

Motor: Bosch Performance Line SX

Max Torque: 55Nm

Battery: 400Wh

Weight: 18.1kg

Price: From $8,999

Browse: www.norco.com

After spending a lot of time ripping trails aboard Transition’s big full powered e-Bike the Repeater, and loving it, we almost lost our minds when we heard that the brand was releasing an ‘SL’ version. And what a rad looking bike it is! As you’re expect from Tranny the Relay has been designed to be ridden as hard as you dare on trails that scare! Its slick carbon frame has been built around the popular Ride60 motor from Fazua. Definitely a bike that we’d be prepared to sell a kidney for!

Frame: Full carbon

Sizing: XS-2XL

Wheel size: 29” or Mullet

Travel: 170/160mm

Motor: Fazua Ride60

Max torque: 60Nm

Battery: 430Wh

Weight: 18.8kg 

Price: TBC. 

Browse: www.lustyindustries.com

Ever since Trek introduced the Fuel Exe (carbon) in early 2023 riders and reviewers from across the globe have raved about the bike’s handling and performance (us included), and then late last year the American brand upped the ante even higher and released an alloy version which boasted a similar ride character but at a more affordable price point. Best of all, both bikes feature the brilliant TQ motor which is definitely one of our absolute ‘SL’ favourite power units.

Frame: OCLV Mountain Carbon

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 150mm front 140mm rear

Motor:  TQ-HPR50

Max torque: 50Nm

Battery: 360Wh

Weight: 17.3kg

Price: Starting at $7,999

Browse: www.trekbikes.com

Combining flamboyant Italian design quality with German precision engineering at its heart, the Fantic Rampage is a feather weight e-Bike powered by an ultra quiet, buttery smooth motor from TQ Industries. And there’s no denying that the bike’s geometry package has been tailored to suit XC and ‘down country’ riding, or in other words it’s a bike for riders that want to keep their wheels on the ground and go as fast as possible for as long as possible.

Frame: Full carbon throughout

Sizing: S – XL

Wheel size: 29” both ends

Travel: 120mm XC models 140mm DC version

Motor: TQ HPR50 

Max Torque: 50 Nm

Battery: 360Wh

Weight: 15.5kg

Price: From $11,499

Browse: www.fanticbikes.com.au

One thing we’ve come to learn about Focus having test ridden so many of their models over the years is that when they release a new e-Bike they never miss the mark! The German brand’s first dive into the SL category has proven to be a remarkable package which offers an outstanding, and versatile, ride characteristic. Its frame is seamless with bold flowing lines of carbon which neatly frame what has to be referred to as the ‘benchmark’ SL motor being the Ride60 from Fazua. This is another bike that we’d confidently recommend to a friend and happily spend our own money on.

Frame: Full carbon

Sizing: S – XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 160mm front 150mm rear

Motor: FAZUA Ride 60

Max torque: 60

Battery: 430Wh

Weight: 17.9kg

Price: Starting at $11,499

Browse: www.focus-bikes.com

Another bike that we had a heck of a lot of fun when testing late last year. Pivot have an impressive (and wide) range of e-MTB offerings but we reckon the Shuttle SL takes the cake and it’s easily one of the best performing and most comfortable to ride bikes of all the bikes we’ve featured in this article. Sure, it’s not a cheap bike with the entry level spec starting at nearly 16k however you do get what you pay for.

Frame: Entirely carbon 

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 150/140mm front, 132mm rear.

Motor: Fazua Ride 60

Max torque: 60nm

Battery: 430Wh

Weight: 16.4kgs

Price: Starting at $15,999

Browse: www.pivotcycles.com.au

As you’d expect from the brand that pretty much single-handedly brought e-MTB into the mainstream, the latest version of the brands ultimate ‘SL’ machine is an absolutely kickass package! Speshy launched this new version of the Levo SL mid last year and we managed to get our hands on one to test ride for an extended period of time, and jeeezus, the ride quality of this thing is hard to fault in any area at all. The new motor is packs plenty of power, it’s nice and quiet and it’s pedals silky smooth (even when turned off). The connectivity of the bike is amazing and also the amount of geometry adjustment allows for a plethora of personalised set-up options. This model is also significantly lighter than the previous generation Levo SL.

Frame: FACT 11m full carbon with a heap of frame geo options. 

Sizing: S2-S5 (equivalent of S-XL)

Wheel size: Mullet!

Travel: 170mm both ends

Motor: Specialized SL 1.2

Max torque: 50Nm

Battery: 320Wh with a range extender available 

Weight: 18.24kg

Price: Starting at $11,900

Browse: www.specialized.com

By this point you’re probably already sick to death of hearing us rant and rave about the Heckler SL in this edition of The Annual, but just in case not we’ll try a little harder to push you towards your grave and give the bike a little more praise right here! SantaCruz have done a stunning job with designing and building what is in our minds the perfect e-MTB. It combines so many of the individual little features that we like about other bikes, and it rolls them all into one package. If we could only ever own and ride 1 bike for the rest of our lives this would be it, hands down!

Frame: Full carbon throughout and offered in 2 layup options. 

Sizing: S-XXL

Wheel size: Mullet!

Travel: 160/150mm

Motor: Fazua Ride 60

Max torque: 60Nm

Battery: 430Wh

Weight: 18.9kg

Price: Starting at $10,999 (shut up and take my money!) 

Browse: www.santacruzbicycles.com

Orbea certainly weren’t holding back when they set out to design the Rise with the quest of creating an extremely light yet capable e-MTB. Just one of the many things that sets this bike apart in the SL category is that you can choose your battery size between either a 360Wh or a 530Wh. And you can even choose your frame material, full carbon or full alloy.

Frame: Full carbon utilising ‘Rise Hydro’ technology 

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 150mm front, 140mm rear.

Motor: Shimano EP 801

Max torque: 60Nm

Battery: 360Wh or 540Wh

Weight: 15.9kg!

Price: Starting at $9,999

Browse: www.orbea.com/au

We love that Scott don’t just follow the trends like most other brands and instead they try to think as far outside the ‘box’ as possible when designing their bikes, and especially their e-Bikes. Where do you even begin talking about the appearance of the Lumen eRide 910? This thing is wild! Where’s the shock? Hidden. And that’s not the only stealth thing about this bike, the fact that it boasts probably more technology and rider adjustable features than any other bike in this article, yet it has all been seamlessly blended into the bikes minimalistic silhouette is quite remarkable. And it’s weight? Holy heck, we’re talking just 15kg’s and it will still comfortably handle a rough trail!

Frame: Lumen Carbon HMX Frame

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 130mm both ends

Motor: TQ HPR50

Max torque: 50Nm

Battery: 360Wh

Weight: 15.6kg!!

Price: Starting at $11,799

Browse: www.scott-sports.com/au

On paper Mondraker’s appear to feature the wackiest geometry ever, but in real life we’ve always found that this Spanish brand’s unique approach to design has meant that their bikes ride really comfortably and inspire a lot of confidence to push outside of your comfort zone. Their Neat series looks to carry that DNA into the realm of SL e-Bike, combining an ultra-light weight carbon frame that packs plenty of suspension travel with that tiny but mighty motor from TQ.

Sizing: S-XL

Wheel size: 29”

Travel: 160/150mm 

Motor: TQ HPR-50

Max Power: 50Nm

Battery: 360Wh

Weight: 17.9kg

Price: From $13,499

Browse: www.mondraker.com