This latest Stilus E-Big Mountain from Decathlon has all the ingredients of a high-end, big-hit e-bike, but at a price that undercuts most of its mainstream rivals. And while competitive pricing is a hallmark of all Decathlon products, on paper it looks to offer the kind of performance you’d expect from a specialist brand rather than superstore chain. Could this be the bike that turns Decathlon into a serious player in the high performance e-bike market, and knocks the Vitus E-Mythique LT off its perch as our current best budget e-bike?

There’s no doubt that the Decathlon Stilus E-Big Mountain is a good-looking e-bike

Decathlon Stilus E-Big Mountain need to know

• • 170mm travel front and rear
  • MX wheels (29in front/27.5in rear) 
  • Bosch Performance CX motor with 750Wh battery
  • Marzocchi Z1 coil fork and Bomber CR coil shock
  • Three frame sizes

Click here to go to Decathlon’s Stilus E-Big Mountain page

This is clearly an e-bike built for smashing bike park runs and enduro laps. The 170mm travel tells part of the story, and this is reinforced by the Marzocchi coil-sprung suspension, and aggressive geometry. Across the three frame sizes on offer, the head angle is listed as a reasonably lazy 64º, while reach numbers look bang on at 450mm on the Medium, 475mm on the Large, and 500mm on the XL. Chainstays are well within established norms at 445mm, and the seat tube is a reasonably pedal-friendly 75º. All in all it’s a geo table that’s hard to pick holes in. 

Gobs of power, a huge battery, acres of suspension travel: this is a serious proposition. We’ll, ahem, brush over the kickstand mount…

Mid-mounted in the 6061 alloy frame is one of the best motors on the market; the highly regarded Bosch Performance CX, packing 600W peak power and 85Nm of peak torque. Feeding the beast is Bosch’s high capacity 750Wh battery, which we know from experience delivers ample range, even with Bosch’s punchy motor in its higher power modes. To facilitate charging indoors, the locking battery is removable via a large hatch in the underside of the down tube.

To access different power modes and deep dive into data streams such as power and cadence, Decathlon has added the Kiox 300 display and Remote LED controller. We love the fact that these are mounted onto a rather tasty Renthal bar and stem combo, as it shows the lengths Decathlon has gone to step up its game and cater to a far more knowledgeable and passionate crowd.   

Finishing off the spec is a SRAM drivetrain with an NX Eagle drivetrain and Code R four-piston brakes with an oversize 220mm rotor up front. Sun Ringle provides the Duroc mixed wheels shod with Vittoria Mazza 2.6in tyres. 

The battery is removable, but you’ll need to remember the key…

At £4,349.99 the Stilus E-Big Mountain is around 40-50% cheaper than you’d expect from a typical mainstream brand, pitching it squarely at the recently launched Vitus E-Mythique LT 297 VRX. This is the flagship model in the E-Mythique LT range and comes in at £4,399.99. 

The Vitus E-Mythique LT VRX boasts very similar geometry, travel, and pricing.

Vitus’s option comes with slightly less travel (170mm front and 160mm rear), but uses RockShox air suspension (Yari RC fork and Super Deluxe shock), which means it might not be quite as plush, but it’s more adjustable for different rider weights and riding styles. 

In terms of assistance, the Vitus gets Bafang’s M510 motor with a hefty 95Nm of torque. On the other hand the battery is 16% smaller at 630Wh, which will impact on range. Finally, the balance of favour tips back towards the Vitus when we put the bikes on the scales. Decathlon lists a hefty 27.4kg for the large E-Big Mountain in its specs, while we weighed the Vitus at 25.2kg – significantly lighter, but still heavy compared to our 2023 E-Bike of the Year, the Specialized Turbo Levo Comp.  

The Vitus E-Mythique LT’s Bafang Motor offers more torque, but the Decathlon’s Bosch is a proven performer with excellent back-up.

Vitus beats the Stilus on sizing, with four frame sizes versus three, but the geometry is remarkably similar on paper, which just underlines Decathlon’s progress in building a genuinely high performance e-bike.

You’ll still need a key to unlock the E-Mythique LT’s battery.

The proof of the pudding is always in the riding of course, and while we’ve tested the Vitus, we’ll have to wait to get our hands on the Stilus to deliver any kind of comparative verdict. But one thing is certain, as the cost of bikes keeps rising, having more choice at this price point in the e-bike market is very welcome.