I’ve scoured the internet to find the best value eMTB with the biggest discount: it’s Privateer’s E161

On sale for £3,999, and you get Fox Performance Elite suspension and a Shimano EP801 motor

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British brand Privateer has dropped the price of its electric enduro bike, the E161 by £2,500 to £3,999 making it one of the best value electric MTBs on the market right now.

We reviewed the e161 bike back in October and thought it was a bargain then. At the time, it was on offer for £4,999, so take another £1k off and you’ve got yourself an e-enduro bargain. Want to see what else it’s up against? Read our guide to the best electric mountain bikes.

Privateer E161

Privateer’s electric enduro bike is up for grabs at just £3,999

Privateer E161 need to know:

  • Price has dropped from £6,499 to £3,999
  • This makes it one of the most affordable e-bikes to get Fox Performance Elite suspension on
  • It uses a Shimano EP801 drive system and 630Wh battery
Shimano EP901 motor on the Privateer E161 Electric mountain bike

The Shimano EP801 motor is punchy and tops out at 500W peak power

Privateer E161

If an industrial look and feel is what you’re after, then the E161 is likely right up your street. There’s something distinctive about its chunky tubing and alloy bashguard. It’s equipped with Shimano’s pokey EP801 drive system, which tops out at 500W peak power and 85Nm of torque. It’s paired with a 630Wh battery which could be bigger but does the job as long as you’re not on an all-day epic.

You get 161mm of rear wheel travel and a 170mm fork, thanks to the Fox Performance Elite kit. Drivetrain-wise you’ve got Shimano SLX and Hayes Dominion A4 brakes. At £3,999 it’s pretty good value – there isn’t much out there with the same spec near that price.

It’s not the lightest (around 26kg depending on the frame size), in fact it’s one of the heaviest e-bikes we’ve tested, but it doesn’t ride like a sack of potatoes. When we reviewed it back in October, we said, “it comes alive when gravity and the bike’s weight combine to take speeds well above 25kph, and it’s well set up for durability and home spannering. The tradeoff is that mellow trails bore the bike.” So if that sounds like your kind of riding, it might be worth a punt.

Want to know what other options are out there? Check out our guide to the best electric mountain bikes.

privateerbikes.com