Mondraker Crafty R E-Bike Garburn Pass and Nan Bield Live Ride Review
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- čas přidán 30. 11. 2020
- Mondraker's Crafty R is a proper mountain bike with extra Bosch power assist so to finish two months of testing I took it on a proper mountain adventure over Garburn Pass, Stile End and Nan Bield in the Lake District. Big thanks to Mondraker and UK distributors Silverfish for supporting the video, and massive thanks to my Patreon subscribers for investing in the growth of the channel. If you like what I'm doing and want early, extended and exclusive edits, personal buying and tech advice and other Patreon perks click on the link here: www.patreon.com/GuyKesTV?fan_...
Any questions get busy in the comments.
Cheers Guy - Sport
Mainly thanks to this video, I ordered my Crafty R this week. Thanks Guy.
Great video, informative and well put together, thanks!
So much so that I just ordered a 2022 Crafty R after watching..been looking at eMTBs for ages, and this ticks all my boxes..buzzing at the prospect of getting out later in the week!
Love you detailed review. You really provide an in-depth description of how the bike rides which is missed in many other reviews which just focus on components.
Looking at buying my first e bike next month and I’m currently looking at the 2022 carbon version of this or potentially going bigger and getting the new giant reign e.
Anyways, great video.
Have the same bike. Awesome performance
Good review mate. I've just ended up with the 2022 Dusk RR SE. It's been brilliant so far. Not tested in the Lake District yet. Soon to be done.
Ive bought a crafty, partly off the strength of your reviews and i love it. If i ever see you out in the lakes i owe you a coffe/beer. Awesome bike.
That's awesome to hear mate, so stoked you're enjoying it.
It makes you want to go from 2020 to 2021!
I have the carbon crafty r, what an amazing bike
Preordered today! :-)
Same here last week - Guy should be on commission hehe. Any ideas what front guide/fender he has?
Great video Guy, looked like a proper day out. Tempted by an E bike
@@Neil.C57510 you're right Neil, but I'm still road/gravel rider under 40 so not sure whether or not I'm target market at the moment. Big days out like this make perfect sense though, rather than owning one for the bike park. Bigger adventures in less time
@@Begbiespintpot Unless you can ride at a park all the time, the ebike is basically an 'easy' uplift. You get so many more descents in at your local spot it's insane. I agree with Neil above. My analogue bikes are in storage. On average I get 4x more descents in the same time and am much fresher for each descent as well. Then you can do it all again the next day as you're not hammered. All that before we even get to how they handle in proper steep rough gnarly tracks. I guess it depends what you ride for. There are so many many different categories of ebike rider. It's definitely much more complicated than just an age issue
@@oliverbourne9599 I can see your point, it's a difficult decision whether to spend big on an eMTB (looking at the Whyte e150s after @guykestv reviews of the RS) or buy a decent analog and come back to this in a couple of years. I'm more tempted by an E bike for taking it on long rides off road. It'll replace the desire for another motorbike.
@@Begbiespintpot Yeeah I mean, I'm mostly Super Enduro / DH orientated. Distance covered, sightseeing tours and pedaling are of zero interest. Having said that, there is an eBike category for those riders. I don't think choosing your eBike is any different from your analog really. It's - what type of riding do you want to do with it. e.g. long off road tours probably don't need the Whyte 150 or 160 and you might even be able to save a fortune and get an eHardtail for that
Looking at my first eMTB after mountain biking for 30+ years. I really liked the Mondraker Dune and like this. A couple of reservations I wondered if you’d comment on; I understand the battery cannot be removed, worried about the charge port position (getting water in it), and can the display be moved cos I will definitely break it there! Great vid, cheers.
Had a 19 foxy and I felt the rear suspension to be harsh to be honest, but happy they’ve redesigned it and made it better and more progressive. I have the XL Crafty R coming in the first week of March and the XXL Xt coil Bullit coming in the end of May but can’t keep both and have to decide which one to actually get. How’s the handling on the Bullit vs the Mondraker? Do you notice the extra 10/20mm on the bullit vs the Mondraker. Current bike has 522 reach so afraid Mondraker will be too small (200cm in height here). How’s the total miles and battery compare between the 2? If you want to charge hard can the Mondraker keep up? Lastly, if you only got to keep and ride one of the 2 bikes and money aside which one would it be (going to upgrade brakes and 38 damper on the Mondraker anyway). Worth the wait for Bullit or no? Thanks!!!
I do love this ride out it’s fantastic, did you pedal up the cheeky footpath to the top of the pass or did you hike a bike? I I pushed up the footpath when I rode it last year. Would’ve been great to do it on an E bike. Love the power features on the bike great shout Kes
I pedalled as far as I could up the path as my leg still doesn't like walking but the wind was so brutal I couldn't stay straight on the bike so had to limp across the top.
@@GuyKesTV you’re definitely too busy Kes,very in demand with the product reviews but try and rest that leg!
Hi Guy please can you supply a gpx of the route. I also have a Crafty R and would love to try this route, Thanks Graham
I want one!
Is this crafty set up tubeless? Love watching you fly down this rocky trail while trying to talk about this bike. I own the same bike and love it!
Yep, like you say it’s a rocky trail so definitely tubeless for this one. Stoked you’re enjoying your Crafty too 👊🏻
Good stuff as always,I am 5 8 so between sizes really ,would you downsize to small if you'd want more nimble bike or medium still is agile enough?
Sorry mate, way behind with replies, site has been busy recently! I'd stick with medium TBH the steering still makes it feel super agile.
Have had 2022 crafty R for couple months...I was research addict... worried bout this, that and the other...BUT I literally can't imagine a better riding bike. Eats up chunk like nothing..first get on , and its like a Cadillac..ride awhile and you realize it's a Monster Truck disguised as a Ferrari..I could not be happier( I was orig getting a cube stereo hybrid) after riding that recently SO HAPPY I went Mondraker
phew... like you I test rode the Cube but due to a bargain have bought the Crafty R. can't wait.
Great review Guy. Just ordered one at a bargain price. I'm 5ft 9' - hope medium is ok?
Medium will be spot on for you at that height Mark, they're a lengthy bike anyway. Glad the video was useful and enjoy your Crafty
I have the 2018 ecrafty rr and love it... Iv taken it to the lakes a few times and its just made every ride even better. I think alot of people get a bit caught up with specs, but that new crafty r has all the right parts and like you said, if you replace a mech or cassette, you wont be too upset... My cassette lasted over 2 years and about 1800 miles and was still ok... Only changed because i didnt fancy if breaking halfway through our lake district trip... Bikes only had tyre upgrade, cassette, chain and brake pads... Lower bearings... 3 years old next month, pretty bullet proof bike and so stable.
Hello! How do you compare it to Sam2 you have tested or YT Decoy? I love the mondraker but I'm looking for a mullet setup and this is a 29er only.
The YT is a great bike for the money but the Whyte E bikes will have a mullet option shortly which should be excellent and I should be getting some proper test time on the Nukeproof Megawatt shortly as that blew me away on the two stages of Ard Rock I did on it (there's a rush video of that on the channel). Sam not so much TBH.
Looking at this bike but the HA seems conservative.
Looks 10/10
How would it ride compared to focus sam 2 6.8 im looking at which has the zeb fork.
Some bike park and mainly natural trails
Hey Keith. Have you watched the Sam2 video on the channel? The Crafty is a lot more stable than the numbers would suggest but if you're doing a lot of drops and picking fights with big rocks on a regular basis you'll need tougher tyres. The SAM comes with those as standard but it's stiff lump of bike so it's pretty physical if you're a lighter rider or don't need something that feels like a DH bike.
@@GuyKesTV yes I watched the Sam2 wasn’t sure I like it at first for the reasons you say. But the have a RockShox zeb and deluxe shock. I’m thinking it might be more suited to my local steep natural trials and occasional bike park 🤷♂️
Thanks
@@keithmcdowell2613 I reckon it sounds like you'd love one of the big Whyte E bikes. Full tube frame makes them super stiff but the centre of gravity is totally slammed so they're a lot easier to change direction on steep natural trails. Pretty sure they run Zeb on most of them and there's a mullet version dropping very soon (if not already)
What did you think of this bike vs the Whyte you reviewed?
Whyte is more stable and unshakeable at speed due to the lower centre of gravity, BB and slacker head angle and more aggressive tyres. Mondraker has better ground clearance and more agile steering. Rolls better too but again that's just a tyre thing. Prefer the Kiox head unit to the Purion on the Whyte too, but Mondraker costs more.
Hi just a quick one how tall are you? I'm looking at one of these at the moment I think I'm a medium (5.9 and a half.. The half is very important 😂) so just wondering what your thoughts are with sizing..
Thanks in advance.. 🤘🤘
Hi Stephen I’m 5’ 11” I reckon a medium would fit you well but if you like a long reach you’d be fine on a large
@@GuyKesTV cheers for getting back to me. Yeah I've tried a few of the other bikes in the group I ride with ranging from 460 to 490 ish reach and the mondrakers medium 470 seems to be a good size for me now time to try and find one.. 😂
@@EE.BIKE.GUM77 good luck with that one 🤞🏻
santacruz bullit vs mondraker crafty ? best chassis and driving position and better poise?
Sorry Andrea, missed this. Bullit is a proper bomber, just goes through and over anything. Still pedals really well and the mullet back end keeps it surprisingly agile. Ton of money though. Mondraker doesn't feel as bottomless in travel, but it feels more precise so you're a bit more involved in the ride and handling is beautifully balanced.
Hi Guy, did you go up garburn, turn up Nan Bield pass and then back over gatescarth pass to Staveley? Any gpx file to download👍
I went over Garburn Pass, then over Stile End to Gatesgarth. Up to the top then pushed over the top of Harter Fell on the footpath which was brutally windy then dropped into the top of Nan Bield and back down that to Staveley with a little diversion up and back down HP Plantation to record the last bit.
I’ve yet to see you ride a ‘bad’ bike!!!!
I know. The truth is most bikes are now basically good with just a few niggles. I really miss the bikes from when I started when you were glad to survive the ride. Tri / aero bikes were still like that until recently but I don’t work for those mags anymore. From a test POV it’s really annoying but it’s good for riders. Check out my videos of the Ribble hardtail, the Saracen Ariel 60 and the Spesh Epic World Cup for a rare dose of downer from the past few years. Hopefully there’ll be some real shitters along soon so I can get some credibility back. Parts and clothing still have some clangers but I’m way behind on making videos of my written reviews for Bikeperfect. Think Silva got the only 1 out of 5 I’ve given for a very long time www.bikeperfect.com/reviews/silva-spectra-a-bike-light-review
Still worth buying this ebike for 2022?
Yes definitely still a decent bike if you can find one.
Hi Guy
Loved the videos on the Mondraker. This could definitely be my sort of bike.
Any advice on sizing re this bike. I am 5’11 shorter legs than top half. Think I could in reality be a M or L. What advantage if any is there in getting M.
I ride road , gravel and mtb but fancy an Emtb
Type of mtb riding I do is more single track , longer distance and I like to go uphill ! Think in reality the most extreme I will ever get is similar to the video terrain you rode on, live on edge of N York moors and bike would be mainly used there. Did have a trek rail 7 or 9 or Focus Jam2 in mind prior to this video , want the Bosch motor and a 29r with easily removable battery. Suppose I want a trail all mountain bike in short 😀
Thanks
You're exactly the same height as me and it sounds like the same proportions too so I'd say large. I've not ridden the Rail or recent Jam (hopefully soon on both) but the Crafty would be a great match for the moors given the tyre spec and pedalling focus. Did you watch the Heckler video? If you're on the west side that probably has some of your local trails on it.
@@GuyKesTV thanks for the reply and for the info, I did watch and enjoy the Santa Cruz video, recognised most of the trails , live Thirsk side. As soon as I heard the tyre spec on Mondraker I thought this bike was going to be the type of bike I was looking towards, thanks again
@@GuyKesTV thanks for the reply and for the info, I did watch and enjoy the Santa Cruz video, recognised most of the trails , live Thirsk side. As soon as I heard the tyre spec on Mondraker I thought this bike was going to be the type of bike I was looking towards, thanks again
I'm 176 cm (5.9) and the L is too big. Even M is huge in comparison to other bikes. I've been trying to fit myself to a 2021 Crafty R today. M is perfect. The seller friend is 190 cm and he rides L size and another 186 cm is also riding L. If I was 5.11 (182 cm or so) I would choose M as well. It's really big. But if you have a chance, try to fit yourself in some. It doesn't matter whal model, Crafty, Level or Crusher. They share almost the same geometry and difference is just the suspension travel.
@@red.rocket Thanks mate I'm you're height and just ordered a size M at a great price of a website, so could'nt try it. But seems it's going to be ok.
Sheep bully! 🐑💨
Sorry 🤦🏼♂️
300 watts sustained and he can still talk to camera.
I think I have a third lung just for talking. Well it doesn’t seem to make me any faster when I shut up 🤷♂️
These can handle abuse like no other!
ich hab das 2023 dusk auch hammer gerät