Mountain Bike of the Year 2026: Atherton S.170E.2 Takes the Crown Against Five Rival eMTBs

Following last week’s announcement of our 2026 Road and Gravel Bike of the Year champions, we’re shifting gears to spotlight our yearly Mountain Bike of the Year competition – and this time, the Atherton S.170E.2 has claimed the top prize.

The rapid pace of evolution in eMTB technology, and just how swiftly these machines are transforming, made it essential to dedicate our 2026 test exclusively to these sophisticated rigs.

This year’s focus centered on long-travel, hard-charging models equipped with an array of motors, each bringing distinct characteristics to the table. With that in mind, we assembled a lineup of six of the freshest and finest electric mountain bikes from Amflow, Atherton, Marin, Merida, Specialized and Yeti.

This category moves fast and competition runs fierce, so we aimed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation – bringing together some of the market’s most significant bikes – to establish which machines are setting the pace and where your money is best spent.

After months of rigorous testing, the Atherton S.170E.2 emerged victorious. In the final head-to-head against the Merida Lithos 8000 and Yeti LTe T4, the Atherton proved superior against formidable opposition to secure our 2026 Mountain Bike of the Year title.

You can dive into our complete comparison test to understand how the Atherton outperformed the Merida and Yeti – and stay tuned for individual reviews of all six shortlisted bikes appearing on BikeRadar soon.

• Read more: Atherton vs Merida vs Yeti – which full-power eMTB deserves the crown?

Meet our 2026 eMTB of the Year contenders

• Amflow PX Carbon Pro – £8,999 / $10,199 / €9,999

• Atherton S.170E.2 – £7,999 / $N/A / €7,599.05 (before applicable local taxes)

• Marin Alpine Trail EXR – £6,899 / $8,999 / €7,999

• Merida Lithos 8000 – £8,500 / €8,899

• Specialized Levo 4 Evo Pro – £9,699 / $10,499 / €10,999

• Yeti LTe T4 – £12,999 / $14,900 / €14,500

Putting this test together required genuine teamwork. Several bikes in the lineup had already been evaluated by myself and seasoned BikeRadar tester Tom Marvin, while others represented updated versions of models that had previously earned our praise.

Luke Marshall took on the role of lead tester, matching all six shortlisted bikes against each other to determine the final three. I also teamed up with Luke to assess each bike and identify the ultimate winner.

This test showcases the latest and greatest electric mountain bikes available for purchase, though we acknowledge that some bikes were absent due to availability and logistical constraints preventing us from obtaining them before our deadline. Rest assured, any missing models will be included in next year’s evaluation.

The 2026 Mountain Bike of the Year podium

Third place – Yeti LTe T4

Easily the most expensive bike in this test, Yeti’s carbon e-enduro machine features a six-bar linkage, Fox’s inverted Podium fork, a Bosch CX-R motor and a removable 800Wh battery. It delivers 170/160mm of travel and can be configured with 29in or mixed wheels.

Verdict: The LTe combines Yeti’s impressive Sixfinity suspension with outstanding range and the best climbing capability in this lineup.

Second place – Merida Lithos 8000

This carbon-fibre enduro eMTB offers 170/174mm of travel and can run mixed wheels or as a full 29er. It harnesses Bosch’s most potent CX-R motor and a removable 800Wh battery. The build centers on RockShox Ultimate components.

Verdict: Merida’s enduro-oriented Lithos 8000 delivers remarkably plush suspension, intuitive handling and impressive stability at speed.

First place – Atherton S.170E.2

Offered in 12 sizes, this Welsh-manufactured aluminium e-enduro bike provides 180/170mm of travel and uses a mixed-wheel configuration. Power comes from Avinox’s M2S motor paired with a 700Wh battery. Once again, RockShox Ultimate suspension is featured.

Verdict: With the most manageable high-power motor and superb suspension, the Atherton S.170E.2 delivers a genuinely rewarding ride at a competitive price point.

Read more on Bike of the Year 2026

We announced our Road and Gravel Bike of the Year winners last week. You can explore all of the skinny-tyred action below.

• Revealed: our Road and Gravel Bike of the Year 2026 winners

• I’ve tested 2026’s leading gravel bikes – these three made the podium, but only one stood above the rest

• I’ve tested race bikes for decades – they’ve changed dramatically, but the Eddy Merckx 525R takes race bike design in a radical new direction that I love

• Endurance bikes are faster and more capable than ever – and the five-star Canyon Endurace CF SLX is one of the true greats of the genre

How we chose our winner

Once our six bikes were assembled, we brought in Luke Marshall – a well-known name for regular BikeRadar and MBUK readers. Luke ranks among the best testers in the industry and is one of the fastest riders around.

Luke’s assignment involved riding all six bikes and determining a top three. This challenge is demanding enough on a conventional bike without a motor – add a drive unit and the ability to tune it through an app, and suddenly testing timelines expand considerably.

To truly grasp each bike’s character, Luke invested months riding lap after lap across various locations.

His testing covered everything from fast, flowing jump trails and winding singletrack to steep technical descents with enough roots and rocks to loosen your dental work.

Naturally, descending isn’t the whole story, because conquering technical climbs ranks among the most thrilling experiences on an eMTB.

All of this helped establish which bikes provide the best suspension balance, which handle their weight effectively and how their motors respond when traction becomes critical while clawing up the steepest gradients.

With this new generation of bikes, there’s even more to evaluate. Each motor or bike brand typically offers an associated app, raising questions like: what’s the connectivity like? How user-friendly is the app and what functionality does it provide?

These are all factors Luke had to consider, along with cost and value, plus putting in the miles to determine just how far he could ride each bike on a single charge.

To help narrow things down further, I rode each of the bikes before Luke finalized his top three. After some spirited debates, timed laps and even more discussion, we ultimately settled on the winning bike.

Checking every box required to top this category was an incredibly demanding task. The motor needed to feel controlled, provide power and torque low down when you’re really struggling, yet deliver it in a calm, composed manner.

Then, naturally, the bike itself had to ride well, and the spec had to make sense, not only on paper, but on the trail too – and it was Atherton’s S.170E.2 that satisfied every requirement to earn the 2026 Mountain Bike of the Year crown.