I’ve got the same bike with the air shock. I have done some rides without the battery just to get more exercise, but I noticed leaving the battery in and just not turning the bike on is a better experience. I rode a Santa Cruz high tower and did notice a big difference both up and downhill. To me, the relay is difficult to get the front wheel off the ground. Maybe that’s because of the long chains stay. it was really noticeable when I wrote the Santa Cruz
Yeah it’s kind of a weird feeling riding without the battery, I thought it would ride like a normal mtb but then I noticed it was very floaty but heavy. In my experience I haven’t had too much trouble lifting the front wheel but I think it’s because my non-ebike is a transition sentinel which also has long chain stays so I’ve gotten used to it lol.
