Buying an emtb without a test ride
I'm looking to buy my first eMTB but my local shops don't stock bikes in my size. I'm 6'5" and around 250lbs without gear. My budget is up to US$8500 (~$12,000CDN). I ride mostly technical climbs with very short downhill sections over rocks and roots with very little flow. I'm a novice rider in my 50s and I have to walk a lot of the climbs so I'm looking for a full power, full suspension eMTB.
Considering I am not able to test ride a bike before buying and I'd like to buy a bike in the next few weeks what bike would you suggest I order?
I'm not committed to a particular motor and I think any of the Avinox, Bosch and Brose motors will be fine for me.
More details:
My most challenging ride has been 42km with 600m of ascent and 800m of descent.
I'm currently riding a Trek Fuel EX Gen 6 in size XXL. The friend I ride with has a Gen 3 Turbo Levo but I think it's a size S2 so I can't try it out. He has to stop at the top of climbs to wait for me.
I live in Winnipeg, Canada and none of my local stores have had any full suspension emtbs in my size for the past year. If I want a bike I have to order it without riding it first and special order bikes can't be returned so I own it once I've ordered it. I had to special order my current bike.
Several of the brands I've been considering don't have a local dealer. These brands are carried at my local shops - Specialized, Trek, Giant, Norco, Cannondale, Santa Cruz and Orbea. There is no local support for brands like Forbidden, Transition, Yeti, Amflow and Ari.
Orbea Wild LT H-TEAM is the bike I like the most based on the specs but I don't think I need 170mm of travel.
I really like the value of the Propain Ekano 3 but the delivery date is late October. Same idea with the new Ari Wire Peak 3. The Transition Regulator CX XT looks good but I've never even seen a Transition bike irl.