Chances are, if you're reading this, you've already got an e-bike or you’re doing the necessary research and in the market for one. The punchline, therefore, is the Haibike AllMtn Pro 27.5 is an excellent machine and you should buy one! User Review - By Ian Coleman If that’s all the persuasion you need to spend your money, then no need to read the rest of this – however if you, like me, tremble at the thought of spending £5.5k on a pushbike, then read on. If you wish to be regaled with stories of how I've conquered Snowdon on the Haibike or how I rip up all the trails at all the national bike parks every weekend – you're going to be disappointed. Truth is, I'm a middle aged, tall, fairly heavy, boring man, who doesn't drive but likes mountain bikes. The key part in the last bit is that I don't drive (because of eyesight issues) so to be able to get around on a powered vehicle of any sort, without fear of being nicked still holds quite an appeal. Also, because I don't drive, I can't simply throw the bike in or on the car and shoot off somewhere in Wales for some hardcore trail riding – the evidence of which I could spice up this review. What I can tell you though Is that being able to absolutely fly back and forth to work every day, keeping up with the traffic is absolutely brilliant. Nipping into town to meet friends and arriving without being festooned in perspiration is one of life’s small pleasures that only someone else in the same situation will truly understand. Keeping up with the “MAMIL” fraternity (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) on their roadies is also particularly satisfying. So what about the bike? It looks great. The wheels are basically what sold it to me. Sure, you can spend a whole lot less on its little brothers (the RX and RC), but you simply don't get those wheels (Crank Brothers Iodine 2) and you don't get that 11-speed SRAM derailleur. If I had one little gripe, it’s that I actually prefer the frame colour of the RX, or indeed last year’s AMTPro model in matt black. The white frame on the AllMtn Pro shows up every last spec of dirt – and whilst that’s maybe cool after a morning out on the trails...if ever...it’s annoying when all you've done is ridden a few miles into work and back on normal roads. As I say – minor gripe. When it’s all cleaned up, it looks amazing – as hopefully the pictures herewith show. Sorry – no spectacular pictures of me astride the machine on top of a craggy outpost gazing wistfully into a stunning sunset. I work, I have kids, I do domestic things at the weekends! But before you wander off and look for a more dynamic review, bear this in mind. I ride every day in all weathers. The roads are greasy, salty, full of potholes and there are hills where I live. The bike gets a workout twice a day – every day. So far – in five months of pretty grotty weather conditions (November to March) I haven't had a single problem. All you've got to do is keep it clean. The best advice I can offer Is – try one! Martin at e-bikeshop runs a demo day and I happened to come across his blog advert and got myself a last minute place on one of the rides. Go and ride one! Whilst Martin is a good salesman, knowledgeable and personable, he doesn't really need to sell the bikes – they do that all by themselves. If you want to know what it’s like, book an appointment with him and try one – you simply will not be disappointed. There is something visceral about accelerating faster than you know you should be for the effort you are putting in. One of my concerns (besides the initial shock of the price) was whether or not this was just a weekend machine that wouldn't stand up to continuous use from a big lump sat on top. I’m 6’7” and fluctuate around the 110kg mark. I pedal really hard and have a reputation for being generally hard on bikes. Immediately, I felt secure on the demo bike – which was a little bit small for me to be honest – so now that I have one of the large frame models, it suits me down to the ground. The larger frame and superb 27.5” wheels actually make things look at bit more in proportion, too. My concerns have not been realised. As stated above, it still bombs back and forth to work without trouble. To sum it up? There’s nothing more I can say, really except to summarise. An excellent bike from and excellent retailer ….. Go on! You know you want to!! Thanks again to Ian Coleman for this fantastic review. Its great to hear end user feedback and always a pleasure for us to hear how well someone loves their eBike! To view the full spec of this model of for more info please click here - Haibike AllMtn PRO
Our Lapierre Overvolt FS 900 2015 electric bike was reviewed by stuff Magazine this month. Pretty pleased to see the eMTB in such an iconic gents gadget magazine. 4/5 Stars.. Not bad considering these guys are 'indoor boys'. Stuff Magazine Issue: November 2014 We at e-bikeshop.co.uk are the UK's exclusive Lapierre eBike dealer. As a UK Bosch Service Center & Lapierre Authorised dealer we are able to support you and your eMTB for the long term not just at point of sale. You can see the full range of 2015 Lapierre Electric Mountain Bikes Here. Or download a PDF of this review in better quality.
This is a first look and review after riding the new Yamaha eBike system on a 2015 Haibike sDURO HardNine prototype electric bike across off road terrain in Germany. What did we think at first look? Looking at the specs of the new Yamaha crank drive system we were very excited to ride it. It offers both more torque and assistance than any of its eBike drive competitors. On first look we loved the motor integration as it all seems to flow with the rest of the bike frame. Maybe thats just the angle it is mounted at, or the fact that the battery plugs straight in right above the motor. The bashplate was a really nice addition, it keeps it well protected and is in keeping with the overall look of the electric bike. One thing we did notice was that the bracket mount for the Yamaha LCD display did seem a little 'flimsy' and you could flex it pretty easily with your hands. We brought this up with the Haibike product manager and were ensured that this was a prototype bracket and that the final product will come with a more sturdy version from Yamaha (we have this pictured in our exclusive gallery on this blog post here). The battery capacity is on par with its competitors and offers enough range for serious riders. The Yamaha battery charger did seem a little on the large side. We did ask why and it was to do with keeping it cool and also more water resistant, maybe this is something that could be developed further? The LCD display is simple, clean and easy to navigate, it does the job and the settings are adjusted by holding a series of buttons in sequence. Now to the Riding! We had the chance to ride the new Yamaha eBike system across the fantastic singletrack in Schweinfurt. This course is also used as the testing ground by SRAM for their new components, so the terrain was brilliant! Line up of Haibike new xDURO Bosch & sDURO Yamaha Prototypes in Schweinfurt Immediately on setting off we felt the power delivery of the new Yamaha system to be smooth and literally applied the torque within the first crank rotation. This is due to the 'Zero Cadence' design from Yamaha. You didn't have to get a few pedals in before the bike assisted. It was there right from the off, the extra torque and assistance this system offers was immediately noticeable. Although we had reservations about the display bracket being a little 'flimsy', we rode this bike for around 3.5 hours and not once did we notice it wobbling about at all - maybe we were just having too much fun to notice! The bike rolled well with the power turned off, with no resistance felt through the drive, but we didn't turn it off much as this took the fun away from it all! About 20 mins into the ride, someone reminded us about the second ring at the front! Something we had completely forgot about due to not really using one on our 1 x 10 regular bikes or 1 x 11 Bosch eBike. Although we could have done the ride without it, once we remembered it was there, we did use it to make light work out of some of the climbs and it did come in handy. It's a nice addition from Yamaha and will certainly help if using the bike off power. Quick pit stop before back out again on the single track. To sum up the assistance modes - 'Eco' is good for conserving energy and the power delivery is enough for most to gently take the pressure off. The 'Standard' mode is easily enough for most, we feel this mode could be used for serious off roading and tough climbs. However the 'High' mode is just flat out fun! In fact on one very steep climb we came across; we stuck it in 'High' and blasted up just to see what the system was capable of. The bike went up with absolutely no problem, we were almost expecting it to give up, but it just carried on going to the point that we got to the top and looked back and thought, how did that just happen? During the ride of very mixed terrain the system did not skip a beat at all. We had plenty of descents and climbs. When we set out the capacity showed 52% on the head unit. After 3.5 hours of quite hilly terrain we arrived back with 21% still showing. So we only used about 20% of its usage. This was mainly in 'High' & 'Standard' assistance although we did try also try the 'Eco' setting too. To sum the new Yamaha eBike system up? Fantastic system and very pleased we were one of the first to test & review it! Really pleasurable to ride and although pushing the system hard it just kept performing. The reliability of the system will show in time, however we must remember that although new to us in Europe the system and Yamaha have been doing this a long time so any niggles should have already been refined out of it. One thing we did forget to test was the 'Walk Assist' function. We spent little time off the new prototype electric bikes so never had a chance to use it. We are sure it works just great as does the rest of the Yamaha system. Pros - Very powerful system, good battery range, gives support right from the off. Well know brand. Good integration from Haibike. Battery can be inserted from the side allowing better integration into smaller frames. In the event of a problem, no diagnostics tools are required. The LCD displays it all. The system comes in at a lower price than its competitors so will allow more affordable builds. Cons - The Yamaha head unit bracket could do with more support, although this was not a problem at all during our ride. Also we feel the charger could be a bit smaller, but other than that it's great. It's new to the UK market so will take time to evolve. One word to sum it up? - FUN FUN FUN!! Oops is that 3 words?.. You get the gist. Read the previous article here - First Look: Yamaha eBike System Overview 2015 Whats next? - Keep an eye out a video will be posted shortly, so watch this space!
We just received this review in from one of our eBike customers. This chap explains his journey into the electric bike world and how he concluded on the Moustache Samedi Gold Full Suspension Electric Bike. Full range of eMTB Moustache, Haibike & Lapierre eBikes It started, as these things so often do, without a plan. And that was my first mistake. If I had thought about it long enough I might not have been so eager to call in to see Martin at E-Bikeshop last Wednesday afternoon, or accept the offer of a coffee from his master mechanic, Jeremy. It was Jeremy who first suggested I take a close look at the new Moustache range. He proceeded with - Check out the Samedi 29/7, it’s the best-looking bike in the shop – but pictures don’t do it justice. Now, I do know my Haibikes from my Hai Karate but still, the Moustache range had passed me by up until this point. And if following the crowd is the way you roll too, they may not have pinged up on your radar either. I asked Martin why the biggest supplier of Haibikes in the UK had chosen to offer the Moustache range as an alternative. “The Haibikes are well-engineered machines,” he offered, “but cycling is not just about specs and dimensions and the Moustache bikes have a fascinating aesthetic which some people, me included, just ‘get’.” So, side-by-side, I pored over the Haibikes and the Moustache range and, to my surprise, the French brand looked fresher, cleaner, more cohesive, cooler. If you’re more MAC than PC, old Rolls than gold Rolls, or Jack Wills than Fat-Face you might feel the same. Although it is hard to explain why. What I can say is this: You have to see the bike in the flesh to appreciate it – even now when I look at pictures on the website they don’t appeal in the same way as some of the Haibikes. Moving on to the nitty-gritty, Martin asks questions. And more questions. He said - It’s my job to make sure you get the right bike,” he explained, I’ll tell you what type of bike will suit you best – it’s then up to you to decide on what look you like the most. I’ve a feeling he’s done this a few times before. Anyway, it turned out a hard-tail Samedi 29/7 Silver would be just the ticket. Or a RC29 Haibike. Both, reassuringly, at the lower end of the price range. “Yes, that’s all I need, it would be mad to go to a full-suspension model, its capabilities would be far beyond mine,” I agreed. Oh how we laughed at the spec-bling fan-boys who over-spend on unnecessary kit, dazzled by the latest, fastest, lightest components. Which does make it rather difficult for me to explain how I ended up with the top-spec, full-bling, Samedi 29/7 Full-Suspension Gold. I blame Jeremy and that bloody coffee. Oh, and my lack of a plan. Now, if you’re buy-curious like me, then you’d do well to leave your wallet behind when you visit Martin – one quick demo ride and you may be punching your pin into the little machine he keeps right beside him on his desk. Just like I did. Doh! So, how to describe the sensation of riding an electrically-assisted cycle? Well, imagine you were driving a gingerbread train on biscuit wheels. Actually, that’s not much help, is it? But in a way I’m right. You see there is a definite feeling of euphoria as your forward motion exceeds your inputs – there is a visceral disconnect between what you do achieve and what you expect to achieve. This can be quite heady. It’s a little addictive. And great fun. The Bosch power gives you four levels of assistance – with the top-rated ‘Turbo’ delivering a 275% boost – almost enough to give you a Jeremy Clarkson face-wobble. I asked my wife what she thought as she powered by me up our drive. “A-maz-ing!” was all I heard, as I watched her head towards the gravel. “Might have been a good time to mention the hydraulic disc brakes,” mentions my son to me, eyebrows raised, arms spread wide, palms up. Nodding, I winced at the thought of his mum pulling on the front like an old block-and-cable. No drama though. All safe and sound. All under control. And she was riding a large frame bike, when she’d be better suited to a small - That was one I dodged, then. Seriously though, I can see an unexpected benefit of these bikes is their ability to level-the-field in terms of enabling a group of disparate abilities (and fitness) to all have fun together. For us, that’s a big deal because in the past mum has always been a bit of a laggard – not through lack of trying - and to now have our wheels turning closer together for more of the time adds chocolate sauce to the ice-cream experience. “Keeping up with you two is soo easy now,” she said while idly cycling past us up ‘two-top’ hill. While polishing her nails. (I made the ‘polishing her nails’ bit up, to be honest). You get the idea though. One last thing. You might be wondering how this high-spec full suspension mountain bike performs on gnarly trails, or technical descents - Who knows? Certainly not me. I’ve hardly had a turn riding it since I got it home – I’ll prise it from the fingers of the family soon though, and I’ll let you know. Thanks to David Jenkins for this letter. To view the full specification of the bike in review click here - Moustache Samedi Gold Full Suspension Electric Bike
I’ve been riding mountain bikes for many years and had never considered adding an electric bike to my stable of rides. I thought I had no need for 1 as the old body was still working okay. So when Martin at e-bikeshop offered me a test ride on the Haibike NDURO PRO “e-MTB” I was very curious and welcomed the chance to try one out on the local trails near to e-bikeshops new premises in Farnham, surrey. Thankfully I picked a sunny and dry day. However the trials were very wet and muddy after week’s of rain so this was going to be an interesting first ride for me on the electric bike. The Haibike NDURO PRO was so easy to ride and the power assistance from the Bosch motor comes in quickly and smoothly to assist you as soon as you flick the power button on to Eco mode. I was soon easily cruising along at 15mph in eco mode. It was easy to change assistance levels whilst riding using your left hand on the control buttons. Come to a steep climb on or off-road and up the assistance mode all the way to Turbo and off you go. I had to remember to keep pedalling to keep the assistance going so no pausing for a quick breather. You can pedal as hard as you like on the eBike, just the same as on a normal bike, so you are still getting as much of a workout as you want. Climb in a lower assistance mode and the heart rate will still rise up nicely. The electric bike is really exciting and so much fun. Point it downhill and it’s off like a shot, but no need to panic about walkers or horses because as soon as you stop pedalling and brake then you can stop on a sixpence with the very powerful SRAM XO brakes. The best thing for me about the eBike is the ability to cut through even the deepest muddiest trail without stopping or really slowing to the usual pace of grinding through the mud. It’s a lot easier on the knee’s as you up the assistance mode and cut straight through the mud. I was having so much fun on this ride that I just aimed for the middle of each mud section rather than the normal route of trying to skirt round one side or another in a vain attempt to avoid the mud and keep going. The gears on this eMTB are excellent with positive shift’s coming from the SRAM X1 lever. With 11 gears on the rear you never run out of gears either at the top or bottom of the range. You have enough gears to climb the steepest gradient and then gears high enough to help you fly along at speed. Climbing on the eMTB is so much fun! Even when full of mud and splattered by endless puddles the gears were really positive and precise through the whole range. The suspension is amazing and soaks up all the bumps for a smooth, controlled and positive riding experience. The short stem and wide bars add up to spot on assured handling. Add in the dropper seat post for those tricky drop-off’s and descents and this electric bike is the whole complete package. Don’t forget the whole time I was having so much fun I was still getting a good workout. Ride everywhere in ECO mode and you can feel you are working. Another great thing about the bike is it’s off-road climbing ability. Just aim it uphill and flick the assistance into Turbo mode and off you go. Your own skill level will dictate what you can climb but you will be able to climb gradient’s you never thought possible before on a normal bike. You still need to balance and keep your weight over the front as you climb but it’s amazing. The Haibike handles really well in all modes of assistance and it is also a good ride with no assistance helping you, which is often the case when you are flying along the flat or going downhill. These times of no assistance will also increase the length and time of your ride that you will then have available in power assistance modes. The local bull calves also thought the new Mavic tyres were very tasty!! I was out for 3 hours and still had some battery power left at the end. I was covered in mud and so was the bike but I’d had the most fun on a muddy bike ride ever. If you’ve never considered an electric bike then think again. If you’re in to riding for fitness and fun and want to ride all year round, then this would make a great winter bike. I guarantee you will go out and ride a lot more as it’s so much fun. If you’re not sure then buy one for your partner or best buddy and go out riding with them. You’ll work so hard trying to keep up with them that you’ll be so fit, you will be in the Tour de France next year! Electric mountain biking equals fun, fun, fun. It will put a massive smile on you’re face. I think that’s reason enough to join the club and buy one. Don’t you? To view the full specification of the bike being ridden, please click here - Haibike NDURO PRO 2014 eBike
Following my great trip to Ludlow, yet another lovely sunny eBiking Wednesday came around and so once again the kitchen project could go hang. I set off from Church Stretton for Shrewsbury on the Moustache Samedi bike, again at 9:30. Instead of using the electric assist to shorten the time to one hour with an average speed of 16 mph, I went for best battery economy. I pedalled at about 60 rpm all the time. I used the gears to keep my pedal speed at about one double stroke per second. The pedal force I used was about the same as the force needed to raise my legs. So the pedal force was about a constant 6 Kg. This is an extremely low work rate. I think it represents about 250 calories per hour, it is about the same as a gentle level walking stroll at 2.5 mph. In this mode the electric assist is off nearly all the time. When rising ground strikes, I bang down the gears to keep the pedal rpm up to 60. As the speed drops to 7 mph in bottom gear, in goes the electric assist to maintain speed at 7 mph. The steeper the slope the more pedal assist gets fed in. As soon as the speed rises above 8 mph I back off the pedal assist level. The trick is to keep up the low constant personal work rate. I can keep that work rate up for 12 hours, just add Mars bars and the odd bacon roll. Going like this the trip took 1 hour 30 at an average speed of just under 11 mph. In Shrewsbury I loaded up with a Full English at my favourite pavement café in Butcher Row. I specially noted the freshly squeezed orange juice, the black puddings and the charming waitress. She was very interested in my Moustache. Guys, you do not need an R8 Spyder to get a favourable review! A good place to visit by cycle – Shrewsbury. I though ‘bugger it, it is such a nice day, why not visit the wife in Whitchurch for lunch?’ Well there was no reason. We get on very well, that is because we stopped trying to live in each others spaces. She is 40 miles away, perfect. So I carried on but was a little less economical than over the first 16.5 miles because I managed Shrewsbury with 90% of battery energy still in the battery. In other words I followed my own advice and got my battery economy measures in early. After 30 minutes for the Full English, I left for Whitchurch, 23.5 miles further on. I got there in a further 2 hours at an average speed of about 12 mph. I was in fine fettle apart from a trifle of sunburn. Lunch was excellent except that I could only manage bird sized portions on account of the Full English earlier. The Chablis was great, as it always is there and the 13 amp socket was just the trick. It took ninety minutes to fill the battery, so I guess that was about 45% used with 55% reserve after the 40 miles. The reason for the better range performance is all to do with the hills. This route involves only about a constant 40 feet of ascent per mile because North Shropshire is not hill country. It is not flat either, the hills are there but lower and more gentle. I am not so good at talking my own picture while riding the Samedi – yet. After lunch we took my third son’s dog for a 4-mile walk (a change is as good as a rest), then got an hours kip in. I woke up thinking ‘bugger it, why not go on to visit my oldest son and family in Chester another 24 miles on?’ My senior daughter in law texted that they would not be home until 18:10; there was risotto for dinner, did I want white or red? My eighteen-month-old grandson was reported hopping with excitement. With problems like this, who needs good luck? So I took my leave of the wife at 16:30. My wife and I will never get divorced, divorce is so common, everybody does it. This annoys our lovers no end! This time I was only going 24 miles on a full battery, so I used the high assist settings a lot and got there at 18:10. The sun shone all the way but a cool Northerly breeze got up and I would have been cursing that breeze were it not for what Bosch call ‘turbo’. The naming of the two higher electric assist levels are ridiculous. I have no problem with ‘eco’ and ‘tour’, however if you up the help level one more notch it is called ‘sport’ and the top level is called ‘turbo’. This is ‘boy racer’ thinking and most inappropriate. In my mind ‘sport’ equals ‘old fogies’ and ‘turbo’ equals ‘geriatric’. It is ‘assist off’ that equals ‘sport’, of course. This stuff induces ‘turbo-mode’ assertion. Note that you ‘sports’. Anyway, there you are. Personal fitness level a disgrace, smokes twenty a day and carrying about two stone overweight, the average speed was 11.5 mph, the day’s run was 63.5 miles, the total ascent was 2550 feet; the range would have been 70 miles without the recharge and still carrying a ten mile ‘tour’ reserve. The 64 year old subject did not die or even get tired from his 63-mile ride and 4-mile dog walk outing. I am against sun cream, it is highly toxic and definitely causes skin cancer, but a wide brimmed tie-on hat would have been desirable. Crash hats are for main-road ‘sports’; the routes that I take involve about the same risk as painting the kitchen ceiling. Now we do not generally wear a crash hat when painting the kitchen, do we? Bosch have got a tiny bit of their program wrong. Zero assist (assist off, but system on) motion is not averaged into the trip remaining range calculation. This leads the awesome 32-bit robot to draw some highly ridiculous conclusions. Bosch please take note here; the controls are great, why not get the range logic perfect? The programmers were scared of the divide by zero, infinite range issue on zero assist This is irrelevant. What we are interested in is trip miles since reset divided by total electrical energy input since reset times the remaining (available for power) electrical energy in the battery. In other words, ‘if you carry on with your recent personal performance pattern, terrain pattern and wind direction, this is how far you will go. The current assist level setting is changing all the time, it is irrelevant and should not bear upon the range calculation at all. Also I have to work out the battery state by manual estimation because the ‘fuel gauge’ works in huge 20% jumps due to the LCD display design limitations. The robot knows the battery status to the nearest erg. Why not tell me the battery state in numbers? i.e.: battery remaining charge state 230 (Wh) or 57 (%) etc. What I want would take me about 12 minutes on the cross compiler; one more information function in the info function stack. Battery state info display. There is no display provision for the Wh (or %) units text, so just put that units text into a manual addenda sheet. The battery state display could be advised by flashing the contents indicator when the battery state function is selected to view. Also if the robot knows how hard one is working (it knows very accurately, even in the ‘assist off’ position), then why not add in the trip biometric calories burned data too? That would take tiny changes to the LCD hardware, so possibly put that on the v2,01 ‘to-do’ list. In general I give Bosch and Moustache both a 10 out of 10 - could do better (and then get 12 out of 10, ha ha). Thanks to Ben Campbell for this fantastic write up - from the e-bikshop.co.uk team. To view the bike in review please click here - Moustache Samedi Silver Open
Part 1 of this story is here After the day of my Pilgrims Way trip, the next ride was The Ridgeway , across part of central England. The Ridgeway is an ancient road, the best know section of which starts at Overton Hill, in Wiltshire and ends at Streatley and Goring on the River Thames in Berkshire. This was to be a two day ride and I expected to cover about 90 miles in total. Catching the High Speed Train to London I cycled across London to Paddington Station, thinking how much nicer it would be riding along tractor ruts rather than trying to avoid cabbies and big red London buses attempting to squidge you into the kerb. The nice thing about the extra performance of the Haibike is that you can ride it a little like a motorcycle, well into the middle of the road with the traffic, until it speeds up to over 25 mph. Not that London traffic goes that fast for very long. The train to Pewsey took about an hour and a half and gave me a chance to top up the battery using one of the power sockets First Great Western now have next to some seats. The short ride up to the start of the Ridgeway was along a rutted bridleway which needed sport mode but the extra power of the motor took a lot of the pain out of a steep hill that would have otherwise had me pushing. I didn't need to be at the B&B until after 17:00 so I decided to ride along to Barbary Castle. Once on the Ridgeway the status is byway open to all traffic, whilst in Wiltshire. The going varies from a wide and heavily rutted and sometimes muddy surface to a semi made fine loosely packed stone surface. Up on the Ridgeway its easy to clip along at a good pace aided by the Haibike’s Bosch motor. On the easy parts eco was sufficient but in more difficult going tour or occasionally sport were selected. On the worst parts I set the Rock Shock Revelation forks to the full 150 mm travel. This really helped and for the most part the bike handled everything the Ridgway threw at it. Having 300mm suspension travel on my Yamaha WR450, I’m used to having a a bike with proper off road suspension. The Haibike didn't make me wish for my Yamaha’s greater travel and whilst I could still legally ride the WR on this part of the Ridgeway, that would change tomorrow.As I was riding at a goodly pace down a stony byway the rear end started to go wiggly. Curses! A puncture! Removing the rear wheel is as easy on the Haibike, with its crank motor, as it is with a conventional bike. On my previous electric hub bike, rear wheel removal is much more fiddly. The inner tube had been split by a small sharp flint pushing through the tyre. Bad luck, but then again I find MTB tyres too soft and I go for downhill tyres and heavy duty inner tubes full of that green “slime” puncture proof gunge. My WR has a mousse in the rear and similar things are available for bicycles. I do hate punctures.I rode up and through Barbury Castle thinking how the Saxons threw out the Romano British about 1500 years ago when this was an early fortress. I made a loop back the way I had come and rode through the ancient village of Avebury with its famous ring of standing stones. My B&B was in nearby Beckhampton. I’d covered a little under 40 miles and had two battery blocks left. That went on charge and after a wash and change of clothes it was a across to the Wagon and Horses for dinner. When cycle touring its tricky carrying everything but using a combination of a rucksack and also a special triangular bag I use on another bike, I found I could adapt it to fit around the Haibike’s frame and battery. That held the charger and part of the lock. With something as valuable as an electric bike you don’t leave it unsecured.After a comfy night and an early breakfast, I made my way to Avebury and spent some time walking around the stone ring. These were once buried by the medieval Christians who feared the Pagan significance of the stones. They have since been put back upright in modern times by people sensible enough not to be subjected to superstition. I marvelled at the timelessness of this but was also conscious of my need to keep to my own schedule and a train later that afternoon.The Ridgeway was up another long byway I’d whizzed down the previous day. Tour mode was enough except for a really steep part where I had to go to sport mode. As always the extra push was welcome. Unassisted pedalling is just so bad for morale. I met a group of motorcyclists from the Wiltshire group of my motorcycle club, the Trail Riders Fellowship. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted about the Haibike. Up to about 2004 it was possible to ride the whole of the Ridgway on a motorcycle. In fact there was a TV series called the Ridgeriders made from 1999 to 2001, presented by Nick Knowles, which followed down the Ridgeway some well know personalities like rock stars (Robert Plant) and actresses (Paula Hamilton) on vintage and classic motorcycles. It had a soundtrack and music by the Albion Band. The TRF were riding some of the other byways that criss cross the Ridgeway. Sadly for them (and my WR450) once you get to Oxfordshire, the Ridgway becomes (controversially) a Restricted Byway and is now closed to motor vehicles. The Ridgeriders are now history.But it was not closed to my Haibike and me!! Nevertheless, I think its important for all bike riders (motor/engined or not) to keep in mind the TRF Code of Conduct which in summary says, only ride where you are allowed, keep to below 25 mph, slow for walkers and if necessary stop for horses.I even had a clause added which says that we should “acknowledge other users with a wave or greeting”. On a bike as stealthy as the Haibike a friendly “good morning or “good afternoon” is all that is necessary. Even if some Ramblers blank you. I cracked on at a comfy pace of between 15 and 25 mph, but most importantly uphills could be maintained at nicely over 15 mph. The view was stunning and especially enjoyable from the saddle of a bike. Up on the Ridgeway you can see for miles about and there is a real sense of freedom. Riding down hill I was reassured by the powerful hold of the Magura MT2 brakes to keep progress in check.I stopped at Waylands Smithy for a banana and drink. This is an old burial mound and is one of the many locations on the Ridgeway that gives this ancient road a real feeling of timelessness.I occasionally came upon other cyclists. Again, no-one really noticed it was an electric bike. That was until you rode past them. There were one or two quickish riders, but I passed them (always saying “hi”) with a short burst in turbo mode. It was only if I stopped that they caught up and rode past; generally ignoring you!The suspension and frame geometry seems to be spot on and I’ve not noticed any idiosyncrasies in that area. Nothing fell off (I’d reengineered the broken pedelec sensor after my last ride) or broke and yet the terrain is quite demanding. The bike took it all in its stride.The mileage was now about 38 and I was down to the final battery block. Judicious use of eco and tour modes soon showed the computer telling me I had 2 miles of power left. Fortunately most of the ride off the Ridgeway to Streatley is downhill. I arrived in Streatley still with power available and pulled into a pub for a drink and sandwich. The total was 45 miles, mostly on unsurfaced green lanes. The bar staff let me charge the battery whilst I watched the River Thames flow past. After an hour the battery had three blocks which would get me to the station at Goring, across London and home. I arrived back home in Kent two hours later with well over 50 miles on the tripmeter. My legs ached but I’d enjoyed this Ridgeway ride much more than the last time when I was on an unpowered bike. So where to next? Thanks to Steve Neville - From the e-bikeshop team for this update.(Powered off-road Two Wheeler enthusiast) on his Haibike FS AMT 26
I completed my first proper ride on my new Haibike xDuro AMT PRO on Sunday: possibly one of the best days of the year so far for weather and dry trails. As a regular cyclist of many years, I ride a 30m round trip most days to work, and MTB in the Surrey hills with a group of up to 25 local riders every Sunday morning; all year round. Occasionally we venture further afield to Swinley Forest, Afan, Coed Llandegla and Coed Y Brenin. Recently I have turned to e-bikes since discovering I am nearing kidney transplant, in order to make up for the deficit in energy levels I am experiencing as a result. Having been let down by another supplier, I spoke to e-bikeshop.co.uk whom I’d been aware of and who had the added attraction of being local to me in their new custom built facility and showroom in Farnham. Check it out if you haven’t already done so – it’s impressive. As luck would have it they had a demo-day cancellation and before I knew it, less than 3hrs later I was on a test ride in the Surrey hills with a selection bikes to try! Group photo after the ride @ e-bikeshop in May 2014 The knowledge of the products by the whole team at e-bikeshop.co.uk was second to none and by the end of the ride I knew an e-MTB was for me. It quickly became apparent that the Haibike xDuro was the right model for me as I use my MTBs quite aggressively and I needed something which could cope with the hits, under the “All Mountain” category. It’s pure off-roader I was after, as I already have an e-hybrid which I use for daily road commuting. Given the increasingly national shortage of higher-end e-MTBs available, Martin at e-bikeshop.co.uk calmly helped me through the whole process smoothly and confidently and my customer experience was second to none. Even a minor initial technical glitch was resolved quickly and efficiently the same day. So back to the ride, I was justifiably nervous embarking on my first Sunday morning ride with e-power, would the bike be up to it? would I have enough battery power? how much respect would I lose with my ride-buddies, and the nagging feeling of “cheating”. Lovely shot taken along the way, Surrey Hills offers beautiful scenery! If you can keep your eyes of the eMTB! Despite the fact my fellow MTB-ers are of above average fitness levels, it quickly became clear that Eco setting was plenty to keep on the pace and near the front of the group. We covered the “3 peaks” ride – one of my favourite in good conditions as the views are spectacular: along the canal to Guildford, up Pewley Downs, St Martha’s and Newlands Corner on the North Downs. Across and down to Shere, back across Albury Heath, Blackheath and Chinthurst. On the climbs I used a touch of turbo to see how the bike climbed, and it was simply astonishing. My fellow riders were simply blown away – event the fittest of the group. I actually didn’t need turbo, tour setting would have been plenty but of course I had to see what she could do, and what Strava would make of it all. One of my biggest fears was losing the fun factor of my previous ride, an Orange Gyro. Although a very different type of bike altogether, I was delighted to find it just as much fun in an alternative kind of way. The ride across the Surrey Hills on the Haibike FS AMT PRO mapped on Strava Coming down the back of St Martha’s there are some wonderful pieces of single track with berms, jumps and drop-offs-a-plenty. With the additional weight and low centre of gravity, due to the crank drive motor and low mounted battery I found the Xduro to be incredibly well planted with the Schwalbe Hans Damf tyres providing seemingly endless grip - especially on the sidewalls. Although not as nimble as my previous bike, it was still more than possible to jump and get airborne and I found myself using most of the 150mm travel provided by the front and rear silky smooth Fox Kashima coated suspension. The Haibike Sprocket Equalizing System (SES) was perfectly balanced and provided increased confidence and predictability. The 27.5” wheels provide exactly the right balance of nimble turning but with the traction and bite of the bigger wheels. After 30 miles, 4 hours in the saddle, several sizeable climbs and a 10 minute “turbo” blast home after saying farewell to my ride buddies I was astonished to see I still had 2 bars of battery left! (I’d unnecessarily taken my charger in my Camelbak with me on the ride as I was unsure what to expect..) As it turns out by the end of the ride my fellow MTB-ers had nothing but respect for my new Haibike, and to say it raised a lot of interest in the group would be an understatement. It’s probably fair to say there will be a few more in the group as time progresses! My bike has been set up perfectly by the team at e-bikeshop.co.uk, with no adjustments required other than saddle position and height. After a good clean, polish and re-lube the Xduro was back to showroom condition once again and ready for action again. Next stop: a 5 day MTB adventure on the Isle of Man in June, and I can’t wait! With thanks to Matt Dibb for this lovely write up - From the e-bikeshop team. Expect an update on Matt's trip to the Isle of Mann soon. To view the full specification of the model featured, please click here - Habike FS AMT PRO Electric Bike
I've always loved exploring green roads and trails on a bike since I was a young lad. Discovery of mopeds at 15 years old and motorcycles at 17 meant that push bikes were used much less. On an assortment of trail and enduro motorcycles I could cover a much larger number of lanes for less effort and it was much more fun as they had engines. I first purchased a mountain bike once they had front suspension developed in the mid 1980's. It was a way of checking out new routes in a stealthy manner. Access is restricted for motor vehicles and it has become more draconian within the last 15 years. Its always been a reason to keep cycling. Mud, hills and headwinds are a limiting factor for push bikes, so around 5 years ago I started looking at the electric hub motors and conversion kits. Until recently electric bikes were only designed for your grannie to go shopping and there were few e-mountain bikes of good quality. Mountain bikers are purists and seem to focus on human power and gravity. Electric assistance? Thats for the aforesaid grannies and the old and disabled. Pay more, pedal harder and reduce weight is their only vision. As a motorcyclist I think differently. POWER is what you need.I tried a Heinzmann kit bike which was ok, but not very torquey and the cost of a conversion kit was around £1300. About 3 years ago I found a Bafang kit for £700 which I fitted to a hard tail Claud Butler. This was followed up by a similar conversion in a TREK EX5 giving me full suspension, after a few engineering headaches. Great fun but range is under 15 miles for these hub motors in spite of claims of more. Something else was needed to go any good distance. Bigger batteries? Too much weight. Ok more efficiency? Crank motors seemed the way to go. However crank motors tend to dangle below the bottom bracket just waiting for a rock to smash it to bits. Then I saw the Haibike. The motor was rotated up inside the frame like a motorcycle. Also the various chassis alternatives looked like they were designed for serious off road use and not shopping. Some e-mountain bikes you see are really commuters with knobbly tyres. I tested out a Haibike in Bedgebury forest in Kent and was impressed. Good power even though rated at the European legal 250 watts. However the best overall package offering zero finance was from the e-Bike Shop aka Crank Cycles based in Farnham and Alton. Initially, I was looking at the Xduro FS SL 26". That model has the smaller 300 watt battery with a range of about 30 miles. Martin at the shop suggested I look at the next model up. This was the AMT 26" which offered a larger 400 watt battery capacity and improved suspension at each end, plus better cycle components all round. I must say I agonised about this. Three and a half grand is a lot of money for a bicycle. Then again a pedal only bike of that specification would have cost over £2000. Add in a motor and battery; let's call it £1500 and there you are. By the way the off road dongle is an expensive (£150) but worthwhile option. I took it on holiday to the New Forest. That showed it to be a lot of fun and the performance and range was good. The first problem that arose was the front suspension lockout button kept jamming. To release it is a matter of tugging it; the warranty should sort that. Haibike FS AMT 26 On The Pilgrims Way The longer test was to ride the Pilgrims Way along the North Downs in Kent. The starting point was the car park at Wrotham and aim to finish at the Kent Gliding Club at Challock. This used to be entirely open to motorcycles but thanks to legislative duplicity and downright lies by anti vehicular groups parts of it are now closed being bridleway and restricted byway; but not to my Haibike Riding from Wrotham through Trottiscliffe to Halling is now possible. The Haibike rode even better than my electrified TREK EX5 through the ruts and bumps and I'd always been impressed with that and its overall motor performance. Problem two occurred as the system shut itself down reading 0 mph. A stone or stick had broken the pedelec sensor off its mounting. Investigation showed this to be of a really poor design made of thin flimsy plastic and not fit for purpose. Bosch really need to redesign this. Temporary repair with self amalgamating tape, but it's another warranty matter.The rest of the ride is a mixture of unclassified roads, over the River Medway and then over Bluebell Hill and along more byways to Detling. I overtook one guy on an unpowered MTB who was struggling up a hill and after a brief chat; as I accelerated away, I was not even sure he understood my comment that my MTB loves hills! A lot of cyclists don't realise what the Haibike is and a few that do, don't understand how good they are, or say it's cheating; most are in oblivious ignorance. All I know is I'm probably having more fun and enjoyment than they are on their unpowered bikes. After a recharge of the battery and coffee for myself watching the gliders, it was a ride down to Charing station and then the train back via Kemsing and the final western section of the Pilgrims Way, to the car. In summary, the Haibike AMT 26” works brilliantly. These are fully competent off road bicycles and are truly “all mountain terrain”; not just cosmetic MTBs. The range with the bigger. 400 watt hour battery is over 40 miles. This was using mainly tour and sport modes, with the occasional burst to turbo. If you can afford another £650 (ouch!) then carrying a spare battery ( 2.5 kg) would give a total of up to 100 miles of more gentle riding. So long distance touring is possible. If, assuming the glitches are sorted I'd recommend a Haibike for serious off road bikers who might just also be motorcyclists at heart; but you do need deep pockets.Now for the Ridgeway across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Thanks to our customer Steve Neville from Kent for this article.. (Ridgeway report to follow).To view this eBike please click here - Haibike FS AMT 26
This is my first electric cycle, so this is more a review of electric cycling in general. The Moustache is every bit as good as the photographs on the e-bikeshop website and is an excellent bike in its own right. It has a lovely silver finish, elegant metal mudguards made by the company and quirky but stylish composite welded handle bars. The 9 gears work perfectly and provide all one needs for uphill (up to 1 in 8) and up to 30 mph downhill. The disc brakes were my first experience of this type of brakes. Having tried them I would never go back to rim brakes or hub drums again. The carrier is able to carry my three large camping panniers. The bike is still manageable with 30 Kg loaded in the bags but feels more like a small motor bike to walk with when fully loaded like this. Cycle makers put great store in getting the cycle weight down. In my case this seems a bit pointless after my 120 Kg of body and camping gear is added. Anyway, the empty Samedi is very light. Even with its large battery and motor, it is about the same weight as a Pashley. This bike has an old fashioned ‘sit up and beg’ riding position. I was determined on a step through design, which this ‘open’ model is. With my top bag extended upwards, it is impossible to dismount by swinging the leg over the saddle. I am 64, 'sit upright' and 'step through' is what I wanted. The Samedi Open is my perfect configuration. My mission is to tour the South Shropshire hills with camping gear. The Samedi would also make a great commuter cycle, but 'they' will not give me a job and I do not want one, so back to long distance touring we go. My Moustache is fitted with the new Bosch 400 Wh – 250 Watt electric pedal assist system. So technically this is a cycling review of that kit, it is not so much a review of the excellent Moustache bike itself. Having said that, Moustache has done a really neat job of designing the bike for the Bosch system. When I first moved to Church Stretton in the South Shropshire Hills, I gave my mid range 27 speed (hardly used) touring bike to my fourth son to use as a commuter. Even on the flat, my knees hurt too much after a 30 mile ride. I was 60 and decided that my cycling days were over. This area is lovely, but the roads that do not have 40 ton trucks passing through, are all straight up or straight down. Well straight in terms of gradient, in odd places the roads are straight themselves for up to 100 yards at a stretch. Every so often I missed cycling and wondered if an electric assist cycle might help to scratch the itch. The local bike shop offered a 230 Wh Raleigh. I did some sums and laughed. The scenic route to Shrewsbury and back is a 32 mile round trip with a 2800 foot total assent. That is typical; any lanes trip around here involves an average 90 foot of assent for each mile of route. The 230 Wh battery would hardly get me there, let alone back home. So when Bosch nearly doubled that to 400 Wh, I sat up and took note. Far from being a lot, 400 Wh sounded like it might be nearly enough. Completely forget the published range figures. Any over-weight and unfit twit like me can sit on a cycle while it rolls down hill and can probably manage a smooth level road in still air quite well too. The trouble is all about going up hill or into the wind. I only go out when winds are light, so in my case the trouble is about going up hills and nothing else. Now in the case of going up hill, one needs to think. Say a route presented 40 miles of great cycling except for a 2 mile 2000 foot climb. In that case the electric assist is going to make stuff all difference because one needs to walk up the short two mile one in five section anyway. However South Shropshire is not like that. That 90 foot average assent per mile that I mentioned all comes as a little bit here and a little bit there. To get any where round here one needs magic to get up all the little rises. Well either that or get fit, which I refuse to do on account of the old knees. I was a bit scarred of finding out that the electric bike was no good for me. I waited for very compelling weather to find out. Two days ago, in the afternoon sun I tried my Samedi downhill to Shrewsbury. The route is 16 miles and it took one hour (wow!!). There is a total assent on this 'downhill' route of 700 feet. I never had to get off once. At a pavement café in Butchers Row I had a glass of wine and sushi to celebrate and came home on the train. I had used only 30% of the capacity of the Bosch battery, I was not even tired. My knees did not even twinge. It all looked good to go. Some people just choose the right town, Shrewsbury. Martin Brown from e-bikeshop.co.uk had been very helpful and knowledgeable in guiding me to this choice. It was not an easy sell for him. He stuck the course and now I am a happy bunny. I was a bit uncertain about buying from a business the other side of the country. However had I gone nearer home I would have bought the wrong bike. This is because Martin knows so much about the subject and most other bike sellers know almost nothing and are busy selling the wrong thing (or the right thing by accident). This guy does not do random, he does not make mistakes. Every action has a purpose, a reason. Some people just choose the right e bike shop. Yesterday was also very calm and sunny. So I left off refitting the kitchen for a wet windy day another time and at 10 am I set off for Ludlow, 20 miles away. Now the route from Church Stretton to Ludlow via the A49 would be a good 16 mile route to test a new Ferrari on but would be hell on a cycle. I carefully picked a route on the lanes through the hills of Wenlock Edge. That way the route consists of 20 miles with a 1500 foot assent and a 2000 foot descent. You need Memory Map, then you can know what is coming your way. On a sunny day in mid May, this route is as close to paradise as this little iron ball is ever going to present. There is the smell of the flowers, the bird song and stunning views in every direction. There is time to chat up the pretty girl cutting her father's hedge. There is time to stop and talk to the horses. On foot this route would kill and be a foot throbbing pain in the backside. Driving an open car or motor cycle one would miss the smells, sounds and conversations. In a car one would also miss 90% of the views. The cycle is the only way for non horse riders to fully enjoy it. At 64 and very lacking in fitness, the electric assist cycle is the only way for me (as a non horse rider) to do it. I did it. It was deeply satisfying. I reached Ludlow with what I thought was 55% of battery remaining. I sat at another pavement cafe in the sun and treated myself to a three course lunch with wine and a huge carafe of Ludlow branch (water). I loaded the bike with 6 Kg of vegetables and second hand Lee Child books from the market and decided to try going back home on the bike. I tried the alternative route home. This goes over a forest track to the West of the A49. I reached Onibury in fine fettle at 26 miles out with what looked like 40% of battery remaining and 14 miles to go. Then using low gear and boost power I winched myself up the 500 foot straight back into the hills. Big mistake! As I reached the tops at 800 feet altitude, the Bosch system tritely informed me that I had 6 miles of battery left with 12 miles to go. The forest bridleway had recently been relayed with football sized rocks. I always wondered how to legally close a bridleway. Now I know. So I had to walk for two miles over these rocks and even that tested the Moustache to the limit. My water bottle bounced off and I had to walk back half a mile to recover it. The Onny Valley, how to avoid the A49. When I got back down to Craven Arms I still had 6 miles of battery left but 11 miles to go. I should have got the train home from Craven Arms. I decided to ride it, but walk the big hill up to Cwm Head at 900 feet. It worked, and perhaps the three mile walk up hill was good for my figure. So the range of the Bosch 400 Wh system is about 32 miles in typical South Shropshire hill country and no wind. I used the 'tour' 100% assist setting all the way except for long gradients above one in twelve. On these I used the 'hot pursuit' (turbo) 225% assist. I found an interesting undocumented feature. The Bosch system has a 'walk assist' mode. It pushes the cycle at about 3 mph when top gear is selected. When using walk assist I found that the gears change normally. So now if I am about to take off from the kerbside but top gear (too high) is selected, I can walk the gears into the correct setting using walk assist. Some people just choose the right county, Shropshire How could I have done better? Suppose one has used electric assist to reach a hill crest, the temptation is to use electric assist to accelerate down hill. This is pointless and wastes battery. If it is downhill, switch to zero assist and make the gradient do all the work, every little helps. I found it possible to winch myself up one in eight gradients at 5 mph, using lowest gear with 225% assist. This hardly saves any time compared to walking with 'walk assist' mode. Take for instance the rise out of Church Stretton up to Hazler Hill. This is 400 foot up in less than a mile. It takes 20 minutes and almost no battery walking and takes twelve minutes winching. So why use 15% of battery capacity to save eight minutes? Why spoil ones day out like that? Also if battery capacity is going to be a problem on a ride, get the obvious battery energy economies in early in the ride while one is still fresh. I could have charged the battery in Ludlow, but then I would have failed to fully challenge the Bosch hill country range limit. The range estimates that the Bosch system gives are hopelessly optimistic for the first 50% of battery capacity. I think that with careful use of 'walk assist' and the downhill economy measure mentioned, the range might extend to 40 miles of hill country in still air. Not bad! Plus there are cafés and pubs with a new technology called 13 amp sockets. So take the charger along. Plan two three hour riding sessions either side of a long leisurely lunch each day, and 75 miles between overnight camp sites is completely possible. The Cotswolds, here I come! With thanks to our customer Benedict Campbell for this fantastic write up - from the e-bikeshop team! To view the bike Benedict loves click here - Moustache Samedi Open Silver eBike Part 2 of this story is here
Customer Review: Whilst waiting for my AMT Pro 27.5 to come in I have been riding my wife’s new xDuro RC 29 and thoroughly loving it. Mind you, I was always careful when returning with every square centimeter of blue paint covered in mud and clay to thoroughly Rhino Goo and hose down the bike before it was seen. Whilst waiting for my AMT Pro to come in I have been riding my wife’s new xDuro RC 29 and thoroughly loving it. Mind you, I was always careful when returning with every square centimetre of blue paint covered in mud and clay to thoroughly Rhino Goo and hose down the bike before it was seen.The AMT Pro is a thing of beauty, not just in terms of pure aesthetics, but in the way its components have been chosen and the care of putting it together. I am sure that Martin’s careful eye when setting the bike up would catch anything not quite right. One of the key advantages to me though was the Sram XX1 with its 11 speed cassette. More specifically I wanted one tooth less on the smallest cog (10 instead of the hard tail's 11) and the 42 tooth biggest gear as opposed to the 36. This translates to about 2.5 mph more top speed on the flat and some extra torque for the extreme uphills in the mud. Don’t get me wrong, the RC 29 was stopped by nothing but when you need to conserve energy being in the lowest cog up steep hills reduces the demands on the battery. The AMT Pro is the easiest bike to live with, even for someone of my modest MTB experience. This does not ride like a highly strung race horse or a temperamental Ferrari; this is docile, forgiving and very comfortable. The suspension soaks up all the big rocks, holes and roots. The only surface that is jarring is on protruding stones jutting out of the dried mud; this combination threatens to remove the fillings from my teeth. If I rode on that all day I would experiment with taking 5 or 10psi out of the tyres. The wonderful Crank Brothers rims don’t just look great, by placing the spoke mount points on the outside of the rim rather than drilled through the rim means it is really easy to go tubeless. Haibike knows this and thus chose the non-porous version of the Hans Dampf tyres. Going tubeless is a great idea as it allows you to run at lower pressures (no pinch punctures) but also way fewer punctures. The Hans Dampf tyres have an aggressive tread pattern with widely spaced central blocking threatening lots of resistance on tarmac. Actually they roll just as well as the RC 29, but Martin delivered them pumped up rock hard. I really appreciate the rounded section of the tyres giving a seamless transition as one leans into the corners. The downside is that in some muddy conditions you will sink in more than with a more shouldered profile. Then again, with the mud in Buckinghamshire this is giving me a greater chance of hitting something hard under the mud so on balance a good choice. Riding to maximise range is much less of a compromise than one might imagine. The display shows the amount of assistance being provided by the motor. If you get to your cruising speed and shift up to 11th but keep good pressure on the pedals you will see that you are being given maximum assistance but with that gearing you will not be accelerating. You will just be converting your precious watt hours into heat. Changing down from Sport or Turbo into Tour or even Eco will cut the assistance way down and your speed will not really be changed. I went out 13 miles this morning in Sport mode (second only to Turbo) and came home in Eco. My split times were almost identical and the power usage was 70% lower. You can go a long way between charges if you keep an eye on your usage. 40 miles at high speed is easily possible and this represents about half the accepted standard consumption of 20 watt hours per mile. You can get 40 miles whilst other bikes with the same battery would get 20. In the US the power limits are 750W for e-bikes and I have a 750W mid-drive fat bike (Lectric Cycles) with no suspension but 4” tyres inflated to 5psi over the rough stuff. Firstly the torque sensing of the Bosch system is vastly superior to anything available in North America. The sense that your legs have been replaced with Lance Armstrong’s is so palpable, the smoothness of the feeding in of the power as your input increases. The rest of the world is using cadence detection that waits for you to move the pedals then it just throws all its torque at you. No subtlety, just a bunch of torque being sent down the chain. There is no doubt the AMT Pro is a vastly superior machine, and also more capable. With 42 teeth on the lowest gear, set power to turbo and start peddling your only thought will be how to keep enough weight on the front wheel as you climb to stop it going over the top. On the way down the dropper seat is such a revelation. This is not about fine tuning the seat height as you ride, it is about lowering it so that you can keep your weight on the back wheel on steep descents and not feel that you are about to face plant over the bars. With the feet on the pedals you can move right back over the rear wheel on the steepest off-road sections. The brakes are the wonderful Avid X0 Trails. This has four pistons on each calliper allowing just an index finger to provide all the stopping force that you could ever need. Moreover, it has the most extraordinary sensitivity or modulation. I have never had a wheel lock up on me due to the ability to control so precisely the clamping pressure. Mind you, I have clocked up just over 300 miles in two and a half weeks and I noticed today that all the brake pads need replacing. One of the biggest surprises that I have found is that after say 15 miles of thick rocky clay single track every part of the gears and brakes are crammed, literally crammed, with mud. The gears and changers are packed with slimy heavy gunk yet the bike changes up and down instantly and without skipping a gear. I have not had a chain drop and nothing changes the feel or performance of the brakes. Going through the woods I use OS Mapfinder on my iPhone 5 mounted on the handlebars. Like most mapping apps it sucks up the power but I power the phone from the USB output from the Bosch Intuvia display. Having the highest resolution 1:25000 OS maps in full brightness really adds to the joy of riding this fine machine. I do feel that Haibike need to sort out the bike manuals. They seem to have one manual for all the e and non-e bikes. They do not provide you with the service manual for the Avid brakes for example.I do not know if I am the target demographic for this bike but I do know that I have had more fun in the last three weeks on Haibikes than I have ever done cycling. People get on this bike for the first time and I can hear them still laughing uncontrollably a block away. Its just that kind of a bike.
A new electric bike review just in from one of our long term customers who purchased a Haibike xDuro RC29 2014 model a few months ago. Ian really puts his RC29 Haibike eBike through its paces so it was good to get some feedback from him as to how his new Bosch powered Haibike Electric Bike performs. We broke this down into a few simple questions.. Who am I? 50 year old male with a dodgy left foot. 6'4" 14 Stone. Bike in question? Haibike RC29 from Martin mid January 2014. Why I chose this model? The bike being a replacement for my stolen KTM. The RC being chosen because of the inverted motor coupled with a half decent specification. How long have I been using this eBike? The bike has covered 1800 miles in 10 weeks or so. What do I use the bike for? 5 day a week round trip commute of 25 mile, in all weathers. Have you made any tweaks to the Haibike RC29? Weekend usage, off road pulling my daughter along on her Tout Terrain Streamliner (similar but better than the usual tagalong). The only modification has been to change the saddle and swap the tyres from the supplied all-rounder to Bontrager XR Muds. What do you like about the Haibike RC29 in particular? The bike performs extremely well both on and off the road. Pulling my daughter is a doddle even on the steepest hills. I do enjoy a fair bit of non electric mountain biking but this RC adds another dimension, I certainly would not entertain a 20-30 mile off road trip with my daughter on a regular bike but its a pleasure on the Haibike. One word to sum it all up? Hard to explain how good this bike is, but I would say Brilliant! To view more reviews on the Haibike RC29 or for the full specification please click here.
Just a note to say how delighted I am with the bike, I have been out this morning on a glorious day covering 35 miles up hill and down dale. Everything has exceeded my expectations and the machine is a delight to ride both under power and with power off. Yesterday I travelled from my home near Rugby to meet up with Martin at Crank Cycles (e-bikeshop.co.uk) at Alton in Hampshire to see the 2014 Haibike xDuro Trekking SL. I have been dithering and delaying the purchase of a pedelec for some time so finding things a little tiring on my legs on my Longstaff road bike I decided to take the plunge.On arrival Martin described the whole machine demonstrating all the features and equipment and answering my many questions patiently and fully. Despite it being Saturday and the shop being busy I was not rushed and a few hours later my new e-bike was in the car heading back to the Midlands.Naturally I was keen to give my Haibike an outing as soon as possible so a round trip of 35 miles (all done with a huge smile on my face) was easily accomplished. So how was it on the road ?With the power off the bike rides beautifully and feels stable and sure in head and cross winds just like a normal machine. Under power the Bosch motor hums reassuringly whisking you up previously difficult climbs.The ease of riding without power means the range is extended to around 80/100 miles using a combination of power settings.Am I pleased and impressed with this machine ? Absolutely I am, from it’s unique 27 gear range, it’s iPhone output on the control panel, it’s hub dynamo: everything about this bike oozes quality so if you are dithering and delaying as I was stop now. It’s the future. Many thanks to our customer for their review. Click here to view the full specification of the new 2015 model - Haibike xDuro Trekking RX 2015 Electric Bike
Fantastic review here from the Guys over at eMTB magazine in Germany (these guys have no direct influence with Haibike themselves) translated here into English (as best as possible). Full credit to these guys for the write up. Review Electric Mountain Bike: Haibike XDURO NDURO Pro 26 Watch out Stealth Bomber! The Haibike’s hydro forming and decals are very well made!There are cars you simply pass by. There are cars that you casually glance at and appreciate with a nod. Rarely, but every now and then, there are cars that make you stop, take a closer look and examine with great enthusiasm. The color coordination, the shaping, the design. How much power? What’s the torque? Standard questions from engineering-lovers or athletes – or both?! In the case of this hybrid, the answers to those rhetorical questions would be: A lot! With admiring child-like glances, we approached the all-new Haibike XDURO NDURO Pro 26 2014. It is the flagship of their new E-Mountainbike range, comprising 35 models. With its aggressive color coordination, a sporting design, high-quality equipment and an innovative look, it stands out from the mass of E-Mountainbike. HAIBIKE themselves characterized the bike as “pure sex” during the presentation at the Eurobike 2013. Sounds good? Looks hot? Definitely! So far so good. But still, the key question remains: Does it also ride well? With brutal free-ride looks and technologies that are well-known from the enduro racing segment like a telescopic seatpost (KindShock LEV), a rear shock with adjustable threefold-compression-damping and a large air chamber (FOX Float X), providing control over the efficiency and forgivingness of the chassis. On top of that, the Haibike is also equipped with special Mavic Crossmax enduro wheels that have actually won the Enduro World Championship 2013. Quite a distinguished equipment-list – but no cares about the highlights of this E-Mountainbike, right!? The KindShock LEV telescopic seatpost can be comfortably extended via a remote control. It allows you to prepare for any kind of situation on the trail – a considerable plus in standover and freedom of movement can be achieved in a split second without having to stop. Improving not just safety but also the important fun factor! Hard to believe, but once you have tried it, it is addictive! Let’s move on: The NDURO Pro is equipped with as much as 180mm of travel at both the front and the rear, putting it in a class of its own compared to other standard E-Mountainbikes. That the NDURO is suited and built for all-terrain is demonstrated in the nicely integrated details like the replaceable underbody protection of the Bosch engine, made of extremely strong nylon synthetics. Also the small deflection roller for the chain providing ideal efficiency (rear kinematics!) as well as the integrated chain guide in order to save the chain from dropping in rough terrain are clever additions. The deflection roller as well as the chain ring are milled out of aluminum and have special teeth that are adjusted to the chain links (narrow-wide-narrow-wide), improving security for the chain. Another highlight of the Haibike’s equipment is the tremendously expensive XX1 drivetrain by the US American manufacturer SRAM, one of the greatest rivals of Shimano. In the enduro-racing segment, this drivetrain is totally state-of-the-art equipment that possesses an unrivaled gear range. The interior chain guides provide a very clean look! We are stoked! So much for the equipment! Let’s hit the trails! The Haibike tips the scale at 22.2 kg. At first, it feels a little heavy and ponderous due to its weight. But as soon as you get used to the riding dynamics, which happens quite fast, this is no longer an issue. The seating position – not least due to the long travel (180mm!) – is relatively high but still nicely central. The wide handlebar, in combination with the 50mm stem, offers a sense of confidence, security and control. Pedaling on flat and uphill trails is pretty comfy and efficient. There were only very small influences from the chain hoist. The one thing that needed servicing after the countless test kilometers was the expensive XX1 rear derailleur by SRAM. Its eleven gears are constructed very closely, meaning that the derailleur needs to be tuned carefully. The chain had managed approximately 1000 kilometers, time for a chain replacement and readjustment of the shifter unit. As an electric drivetrain brings along a surplus load for the derailleur, gear changes should be avoided when in full assist mode if possible – for the love of durability. Other than that, the XDURO NDURO is a true source of joy. With its confident handling it is one of the smoothest bikes. It is almost shouting (silently) when on the trail: Here I come! The fact that you are sitting on an E-Mountainbike will be long forgotten – it rather feels like a downhill bike! The geometries, especially the comfortably slack steering angle of 65-5° (the adjustable angle-set was set to 0°m meaning no change) as well as the long wheelbase (1186mm) in size large turn the bike into a real high-speed-rocket! Fortunately, the chassis plays along as well. Thanks to its fine responding qualities, the bike stays extremely flat on the trail. The high-end spring elements by Fox were delivered in a gold Kashima coating to provide ideal responding characteristics. The 180mm of travel work harmoniously, whilst we only made use of the entire travel range in extreme situations. On normal rides, the chassis always provides enough travel but never more than necessary. This is how it always keeps some reserves for extreme situation and therefore provides a plus in safety. This can be attributed to the indiscernibly initiating but constantly increasing ending progression. Geometry adjustments via angle-set at the steering tube. Altering the steering angle up to -/+ degrees – changing the entire geometry and riding qualities. (The scope of delivery only contains the option of +1°). Catching obstacles or trail debris with the bottom bracket did not occur – the chassis clearance is fine! Spontaneous braking manoeuvres are possible even in current weather conditions thanks to the determined but well controllable hydraulic disk brakes Avid X.0 Trail. The Bosch display clearly shows current data like battery life, assist mode and tachometer functions like speed. For the future, we would like a smaller display that is less exposed in spills. The Bosch Performance mid-engine provided less power on the trails with its 250 watts than expected. All other Borsch Performance engines that we tested so far had a noticeably stronger power delivery. According to Haibike, the mounted engine is a pre-production-test-sample that may cause problems every now and then. In production – with a totally working engine – the XDURO will therefore gain more aggressiveness and friskiness. So, just who is the Haibike XDURO NDURO Pro 26 aimed at? A bike, only suited to extreme athletes? We say no! Thanks to the Bosch engine, there is enough propulsion to level out the extra weight and “mass” so it does not negatively influence the travel. The geometries play a much more important role. On flat trails and uphills, the Fox Talas fork can be lowered from 180mm down to 140mm leading to a steeper steering angle, which is more suitable for tours as well. Everyone who wants more agility (especially when it is about riding through extremely narrow curves or if you generally tend to work less with your body weight) can mount the included angle-set by CaneCreek, permitting a 1-degree steeper steering angle. This measure improves the bike on flat terrain and slow speeds. (Our personal taste was, of course, stuck in the thrill of speed, which is why we preferably rode the bike in its more extreme geometry option). Fact is: The familiar home trail soon becomes faster with this bike, both on uphills and downhills. Especially in demanding and steep sections, the NDURO leads a triumph! Conclusion: The Haibike NDURO XDURO Pro left us slack-jawed. It does not matter if there was slobber, cries like “I want that – now!” or simply speechless breath. Fact is: The NDURO Pro sets a new benchmark for the entire E-Mountainbike industry. Aesthetics, design, German engineering and function have been incorporated to a maximum. The many details speak for the very thoughtful overall concept. We are stoked! Forget what I said about the cars in the introduction… Full credit here to the guys in Germany over at E-mountain bike magazine. Link to the review (in German) and their website -http://www.ebike-mtb.com/testbericht-e-mountainbike-haibike-xduro-nduro-pro-26/ Text: Robin Schmitt, Christian Laemmle Photo: Sebas Romero Thanks for an interesting read guys! To buy this bike please visit here for the Haibike NDURO Pro Specification