How much have I used the bike? I get out most weekends and the rides cover 10 to 25 miles. The terrain varies from steep climbs, long energy sapping climbs (so my buddies tell me who don't have a Haibike) and lots of flat boring stuff. A guess would be 500+ miles covered. Has it been reliable & have I made any upgrades? Yes and Yes. The bike has never let me down and battery usage is excellent - I have never used more than 2 bars of battery power. Upgrades - I had the dongle fitted but found the assist was not my issue it was the size of front sprocket, going flat out in 10th gear would see 24.6 mph. Martin fitted a new larger cog and it's really improved the bike. Without dongle about 17mph and with dongle about 28mph, the pay off is climbing is compromised (not really an issue as the motor takes care of steep hills), as a result dongle is disconnected most of the time. Issues with Dongle, A few minor, battery life is shorter but not enough to cause concern, if used on the road the bike is illegal (but excellent fun keeping up with cars in a 30mph limit, not that I have done this of course), the speed on dash is incorrect after 10mph (x2 required) i.e. speedo reads 7.4mph but actual speed is 14.8mph also the trip distance seems to suffer similar issues (not got to the bottom of this one yet but the Iphone app. Runtastic shown about 4 miles more than the bike trip recorder, without dongle distance is about same). Is there anything I don't like? I am used to a slightly slower turn and I am still getting used to the steering, its quite fast, I slow down for turns more I did on my other bikes, when I exceed 17mph (no dongle) it feels like the brakes have been applied, my cycle buddies occasionally moan because they can't keep up, having to lift it over fences/gates etc (its not the lightest of bikes (but not that heavy for an E-bike). What I do like? Everything about the bike (except bits above), it's the best bike I have owned, I can't wait until my next ride, climbing that steep hill at 16mph is amazing, the 20mph head wind that we all hate is a breeze (Petes Pun), friends moaning they can't keep up, receiving comments like “fraud”, “cheat”, “lazy” and so on which I find highly amusing. My health/strength/fitness has improved - when I got the bike it was on Turbo setting most of the time now its ECO or off and only changes for hills or the last few miles on the way home, so for all that say E-bikes don't help with fitness I would have to disagree. Other cyclist want to talk about your bike and when they have a ride the smile on their face says it all.. Summary I love my Haibike and would buy another one without hesitation. I ride for fun, I like to explore and I have been places I would never have found without a bike, my Haibike has been a real bonus by having a bit of assistance just when you need it. I used to do Green lanes on motorbikes and quads but these lanes are slowly disappearing, luckily no issues for cycles yet. I have a kit car and this year have used it 5 times, why would I want to be in a car when I can be out with friends cycling (car for sale). Final word Whilst writing this I wondered if what I had written was true so I decided to go for a short ride on my old Bike (A Cube value 3k approx, not an E-bike), I love my Cube and have never had any issues with it but within the first 10 minutes I was wishing I was on my Haibike, everything about the Haibike feels better, I turned a corner as was greeted with a gentle breeze Doh – No one to help no motor. “cheat”, “lazy”, “Fraud” maybe but who cares, I'm out there doing it not sitting indoors thinking about doing it. Southdowns way planned for next year 100 miles est climb is 10,000ft (over many hills), can't wait... Read Original customer review after purchase 6 months ago. View the full specification of the Haibike xDuro RX 2014 model
Past Experience / Why choose the Haibike FS SL? I have been an avid mountain biker for the past circa 24 years and love the freedom and laugh with mates that mountain biking brings.However for the last 21 years I've also been living with a degenerative heart condition which at times has really been a pain in the proverbial when I've been wanting to be out riding. Thankfully though continue riding I did up until May last year when the condition threw another spanner in the works and I decided MTBing was just too much of a strain on the heart, sold my bikes and became and! Then I thought, "what I need is a pedelec MTB, I wonder if they exist...". That led me here, then there, then all over. I looked at so many promising bikes but then became aware that there were many companies offering "MTBs" that quite frankly would collapse in the rocky environments of Welsh mountains, Lakes, Gisburn etc. Ghost produce a good looking hub powered bike but, a) they aren't importing it and b) research pointed in the directionthat a crank drive system was best suited to MTBing with the quick changes required in torque necessary for MTBing and better weight distribution. That kind of narrowed my personal choice down to the Haibike range, KTM Macina Race or Scott E-Aspect. Now one thing that made the decision easier amongst the three was the way Haibike have swung the motor up and within the frame out of harms way. The effective bottom bracket height of an underslung bosch motor is frankly a failure waiting to happen on a purpose built MTB that will be ridden on harsh terrain. Having lost a couple of teeth from the big ring on rock steps on my Cannondale the last time I was at Gisburn this was a non-starter for me. So that left me with the Haibike range.After trialling a RC29 at Alton I knew the bosch system could keep me in the saddle for another few years at least As I only ride for pleasure and purely MTBing, I ruled out the RC29 as it is a very stiff frame (but beautifully manufactured) and settled for the FS SL which isn't a million miles away from the suspension set up I had on my Giant Anthem. The bikes are, as any MTBer will know, excellent quality bikes that have been well adapted to incorporate a drive system. Why is it always the Germans?! If by some miracle I was cured overnight, I'd be happy to just strip all the electrics off the bike and ride it as is. Impression after first ride.. Having not been on a bike for nearly a year due to my pesky, badly behaved heart, I very optimistically thought as we are heading into spring I'd leave the mud tyres in the shed and throw on my maxxis advantage and high roller tyres on the bike as they are a personal favourite combination of mine. What wetness was on the trails will be hardened up with a bit of frost so they'll be fine was my thinking....! Err no! Thanks to the crank drive system, swapping the tyres was a breeze and even easier than a quick release with the bolt through axles. Another bonus point for me when deciding which bike to buy. Anyone who mountain bikes will know a puncture can strike at any time so I didn't want my humour tested with having to change a tube (or more realistically mend a puncture) on a hub motor system in the middle of a muddy trail, in a gale, miles from home and with numb hands. So early morning I headed out with friends and the nice mild weather meant no frost, instead of firm frosty ground I found mud and floods of biblical proportions. Now I've been riding these trails for a couple of decades and I simply can't remember a time they were as wet as they are now, just mental. Now I start to think "you idiot, whydid you put these fast rolling summer tyres on?!!" To help the situation a bit I dropped the pressures down to around 30-35psi which gave them some hope of gripping a bit. The first section of really deep mud I came to was unrideable due to the damage from horses and sheer depth of the gloop. I knew this from experience and my mates attempt to get through underlined that when he ground to a halt, hopped off and sank almost to mid shin depth!! I however have a new toy and I was intent on using it. I did however have in my head that even with turbo setting I wouldn't make it, but I was curious to see if I could get as far as my mate. Oh how my faith was put in it's place! The bike just kept surging forward despite the depth of the mud and even with my terrible tyre choice the bosch system seemed to smoothly regulate the torque so the wheel hardly span up and the power just came in a very smooth yet very powerful manner. I emerged the other side with a grin that could be seen from space and to see my friends jaw sat in the mud. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually get through! Now feeling enthused and very confident in the bike (after about 5 miles or so), I proceeded to start to aim for all the deep stuff to test it time and time again. Every time the same, just complimenting my input enough to give that extra boost to see the job done. I then realised that both Turbo and Sport levels are just incredible, so to ease off a bit, as I had no idea what range I would get, I started to ride mostly in Tour mode with the occasional Sport enabled for a really bad section. Tour mode dealt with most things very comfortably. I did however try to avoid flood water as best as possible but I did end up committed in a section that got to crank bolt depth and required rocking of the cranks to keep going through. I glanced down and realised if my motor was under slung it would have been completely submerged! Thankfully that was as deep as I got and managed to avoid the rest of the really deep water. There is a long section through a field that leads to a woodland on the route we took. There is a section where cows congregate under the trees when its wet to shelter and the path runs right through this section. In conditions like yesterday it's hard to walk through let alone ride. If you were somehow able to muster the sheer force to ride through it you'd be maxxed out on the heart rate by the time you got to the woods, I know I've got the T shirt! My friends tried and failed, I would have also failed on my Giant Anthem. Yesterday I progressively made my way through, with some tactful track standing in the worst bits just to stay upright, got to the gate, checked my heart rate monitor and it said 104 Whilst waiting for my friends to catch up, I watched the rate drop down nicely into the 80's which showed how my body, and most importantly my heart, hadn't been placed under prolonged stress. This is two weeks after my heart surgery and a year without cardiovascular exercise too so I was over the moon that the bike was doing everything I had hoped it would do but was doing it so much better than I thought it ever feasibly could. To summarise we did a wee bit over 10 miles in the foulest ground conditions and with easily less than a mile of tarmac. As it was my first ride I was messing about with modes, playing with Turbo and Sport until I got a feel for the bike. In no means was I riding sympathetically regards the battery charge longevity. I returned with 3 lights remaining of the five on the battery. My friends said the 10 miler felt physically like a 30 mile ride. Haibike have produced an excellent mountain bike that would stand it's ground easily on the trail amongst many "normal" mountain bikes costing significantly more. It rides like a normal bike (a very good one), weight distribution is very good and at no time did the bike feel unsettled. Coming from an 11kg bike to a 21kg bike I had hang ups about how it would ride in the rough. I needn't have bothered as once moving there is little perceivable difference. The suspension is great, the Rockshox Recon performed much better than anticipated and was nice and stiff (I'm a long time Fox fork fan), the Fox CTD rear shock was as you'd expect from Fox and flawless. SLX does exactly as it says on the tin and Haibike finishing kit of bars, grips, stem and seatpost are all good quality. After test riding though I did put their saddle out to pasture as it's probably the worst I've tried! Don't know what they were thinking with that one. Saddles are a very personal thing but there was no way that was staying on mine so my Cannondale saddle was put back into service. As for the Bosch system all I can say really is wow. It performed way beyond my expectations and I simply just raise my hat to the Bosch engineers (need a clappy hand icon!) So to summarise I'm over the moon. Only mechanical failure would dampen my new found lust but only time will tell regards that..... I was so glum that it appeared my MTBing days were over and the disease had wrecked my chances of continuing the one thing I have loved for many years. I felt an electric MTB would at best be a compromise but hey ho, if it meant I was still out, enjoying time with friends, then that's the way I would go. Instead I've found the bike has offered a breath of fresh air and excitement that a "normal" MTB just can't do. It's like starting the sport all over again and that is a very exciting prospect. So good points - all of the above and the grin that comes with it. Bad points - saddle and not been able to rotate the chain backwards with the cranks to use the chain scrubber after the ride. Oh and the fact that your friends now want to steal your bike! Many thanks to our customer for this review. View the full specification of the Haibike xDuro FS SL Electric Mountain Bike
"I would like to offer my experience with Crank cycles Alton branch (e-bikeshop.co.uk) and the Haibike FX RX pro, I will separate the review for ease of reading, I would also like to make it clear that I am not linked to either Crank cycles or Haibike, just a customer, this review reflects my opinion and relates to the first few days of ownership. A little about me I am middle aged if I manage to live until I am 108, weight is about 13st, I have owned an A2B Metro electric bike and my current mountain bike is a Cube Stereo, I wanted a full suspension Ebike to keep up with friends and do longer cycle rides. About the dealer I came across Crank cycles by accident while looking for a quality Mountain Ebike, I had never heard of Haibike or Crank cycles (I will refer to Crank Cycles of Alton as Crank from here on) but found Crank on an internet search, I contacted them and they arranged for Martin Brown (the Ebike expert) and a Director of Crank to contact me, which he did and gave me details of the Haibike range. He seemed to have a great deal of knowledge. He suggested we meet and he would take me through the range with a massive BUT, this being there may not be any available for some time (was this sales talk to make me buy, not at all, it seems everyone wants a Haibike and they don't make enough), being cautious I would not place an order (pay a deposit) until I had seen and touched the bike, the cost would be somewhere between £2700 and £4600 depending on the model, about a month passed and I decided it was time to Nag Martin, he has a list of people interested in the bikes and was working through it, my timing was spot on there were a few available (the £4600 FX RX pro) so I made an appointment to view. Decided to visit and see what's what I had decided that this was too much money but would go anyway, I was greeted by Martin, he then wheeled the bike out and OMG it looked amazing, I knew this was going to be a difficult decision, I really wanted it. I would also like to say that I took my son along to talk some sense (stop me buying the bike), Martin took me through the bike from top to bottom and I am pleased to say he really does know his stuff, after about 45 minutes I decided to get a coffee and discuss the bike with my son, this was going to be a hard decision as my son had already said the bike was awesome. For reasons that only I can justify, I decided to buy the bike, the Crank engineer (sorry I don't know your name) then spent 15 minutes with me setting the suspension, we discussed the servicing and off I went, I had a quick ride around the car park (this was going to be a great bike). I left Crank Cycles of Alton feeling very pleased with the way I had been looked after and I was given all the relevant information, I had all my questions answered, Thanks Martin. The bike and first ride Why do batteries take so long to charge when you are waiting to get out and play? The bike looks great, components are the highest quality, has a James Bond ejector saddle (more on that later), inverted Bosch Motor, clear display/dash, 3 manuals, a charger and 2 keys and did I say it looks bloody brilliant. The battery has 5 green LED’s each show approx. 20% of total charge, from empty to full charge is an estimated 3.5 hours, Crank had partially charged the battery and only one LED was unlit, it took about 1.5 hours to fully charge. The charger connector is a good solid fit and the battery has a handy soft handle for transporting to and from the bike, fitting the battery is an easy process (keys not needed), removing the battery was a little fiddly as it involves unlocking with the keys and pushing the battery away from the frame at the top, I’m sure this will get easier with practice. Attach the display/dash and the bike is ready to roll (this is also a security device as bike cannot be used as an Ebike without it attached), off I go for very short trip around the block, oops forgot to turn on the motor (as simple as touching the on/off button on the dash), first minor glitch, if moving when you turn it on the display will error and request that pedals are not rotating (or something like that), I stopped the bike, turned it off then on and set the mode to ECO (the are 4 modes ECO min assistance to Turbo max assist). I pedalled down the seafront 16 mph this seems too easy, turned inland to head back and it got harder, 25 mph of head wind would do that, this seems hard work I thought maybe its broken! I decide to set the assist mode to OFF (no assist) as a comparison and check that it was actually working, as soon as I select off I thought I had hit an invisible wall, best turn it on again, the drive systems work perfectly, you feel like your are doing all the work but the motor is an invisible buddy there just in case, or 10 invisible buddies if you feel lazy or tired. I have to mention the James Bond Ejector Saddle what a useless gimmick was my initial thought but then I used it, I would like to change that last comment to “what a fantastic addition”, with my regular bike I am always stopping and adjusting my ride height only by half a cm or so, not with this I just release the button on the handlebars and lift myself or put more weight on the saddle, it’s adjusted, it’s also really helpful if in traffic/traffic lights, a word of warning if the seat is fully down and you are standing a press of the little button may make your eyes water... To sum up My initial 400m round the block ended in a 1.5 mile ride, I didn't want to get off, a proper ride planned for the next day. Day 2, a 14 mile ride from the seafront to Emsworth, comprising tarmac, compressed gravel, the beach (compressed stones, loose shingle and lots of sea weed) and tight woodland trails with nettles and brambles both sides at hand height a little bit wider than the handlebars. Bike set on ECO mode and an initial cruise speed of about 16 mph for tarmac and cycle trail, beach again no problem the bike seems to find grip from somewhere although the speed was reduced to about 10 mph (by choice). The woodland path is where I found a minor issue, the route we wanted to take has a horrible gate and the only way to get a bike through is to lift it over, that was not going to happen with a 20+kg bike so we chose the other path, here again I was pleasantly surprised, the motor really assisted me in the tight muddy path, it only caught me out once when I came to a tight turn and didn't realise I was going a little too fast to make it, not a problem I can try the brakes, yep they work. The next test came on the return leg of the cycle trail, the wind was now about 20-25 mph (again) against us, that's not a problem I will let the motor do a little more work and it did “this is easy”, my son was behind on my Cube and keeping up or so I thought, my average speed was about 15 mph he was working as hard as he could to keep up “he’s loads younger than me so I’ll let him struggle a bit”, when he did catch up he told me he could not maintain the pace, we discovered another bonus of the Haibike, I would lead and keep speed to about 12 mph, he would keep very close behind and also have an enjoyable ride as I had blocked the wind and he could use the dead zone right behind me. An excellent ride the Haibike did everything with ease, the remaining range when we got home still showed 90 miles, one LED was out on the battery, the ride was comfortable, the riding position was just right for me, I will have to re-arrange the brakes but I would do that with any bike. My next ride will have some serious hills.... Summary / Comparison Am I pleased with the Haibike – absolutely ! Was it worth £4600 – probably not for my riding level but the bike and components excluding the Electrics are worth £3500+ and my Cube was £3300 and that was 2.5 years ago Should I have purchased a lower model – I have not seen the lower models, but if my budget was £3000 I don't think I would be disappointed, however me being me, I would have regretted not getting the best. How does it compare with my A2B Metro – the A2B was a moped or city bike it could not handle the cycle trail, it was a lazy way to ride as you never needed to pedal (just like a moped), it was very comfortable but felt it may break if you were unkind to it, the Haibike feels like you can throw anything at it and it will want more, they are designed for completely different uses and the Haibike is double the price but for me wins hands down. Surely an Ebike is cheating – Not at all, I had an enjoyable 14 mile ride my legs felt like jelly when I got home, I plan to use minimal assist when I ride but I know there is an option for more assist if required, a 50 mile ride is a possibility for me now and I know my fitness will improve. Crank Cycles of Alton – Crank have two shops but I have only visited the Alton branch so unable to comment on the Petersfield branch, I would recommend them to anyone (they also sell cycle trials bikes which is something my son used to do so I’m sure he will be returning). Weight – yes its heavy not as heavy as some and not noticeable when riding, if however you plan to carry or a bike rack with 2 or 3 other bikes check the rack can take the extra weight. Any Issues? One very minor ones, wish it had more gears, but if it had more I would still wish it had more, it’s quite heavy when putting in the back of cars/on racks etc, very expensive to insure, don't leave it unattended." View the latest Haibike FS RX Pro Electric Bike
I rode the RC29 that he had in stock around the car parks and streets in Alton and was simply blown away with the bike and the Bosch system. It had far more power than I thought it ever would and I was very impressed with the way it delivered that power. Now normally I avoid tarmac like the plague as it just gets a bit boring, but not today, this bike was FUN! Bearing in mind I was still in a state of permanent atrial flutter, here I was literally flying round laps of the town centre, hardly drawing breath and with a huge grin on my face (I apologise to anyone who saw the nutter on the bike that day!) I knew from that point that if my operation worked this time that a Haibike would tick my boxes. I could ride with my mates and easily keep up whilst keeping my heart rate nice and low, riding the trails I love without the concern I'm doing any further cardiac damage or speeding up the progression of my disease. My operation came and thankfully everything went to plan. A couple of patient days post-op I really could feel the benefit so I picked up the phone to Martin. As Haibike have a product unlike any other, they are in huge demand and they simply can't make them fast enough so they are in short supply. I've had too many reminders of how short life can be so after chatting it through with my wife (again my voice of reason) we decided I should go for it. I knew I wanted the full suspension model, the FS SL as I had seen the quality of the frame build and pivots in the FS AM Martin had in the shop (very reminiscent of the lovely Giant Anthem I sold). The AM was out of budget so the SL it would be.A couple of weeks later saw me pick the bike up from Martin at e-bikeshop and I was already itching to get out for a first ride once I'd finished healing. It went like this: I very optimistically thought as we are heading into spring I'd leave the mud tyres in the shed and throw on my maxxis advantage and high roller tyres on the bike as they are a personal favourite combination of mine. What wetness was on the trails will be hardened up with a bit of frost so they'll be fine was my thinking....! Err no! Thanks to the crank drive system, swapping the tyres was a breeze and even easier than a quick release with the bolt through axles. Another bonus point for me when deciding which bike to buy. Anyone who mountain bikes will know a puncture can strike at any time so I didn't want my humour tested with having to change a tube (or more realistically mend a puncture) on a hub motor system in the middle of a muddy trail, in a gale, miles from home and with numb hands.So early morning I headed out with friends and the nice mild weather meant no frost, instead of firm frosty ground I found mud and floods of biblical proportions. Now I've been riding these trails for a couple of decades and I simply can't remember a time they were as wet as they are now, just mental. Now I start to think "you idiot, why did you put these fast rolling summer tyres on?!!" To help the situation a bit I dropped the pressures down to around 30-35psi which gave them some hope of gripping a bit.The first section of really deep mud I came to was unrideable due to the damage from horses and sheer depth of the gloop. I knew this from experience and my mate's attempt to get through underlined that when he ground to a halt, hopped off and sank almost to mid shin depth!! I, however, have a new toy and I was intent on using it. I did however have in my head that even with turbo setting I wouldn't make it, but I was curious to see if I could get as far as my mate. Oh how my faith was put in it's place! The bike just kept surging forward despite the depth of the mud and even with my terrible tyre choice the Bosch system seemed to smoothly regulate the torque so the wheel hardly span up and the power just came in a very smooth yet very powerful manner. I emerged the other side with a grin that could be seen from space and to see my friend's jaw sat in the mud. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually get through! Now feeling enthused and very confident in the bike (after about 5 miles or so), I proceeded to start to aim for all the deep stuff to test it time and time again. Every time the same, just complementing my input enough to give that extra boost to see the job done. I then realised that both Turbo and Sport levels are just incredible, so to ease off a bit, as I had no idea what range I would get, I started to ride mostly in Tour mode with the occasional Sport enabled for a really bad section. Tour mode dealt with most things very comfortably. I did however try to avoid flood water as best as possible but I did end up committed in a section that got to crank bolt depth and required rocking of the cranks to keep going through. I glanced down and realised if my motor was under slung it would have been completely submerged! Thankfully that was as deep as I got and managed to avoid the rest of the really deep water. There is a long section through a field that leads to a woodland on the route we took. There is a section where cows congregate under the trees when it's wet to shelter and the path runs right through this section. In conditions like yesterday it's hard to walk through let alone ride. If you were somehow able to muster the sheer force to ride through it you'd be maxxed out on the heart rate by the time you got to the woods, I know, I've got the T shirt! My friends tried and failed, I would have also failed on my Giant Anthem. Yesterday I progressively made my way through, with some tactful track standing in the worst bits just to stay upright, got to the gate, checked my heart rate monitor and it said 104.Whilst waiting for my friends to catch up, I watched the rate drop down nicely into the 80s which showed how my body, and most importantly my heart, hadn't been placed under prolonged stress. This is two weeks after my heart surgery and a year without cardiovascular exercise too so I was over the moon that the bike was doing everything I had hoped it would do but was doing it so much better than I thought it ever feasibly could. To summarise we did a wee bit over 10 miles in the foulest ground conditions and with easily less than a mile of tarmac. As it was my first ride I was messing about with modes, playing with Turbo and Sport until I got a feel for the bike. In no means was I riding sympathetically regards the battery charge longevity. I returned with 3 lights remaining of the five on the battery. My friends said the 10 miler felt physically like a 30 mile ride.Haibike have produced an excellent mountain bike that would stand its ground easily on the trail amongst many "normal" mountain bikes costing significantly more. It rides like a normal bike (a very good one), weight distribution is very good and at no time did the bike feel unsettled. Coming from an 11kg bike to a 21kg bike I had hang ups about how it would ride in the rough. I needn't have bothered as once moving there is little perceivable difference. The suspension is great, the Rockshox Recon performed much better than anticipated and was nice and stiff (I'm a long time Fox fork fan), the Fox CTD rear shock was as you'd expect from Fox and flawless. SLX does exactly as it says on the tin and Haibike finishing kit of bars, grips, stem and seatpost are all good quality.After test riding though I did put their saddle out to pasture as it's probably the worst I've tried! Don't know what they were thinking with that one. Saddles are a very personal thing but there was no way that was staying on mine so my Cannondale saddle was put back into service. As for the Bosch system all I can say really is wow. It performed way beyond my expectations and I simply just raise my hat to the Bosch engineers (need a clappy hand icon!)So to summarise I'm over the moon. Only mechanical failure would dampen my new found lust but only time will tell regards that.....I was so glum that it appeared my MTBing days were over and the disease had wrecked my chances of continuing the one thing I have loved for many years. I felt an electric MTB would at best be a compromise but hey ho, if it meant I was still out, enjoying time with friends, then that's the way I would go. Instead I've found the bike has offered a breath of fresh air and excitement that a "normal" MTB just can't do. It's like starting the sport all over again and that is a very exciting prospect. So good points - all of the above and the grin that comes with it. Bad points - saddle and not been able to rotate the chain backwards with the cranks to use the chain scrubber after the ride. Oh and the fact that your friends now want to steal your bike! Purchase the Haibike xDuro FS SL Electric Mountain Bike
Here's a lovely story from one of our customers - Nick Culshaw. After purchasing the Haibike FS SL days after heart surgery. Enjoy. Up until the age of 16 I was extremely active and loved a whole host of sports. I sprinted at county level and only narrowly missed out on the England Schools Squad for 100 and 200m in my first year of competing. I had already discovered MTBing and if I wasn't running I was riding pretty much from sunrise to sunset. One unremarkable day whilst out riding I was having a bit of friendly competitive rivalry with a friend racing up onto the downs where I live on the Isle of Wight. When we hit the summit I quickly became aware my heart rate wasn't dropping and in fact, it was far higher than I had ever experienced before. I sat down for a few minutes to catch my breath thinking it might be a bit of heat stroke as it was a fiercely hot day. After a few minutes, the rate dropped down and I decided it best to call it a day and rode home at a sedate pace with a banging headache. A few days later the same thing happened again, only this time it didn't stop.My parents took me to A&E and the rate was brought under control. I was then transferred to Southampton General Hospital where I stayed for a month undergoing various tests, both invasive and non invasive. To cut a long story short I was eventually diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). This is a relatively rare degenerative heart condition where primarily the cardiac cells of the right ventricle break down and as the body tries to heal the damage they become replaced by fatty tissue and scarring.Although I was unlucky enough to have ARVC, I am also very lucky as many patients die during their first attack. The doctors told me that my sporting background had meant I have a very strong left ventricle which thankfully was able to take the strain of the prolonged tachycardias. This was all back in 1992 and at 16 it's very depressing to be told that you shouldn't do all the things you enjoy, running, riding etc at a competitive level. I had to give my running up there and then but managed to continue my riding but with the requirement to not push myself too hard. At 16 though I guess there is a fair bit of denial and I did push myself further than I really should. Various medications and surgical interventions (all of which sadly made the condition worse) to control the disease occurred over the next seven years but I was still managing to ride but it was impossible to ignore that the disease was progressing and life was starting to become a struggle. The decision was made in 1999 that my right ventricle would need to be "disarticulated", basically severing the nerve connections from the rest of my heart so that the right ventricle would no longer beat. The rest of my heart would just have to man up and take the extra load required. This of course was major surgery and an operation that took me a long time to recover from with many complications along the way. By now biking again was a pipe dream. Over the next year or so I managed to recover and adjust and build myself back up to the point where I wanted to try the bike again. I was actively encouraged by the consultant who said the exercise would be beneficial. This required building myself up from ground zero and was a really hard slog with many false starts and setbacks. However, I finally got there and I could ride with my friends again and enjoy the trails. There were various setbacks but basically, the next 12 years were relatively good. That was until May 2012 when I developed a whole new heart problem, a permanent atrial flutter. The consultant said it would be a simple day procedure with a cardiac ablation and the flutter would be gone. That single day turned into 11 days, an ITU stay, a damaged AV node, and the requirement for a pacemaker to be implanted and what's more, the flutter was still there! I now knew the bikes had to go. I was very poorly and they were just sat in the shed gathering dust and depreciating. I reluctantly let them go but having had long chats with my very supportive wife, I knew it was the right decision. My biggest challenge was holding down my job so the bikes and my desire to ride had to fade into the background. For me a bitter pill to swallow at 36. The atrial flutter was diagnosed as a secondary complication due to how much harder my heart was having to work since the right ventricle had been taken out of the equation. The consultant was adamant we should try again and this time the op would work. They learnt a lot from the unique way my heart works during the last failed attempt. I had no option other than to put my whole trust in him. I've always felt the need to have a focus to get me through my condition, to help me stay positive. Thankfully my wife and kids bring so much to my life that my goals have become clearer and more realistic. Where the riding used to be my single focus, it's now a "would like to" on my focus list. I was happy that the decision to sell my bikes was the right one as MTBing is simply too strenuous a sport for my condition. I did however start to wonder if someone, somewhere actually produced a capable "e"MTB. More out of curiosity than anything, I battered away at Google to see what I could find. I was finding home build kits to strap to existing bikes, I was finding "MTB" look a like bikes which I could tell simply weren't up to the task of what I would require them to do. I found hub drives, crank drives, read online reviews, and started to see that there might be a slight emergence in the market for such a product.....then I found the Haibike website. Now!! This is where I got focused. Their Xduro range appealed immediately. Here was a company that somehow had got inside my head and built exactly what I was looking for. My research had proved to me that I needed a crank drive system on an MTB for the best application of torque, ease of tyre access, central weight distribution etc. I had been very impressed by Bosch's literature on their system so I was pleased to see it strapped onto the Xduro. The most striking thing though was the way they have engineered the frame to support the motor rotated up out of harms way. Bottom bracket clearance in MTBing is essential and any design with a conventional underneath mounting of the motor would leave it very vulnerable to rock strikes, hitting outcrops when descending, riding flights of steps etc. It also would be submerged in the often encountered large puddles found in the winter. All of this was too risky and I was not prepared to pay my money for a failure waiting to happen. But Haibike had got it! They realised this obvious flaw if they were to produce a truly capable MTB and engineered a solution. They have produced a bike around the Bosch system and stuck to all the golden MTB rules regards the requirements of the bike. This is simply not a "me too" bike where the system has been bolted onto any old frame so the company can say "yeah we have one of those in our range too". Haibike had certainly got my attention and made me think, just maybe.....I was booked in for another go at the operation at the end of February 2013. Whilst still researching the pedelecs, I stumbled upon the forum and took the time to read various posts about people's experiences, likes, dislikes etc. I also noted online that Haibike were to be breaking into the UK in 2013 with a proper importer. All my research gets me back to the Haibike as the most suitable product on the market for my requirements and just within my budget. I read on the forum that Martin at e-bikeshop was going to be stocking them once they were launched. This was great news as I wanted to see one up close, ride it and check build quality and see if the Bosch system could offer what I knew I would need it to. Once Martin said he had the bikes in stock I called in at the shop whilst on the mainland (thank you to my ever-suffering wife for her patience and understanding!). I had a chat to Martin, explained why I was looking at the possibility of a pedelec and if he felt it would be able to tick my boxes. He said he felt it would but the best way to know was to try one. So I did..... Click here to read part 2 >>Purchase the Haibike xDuro FS SL Electric Mountain Bike
Only a short clip here guys of a quick blast round my local. I was doing some 'testing' so thought I would record a little video. The Haibike FS AM rode like a dream! Couldn't fault it as it blasted round the woods. Only thing is I wish I had more time to go for a longer play. I will be shooting a video soon with some more burly stuff including, berms, drops & jumps. I will of course upload it in due course. To see the full specification of the Haibike FS AMT Electric Bike
Past Experience / Why choose the Haibike FS AM? First off when you see this bike in the flesh - well I was truly impressed with the engineering. It’s a class act. Look at any of the components and you are immediately taken by the sheer quality of it. The brakes are stunning. The wheels are a work of art. Everything looks like it was supposed to go with the thing next to it. But you really only appreciate this when it’s actually there in front of you. So the moment I got it I could tell I was dealing with something a bit special (and you could say at these prices I should bloody well hope so!). Now to the riding – Well I am sorry but I am no off-road freak - this bike is being used as a city run-around - I am sure it does the off-road thing very well - all the components seem more than adequate for such things - but I am mainly using it to zoom around Wimbledon - to the bank and back - to the shops and back - that sort of thing. What can I say? It's great! Its just bloody great. The way the power comes on progressively as you put more pressure on the pedals matches almost perfectly. There seems to be no lag between applying the pressure and the power coming in - and no after-power once you lift off applying the pressure - its simply like an extension of your own desire to go faster. Perfect. The handling is great too - admittedly I am talking about the handling as one zooms around London buses and past the Lycra boys and their 27 speed whatever’s that they ride these days (especially pleasing as you go up the hill to the Village) - really really fun. The read-out is a work of art too - and it comes off of course so there's no chance it will get pinched. Plus it comes with this very fancy saddle tube whereby you can raise and lower the saddle when you stop at lights and then go again - at first it seemed a bit OTT but in fact practically it's something I have used a lot. It really works. So that’s it. Of course it is a mad price - and I think you're paying for engineering that many of us won't use - but what the heck - somebody has to spend some money to keep the economy going - so it might as well be you. Right? Many thanks to our customer for this review. To view the full specification or to purchase this bike - Haibike xDuro FS AMT Electric Bike