rextheute
Likes Bikes and Dirt
So , I bought an E-bike in October , two months on , here are some thoughts - not really a review .
I've covered 670km and 10,600 metres of climbing according to strava ....
Righto , after doing a pile of research and riding a couple of e-bikes i went down the Trek path ( brand name components factory backing etc )
Yes , some of the componentry is not top shelf , but as a package it works .
My concerns were the front fork - its fitted with a Recon Rock Shox - which even the bike shop said " will be flexy and may not keep up with the weight of bike and rider "
Cant really fault it - the small bump compliance is a bit chattery but it works , is stiff enough for my riding style . Not really a 'drops rider' but certainly like to give it heaps downhill through technical stuff .
Thus , i will stick with it for now - have dreams of a E-specific Fox 34 ...
Brakes , are Shimano Deore twin piston - the newer bikes ( 2019 ) are coming out with the 4 piston heat sink style . Had thoughts of changing them out ... But again cannot fault the operation - I'm a fat bastard at approx 100kg , i ride as hard and fast as possible ,and they work .... there have been some offs !
Just replaced the pads today , they were pretty much worn out - minimal material left .
The rest of the components are branded Bontrager or Sun Ringle ( rims ) All work well - i have made contact with the ground a couple of times - more damage to me then the bike !
Apart from that it has been great - climbs well , once you are used to the longer wheelbase it can be punted quickly through the scrub . A couple of reviews raise this point consistently but when the specs are checked against other frames / manufacturers they are all around the same length - there are variances but not so much that an amateur like me will notice 3-5 mm !
The drive system is a Bosch CX , fairly economical and has the EMTB setting - which can assist up to 300% ,depending on cadence and wheelspeed - the turbo mode is fun for a test ride and climbing big fuck off hills , but on technical stuff its too much .
Battery lasts around 40 is kms with a bit of climbing , the higher the cadence the greater the distance I've found ,
I did 26kms on the weekend at Smiths Gully / Rob Roy in Melbourne that was a total of 680m of climbing came home with 10 kms range left .
The advantage is it is essentially a Trek Full Stache - in E version , so it can be pedalled - but its heavy !
Would i buy another one ?
Yes , but in approx 18 months - the technology is just getting better the intergration of the drive and battery systems on all E-Mtbs for 2019 is fantastic .
The euro stuff will made inroads over the course of the next little while .
I would certainly consider a new Trek Powerfuly LT 7 , the Giant is a contender - as is the Merida and the Jamis maybe a Specialised - But Pricey $$$- Specialised are approx 6-8 months in front of the other manufacturers , but they will catch up fast .
The bottom line is they are soon much FUN , and riding your bike should be FUN .
For me the ups are nearly as much fun as the coming back down and riding with a mate is a Hoot as you push harder and harder .
Give one a go , you may like it .
I've covered 670km and 10,600 metres of climbing according to strava ....
Righto , after doing a pile of research and riding a couple of e-bikes i went down the Trek path ( brand name components factory backing etc )
Yes , some of the componentry is not top shelf , but as a package it works .
My concerns were the front fork - its fitted with a Recon Rock Shox - which even the bike shop said " will be flexy and may not keep up with the weight of bike and rider "
Cant really fault it - the small bump compliance is a bit chattery but it works , is stiff enough for my riding style . Not really a 'drops rider' but certainly like to give it heaps downhill through technical stuff .
Thus , i will stick with it for now - have dreams of a E-specific Fox 34 ...
Brakes , are Shimano Deore twin piston - the newer bikes ( 2019 ) are coming out with the 4 piston heat sink style . Had thoughts of changing them out ... But again cannot fault the operation - I'm a fat bastard at approx 100kg , i ride as hard and fast as possible ,and they work .... there have been some offs !
Just replaced the pads today , they were pretty much worn out - minimal material left .
The rest of the components are branded Bontrager or Sun Ringle ( rims ) All work well - i have made contact with the ground a couple of times - more damage to me then the bike !
Apart from that it has been great - climbs well , once you are used to the longer wheelbase it can be punted quickly through the scrub . A couple of reviews raise this point consistently but when the specs are checked against other frames / manufacturers they are all around the same length - there are variances but not so much that an amateur like me will notice 3-5 mm !
The drive system is a Bosch CX , fairly economical and has the EMTB setting - which can assist up to 300% ,depending on cadence and wheelspeed - the turbo mode is fun for a test ride and climbing big fuck off hills , but on technical stuff its too much .
Battery lasts around 40 is kms with a bit of climbing , the higher the cadence the greater the distance I've found ,
I did 26kms on the weekend at Smiths Gully / Rob Roy in Melbourne that was a total of 680m of climbing came home with 10 kms range left .
The advantage is it is essentially a Trek Full Stache - in E version , so it can be pedalled - but its heavy !
Would i buy another one ?
Yes , but in approx 18 months - the technology is just getting better the intergration of the drive and battery systems on all E-Mtbs for 2019 is fantastic .
The euro stuff will made inroads over the course of the next little while .
I would certainly consider a new Trek Powerfuly LT 7 , the Giant is a contender - as is the Merida and the Jamis maybe a Specialised - But Pricey $$$- Specialised are approx 6-8 months in front of the other manufacturers , but they will catch up fast .
The bottom line is they are soon much FUN , and riding your bike should be FUN .
For me the ups are nearly as much fun as the coming back down and riding with a mate is a Hoot as you push harder and harder .
Give one a go , you may like it .
Attachments
-
271.2 KB Views: 203
-
265.5 KB Views: 202
-
285.9 KB Views: 203
-
216.2 KB Views: 193