MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Long story short, considering a road eBike right now so I can actually get out and do some riding with my GF and other friends who I used to ride with a bit, who I no longer can because of knee problems meaning I can't put pressure through my knee. An eMTB has made the difference between me not being able to ride anything that I'd actually want to, to being able to go out and ride properly with mates again (even other ones on eBikes) and enjoy it. I don't need much assistance, I have a high cadence riding style, I just can't put much pressure through my knee hence the need for some support whilst climbing basically.
Anyway... Looking at a few E Road bike options now so I can pick that side of my riding up again. But where I am pretty familiar with most of the MTB motor options, I don't have any experience with the options for road bikes...
What are the pros and cons of the current road bike motor systems? Hub Motor, Fazua, Creo SL (is it the same Mahle motor as the Levo SL?) etc... And any others...
Look forward to hearing any experiences.
Im riding a fazua powered boardman
more than enough assistance to me as on all but decent hills, i'm riding beyond the cutoff
I like it, its pretty inobtrusive..
i don't understand how a hub motor bike works, as in my mind the motors need high speed and gearing.. that being said, that ribble SLe is super nice looking
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I’ve had my Creo SL Carbon Expert for just about 2 years now, absolutely love it. I do similar miles overall on it and my carbon Synapse Ultegra. I run in the factory settings and in the middle power mode, Sport, it’s good for a typical moderately hilly 70 miles, or just over 100 with the range extender.
We've just got Mrs B an Orbea Vibe - about as light as a cheapish ebike can be - ebikemotion hub motor. Ideally, I'd have gone for Fazua, but lack of cheaper options with decent tyre clearance was an issue. A key factor in my decision was talking to a local shop who pointed out the hub motors aren't so great off road as the weight is badly distributed and the heavy rear wheel takes a beating. On tarmac/smoother trails though, it seems great - up to 70Km (plus 50Km extra with a £450 add on battery) and as it 'only' weighs 15Kg, it's not a pain to ride on flatter terrain unassisted. The Orbea Gain is the roadie version.
Limited experience, but after much deliberation, I'm happy with our decision - and "it's a nice colour...."
In my experience hub motors have 2 disadvantages,
(i) heavier rear wheel makes them significantly more prone to pinch flats.
(ii) Having a power cable connected to the hub and usually extra secure rear wheel attachment to the frame makes changing a tube significantly trickier (more time consuming) when punctures happen.
I've always wondered what the use is of a road ebike as riding my emtb on the road it's so easy to get to the limit, after which it's like pushing a narrowboat through treacle.
There's a pretty high drag when you've got no gravitational assistance and 15mph is nothing on the road.
Do these road bikes have a much less pronounced drag?
Otherwise seemingly you're carting all that extra weight around for presumably the majority of your average ride above 15mph when you're unassisted. Only using it on ascents.
Be interested to know how it compares to a regular road ride iainc 👍
Mrs M has a Lapierre Crosshill with the ebikemotion hub drive. She loves it, rides it to work, rides 40 - 60 mile routes at the weekend, mostly on back roads and gravel type stuff. It allows her to keep up with me and the others we ride with on the hilly sections.
I was a bit sceptical when she went to look at getting one but have to say I'm impressed with it. It allows her to get out and enjoy the ride as opposed to suffering and hating us for riding away at the front.
I also have the Boardman with the Fazua. There is no resistance that I can feel when over the assist limit.
It really help with commuting as I can decide how much effort to put in without getting to work late.
CRC is doing the Vitus Emitter for £1799. Don't think you can get a cheaper Fazua bike than that.
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oceanskipper
Full MemberWhat pedals have you got on that lovely looking bike @iainc ?
Hi, they are Time XPRO 10
@kayak23, good questions. At low speeds and on hills it feels like having really strong legs ! The assist tails off at about 16mph and there is no drag or weighty feeling beyond that. I can coast along on flat stuff at 20 ish with mates and put in no more effort than those on regular road bikes.
I find on a typical 30-50 mile hilly back road ride from home I average about 16.5 on the Creo vs about 14.5 on my Synapse. The Creo is pretty light, with carbon frame, wheels and post and xtDi2/Ultegra drivetrain.
I got it, and my Levo SL, as I have some heart issues. I probably use the ebikes for just under half my riding. I have regular road and gravel bikes too, and a light MTB HT.
Mid mounted is best overall as the motor drives thru the bikes gears thus is kept more in its most efficient range. Especially valid for climbing hill slowly. If you ride a lot of hills midmount would be my choice. Flat riding not so important
Cheers for the advice so far guys. Figured a mid mounted would probably be better but wasn’t sure what difference it would make on the road. I do like the look of the Orbea Gain (especially as a Rise owner) but do think it’s probably best to keep the drivetrain bits in the middle of the drag can be kept down.
For those querying why you’d want one. Well I injured my knee in September 21 and can no longer put any significant pressure through the pedals sadly. I can still spin at 90-95rpm for hours though, and have a relatively efficient riding style. I can still pull people along on the flat at 20mph now on a road bike but the moment a gradient requires me to actually put any significant pressure on the pedals, I am down to bottom gear and out the back in an instant! For me it would be this ability for the bike to take the pressure off my knee when climbing (my Rise is used almost exclusively in Eco just to take the sting off it when climbing) that is most important.
Funnily enough it’s the Vitus Emitter that got me thinking a bit more, especially at the price, and as they actually have stock in my size! 🤔