Hey folks,

I am on the hunt for an e-bike to commute on, mainly for the winter months when there is plenty of wind and bad weather to pedal through (so no immediate rush, but would like to get one sorted sooner rather than later).

I have looked at what feels like a million different commuter e-bikes, but one that i keep coming back to is the Haibike Trekking range. I am looking at the lower end of the range with the Trekking 4 or 5. They look to tick all the boxes with mudguards, panier, integrated lights etc. I know they weigh as much as a small car and aren’t the prettiest of things (what ebikes are?!) and i also have no knowledge of the Yamaha PW-ST motor. Is it any good? Good reliability?

Also, any idea how well the Haibike warranty process is (assuming the worst ever happens)

Any feedback is appreciated.

Alternatively, any suggestions for an e-commuter in the £2000-£2500 price range is also welcome.

As always, thanks in advance for any replies!

We sell these at work. They are very popular and to be honest good bikes. As mentioned they’ve got all the kit you need.

We find that the hybrid style ebikes rarely, if ever, come back for warranty work. They just don’t take the abuse MTB’s do.

They are either Bosch or Yamaha. Both can be turned around in about a week or so if you ever do have problems with the electrics.

@survivor – thanks for the feedback. I assumed that being used as a commuter the motor etc would see far less abuse than an eMTB. Can i ask which shop you work at?

@v7fmp

Sent you a message 👍

rented a couple for a day with MrsEpic while on hols in Lanzarote. They were good for prob 70+ k on a charge.
But built and handle like a tank, and felt not very like riding a bike, and not just the sit up and beg position. First time on an ebike so not sure if the slightly feeling of mistimed assistance (too much, not enough and repeat for the duration) was a usual thing. Brakes felt only just on top of things when descending hills.

If i was thinking about buying one as a daily driver i’d be after something a bit lighter and more bike like. THey felt very first generation, and seeing more recent ebikes out on the downs, they look a lot more suitable.

Thanks for the message @survivor I will reply shortly!

Cheers for the feedback @susepic , there are a couple of places locally to me that have them, so hoping to have a look and sit on before committing. Frustratingly there isn’t a great deal in my limited budget.

I had a loan of one for a week. It was a great wee bike, ideal for shopping trips, etc.
For commuting, I do 34km each way on my road bike, about once a week. I’d never done 2 days in a row, but it wasn’t an issue on the ebike.

But.. after a couple of days, I found it boring, doing 25km/h everywhere. Ok, the hills were easier, but it’s a heavy bike to get any faster on the downs.
On my bike, I’m much slower on the steep climbs, but most of the ride is over 25km/h. Total time way a minute or two faster on the ebike, but very little in it.

I have a giant fast road something or other, it has a Yamaha motor and also weighs a ton.
It has suffered from some battery connection problems which when I finally sent back to Paul’s cycles they fixed and got the value back to me in five days, really excellent service.
My commute is 19 miles each way, going in is up a big hill then flat for the next 18 miles. It’s takes quite a bit longer on the ebike- 5-10 minutes more I’d say, but on the road bike I arrive a sweaty mess after 140-160bpm, on the ebike much much less so as 110-130bpm. On the ebike I can do four days commuting then a long Sunday ride no problem so around 200 miles a week. Crucially, the ride home with a slight incline and a headwind is an utter horror show on the road bike and fine on the ebike. At one hour fifteen it is still a boring getting home so I have headphones in and just get in with it. Once home I’m full of energy, when I drive I collapse on the sofa and sleep for half an hour.
It’s working for me.
Quick PSA- there’s some fab deep winter commuter stuff in CRC sales, I got a balaclava, some MT500 thermal trousers as well as some great Altura padded pants.

You want to test ride a few! I’ve just done a lot of reading into this, was looking at the same price range too.

In particular there’s a decision to be made between mid motor (by the BB, more powerful, usually heavier bikes) and (rear) hub motor (less powerful, often teamed with a smaller battery, so you can get bikes that don’t look so ‘ebike’ and are in the 35lb range, ie a bit more nimble. How long and hilly is your commute?

I had it down to 3 main contenders: the Ribble al-e (doesn’t ship til November, otherwise would have been my first choice), Orbea Vibe, Cannondale Tesoro Neo.

Those are all hub motor, ‘normal’ish looking things.

What I REALLY fancied was this, but it’s too big and being 2nd hand I couldn’t get it on C2W…

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384858362302

There’s a new Trek out soon too, looks good but I don’t think it’s available just yet.

thanks for all the replies.

@ceept – thanks for the feedback. I currently have my headphones in, the ride would be very dull otherwise. Thankfully a large chunk is on cycle paths, so less worry about being run over!

@jkomo – Thats what i want really, something i don’t have to blow out of my arse on, which in turn allows me to ride 4 or 5 days a week to work and back.

@doris5000 – i am in exactly the same boat and have looked at the bikes you have mentioned. I was all set for a hub mounted motor, as you say, lighter and a bit more efficient. Unfortunately my work has just started the cycle to work scheme and has put a £2,000 cap on it. I have asked if they can stretch it to £2300 so i can get the Haibike (as its currently that on tredz in my size). As mentioned, it ticks all the boxes with regards to racks, lights, mud gaurds etc.

My only worry is that my 13 mile each way commute is basically flat, so on my current Cannondale Topstone i can often exceed 25kmh (usually only by a km or two). And as i understand it, a hub motor bike is ok to pedal above the cut off, whereas i am not sure how a mid motor would be, plus the extra weight of the bike.

Ultimately i want a bike that i can ride to work on even when its dark, raining and blowing a gale, which is far more likely on an e-commuter than it is on my regular bike. Well… thats the theory anyway. Plus if it allows me to ride everyday, plus a weekend ‘proper’ ride in the woods, then its all good.

If my C2W scheme had a bigger budget, i wouldnt have an issue.

as i understand it, a hub motor bike is ok to pedal above the cut off, whereas i am not sure how a mid motor would be, plus the extra weight of the bike.

I’ve used the ‘Big Issue bikes’ in Bristol which are single speed, mid-motor, and at 27-28kg, a bit of a lump. Now I’ve got long COVID and therefore very little strength, and I find them to be almost zero effort at 15mph (on the flat) and a big effort to do 16mph! It’s a strange feeling and you need to reset your expectations about what speed you can/want to be doing.

The hub motored Orbea Vibe I spent 45 mins on was much more subtle. At first I kept switching the motor on and off because I wasn’t sure how much it was doing. I really enjoyed it overall. While I enjoy the Big Issue bikes for the novelty of sitting up and cruising, I enjoyed the Orbea because it was like riding a ‘proper’ bike which I haven’t been able to do for over 2 years!

It might be worth looking out for the sales? I know I’ve posted this before but I do think it’s a good deal – only thing is, Pure only work with CycleScheme in particular, so if that’s not your work scheme (mine is CycleSolutions) then you’re out of luck.

re C2W limits, I’ve also heard tale of people just paying the extra upfront? I.e. you pay £300 and the remaining £2000 comes off the C2W scheme? You’d probably need to speak to the shop directly about this, I imagine it’s a good bit of extra faff, but might be worth looking into.

sounds like you are confirming my suspicions about the heavier bigger bikes.

The Vibe would probably be my first choice, its just the pricing issue with the C2W scheme. The company are using the Halfords backed one, so it can be used at Tredz and quite a few independents, although some do charge 7-15% on top of the price.

If pure had my size (a medium) that would be in my basket straight away.

maybe i should look at the bike i want rather than the closest thing that i can get on C2W. it seems sensible to use the C2W to save some cash, but ultimately if its going to be a compromise, maybe i am better off paying full whack on finance? As ultimately i wont be using my car, so will be ‘saving’ money anyway.

once again, i appreciate your feedback and thoughts @doris5000

the orbea kept grabbing my attention, that and a lapierre e drop bar bike..
i ended up with a boardman ADV 8.9 ~16kg.. had to add guards.. can get a light adaptor for the fazua battery pack if required..
i sit outside the cutoff for most of my riding.. and fall back into assist o nthe hils or headwinds or when really notfeeling it.. works well for me, 9.5 miles each way.. 400ft of hills.. battery lasts 2 to 4 days depending on if i stay mid power both ways or mid in light home

“Winter” This reminds me, I need to start work on designing a waterpoof ‘jacket’ to fit over the motor/battery area to keep out the majority of heavy rain.

Has that caused you problems, dyna-ti?

All these bikes with charging ports (like the one I’ve ordered, erk) have those little rubber covers, which look…. ok….. I’d imagine that once you’ve charged it a few dozen times, that seal will start to loosen up a bit too…

@alan1977 – i did see the boardman and it looked pretty good. So the cut off from the fazua is ok? the bike can still maintain speed without feeling like your pedalling an anchor?

depending om how you have the assist setup, the transition to human power can be seemless
however, if you have max power at 15mph then nothing, youd notice.
it’s not as sprightly as the hybrid iv got on gravelkings, the wheels o nthe boardman are heavy and solid, and the tyres definitely have more bulk to them, its my first foray into road bikes, ebikes… i don’t notice the weight of the bike itself as such, especially with the assist from stationary. I do know it wouldnt feel like a lighteight road bike however, it’s not, its definitely more utalitarian i guess

Has that caused you problems, dyna-ti?

Not specifically no. But the chap who services/repairs Ebike motors did a chart of all the different types, and what he found caused their demise. For the most part it was water ingress, and i can quite understand that.

While the main motor cover might have a seal, the battery compartment is pretty much just a plastic cover, and il fitting at that. Water projected off the front wheel is fired at speed into this cover and will easily find its way through- around the edges etc.

Water off the back wheel hits areas where the sensor wire, or brake/mech hoses leave the frame, and while those have grommets, they arent that well sealed imho, so water can and obviously does find its way into the parts of the bike where the electrics are and thats not a good mix.

What i would like to design is a jacket that wraps around the main areas – the downtube, the charging point, the motor,especially were wires and hoses emerge from out the motor or frame in the pivot area of the frame, and while it isnt going to be 100% watertight, its goign to stop splashing off the wheels, or rain running down and accumulating about the motor or where the hoses/wires are exposed.

I was thinking something like a 100% waterproof fabric, lightweight, with velcro closure points.

It would probably look like a burst chicken till its wrapped around with many open ‘flaps’ to go around cranks, main front to rear pivot, enclosing the shock too. But like ive said, not 100% or anything like that, but enough to protect the main areas from water being directed at it from tyres or direct heavy rainstorms.

As a furniture maker, my qualification is in furniture design, but i’ve always had an interest in general product design and this is one of those instances where such a product as this would find a good use. Ebikes/water, not a good combo.

So the cut off from the fazua is ok? the bike can still maintain speed without feeling like your pedalling an anchor?

Best thing about the Fazua is how quiet it is and how smooth the cut-off is (ie. you don’t feel it).

Just seen this Niner on Merlin with £2300 off! –
https://www.merlincycles.com/niner-rlt-e9-rdo-gravel-e-bike-265106.html

@desperatebicycle – thanks for the info on the Fazua. and with that link you shared i have seen this, which looks right up my street…

https://www.merlincycles.com/kinesis-lyfe-equipped-city-e-bike-232168.html

That’s all a bit different though – what with hub driven power… but it does have a kickstand! 🙂

Ah yes, you might also want to check out the Juicy / Neomouv Ticket, and the Whisper Tailwind, both fairly similar bikes but haven’t seen either in real life.

@desperatebicycle – it is, but ultimately, i am after an e-commuter that has lights, pannier and mudgaurds. If its lighter due to the less powerful hub motor, thats fine by me, as it sounds like these might give less assistance, but are easier to pedal over the threshold (plus my commute is very flat, so its more for head winds and when i feel lazy).

As mentioned previously, my C2W budget is very low, so i dont have the luxury of picking more expensive bikes, unless i finance them myself.

I will take a look at those options @doris5000

Cool, all I’m saying is I got no experience of that bike 🙂
I do know 2 people with the Halfords equivalent, Carerra Impels – and they are both happy with them; fella at work got one of the early ones and it had to go back a few times. My mum has not long had hers, they seem to be over the teething issues. Pretty decent for £1000-1500.

@desperatebicycle – apologies for the confusion, i see what you are saying now. i will take a look at the Carerra. i hate buying bikes on a budget!! 😛

Take a look at the sigmasports sale….

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Kinesis/Lyfe-Equipped-Electric-Hybrid-Bike-2021/SSDK

^^ Bike above looks nice ^^

How about something like a Van Moof. They look weird, but have great innovations. Certainly one of the ‘in people’ type of bikes.

Nice built in lights, horn, safety anti theft features, the added range battery is only £300

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/s5

I quite like these.

Sh* vid sorry, heres a better one.

Or

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Orbea/Gain-D50-Electric-Road-Bike-2022/VDZM

I love the look of those Van Moofs, was admiring an S3 in town the other week (they’re pretty huge, I think the S5 is going to be a bit smaller).

Only thing that puts me off is the amount of tech to go wrong – automatic gears, all that software, and there was something about paying like £300 for a 3 year service plan or somesuch. It feels a long way from something you can fettle in the kitchen on a Tuesday night before riding to work the next morning.

They do look great though!

I’ve had a Moustache Samedi 27 for a few months – picked up a barely used, ex-demo model for £2k. I was going to buy a Radwagon, but was worried about the power from the hub motor, so saw the Moustache with Bosch CX motor, better spec, so got that. Came complete with rack, metal guards, kickstand and lights. Like the fact that the power assist cut-off is progressive, not just all or nothing. Whist technically a hybrid, it does have 2” tyres, so reasonably capable off-road – but the weight means that it picks up serious speed downhill, hydro brakes definitely needed.