I procrastinated for some time before taking the plunge with a Haibike because I couldn't get a real idea of how fast it could be ridden without a test ride and the dealers were a fair way from my location. I am a reasonably fit regular cyclist who covers 30-50 miles on an average ride. I was looking for something that would still be bike like without being over heavy and allow me to extend the range of my rides.
I should just define what I mean by a reasonably fit cyclist. ( Someone that could ride 30-50 miles of undulating roads and average between 15-20mph ) , this clearly doesn't account for everyone but for those that have a similar level of fitness to me you can gauge how the bike may work for you.
The Haibike RC29er was supplied from the helpful Martin at ebikes. Delivered with tuning dongle fitted and a larger front chain ring. This is essential if you are considering increasing speed as the stock gears will have you spinning out long before you get anywhere near top speed. The bike is fairly heavy at 20kg and this is becomes very obvious if you switch the motor off and try and ride up a hill ! On the flat with a tail wind or slightly down hill it rides well once its moving but you would be a brave rider to go out without a battery. Firstly the power settings - Eco gives 30% more power than you are putting in yourself so if you are fairly fit and can potter along at 200w then you will get a 60 watt boost which it just about enough on the flat to overcome the weight of the bike and on this setting I have seen a range of 40-60 miles displayed - This is always dependent on how much power you put in - so presumably if you crawl along at 10mph it will probably go quite a bit further. The next setting is tour and i think it gives about 100% more power than you contribute- this setting will pretty much get you everywhere but the range drops to between 20-30 miles - again this is based on my input. The next setting is sport and this takes the power up again and reduces range to about 15-20 miles and the final Turbo setting offers about 9-12 miles.
If you are a serious cyclist you may automatically disregard electric bikes because it's cheating - this does not have to be the case. It can offer a great workout at whatever intensity you want depending on how strong you feel that day. I would normally ride 3 times a week on my road bike and would certainly need some rest days to recover in between but with the Haibike I can ride every day treating some as fast training days and others as recovery days when using more battery power. As for speed this is again down to how fast you want to ride but as a guide I would say with minimum effort on ECO 10mph, Tour 15mph Sport 20mph Turbo 24mph. I have ridden about 5 miles at 28-30mph but this requires considerable effort. In essence the slower you ride the easier it is and the less battery power consumed. Max speed so far has been 35mph but at this speed the upright riding position and knobbly tyres are really working against you. I look forward to the eventual release of the Xduro Race 28 which resembles more of a race bike and would allow an aerodynamic position, slick tyres and a small weight saving which would no doubt add a couple of mph to the speed without additional effort. In conclusion if you are a "real cyclist" DONT discount electric bikes, there is a lot of fun to be had and some serious workouts too.
I should just define what I mean by a reasonably fit cyclist. ( Someone that could ride 30-50 miles of undulating roads and average between 15-20mph ) , this clearly doesn't account for everyone but for those that have a similar level of fitness to me you can gauge how the bike may work for you.
The Haibike RC29er was supplied from the helpful Martin at ebikes. Delivered with tuning dongle fitted and a larger front chain ring. This is essential if you are considering increasing speed as the stock gears will have you spinning out long before you get anywhere near top speed. The bike is fairly heavy at 20kg and this is becomes very obvious if you switch the motor off and try and ride up a hill ! On the flat with a tail wind or slightly down hill it rides well once its moving but you would be a brave rider to go out without a battery. Firstly the power settings - Eco gives 30% more power than you are putting in yourself so if you are fairly fit and can potter along at 200w then you will get a 60 watt boost which it just about enough on the flat to overcome the weight of the bike and on this setting I have seen a range of 40-60 miles displayed - This is always dependent on how much power you put in - so presumably if you crawl along at 10mph it will probably go quite a bit further. The next setting is tour and i think it gives about 100% more power than you contribute- this setting will pretty much get you everywhere but the range drops to between 20-30 miles - again this is based on my input. The next setting is sport and this takes the power up again and reduces range to about 15-20 miles and the final Turbo setting offers about 9-12 miles.
If you are a serious cyclist you may automatically disregard electric bikes because it's cheating - this does not have to be the case. It can offer a great workout at whatever intensity you want depending on how strong you feel that day. I would normally ride 3 times a week on my road bike and would certainly need some rest days to recover in between but with the Haibike I can ride every day treating some as fast training days and others as recovery days when using more battery power. As for speed this is again down to how fast you want to ride but as a guide I would say with minimum effort on ECO 10mph, Tour 15mph Sport 20mph Turbo 24mph. I have ridden about 5 miles at 28-30mph but this requires considerable effort. In essence the slower you ride the easier it is and the less battery power consumed. Max speed so far has been 35mph but at this speed the upright riding position and knobbly tyres are really working against you. I look forward to the eventual release of the Xduro Race 28 which resembles more of a race bike and would allow an aerodynamic position, slick tyres and a small weight saving which would no doubt add a couple of mph to the speed without additional effort. In conclusion if you are a "real cyclist" DONT discount electric bikes, there is a lot of fun to be had and some serious workouts too.
