Derestricted Haibike Review For Cyclists

[Artstu]

Na, there's no extra load involved, a failure is much more likely in the low gears up a steep hill.

 

[Tim Fry]

Did anyone find a smaller battery, I think a 100-200watt get me out of jail one would be handy.

 

[ray74]

this is just the review i needed to read. i have been trying to find more out about the boshc tuning and you have worded it perfectly.
thank you.

 

[electric biker]

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 totally agree. The reason I've built e-MTB and now purchased a new Haibike is having been stopped from riding many green roads on my motorcycle. We've lost rupps and many BOATs to the NIMBYs. For me, it's not about speed more about access to places other powered two wheelers can't go.
Cheating? I'm not competing!,

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Did anyone find a smaller battery, I think a 100-200watt get me out of jail one would be handy.

I have a 288wh frame mounted battery on special offer at £280. Only got a few left. It will fit any Bosch bike except those with the new motor/battery found on some 2014 bikes (i.e. active or performance line systems).

 

[EddiePJ]

For me, it's not about speed more about access to places other powered two wheelers can't go.
Cheating? I'm not competing!,

I can relate to that one, and think about it pretty much each time that I use local my bridleways and byway's.
The relative silence of the bike is also a bonus.

 

[Tim Fry]

I have a 288wh frame mounted battery on special offer at £280. Only got a few left. It will fit any Bosch bike except those with the new motor/battery found on some 2014 bikes (i.e. active or performance line systems).

Where can these be purchased from?
I've got a 2014 SL29 Haibike so not sure if it will for this one?

 

[Wander]

I totally agree. The reason I've built e-MTB and now purchased a new Haibike is having been stopped from riding many green roads on my motorcycle. We've lost rupps and many BOATs to the NIMBYs. For me, it's not about speed more about access to places other powered two wheelers can't go.
Cheating? I'm not competing!,

So with you here.

As a middle aged & totally legal Husky owner who used to do the green lanes I would get fed up with the 'bobble hats' waving their sticks & shouting at us as if they owned the Byways. On a motorbike there seems to be a presumption by some elements of society that you are doing something wrong by riding on what are actually legally classed as roads.

Fast forward to an eBike & you can go virtually anywhere without those same people getting upset, in fact the opposite is true, it's often a cheery wave & a smile now.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Where can these be purchased from?
I've got a 2014 SL29 Haibike so not sure if it will for this one?

We have got some, so you can call us to order. Just looked and although you have a 2014 bike it has the classic motor (you can tell this because the motor is underslung and the active or performance motors are not).

You can see pictures of the motor below however most websites selling your bike would list the motor/electric system type.
http://www.bosch-ebike.de/en/home/home.html

 

[electric biker]

I have a 288wh frame mounted battery on special offer at £280. Only got a few left. It will fit any Bosch bike except those with the new motor/battery found on some 2014 bikes (i.e. active or performance line systems).

... Is it from Golden Dragon ? Their Battery is specified as GD-BOS-E36A. So the older batteries don't work in a 2014 Haibike with the upside down motor? Curses! Don't fancy paying out (even more) silly amounts of money ...

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

... Is it from Golden Dragon ? Their Battery is specified as GD-BOS-E36A. So the older batteries don't work in a 2014 Haibike with the upside down motor? Curses! Don't fancy paying out (even more) silly amounts of money ...

It is an official Bosch battery not a copy. We do not sell copies of Bosch batteries only the real deal

 

[Gubbins]

As I see it the problem with battery management is knowing accurately how much energy is actually being used. I treat mine like I would a car so going up hill in a lower gear slowly uses less fuel than staying in a high gear and going faster. A hear rate monitor shows me how much energy I am using so I assume the bike is mirroring me. I have acheived 60 miles on 3 occasions and recently 37 miles with a 3000 ft climb with battery to spare.
Forgot to add.. Bike is similar to O. P. Mtb/Bosch . 29er, 400 watt battery.

 

[MCX]

Sorry to Necro post but I came across this video:

I was under the impression that Bosch had "fixed" this hack?

 

[martinb]

Looks like I will need a larger front sprocket on my 2015 haibike sduro SL hardtail with the badass dongle now fitted.
Makes a huge difference on the yamaha engine usually only use in the MEDIUM setting and HIGH only for hills

 

[ray74]

Looks like I will need a larger front sprocket on my 2015 haibike sduro SL hardtail with the badass dongle now fitted.
Makes a huge difference on the yamaha engine usually only use in the MEDIUM setting and HIGH only for hills

hi martinb, can I ask what kind of speeds you are getting? as I have the same bike and set up as you

 

[martinb]

It's easy to cruise at about 18/20mph even in the Med setting and gives a 35+ mile range just using the high for the occasional hill work. Never gone to the battery limit as yet, sill a couple of bars left on the battery indicator.
But I use mine mostly off road hence the dongle is just for fun.

Don't get me wrong your still putting effort in. If yours is the same model then you will know it's geared more as a mountain bike and hence the need for a higher front ring.
I'm happy with mine as it is though if it were for more road work then I would definatly go with a larger front ring gear.
Sure Martin at e-bikeshop can supply one, I'm tempted to get one to see what the difference is like.

There are many more here with much more experience that can wisely inform you as to range/gearing and optimum engine rpm

 

[rsyme]

Martin- is the gearing same or different comparing the sDuro hard tails and the sDuro trekking?

 

[martinb]

I honestly don't know. A quick call to any Haibike drlaer should answer your question