First ebike belt not chain?

[Lydia94]

I'm looking for my first ebike. I'm a regular cyclist but am looking for an ebike to commute 15 miles each way, mixture of town, disused railway and country lanes. Would also use it at weekends as well as my road bike. I've been looking online, and thinking of going for belt over chain (thinking easier for winter riding, a bit less maintenance?)
So far Riese & Muller seem to be top of the list, except they're not cheap. Are they worth it, or are there other options I've missed? Does anyone have a RM And would you recommend them? I think I've got to the point where I've looked at too many bikes! I would be grateful for advice. Thanks, Lydia

 

[RobF]

I have the Riese and Muller Charger in my avatar.

It has a Rohloff hub with a traditional chain, albeit one with the Chainglider lightweight enclosed guide.

R&M bikes are a bit dearer than some, but they often have spec which others do not.

In my case, a twin battery and a Rohloff.

When you consider the extra battery and Rohloff would be about £1,750 to buy separately, the bike was not expensive.

Particularly as I screwed a decent discount out of the retailer.

Having said that, a Riese and Muller is not especially nicer than any other of the quality brands.

A belt drive/hub gear would be an excellent solution for a commuter.

Bear in mind the belt doesn't like mud and grit landing on its drive surface, so it's not suitable for mountain bike trails.

Your proposed commute is quite long for any bike, e or otherwise.

An hour plus each way would be too much for me on top of a day's work, but you may be made of sterner stuff.

Whereabouts in the country are you?

For a commuter, a good, local bike dealer is almost as important as a good bike.

For example, my local bike shop will prioritise repairs if they know the customer uses the bike to get to work.

 

[Jonah]

All the R&M owners on this forum seem very happy with their choices. If you want a belt drive, not many other options. Lots more choice if you stick with a chain. Most bikes available now would probably be up to your needs so it’s a question of what appeals most. The other bike I know that has a belt drive is the Gtech. No gears though. If your commute isnt too hilly it would probably do the job, less than a grand too. 30 miles is a bit tight with the small battery but if you’re providing lots of input it might manage it. An extra battery is not that expensive. Sometimes they include a spare battery as a special offer.

if you have the money I don’t think you would be disappointed with a R&M bike.

 

[RobF]

Other than the G-Tech, I can't immediately think of a belt drive alternative, although there must be one or two.

Nothing wrong with a hub gear and a chain.

The higher chain line keeps the chain out of the dirt, and the fact that it always runs in perfect alignment and is not scraped across a cassette means a hub gear/chain set up is durable.

 

[Lydia94]

Thanks everyone. I'm in Hertfordshire, cycling to hatfield so it's a fairly flat route. I often drive 1/2 way and ride the rest, but want to ride all the way and could do it a tad under 1 hr on an ebike which for me is similar to half drive/ride timewise, and much less faffing. I was considering belt drive as an assumption was less wear, but I know how to change a chain so belts are completely new to me (I also thought lifespan of approx 30000 miles would be a plus if that's true). It could just be down to trying a few, I have a local dealer so will take a trip there.

 

[RobF]

Averaging 15mph is pushing it a bit, particularly if you comply with traffic signals.

Hub gears and a belt both add a little drag, so pedalling an ebike with those above the cut off will not be easy.

Sounds like you are an experienced cyclist, so a test ride on a couple of ebikes will quickly tell you if one is suitable.

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome
Just to put in my 2pence worth I would also not get too hung up on a belt as they too as already mentioned have there pros and cons
Hope you get your search narrowed down soon

 

[RobF]

Thanks everyone. I'm in Hertfordshire, cycling to hatfield so it's a fairly flat route. I often drive 1/2 way and ride the rest, but want to ride all the way and could do it a tad under 1 hr on an ebike which for me is similar to half drive/ride timewise, and much less faffing. I was considering belt drive as an assumption was less wear, but I know how to change a chain so belts are completely new to me (I also thought lifespan of approx 30000 miles would be a plus if that's true). It could just be down to trying a few, I have a local dealer so will take a trip there.

It seems Kalkhoff offer a belt drive/hub gear ebike.

The brand rightly took a battering over its Impulse motor bikes, but this is one of their Bosch ones.

Nothing to suggest it will be anything other than good quality.

The bike has the NuVinci variable hub, now re-branded Enviolo.

That's not for everyone.

I wasn't too keen on it, but my test ride was too short to form a proper opinion.

Gear range is not great, but first should be low enough for all but the steepest climbs.

The Kalkhoff has the biggest 620wh integrated battery.

Might even be big enough to do two round trips for the OP's commute.

I found it on sale at German retailer MHW, but Kalkhoff does have a few UK dealers.

MHW also has a slightly lower spec belt/Enviolo bike from Winora.

Kalkhoff Endeavour 7.B Belt magicblack/winered matt (Trapez) 2020 - Touring E-Bike Women

mhw-rahmen Integrale 1.5, aluminium mhw-gabel Suntour Mobie25 Air, lockout, 15 mm thru axle mhw-federvorne 63 mm mhw-lenker Concept EX Riser mhw-griffe Ergon GA30 mhw-vorbau Concept, rigid...

www.mhw-bike.com

 

[Lydia94]

Thanks Rob, luckily much of my route is on roads with no traffic lights, and on a disused railway that's now a cycle path.

Hi welcome
Just to put in my 2pence worth I would also not get too hung up on a belt as they too as already mentioned have there pros and cons
Hope you get your search narrowed down soon

Thanks, I had the same thought myself and will be looking at bikes with chains too as there are some good offers around.

 

[KirstinS]

Thanks Rob, luckily much of my route is on roads with no traffic lights, and on a disused railway that's now a cycle path.

Thanks, I had the same thought myself and will be looking at bikes with chains too as there are some good offers around.

A bike with an alfine 8 hub and chain are super bullet proof. I'm on my second hub in over a decade and God knows how many thousand miles. My first hub outlasted the frame it came in and I have never, ever serviced them whatsoever!

 

[Deleted member 25121]

I've a 2019 model Riese and Muller Supercharger with a belt drive, Rohloff gear hub and 2*500Wh batteries.

I'm very pleased with it, it's extremely well made, has a fantastic range and the Rohloff with its 14 gears and electronic pushbutton gear selector is brilliant. The belt drive requires very little maintenance and is ideal for road use but best avoid lots of mud as RobF pointed out.

A few things to bear in mind:
1. It's heavy, most ebikes are but the 2nd battery also adds to its weight. I wouldn't want to regularly load it into and out of a car for example.
2. With my Bosch CS Performance motor there's a noticeable drag above 15mph/25kph when the motor stops assisting but I believe the 2020 models don't suffer from this. This is only a problem if you're in a hurry...
3. It's vital to have a test ride on a bike of the same size as the one you're thinking of buying, I found I needed a smaller size to the one R&M recommended based on my measurements.

 

[RobF]

It's heavy,

Agreed, even for an ebike, RIese and Muller are heavy, built well enough to invade Poland.

 

[soundwave]

Agreed, even for an ebike, RIese and Muller are heavy, built well enough to invade Poland.

id check the roads first

 

[Deleted member 25121]

View attachment 33555

id check the roads first

The trick is to keep moving at all times and never EVER stop. Old bridges with weight restrictions are particularly risky....

 

[Lydia94]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback, I've got an update. And I agree about the R&M, it gives my old Fazer a run for it's money weightwise!
I want to Rutland at Grafham Water with my friend who was looking for a carbon road bike. The guy there was really helpful,not pushy, and helped my friend make her choice. Deposit duly paid (Cube, completely forgotten the model!). I saw they had a Scott ebike in the sale (chain, but the offer seemed good and I liked the look. Not Bosch which would have been my preference. But, it was at Pitsford, so off we trot.
I tried it, like it, put a deposit down. My friend has a go, comes back with daft grin and says 'Want one'. Suffice to say, half an hour later deposit transferred, they'll be ready to collect next week. All the guys at Rutland were really helpful, no big sales push (which always makes me leg it). We asked and they said yes, they would move the bikes to Grafham to collect, as it's closer to us.
Now it's just the tortuous wait, we'll be doing a lap round Grafham first thing next Saturday
Lydia

 

[RobF]

I saw they had a Scott ebike in the sale (chain, but the offer seemed good and I liked the look. Not Bosch which would have been my preference.

The main snag with any ebike is the weight.

It's good you've tried the model you are buying and are happy with it.

The Scott is a Bosch bike, isn't it?

Carbon roadie to ebike is quite a jump for your friend.

Pleased you are both sorted.

 

[Artstu]

I saw they had a Scott ebike in the sale (chain, but the offer seemed good and I liked the look. Not Bosch which would have been my preference. But, it was at Pitsford, so off we trot.
I tried it, like it, put a deposit down. My friend has a go, comes back with daft grin and says 'Want one'. Suffice to say, half an hour later deposit transferred, they'll be ready to collect next week.

So you bought a Scott that wasn't Bosch powered. I wonder which model you bought then?

 

[Lydia94]

The main snag with any ebike is the weight.

It's good you've tried the model you are buying and are happy with it.

The Scott is a Bosch bike, isn't it?

Carbon roadie to ebike is quite a jump for your friend.

Pleased you are both sorted.

I know, it was unexpected. She's got a knee problem, so her justification was she could put off a knee replacement, and hills wouldn't be such a nightmare!

 

[Lydia94]

So you bought a Scott that wasn't Bosch powered. I wonder which model you bought then?

I know, I

 

[Lydia94]

Oops, got a bit trigger happy there.

This is the one....

Ex Hire Scott E-Silence 20 2017 Electric Hybrid Bike Grey White S