Review Haibike Sduro FullSeven 3.0-Initial reaction and recommendations

[Eagle]

I have just purchased a Haibike Sduro FullSeven 3.0 for road use only and here is my initial reaction, not a full review, for those who may be interested. I have gone for full suspension (FS) because of the parlous state of my local roads.
https://www.haibike.com/en/CH/bikes/774/2019-sduro-full-seven-3-0

I realise that I could have converted a FS bike using a crank drive kit and saved myself quite a bit money, but I thought what the hell. I had some spare dosh and I just did not want all the hassle of the DIY route. The Haibike is really well put together with the usual Germanic efficiency, plus it looks nice!
I already have a hardtail, hub-drive Oxygen MTB which I like a lot, but the terrible road surfaces locally have finally made me choose FS instead.

I took a 2 mile test ride over mixed terrain and surfaces on a Haibike Sduro FullSeven 3.0 from my local bike shop (LBS). I was immediately hooked!
The Haibike is faster in any given situation, whether climbing or on the flat. I was really quite surprised by this because the Oxygen is not exactly slow.
The other thing to note is that less effort is required on the Haibike provided that the right gear is chosen. Your knees will thank you later in life, or even now, because you are pedalling against a fairly low resistance at a steady cadence, one which you can keep up indefinitely.

Cadence thread:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/no-need-for-high-cadence.33835/

The Yamaha PW-SE motor has a broad torque band and I have only ridden on the Standard setting, not the High or Eco ones. The battery is a 500Wh one (36v, 13.6ah).
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/e-bike-systems/products/pw-se/

The huge difference between the bikes is above the 15.5 mph cut off point. There is no drag whatsoever on the Haibike. It is just like riding a standard non-electric bike.
There is considerable drag with the Oxygen unless you are going downhill and then you don’t really notice it.

The air suspension front and rear makes a dramatic improvement to my comfort on rough road surfaces. I deliberately sought out ruts and potholes to make a fair comparison with the hardtail. Amazingly the standard Haibike saddle is also very comfortable and there is no need to change it, unlike on the Oxygen MTB.

Riding position is a very personal thing and for road use I prefer the more “sit-up-and-beg”/Dutch style. I therefore chose these Ergotec/Humpert Hi-rise 70mm bars.
Ergotec do a massive amount of bike parts (see link to catalogue below).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ergotec-Riser-70-Handlebars-Black-12-degrees/dp/B06XZWRXT9
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/ergotec-riser-bar-70-handlebar-2654059
Ergotec/Humpert catalogue:
https://www.ergotec.de/files/service/downloads/Humpert-Katalog_2018.pdf

This bar in conjunction with a stem riser gives me a very comfortable riding position.
The Hi-Riser’s length of 790mm was reduced to 740mm, the same as on the original Haibike bar.

NB Don’t take too much notice of dealers’ charts with recommended bike sizes for given heights and leg lengths. My bike is a 52 or XL and I am 5ft 11ins with a 31 inch leg and quite long arms. The chart recommended a smaller bike. I strongly advise taking a test ride at your LBS and taking their advice on correct sizing for any given riding position.

The LBS recommended going tubeless, so I am going to give it a try with Schwalbe G-One Speed Road Tyre-SnakeSkin and Stan’s No-Tubes Race sealant:
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-g-one-speed-road-tyre-snakeskin/rp-prod154966
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stans-NoTubes-Race-Sealant-Quart/dp/B01M1VE47N

I know soundwave has said that Stan’s No-Tubes has led to corroded rims, but others seem to have had no problems. I may well change to Muc-Off No Puncture Hassle Tyre Sealant which came out top-rated (10/10) in MBR’s group test of tubeless sealants:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Muc-Off-822-Puncture-Hassle-Litre/dp/B07DWCGCK6

MBR Test:
https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-tubeless-sealant-378703

Tubeless thread:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/tubeless-repairs-miles-down-the-trail.33949/

I had to take both wheels off the bike to transport it home and I immediately noticed the incredible lightness of the wheel/tyre combination. Apparently the Schwalbe G-Ones have a fantastically low rolling resistance.

Mudguards:
I can thoroughly recommend the Zefal M60 front & rear mudguard set:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zefal-Deflector-Front-Mudguard-26-inch-x/dp/B00CDP3CXW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1551343544&sr=8-2&keywords=zefal+mudguard

So, overall how do I rate the Haibike Sduro FullSeven 3.0?

I am going to give it 9.9/10.

Q. Where did it fall down for me?

A. It didn’t have an optical gear indicator!

I realise that for many people this is of no consequence whatsoever, but I have always been used to having one and I really missed it. I have asked the LBS to contact Haibike with my thoughts. It really is penny-pinching, in my opinion, on a fairly expensive bike.

I will therefore be purchasing one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shimano-SL-M6000-10-speed-optical-indicator/dp/B06Y4KQ7N6

I hope my musings and recommendations are of help to other members.

Eagle

 

[Electric Transport Shop]

Great review Eagle! Enjoy

 

[Eagle]

Electric Transport Shop,
Many thanks.

 

[AKG]

Thanks for the detailed review, very interesting.

 

[soundwave]

you can use stans and it is good but you must clean it out 1-2 times a year just in case as rrp my wheels was £500 each when new tho it did take 3 years to corrode them so better safe than sorry

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shimano-SL-M6000-10-speed-optical-indicator/dp/B06Y4KQ7N6

yeah fook that it will fall to bits in no time save ur money

 

[soundwave]

get one of these instead.
https://www.highonbikes.com/rrp-proguard-rear-mudguard-black.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw1KLkBRBZEiwARzyE7wwRyfhCPxUFnb3RR8fgBhScE17OegTTbzoLPWz3SArdp92YoVYJkhoCrfAQAvD_BwE

 

[Santiniuk]

Great review!
Thanks for sharing.

I'm very tempted to purchase this bike.

 

[Eagle]

Santiniuk,
Welcome to Pedelecs Forums.
You will not be disappointed with this Haibike, but it is essential to test ride all the bikes on your shortlist before making a final decision.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Santiniuk]

Just a brief follow up. I ordered this bike and picked up earlier this week from my local shop.
1st real ride out today but extremely pleased with the purchase.
Some great tips in this thread, I will get the same mudguards soon.

Was surprised how small the charge plug and socket are. They do not feel very robust. Checking around I see reports on this.
I had previously being testing a Giant bike with a much stronger charge and plug system.

I'll do a separate write up on a thread after more hours on the bike but after riding a hardtail with a very poor seat this Fullseven Haibike feels like a dream ride.

Just need some good weather now.

 

[Eagle]

I am surprised about your comment on the charging plug and socket. The Yamaha plug is larger than on my Oxygen MTB.
The plug and socket are clearly marked and in any event there are location cutouts so they can only be connected one way.

You refer to previous reports about the Yamaha plug and socket:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/yamaha-battery-charger-problem.31092/#post-434202

In the first case (georgehenry), it is obvious that the bike was knocked over by a work colleague who failed to inform the owner.
I cannot comment on the second instance.
Before I bought my Haibike I raised this point with my dealer and sent him the above link.
He commented that in 6 years of selling Haibikes, he only knew of one similar case and that was where the owner admitted it was his fault by pulling the connector lead without releasing the pullback lock.

I am pleased that you are enjoying your Haibike purchase.

PS I recommend that you purchase one of the mirrors mentioned here:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/at-long-last-a-quality-mirror.34231/#post-493132
I have just come back from a 14 mile ride and the Hafny mirror worked perfectly.

 

[insolent]

Your review is VERY helpful! I've had trouble finding decent reviews on this ebike. After researching and test-riding many ebikes all week, I finally got this one yesterday! I'm in the U.S. but felt compelled to register here just to say thanks, and to dig into some of the other links you've provided. Cheers!