Heh,
just to complete the loop, here is my review of the neo xtreme, following on from the carbon and cross reviews.
for the record i had a cross first of all, and again while my bike was in for repair, the main difference between the cross and the xtreme is that the cross is a faster bike, the xtreme is stronger (particuarly in wheels) and climbs easier. I also get more range out of the xtreme, but that may be related to the climbing easier when its hauling my not insignifficant bulk up a hill or two.
I run balloon tyres on the xtrem, and find that they deal well with tracks and canal paths (though i've done a lot of off road riding over the years) but need to run slime or similar tubes as they are prone to off road punctures.
the new bigger battery will also fit the xtreme, but isn't in xtreme colours as yet.
the quality of the components is not great on paper, but they do mesh well together on the xtreme to make a great bike to ride and use. both the cross's i had suffered from broken spokes, but i think this was more down to poor wheel building than anything else, as when i spent the time on truing the wheel properly, i didn't have anymore problems. Also the frame paint is weak and more prone to chipping
the xtreme climbs well, brilliantly in fact, it carries my 100+kg up long 17 percent hills at a rapid rate.
on the flat its a little slow compared to the cross, but that may be down to my dodgy cadence as much as anything else.
gear and brake adjustment is good and easy to setup.
the shipped saddle and peddles are dire imho, particuarly the peddles - the ones as standard on my wifes oxygen are substantially better than the standard bh ones, then again i always change them on every bike (i run dmr v12s with titanium axles that i've had for about 20 years, so i must like them, and the seat that came with my specialised all mountain bike, a body geometry thing again from the 90s)
the bike turns and handles superbly both on and off road, geometry and balance are excellent, and are on a par with any bike i've owned.
range is excellent - i like to use the motor only on hills, and have got over 210km out of a single battery charge
its kerb appeal is good (if thats important to you) people ask about it outside pubs etc, and are genuinely interested to try it and find out about it.
my bike had a couple of problems, the cable between the screen and controller failed, and the motor bearings went. the dealer, distributor and bh uk couldn't more helpful, and really went the extra mile to get it sorted. Sadly BH in Spain weren't as helpful and my bike was off the road for nearly a month waiting for parts (though the distributor did lend me a bike, another cross as it happens) Since coming back, i've put about 800 miles on the bike, and its been trouble free, so i'm happy.
my big concerns though are the spares and service and support - the people here are great, but my concerns:
1. a known problem with the motor - there was no recall, and no clear process for getting these resolved, seemed like lots of this batch of motors were faulty, i'd like to think that for the price/quality bracket this would have been a recall or simple change.
2. my bike was delivered with a missing key and few other bits - there is no way to get spare keys (despite having a number tag on the keyring) i've tried about 15 locksmiths, but no one has a blank, so it means they are replacing the locks with a new set for me.
3. the cable took several weeks to arrive from Spain - i feel for the uk distribution chain as vendor/distributor/reseller all worked really hard for me, but the delays for sending a simple cable (and still waiting for lock/keys) seem excessive.
all in all its a great bike, very ridable, great power, and beautiful design. I do feel that i'd ummm and ahhh about buying one again, as there are now a lot of comparable options at a similar price, and the service problems have taken the shine off it a little bit for me.
just to complete the loop, here is my review of the neo xtreme, following on from the carbon and cross reviews.
for the record i had a cross first of all, and again while my bike was in for repair, the main difference between the cross and the xtreme is that the cross is a faster bike, the xtreme is stronger (particuarly in wheels) and climbs easier. I also get more range out of the xtreme, but that may be related to the climbing easier when its hauling my not insignifficant bulk up a hill or two.
I run balloon tyres on the xtrem, and find that they deal well with tracks and canal paths (though i've done a lot of off road riding over the years) but need to run slime or similar tubes as they are prone to off road punctures.
the new bigger battery will also fit the xtreme, but isn't in xtreme colours as yet.
the quality of the components is not great on paper, but they do mesh well together on the xtreme to make a great bike to ride and use. both the cross's i had suffered from broken spokes, but i think this was more down to poor wheel building than anything else, as when i spent the time on truing the wheel properly, i didn't have anymore problems. Also the frame paint is weak and more prone to chipping
the xtreme climbs well, brilliantly in fact, it carries my 100+kg up long 17 percent hills at a rapid rate.
on the flat its a little slow compared to the cross, but that may be down to my dodgy cadence as much as anything else.
gear and brake adjustment is good and easy to setup.
the shipped saddle and peddles are dire imho, particuarly the peddles - the ones as standard on my wifes oxygen are substantially better than the standard bh ones, then again i always change them on every bike (i run dmr v12s with titanium axles that i've had for about 20 years, so i must like them, and the seat that came with my specialised all mountain bike, a body geometry thing again from the 90s)
the bike turns and handles superbly both on and off road, geometry and balance are excellent, and are on a par with any bike i've owned.
range is excellent - i like to use the motor only on hills, and have got over 210km out of a single battery charge
its kerb appeal is good (if thats important to you) people ask about it outside pubs etc, and are genuinely interested to try it and find out about it.
my bike had a couple of problems, the cable between the screen and controller failed, and the motor bearings went. the dealer, distributor and bh uk couldn't more helpful, and really went the extra mile to get it sorted. Sadly BH in Spain weren't as helpful and my bike was off the road for nearly a month waiting for parts (though the distributor did lend me a bike, another cross as it happens) Since coming back, i've put about 800 miles on the bike, and its been trouble free, so i'm happy.
my big concerns though are the spares and service and support - the people here are great, but my concerns:
1. a known problem with the motor - there was no recall, and no clear process for getting these resolved, seemed like lots of this batch of motors were faulty, i'd like to think that for the price/quality bracket this would have been a recall or simple change.
2. my bike was delivered with a missing key and few other bits - there is no way to get spare keys (despite having a number tag on the keyring) i've tried about 15 locksmiths, but no one has a blank, so it means they are replacing the locks with a new set for me.
3. the cable took several weeks to arrive from Spain - i feel for the uk distribution chain as vendor/distributor/reseller all worked really hard for me, but the delays for sending a simple cable (and still waiting for lock/keys) seem excessive.
all in all its a great bike, very ridable, great power, and beautiful design. I do feel that i'd ummm and ahhh about buying one again, as there are now a lot of comparable options at a similar price, and the service problems have taken the shine off it a little bit for me.
