Switched to Haibike SduroTrekking

Well here we go, my third ebike starting with a Giant, then Kalkhoff, and now onto a Haibike SduroTrekking 5.0. I've always liked the look of the Haibike but previously was swayed by the longer range of the Kalkhoff Integrale. But the latest test ride on the Haibike was convincing in that it is very responsive and well equipped for my preferred type of cycling.

So I took the Haibike home and placed in the conservatory for a proper inspection ( I have a very understanding wife) ; I like the styling, and the solid rack, and the integral lighting, the tyre sizing, the understated decals and prefer the Yamaha motor. Am also pleased that the battery charger is a manageable size and fits nicely in my rack pack. Battery fully charged I set out to fully drain it asap using the higher two of the four available modes, up our local hills to do so. Initial feel of the bike around the local lanes was favourable, it feels nimble compared to other ebikes tried, the geometry is spot on and the ride is silky smooth with no rattles or squeaks at all. The motor is a little noisier than the Impulse but I was aware of that before and now hardly notice the difference. The Yamaha unit is really smooth and responsive with instant torque delivery, don't think there's much to choose between this and the Bosch, just personal preference. My first long run was yesterday when I ventured up into the Derbyshire White Peak district using a mixture of lanes and disused rail track, generally undulating and covered 82 miles in total. I mainly used Eco and Eco+ modes, but utilised the Standard mode now and again over the final 15 miles as the hills got steeper . The Haibike performed effortlessly coping easily as expected and the 'fit' of the frame is perfect for me. The saddle is not to my liking though and have changed it for a spare ergonomic saddle I have, and if that is no better, will put the old faithfull Brooks Flyer on. Saddles are a personal preference though and the stock Haibike saddle seems to be of good quality with a broad base. Half way through the ride at 44 miles with about 46% of battery remaining I accessed some power whilst dropping into my sister and brother in laws caravan just below Buxton. Around two hours later after coffees and sarnies, the battery was almost fully charged again and I set off for home. The. Battery had 52% remaining after retracing the same route back this due to there being a steady down hill most of the way. So as expected I may be able to expect around 60 to 80 + miles per charge depending on terrain and weather etc. Today I was out again for 28 miles , finding it hard to keep off this bike !

Pictures would be nice.

Pictures would be nice.[/quote. A sunny Saturday morning ride out around local lanes with the better half ..... Around 230 miles completed on the Haibike, performing well no complaints a great bike!

Just about 250 miles completed with no complaints so far, the ergonomic bike but saddle is far more comfortable for me than the stock one, but will also try the Brooks Flyer in near future. Half thinking of doing one of the sustrans routes next month, either the 'way of the roses' or the 'pennine cycleway' Derby to Berwick on Tweed. Anyone done longer tours on an ebike? How did you get on accessing battery power? Reckoning on around 60 to 70 miles daily cus still assessing the Haibike average range from its 500 w/hr battery and there's a fair amount of climbing en route. Am trying to minimise the range anxiety, do we really need to spoil a good ride by continually scanning the battery bars? Maybe just plan the ride to suit the bikes capability and am hoping to be flexible with accomodation. Am expecting the bike to cope well with the lanes and uneven trails, towpaths etc but will try the bike loaded up in case I decide to take camping gear, to see how it handles. Being able to pitch a light tent as and when would be good but obviously need to have access to power. Early days yet but this bike performs well making it honestly enjoyable to ride every time out.

350 miles completed mainly locally but did a short ride out from Moneyash in the peak District with Mrs G on her Giant. (Am working on Mrs G joining the forum and posting her own reviews and ebike experiences, although there may be the risk of some detrimental entries towards myself!) Haibike SduroTrekking Trekking still running faultlessly and really am struggling to find any negatives at all. It handles the light tracks and trails without any problem and is a dream on the roads as well. The frame is responsive and well balanced, the motor continues to be spot on and gears ,brakes etc work well. I'm having a rethink on attempting the Pennine Cycleway in its entirety next month and probably do a shortened route instead. Looking at the Sustrans route I realised that the battery capacity may struggle to complete some of the daily mileages due to the extreme gradients over the Pennines and may have needed to spend valuable time finding electric and waiting for recharges to complete. As I needed to make sure I was home on time to be available childminding duties I decided to shorten the tour on this occasion to two or three days instead. During 10 miles in the peak District over some longish climbs the battery used 16% per cent of its charge giving an estimated possible total range of 62.5 miles. However I know from experience that the Pennines' hills are far more steep and plentiful so my planned schedule may have been doubtful. So maybe there may be a case for buying a spare battery but at £850 will put that on hold until I do some more research. Incedentally I soon got fed up of loading the bikes into the back of the car when taking them up to Moneyash o the next day purchased a Thule carrier to fit on to the cars towbar. Money well spent really pleased with it. Maybe will start a separate thread relating to the transporting ebikes, especially when towing a caravan. So up to now the Haibike is great and can definitely recommend it.

Forgot to add there doesn't seem to be any water bottle braize on bosses unusual for a trekking bike. Anyone know of best place to carry bottles on this model. The frames an unconventional shape.

Forgot to add there doesn't seem to be any water bottle braize on bosses unusual for a trekking bike. Anyone know of best place to carry bottles on this model. The frames an unconventional shape.

I fitted one of these to the seat tube on my Scott. It works well but I am limited to a 750 ml bottle.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZFHW1MI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's all sorts of bottle holders on Ebay. You can fit them to the handlebars, crossbar, seat tube, seat or wherever you want. You can get convetional ones that fit to the down-tube with velcro straps or cable-ties.

 

Alternatively, you can put your own rivnuts in the frame for a conventional bottle holder. It's not difficult.

Have you got a link for the saddle you bought please

350 miles completed mainly locally but did a short ride out from Moneyash in the peak District with Mrs G on her Giant. (Am working on Mrs G joining the forum and posting her own reviews and ebike experiences, although there may be the risk of some detrimental entries towards myself!) Haibike SduroTrekking Trekking still running faultlessly and really am struggling to find any negatives at all. It handles the light tracks and trails without any problem and is a dream on the roads as well. The frame is responsive and well balanced, the motor continues to be spot on and gears ,brakes etc work well. I'm having a rethink on attempting the Pennine Cycleway in its entirety next month and probably do a shortened route instead. Looking at the Sustrans route I realised that the battery capacity may struggle to complete some of the daily mileages due to the extreme gradients over the Pennines and may have needed to spend valuable time finding electric and waiting for recharges to complete. As I needed to make sure I was home on time to be available childminding duties I decided to shorten the tour on this occasion to two or three days instead. During 10 miles in the peak District over some longish climbs the battery used 16% per cent of its charge giving an estimated possible total range of 62.5 miles. However I know from experience that the Pennines' hills are far more steep and plentiful so my planned schedule may have been doubtful. So maybe there may be a case for buying a spare battery but at £850 will put that on hold until I do some more research. Incedentally I soon got fed up of loading the bikes into the back of the car when taking them up to Moneyash o the next day purchased a Thule carrier to fit on to the cars towbar. Money well spent really pleased with it. Maybe will start a separate thread relating to the transporting ebikes, especially when towing a caravan. So up to now the Haibike is great and can definitely recommend it.

What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)

Have you got a link for the saddle you bought please

Hi Fordulike, it's a Bikehut anatomical saddle so available at any Halfords store. Firm and comfortable , pretty good quality, can't be certain of price from memory but was in the sale and a bargain at the time. It's suits the bike and is more comfortable than even the Brooks Flyer. One man's meat is another man's poison though, as the saying goes ☺

What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)

[ATTACH=full]21116[/ATTACH]

What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)

[ATTACH=full]21116[/ATTACH]

Thanks Chris , I remember reading your thread on this, looks pretty neat, is it something on sale or did you fabricate it yourself? Is it costly?

I fitted one of these to the seat tube on my Scott. It works well but I am limited to a 750 ml bottle.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZFHW1MI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks Les looks just the job, ile get some asap.

There's all sorts of bottle holders on Ebay. You can fit them to the handlebars, crossbar, seat tube, seat or wherever you want. You can get convetional ones that fit to the down-tube with velcro straps or cable-ties.

 

Alternatively, you can put your own rivnuts in the frame for a conventional bottle holder. It's not difficult.

Cheers Dave. Will get it sorted

I bought the battery a 10s3p with Samsung INR18650-35E cells from Akkuservice Dellinger in Germany (info@akku-dellinger.de) complete with BMS and fabricated a housing for it ( I know of someone who used a Rosswheel frame phone bag to contain the battery but theirs was 10s4p). It is connected with XT60 connectors to the bottom of the Yamaha battery receiver terminals. You do need to charge the batteries separately and ensure voltage is the same before connecting.

Cost was less than €300. Lars at Dellinger speaks good English and that price includes shipping to the UK.

I bought the battery a 10s3p with Samsung INR18650-35E cells from Akkuservice Dellinger in Germany (info@akku-dellinger.de) complete with BMS and fabricated a housing for it ( I know of someone who used a Rosswheel frame phone bag to contain the battery but theirs was 10s4p). It is connected with XT60 connectors to the bottom of the Yamaha battery receiver terminals. You do need to charge the batteries separately and ensure voltage is the same before connecting.

Cost was less than €300. Lars at Dellinger speaks good English and that price includes shipping to the UK.

Will have to look further into this, it looks a nice neat job, but would it invalidate the warranty if anything went wrong?

I'm sure it would invalidate the warranty. If you are careful it is possible to do this with little trace, if I removed mine I doubt any bike shop would spot that it had been there. If I had been at home with more equipment then I am sure it could have been done with even less trace.

I'm sure it would invalidate the warranty. If you are careful it is possible to do this with little trace, if I removed mine I doubt any bike shop would spot that it had been there. If I had been at home with more equipment then I am sure it could have been done with even less trace.

Thanks for your info Chris, will check it out. Incidently, have just added new thread in Charging Post re favourite watering holes. Bet you could make good recommendations considering your locations?

The 500 mile point appeared on the odometer as I was heading south towards Buxton from the Glossop area. The weather was attrosious with non stop rain and high winds, not just normal rain but stinging your face rain and places where the road turned into a stream. I had made my way up to Hadfield the previous day along Sustrans route 68, a 66 mile route with some serious climbing that caned the battery needing some additional charge at a pub halfway. The bike performed brilliantly throughout the complete 130 mile two day ride on varied surfaces and awful conditions. The Haibike coped with the steep hills with ease, mostly in eco mode and at times in standard mode. No problems with braking on the wet roads, the bike is comfortable and I couldn't detect any flex in the frame despite two large loaded panniers and close on 40 mph downhills. ( Always tour with Ortlieb panniers they are totally waterproof and excellent build quality). So with approx 540 miles on the clock I continue to be well pleased with this bike, it seems to be a great allrounder, lovely to ride, an adequate range and very reliable up to now. Still undecided whether to buy a spare battery for longer runs, don't think I will be doing too many so the £850 cost may not be worth it. Would be good if 50 cycles could introduce a battery hire service for such situations. Maybe they might want to comment on that? Overall, a great ebike and up to now can recommend the SduroTrekking

That was an interesting write up for me as I'm considering purchasing a Haibike Trekking, many thanks.

Being able to hire battery for odd long trip would be bonus. The alternative is pub lunch and top up, £850 buys a lot lunches.

Before I got my extender I used to borrow a 500wh battery from a local hire place for €5 a day;). They wanted to charge me less but I just gave them 5, when I first asked I was expecting more than that.

710 miles reached and only one irritating niggle in the form of a creek from I,m not sure where when pressing on pedals, more so on the left pedal than right. This has been happening over last 250 miles or so and has disappeared at times before reappearing later. Have changed the pedals but creeking still there, have checked tightness of various allen screws being careful not to overtighten, greased seat post and checked saddle tightness etc, all to no avail. It seems the times when the noise has disappeared is when riding in the wet or on muddy trails so have paid extra attention to the drive train, making sure cassette and chain is completely clean and lubricated each chain link roller. Have given it a run out this evening and it seems to have almost cured it, just heard it a couple of times when pressing hard on the pedals but is loads better. Hopefully the problem is now identified and either more frequent lubes and/or a new chain will stop it happening again. I have it booked in for a service at 50 Cycles in about 10 days time so think I'll get one fitted then. Apart from that the Haibike is performing well, is a joy to ride. I like the styling and liveliness of the frame, it copes well with light off road use and is solid on the road with no detectable flexing on fast downhills even when loaded up. There are some great ebikes available nowadays but I reckon the Haibike Trekking is good value for money with either Yamaha or Bosch units. Undoubtedly bikes such as R and M are nicely engineered with a lot more quality features with suspension, hub gearing, dual batteries etc and would be more capable probably over more extreme and exposed terrain of far flung corners of the world, but they are also around twice the price of the Haibike Trekking. Don't get me wrong, I still read the R and M reviews and in my mind they are real quality and worth the dosh; one day maybe in the not too distant future I will succumb although not sure exactly which model yet. And I've still not really got my head round the Yamaha / Bosch debate, having only ridden but not owned a Bosch powered bike I haven't yet realised the Bosch supporters claims of superiority. I have been well satisfied with the two bikes I've owned fitted with the Yamaha PW unit with their response, low noise and of course, reliability. I understand that the Bosch may deliver it's torque at lower revs than the PW and therefore may be better for both touring and also MTB in the Performance CX form, but some may prefer to keep the revs slightly higher at around 65 to 70 rpm which I understand is the most efficient for power delivery from the Yamaha unit. Now there's a lot more knowledgeable people out there that have more experience of both these motors and others that will be able to offer more info on this subject I,m sure. Seems to me though that after the first 700 miles the SduroTrekking has proved itself as a very capable all rounder and I can really recommend it up to now. I've been riding 'quality' bikes now for around 40 years and there have been many of those bikes that have coaxed me away from the comfort of the sofa for a hour or so for a ride out during a cold night, purely for the joy of riding the bike. The Haibike Trekking is one of those bikes.

1000 mile marker reached yesterday without any problems apart from a noisy chain at around the 700 mile mark which was cured by cleaning it carefully. The SduroTrekking Yamaha unit continues to perform faultlessly and many friends who have tried the bike remark on its lively performance. It seems lighter than other ebikes although specs show little difference, maybe it's down to the frame design as it seems well balanced and a very capable machine. Continues to be a joy to ride, very reliable and looks good. Up to now have mainly used it with a rack top bag but now the dark nights and lower temperatures are here will use Ortlieb panniers more often, to carry bigger jacket and more reflective gear etc. Either way the Haibike rides well and " does what it says on the tin" as the saying goes. I haven't much experience of Bosch motors, and I don't doubt the enthusiastic reports from Bosch owners of how capable they are, but I cannot fault the Yamaha PW motor with its smooth running and responsive power delivery. The issue of torque delivery dwindling at the higher rev range doesn't bother me at all, although maybe if I was more of a high revving mountain biker I could realise the advantage of the latest Bosch's broader torque band and the ability to tweak the settings to do this. The SduroTrekking is basically a touring road bike that has light off road capabilities so the PW unit is more than suitable for the job in hand. Without having a go at a certain other well known ebike brand, I,m really pleased with the Haibike,s reliability so far and feel able to recommend it as a reply good buy. Value for money? Well I really think that ebike prices generally may ' relatively' decrease as they are obviously becoming more popular. For many, the thought of spending £2k+ on a commuter bike can seem bonkers until they do the maths and compare it to public transport costs per annum. For others the purchase cost is ok maybe because the old saying " you get what you pay for" mostly rings true, and possibly more so with ebikes due to electrics and software equipment etc. Haibike and particularly the Trekking model seems good value for money in my mind. Now the first thousand miles have passed I think I,ll start to make changes to the bike starting with chopping down the handlebar width and fitting bar ends. The handlebar width makes it more tricky to negotiate cycle path entrances / gateways, so maybe an inch or so off each end will suffice. Maybe a nice new Brooks B67 sprung saddle might be a good investment in time to counteract the lack of rear suspension and add to overall comfort. Overall though, the Haibike has turned out to be a really good choice and although there are many other good options it will take a lot of deliberation before I consider a change. The other option is to own more than one maybe!

I am thinking of getting a couple of e-bikes for the g/f and I looked at these and I do like the style your review might have push it to top of my list

thanks robbieg