Time to face facts and get myself an 'E' road bike ?

[badlywornroy]

I think I am going to buy a 'E' road bike.
I am 72 and consider myself pretty fit, 5'8" and approx 70kg. I ride 4,000 - 5,000 miles a year (indoors Zwift/Tacx Neo when weather is unkind) but I prefer outdoors.

I live in North Yorkshire on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales so not many flat cycling routes but I don't mind hills, I am decent on the hills, low body weight helps.
There are many routes which I do tend to avoid (it's an age thing !) and while I feel I am not yet 'ready' for a pedal assisted bike I do appreciate one would open up many more
potential routes. Of course I am not going to get better at my age so maybe now is the time ?

I am drawn towards the Orbea Gain probably D30 or D31 2019 but they are rarer than 'hens teeth' and I have never laid eyes on one never mind ridden one.
(see my other post asking for advice on sizing)

I then read about the new Ribble Endurance SLe Electric Road Bike. I took a 2 hour ride to the Ribble factory today and got to try this bike.
What a beauty, mind the demo bike was Ultegra spec with Di2 electronic shifting, £4,000 plus it seems.
The Ribble SLe uses the ebikemotion hub motor and battery exactly the same as the Orbea Gain but the frame (all models) is carbon. The Orbea is available in carbon
As I said beautiful bike but not for me ! too much the racing bike, taut and lively and max tyres you can fit are 28mm. After riding my brilliant Boardman Adventure 8.9
with Schwalbe G One 40mm tyres I want nothing less than 40mm tyres on my 'E' bike. Broken potted roads ? these 40mm tyres help enormously.

If you have an Orbea Gain you want to sell, I could be interested ?

Ok, I have droned on too long.

Roy

 

[Gubbins]

Hey Roy.
I have had a Giant e-road bike for nearly 3 years...
When you say n.yorks.. could you be a tad more specific? I am in w.yorks but only just.

 

[soundwave]

https://vivax-assist.com/de/index.php

 

[badlywornroy]

Hi Gubbins,

I live just outside Richmond, close to the Yorkshire dales national park.

 

[Ocsid]

Resist buying till you have tried a few, it is too easy to be initially seduced by e-bikes but IMO wise to develop a bit wider understanding of the differences model to model, technology to technology.

 

[badlywornroy]

Sage advice Ocsid, however we are a bit isolated here in the 'wilds' of North Yorkshire. I did a 225 mile return journey to Ribble's place to see/ride the SLe. As for finding a Orbea Gain to test ride. . . . forget it. I have owned a Bosch powered eMTB although that is far removed from a e road bike.

 

[Nev]

I then read about the new Ribble Endurance SLe Electric Road Bike. I took a 2 hour ride to the Ribble factory today and got to try this bike.

What kind of test ride were you allowed on the Ribble? Did you get to try it out on some steep hills? I am seriously considering buying an e-road bike (I already have an e mountain bike) but the only one I have tried so far (a Cube with ultegra components) was very poor when it came to steep hills.

 

[badlywornroy]

Hi Nev,
Sadly all I was allowed to do was ride around their car park ! a flat car park not unsurprisingly. Not really a proper test of the bikes battery of course but I doubt many retailers would offer anything better ?
I am surprised to hear of your disappointment with the Cube. Please tell me more what model was it ?
I seriously doubt the Ribble would be any better than the Cube on steep hills. The Ribble uses the ebikemotion X35 hub motor and battery the same as the Orbea Gain. These recent 'E' road bikes are very different 'beasts' to the Giant Road-E bikes. The Giant bikes etc have the huge powerful/heavy 500w energy packs and crank motors and the bikes weigh around 20 kg. The ebikemotion motor/battery in the Ribble SLe and Orbea Gain have a 250w motor and put out approx 50% of the power and the 'on the road' weight is a lot less, e.g Orbea Gain 13-14kg Alloy models the Ribble SLe are a kg or so lighter probably due to their carbon frames. The Orbea Gain's USP is " designed to enhance your ride, not dominate it " and are really intended for riders prepared to 'work with' the bikes battery power. Of course this 'less power' concept allows Ribble/Orbea etc to design bikes with the battery in the downtube and without closer inspection look very like 'normal' road bikes. That of course is their big attraction.
Hope this helps ?

 

[sjpt]

Hi Nev,
Sadly all I was allowed to do was ride around their car park ! a flat car park not unsurprisingly. Not really a proper test of the bikes battery of course but I doubt many retailers would offer anything better ?

The often knocked Halford's offer 1/2 hour tests if you arrange. Really handy for us; my wife and I took out two different ones and swapped round for good comparison. And our Halfords is on the edge of town and quick to get out and onto a typical local county hill. We would have bought the Crosspath if it had been at the recently reduced price; sadly it wasn't and we went for a 2nd hand Motus elsewhere.

And the more specialist shops should allow proper tests (or what it the point of having them if not).

 

[badlywornroy]

Well, I have to agree. However I purchased a Boardman Adventure 8.9 last year from Halfords and all they would allowed me to do was ride around the mezzanine floor ! I certainly did not know about any 1/2 tests and when I grumbled about the indoor ride no-one informed e of any alternatives.

 

[Nev]

Hi Nev,
Sadly all I was allowed to do was ride around their car park ! a flat car park not unsurprisingly. Not real

I have an Orbea dealer near me, and they would only let me ride their Gain around their flat car park too. I didn't bother as I thought that would be a waste of time. I have wrote about the Cube road ebike on this site somewhere I will search for it and post the link if I find it for you to read.

 

[Nev]

I made a couple of posts in this thread about the Cube e road bikehttps://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/orbea-gain-e-road-bike.33598/#post-483870

 

[Nev]

There is some more info on the Cube and Ribble e bikes in this thread too.
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/ribble-e-bike.33459/#post-479404

 

[Nev]

It appears as though its not too difficult to get a decent test ride on a pedelec mountain bike, my LBS let me take one out for over an hour, but its not easy to get a proper test ride on a pedelec road bike. This seems a bit short sighted by the shops, how many people are going to splash out say 3 or 4 k on say a Ribble or Orbea Gain road bike without first have a decent ride on one?

 

[JuicyBike]

I think I am going to buy a 'E' road bike.
I am 72 and consider myself pretty fit, 5'8" and approx 70kg. I ride 4,000 - 5,000 miles a year (indoors Zwift/Tacx Neo when weather is unkind) but I prefer outdoors.

I live in North Yorkshire on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales so not many flat cycling routes but I don't mind hills, I am decent on the hills, low body weight helps.
There are many routes which I do tend to avoid (it's an age thing !) and while I feel I am not yet 'ready' for a pedal assisted bike I do appreciate one would open up many more
potential routes. Of course I am not going to get better at my age so maybe now is the time ?

I am drawn towards the Orbea Gain probably D30 or D31 2019 but they are rarer than 'hens teeth' and I have never laid eyes on one never mind ridden one.
(see my other post asking for advice on sizing)

I then read about the new Ribble Endurance SLe Electric Road Bike. I took a 2 hour ride to the Ribble factory today and got to try this bike.
What a beauty, mind the demo bike was Ultegra spec with Di2 electronic shifting, £4,000 plus it seems.
The Ribble SLe uses the ebikemotion hub motor and battery exactly the same as the Orbea Gain but the frame (all models) is carbon. The Orbea is available in carbon
As I said beautiful bike but not for me ! too much the racing bike, taut and lively and max tyres you can fit are 28mm. After riding my brilliant Boardman Adventure 8.9
with Schwalbe G One 40mm tyres I want nothing less than 40mm tyres on my 'E' bike. Broken potted roads ? these 40mm tyres help enormously.

If you have an Orbea Gain you want to sell, I could be interested ?

Ok, I have droned on too long.

Roy

At least your droning is about electric bikes!
You sound like our Ticket might interest you, given what other brands you've already mentioned.
You can find out more at
https://www.juicybike.co.uk/electric-bikes/ticket
Hope this helps... though the tyres fitted will be 37mm Continentals

 

[Roberticus]

J E James in Rotherham have a couple of Orbea Gain road bikes for hire/test.
£40 per day. Money back if you buy one !
Rutland bikes also do a similar scheme,except they deliver to your home and pick up again.
It's somewhat annoying given the price of the bikes that you have to pay to test them though!
Rob

 

[badlywornroy]

J E James in Rotherham have a couple of Orbea Gain road bikes for hire/test.
£40 per day. Money back if you buy one !
Rutland bikes also do a similar scheme,except they deliver to your home and pick up again.
It's somewhat annoying given the price of the bikes that you have to pay to test them though!
Rob

I wish I'd have known that Roberticus, cos I purchased the Orbea Gain D30 2019 (105 build) this morning.
Stumbled across one at Leisure Lakes and will be collecting from their Lancaster store next week.
I managed to get a small (£100.00) discount off the list price (£2,599.00) plus they are fitting me full SKS longboard mudguards and uprated Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres 40-622.
Did I get to ride one before I purchased ? no. Did I ask ? no. I am 90 miles away from the store and it is the only one in the country I have found, in stock, right size/colour so I purchased it dam quick fearing it may not be there long.
Is it a risk buying unseen ? well yes, a little. I have read everything there is to read and have had a limited ride on the Ribble SLe (same hub motor and battery as the Orbea Gain) I am a pretty strong rider and know the Gain will require plenty input from me on the more testing hills and that is exactly why I want this model.

Fingers crossed. I will post with my impressions.

 

[Roberticus]

Good luck with the Gain D30,that's the one I'm considering. I will definitely have to test ride , to make sure it has enough range and power as I have to keep my heart rate below 125 bpm. However I live about a mile from J E James which is handy !
Interesting what you say about the Ribble. I was tempted by it but ,like yourself, want bigger than 28 mm tyres due to the appalling road surfaces.
My carbon road bike is never used, beautiful bike but not great for the current roads.

 

[boyabouttown]

Was talking to one of salesmen in je james sheffield last week about the orbea gain, he told me if i gave them a bit of notice, i could test one up a couple of hills, didn't say how long for though. I had seen the £40 fee but that seemed to be for a full days hire. I'm sure if they thought you were interested in one, they would let you try one long enough to see what they are like on hills. You would only need to go 100 yards to find the 1st decent hill to climb.

 

[badlywornroy]

Good luck with the Gain D30,that's the one I'm considering. I will definitely have to test ride , to make sure it has enough range and power as I have to keep my heart rate below 125 bpm. However I live about a mile from J E James which is handy !
Interesting what you say about the Ribble. I was tempted by it but ,like yourself, want bigger than 28 mm tyres due to the appalling road surfaces.
My carbon road bike is never used, beautiful bike but not great for the current roads.

Hi again Roberticus,
My gut feeling is that the Gain and it’s similar powered ‘E’ road bikes (Ribble SLe) there may be others ? are not going to have sufficient ‘Uumph’ on a strenuous hill climb to manage your HR bpm safely ? Something like the Giant Road-E with the more powerful 500w Bosch battery and crank motor most certainly would. I have used this system on a e-MTB and when you use the top two assist levels ‘Sport’ and ‘Turbo’ the power delivery is very impressive.
Of course you may be intending to avoid the hills which makes my assumption pointless ? Orbea with the Gain stress the ‘just enough’ concept in the power available. I will report back for you with my thoughts when I have taken delivery of the bike.
Roy