Wisper 906 Alpino first impressions

[Mussels]

Last Friday I arrived home to find a big heavy box sat in my hallway, my new bike.
After the kids were safely locked away I took everything out of the box to start assembling it, the tools included are decent enough with proper spanners instead of the flimsy pressed steel ones usually sent out with bikes. You will need a 19mm spanner to attach the front wheel, this wasn't included.
There were instructions for the suspension forks and the handlebar stem, both very useful but no assembly instructions for the bike. To be fair there was a note saying it should be assembled by a bike mechanic and the assembly was so simple that if you can't work it out easily then you should get someone else to do it. Assembly took about an hour I guess, the Alen key supplies doesn't have enough leverage to do the stem up tight enough, use a spanner or mulgrips with it and make sure it is tight. I don't think you will be able to strip the threads by over tightening it by hand but anything is possible so don't blame me.
I wasn't able to finish it off properly as my SPD pedals had seized onto my 905's crank and I couldn't get one off, note that Shimano anti seize paste isn't the best I've ever seen. On Saturday a club hammer and lots of penetrating oil gave me a pedal back and the bike was complete. Almost ready to go and now I find that I've lost a tiny bit of my pump and it doesn't work, fortunately my car tyre compressor managed noisily to get 85psi and I was set to roll. I got all ready and was out on the road when I realised I had forgotten to adjust the brakes, bad idea as I live near the top of a steep hill. They weren't hard to adjust so I was soon off.
I'm typing this on my phone and I'm worried I'll lose it all so I'm going to post this and carry on in a while......

 

[Mussels]

The first thing I noticed was the pedelec system works very well, if I dial in full power on the computer then I don't need to use the throttle which is convenient as it's a European fit and on the left hand bar. This will work well for me as I used to find indicating right while cycling up a hill on the 905 used to lose me power. The other side effect of it being for European markets is the speedo is in Km/h, I can live with that. If I ever video my rides it will look impressive, I had 63 on the speedo this morning! The other nice thing I noticed at that point was that I hadn't run out of gears and I reckon I could keep pedalling to about 45mph.
On the test ride I only went about 4 miles into the Darenth valley and back up again, the 906 worked flawlessly and the motor felt powerful on the uphill stretch. I put the bike away and decided not to post anything as it was such a short test.
This morning was the proper test when it had to make the 18 miles into work and it went very well, the motor is a bit juddery from a standing start but only if I use the throttle. Just using pedelec it is very smooth to use, it can be ridden without power but you know it's not a normal bike. The Shimano brakes work well and made me confident straight away, I would be quite happy keeping these brakes but will probably get the hydraulic upgrade because travelling at a safe speed is not really my bag and I want to be able to do stoppies.
The Alfine hub gears have me converted, they are a world apart from what I remember as a kid in the 80s. Changes were smooth and quick and I never had to consciously ease pressure on the pedals, if there is any inefficiency then it is easily masked by the motor.
I almost forgot it looks really good as well, I don't really notice these things but my wife was very impressed by the colour scheme. This can be surprisingly important when you are trying to justify buying a two grand machine "look love, it's pretty"
Coming next: how does it compare to the 905se.

 

[eddieo]

nice to see some feedback on these bikes at last.....look forward to the comparison with 905

 

[Vikki]

Same from me, too

 

[dicklaiwisper]

906Alpino on the way world tourer(Australia)

Have a look at Guim on a 906Alpino in Australia:
World Tourer

 

[Wisper Bikes]

906Alpino

Thanks Andrew, I am really looking forward to reading your comparisons.

With the larger frame and 28" wheels the 906Alpino is a much bigger bike than the 905 but even at 5'6" I find it very comfortable to ride. I now understand why many Germans and Dutch prefer this size whatever their height.

Good luck with the new bike and thanks for your continued custom.

Best regards

David

 

[Mussels]

I'm a bit slow with the comparisons but they will come, at the moment I can just be quite sure that the 906 is not a bigger 905. They are different bikes and will suit different people, I'm happy as the 906 pretty much has the wish list of things I wanted to do to the 905 but there is a trade off with some of the features that I'll cover in the comparison.
I'll quickly cover the motor as that's the biggest unknown about the 906.
Briefly I think the 905 has the more flexible motor and the 906 has the more rewarding motor. Incidently there is little difference to journey times no matter which I'm riding or if it is restricted.
I don't have any technical information about the 906 motor so this is all about what it feels like and may contradict what figures and science say.

On the 905 there was little difference between restricted and unrestricted modes apart from one being slightly faster than the other. The 906 motor seems to be restricted by power rather than speed, holding the wheel off the floor the speedo reads about 32km/h but when riding it the difference is apparent.

The 905 motor pulls strongly from a standstill and continues to do so until the top speed is reached, the 906 motor judders a bit if you try and pull away and if you aren't pedalling but have the throttle on full then it may well throw an error message up on the screen and reboot. We have a pushbike with BSOD! Thankfully and unlike a real BSOD it only takes a few seconds to restart. If I ride normally then the 906 motor feels very smooth with obvious assistance.
The 906 motor seems to have a slight powerband where I get a bigger push at 20km/h, it's very slight and I may be imaging it as I don't always notice.
With all of the above I'd expect the 905 to be the better bike on steep hills (as long as the appropriate gear is available) so over the last couple of days I have picked routes with hills that I'd have to work at on the 905. The 906 motor seems to be stronger, I feel like I'm going faster while putting in less effort - that's odd because it can't be quite true.
I also remember struggling to get and stay above the motor speed on the 905 even with the right gear selected, it was a lot of effort. On the 906 there is a noticable drag still over an unpowered bike but I can ride unpowered over the motor assist speed and I can even manage it uphill! I can't go a lot faster as wind resistance is very apparent and not really worth the effort. Contradictory to what I just said the 905 seems to coast downhill faster than I can pedal the 906, only a slight difference and I guess it's mainly down to the more relaxed seating position I'm using on the 906.
So the feeling is the 905 motor is better for traffic lights and hill starts, the 906 motor is better with more fluid riding. Remember though that the difference isn't big and anyone in reasonable health will enjoy both.
The 906 has the noisier motor, I almost never heard the 905 motor but on the 906 at low speed I'm looking for the milkfloat I can hear. It's not loud but loud enough for people close by to hear. Another cyclist chatted to me this morning at the lights after following me last night, he was impressed by how fast I was going uphill and didn't mention noise at all so it's not that obvious and hopefully as it wears in will stop altogether.
Walking with them is quite different, I have to walk it up a slope into the garage at work otherwise I woudn't have noticed. The 905 is occasionally prone to wheelies if I'm not sat on it, this has happened a few time accidentally and reactions mean I never do the sensible thing and let go (a common problem with motorbikes). The throttle was also a bit twitchy to try and match walking speed. The 906 motor is weaker at walking speed and being front wheel drive tends to just spin round rather than lifting up, a little safer but as I walk it up the ramp it spins easily which may prove a problem on a slippery surface.
I've covered speed, power and noise, I think that's it as you can make your own mind up which is prettiest. Anything I've missed?

Edit: I've just been back over some of my old workout records and my average speed has gone up by 8%, somethings working.

 

[Mussels]

Gears
Quite a big difference here and as some will be aware I spent quite a bit of effort and money modifying the gearing on my 905.
The 7 gears available on the 905 don't cover a huge range. For me the Megarange makes things worse as I'll be struggling up a hill in 2nd and change down to first but the huge jump means the pedals are spinning freely and my speed suddenly drops. The megarange gear goes from 24 teeth to 34 teeth in one gear change. My answer was to replace it with a 14-28 tooth freewheel. This left me with a 200% ratio between top gear and bottom gear, in practice it meant the pedals were all but useless over 25mph. The undulating nature of my commute means that I spend a reasonable time riding over 20mph and I'd like to keep pedalling.
The Alfine hub appealed to me because it has a 300% range, it's cleaner and it's easier to maintain. When it does fail the three figure repair cost is not so great but total cost of ownership is probably lower than for dreailer gears.
In practice I like the Alfine hub, the gears are wider spaced which isn't great but on a pedelec it's a minor irritation. The gears are not evenly spaced as gears 1-5 have half the gap that gears 5-8 have, this works as the bottom gears are where you need closer spacing. Gear 5 by the way is direct drive and as efficient as a derailer, ideally this should be the gear you cruise in.
The gear changes are very nice, faster and lighter than the freewheel on the 905. I sometimes need to change gear more often on the 906 but being much easier more than makes up for that. I preferred the gear changer on the 905 especially being able to change down several gears at once, this is a common complaint about the Alfine shifter and Shimano seem to have dropped the ball a bit. The Alfine gear indicator seems to be designed as a Shimano advert to be seen from the front with the bit showing which gear you are in as an afterthought. So the 905 gear shifter is more practical and the 906 gear shifter is a nice bit of bling with a lighter touch.
A fairly considerable problem for me on the 905 is the chain coming off every few miles, mainly due to me modifying the gearing. This problem shouldn't happen on the 906 which means I won't arrive at work with a greasy nose after putting the chain back on and then pushing my glasses back into place.
The hub gears on the 906 mean I can be lazy and not think about what gear I'll need a few yards down the road, I can just get there and select the gear without pedalling. With the Alfine hub I can also change gear whilst still pedalling, not being able to do this has been the main reason I didn't consider hub gears before.

 

[Mussels]

Frame
One of the most obvious differences is the bigger frame, unfortunately for a novice it's almost impossible to tell if a frame is the right size and I rode several thousand miles before it became obvious that the 905 was too small for me. I first noticed that the seat was too low and I needed a longer seat post, then I noticed that I had the saddle as far back as it would go but I was sitting too far back on the saddle. I tried putting the bars as far forward as I could but I was still hanging off the back of the saddle. Someone the same height as me might be fine with the 905 frame, everyone's different apart from Jedward and Bros.
The 906 has the same length seat tube as the 905 so people with an inside leg of roughly 32" and over may need a new seat post as the suspension seat post included is not the longest available. The saddle has a more classic look to it but is still a gel saddle and I expect will be good for a shorter distance rider, after one commute I swapped over to my comfy hard and thin saddle with my longer non suspension seatpost.
When I set up the 906 I started with the bars as low as they would go but that wasn't good as the connection box doesn't fit anymore so I raised them up a little, I notice the wind blast more in the raised position but at the moment it's comfortable and with the warmer weather coming wind chill isn't a great worry.
So the saddle to pedal distance is the same for each but the reach is different, if you are over 5'8" (or 5'6" for women) then I recommend trying both if you can.

Edit: I was hoping for enough room in the frame to keep a small D lock but I don't think it can be done and as most D lock holders clamp round the seat tube they won't work on either bike.

Wheels
26" on the 905 and 28" on the 906.
I find 28" wheels are more comfortable than 26" even with the tyres at 85psi. Having the motor in the front wheel balances the weight and makes the 906 easier to manhandle in tight spaces. When riding I prefer the feel of the motor in the back wheel, if gearing wasn't a problem I'd go for the back wheel option.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Great review

Thanks Andrew, this is brilliant, exactly the type of info we need.

All the best

David

 

[Mussels]

Other bits:
I couldn't think of any other categories so I'll just ramble on here about everything else.

Speed: The 906 is definately faster and I work harder with it, the greater gear range mean I'm not coasting anymore. I'm undecided about how much extra help the motor gives but the bike itself is quicker, I can easily pedal faster than the maximum assist speed. On the 905 going over the motor speed on the flat was rare and for short bursts only.
Lights: I don't know what the 905 comes with now but the 906 lights are quite decent, being wired into the main battery and coming on automatically is a nice touch. The front light isn't bright enough for poorly lit areas but for general urban riding is fine.
Luggage: The rack on the 906 is smaller for some reason which means my panniers don't fit properly, fortunately as it's a longer bike moving the bags slightly forward as I have to doesn't mean I am kicking them. The pannier rests on disk brake mechanism and apart from having to pull the bottom of the bag out to fit it I don't think this will cause a problem.
Comfort: The 906 is a clear winner here for me, the bigger wheels make bumps smaller and the frame is more relaxed. For someone who is a bit shorter or likes an upright position then the 905 will probably be better, try both.
Stand: It's the same one on both bikes and comes up a bit short on the 906.

So finally how would I order the importance of these differences:
1. comfort, get the right size.
2.The gears, there's quite a difference and they are suitable for different circumstances.
3. Budget, if you're on a tight budget and the 905 ticks the boxes above then you don't need to look any further.
4. Servicing, high mileage will need more regular attention from the 905 but overall costs will be similar.
5. Brakes, the two disk brakes on the 906 are better than the mix on the 905 and when the 906 gets hydraulic brakes there should be a big difference in stopping power.
6. Speed, this was probably answered in the gears question. The difference in motor speed is fairly minor so don't let this be the main deciding factor.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Andrew, I am sending all your comments to our R and D dept in Auckland so all very useful.

Alpino sales have almost caught the 905/705 range now so we are delighted with the way they have been accepted.

The Hydraulic brake systems will be here in 4 weeks with our next containers, I will post when they are in.

We will be testing a 16.5A controller in a couple of weeks which if it does not knock out the motor will make a big difference to the speed, if we change for future production runs we would be happy to send any one with the current 14.5A controller a free upgrade.

How is the range? Of course if we use the 16.5A controller this would shorten a little.

All the best

David

 

[Mussels]

Thanks Andrew, I am sending all your comments to our R and D dept in Auckland so all very useful.

Alpino sales have almost caught the 905/705 range now so we are delighted with the way they have been accepted.

The Hydraulic brake systems will be here in 4 weeks with our next containers, I will post when they are in.

We will be testing a 16.5A controller in a couple of weeks which if it does not knock out the motor will make a big difference to the speed, if we change for future production runs we would be happy to send any one with the current 14.5A controller a free upgrade.

How is the range? Of course if we use the 16.5A controller this would shorten a little.

All the best

David

The controller sounds interesting, I know I don't need it but I want it!
Will the new controller increase the motor speed or just the power? As the 906 is easier to pedal increasing the motor speed will increase the fun but not have so much effect on the journey times, increasing just the power will make the journey quicker but not register on the fun scale so much. Either way I have plenty of spare battery capacity to play with.
I haven't tested the range yet and I might be brave tomorrow and leave the charger at home, I think the range will be slightly more than the 905 but can't justify that feeling with any scientific reasoning. I'm also using a shorter route now as the 906 makes it more pleasant, on the longer flatter route I haven't noticed as much difference. As I'm commuting the quickest route usually wins and I'm favouring faster roads instead of cycle paths now.

 

[eddieo]

Great stuff Mussels! Very informative. what I want from an e bike is not particularly more speed but grunt to help get my weight up hills.......will this upgraded controller improve torque or just top speed?

I may well go for the 906 after all as I dont fancy being stuck with a bike without a throttle when the new regs come in. so a 906 xc with bigger battery and more power might be the answer.

 

[nab]

so how does a more powerful controller make for a more powerful bike?

i would have thought that the power comes only from the battery and motor, with the controller just providng 'instructions'.

 

[Alex728]

a more powerful controlller allows more electricity from the battery to go to the motor. However this will either run down the battery quicker or risk burning out the motor coils if it was too powerful - so there is a tradeoff with each rise in power.

 

[NRG]

Increasing the current rating of the controller won't make the bike go faster by itself, it will allow the motor to make more power and improve hill climbing at the expense of range given a battery of the same capacity.

 

[Tex]

great review. i'm keen to test that top spec xc now. when i'm over: looks like the new agent here in Oz won't be stocking them.

 

[PerpetualMotion]

Frame Size of 906 Alpino

It was mentioned that those with an inside leg measurement of more than 32 inches may need a longer seat post for this bike.

What is the actual frame size? I have done some internet surfing and checking different sites, but I cannot get a definitive frame size measurement.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Mussels]

great review. i'm keen to test that top spec xc now. when i'm over: looks like the new agent here in Oz won't be stocking them.

The XC has a 905 size frame and 26" wheels so it's quite different from the Alpino.

It was mentioned that those with an inside leg measurement of more than 32 inches may need a longer seat post for this bike.

What is the actual frame size? I have done some internet surfing and checking different sites, but I cannot get a definitive frame size measurement.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

You can't measure frame sizes that easily. Frame sizes are usually quoted by the seat tube length, a longer seat tube used to mean a bigger frame as the proportions were the same. The 905 and 906 have the same seat tube and that makes it sound like the frames are the same size, I have them next to each other in the shed and there's a fair difference. The 906 is a bigger bike but the disproportionately short seat tube means a longer seat post will still be needed for the taller rider.
Doesn't bother me as I don't like the suspension post anyway and I got a decent enough fixed post for £15.