Woosh gran Camino or rockrider est520

[Muppet]

Hi, dilemma as above, I need an ebike for a very hilly Sheffield commute 10 miles each way, I’m 16:5 stones fairly fit but knees could be better. I honestly can’t make my mind up between these two, both within what I want to pay.
I know there’s the hub vs crank argument, but in this case I’ve seen horror stories re the brose crank drive on the rock rider. I’m swaying more toward the gran Camino for this reason. If anyone has any experience with these, advice or input I’d be very grateful.

 

[sjpt]

Woosh are a very well established firm, I'd go with them.

But it says 'rockrider est520', so they have been established for 1,502 years which is very impressive for an ebike manufacturer.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

It's the heavier riders that are more likely to have issues with mid-drive motors because they put a greater strain on them. If you go to the Rockrider EST520 page you might find a link to the manual which will give weight limits but they are typically low for Decathlon bikes.

Better to get a simpler more durable bike when you are heavy. Also bear in mind a hub motor works independently of the drivetrain so hub motor extends life of drivetrain components where as mid-drive accelerates the wear rate. If you are commuting on the bike that could be a lot of miles. Also you can lower the gearing on bikes to make hills a bit easier.

If I wanted a very strong ebike for general commuting I'd get a Carrera Subway bike from halfords with mechanical disc brakes and fit an ebike kit to it.

 

[Muppet]

It's the heavier riders that are more likely to have issues with mid-drive motors because they put a greater strain on them. If you go to the Rockrider EST520 page you might find a link to the manual which will give weight limits but they are typically low for Decathlon bikes.

Better to get a simpler more durable bike when you are heavy. Also bear in mind a hub motor works independently of the drivetrain so hub motor extends life of drivetrain components where as mid-drive accelerates the wear rate. If you are commuting on the bike that could be a lot of miles. Also you can lower the gearing on bikes to make hills a bit easier.

If I wanted a very strong ebike for general commuting I'd get a Carrera Subway bike from halfords with mechanical disc brakes and fit an ebike kit to it.

Great advice, thanks, I probably got too stuck trying to weigh the pros and cons.

 

[Woosh]

if you are heavy, you should get hydraulic brakes.
They have greater stopping power, the pads are auto-adjusting and more durable.
Wide tyres and good suspension fork are also a good choice.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

if you are heavy, you should get hydraulic brakes.
They have greater stopping power, the pads are auto-adjusting and more durable.
Wide tyres and good suspension fork are also a good choice.

Hydraulic brakes are definitely better at stopping but mechanical disc brakes are easier to maintain and still offer great stopping power plus easier to use with ebike kits. Disc brake pads are the same between mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes in fact there are some models that actually use exactly the same pads. Wide tyres definitely a good choice but for a commuting bike suspension forks may not be as good, they often need routine maintenance and water can get into the suspension if the seals aren't perfect when you ride in the rain. Steel non suspension forks are how I would configure a frequently used commuter bike. It's always nice to know the front of the bike will not suddenly collapse and leave you in the middle of the road for other vehicles to drive over. Forks are one of the most safety critical components of a bicycle so I take the no compromise approach of rigid steel forks. More of the bodies weight is at the rear of a bicycle and this is where suspension works better I feel i.e. a suspension seat post.

However its always worth spending some time to find out what works best for you. Halfords were doing free ebike trials so might be worth seeing if you can take a ebike for a free test ride there.

 

[Woosh]

hydraulic brakes are better. You have two pistons on the caliper, mechanical disc brakes only one. Hydraulic brakes are auto-adjusting, that means that pads' wear is automatically compensated, you never need your 5mm allen key to adjust the gap. Hydraulic hoses don't compress like the outercables on mechanical brakes so they feel re-assuring and not spongy. I could go on but honestly, if you are heavy, hydraulic brakes are worthwhile investment.

 

[Woosh]

for a commuting bike suspension forks may not be as good, they often need routine maintenance and water can get into the suspension if the seals aren't perfect when you ride in the rain

I am very surprised by this comment. Sure, air forks are nicer to have but coil spring forks like the popular Suntour E25 that are fitted to millions and millions of e-bikes all over Europe every year are nothing but extremely reliable. When did you hear that one of them failed before the bike is retired? or seen advertisement of maintenance parts?
The fact is they are practically maintenance free.
The reason for the success of the coil sprung forks on e-bikes, not just Suntour but also from RST, Rockshox, Magura, Manitou etc, is because their weight is not as important a consideration on e-bikes. If you put a 2.3kgs fork on a 10kgs bike, it will destabilise the bike, not the same on a 24kgs bike.

 

[matthewslack]

I am very surprised by this comment. Sure, air forks are nicer to have but coil spring forks like the popular Suntour E25 that are fitted to millions and millions of e-bikes all over Europe every year are nothing but extremely reliable. When did you hear that one of them failed before the bike is retired? or seen advertisement of maintenance parts?
The fact is they are practically maintenance free.
The reason for the success of the coil sprung forks on e-bikes, not just Suntour but also from RST, Rockshox, Magura, Manitou etc, is because their weight is not as important a consideration on e-bikes. If you put a 2.3kgs fork on a 10kgs bike, it will destabilise the bike, not the same on a 24kgs bike.

My experience with Suntour Nex 63mm is of exceptionally poor chrome plating on the legs, rust pitted almost immediately, and from there only way is down.

I don't have experience of the E25.

My previous bikes have been air forks which have a better finish because they can't work without it.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

hydraulic brakes are better. You have two pistons on the caliper, mechanical disc brakes only one. Hydraulic brakes are auto-adjusting, that means that pads' wear is automatically compensated, you never need your 5mm allen key to adjust the gap. Hydraulic hoses don't compress like the outercables on mechanical brakes so they feel re-assuring and not spongy. I could go on but honestly, if you are heavy, hydraulic brakes are worthwhile investment.

You get two piston mechanical disc brakes too and the auto-adjusting of hydraulic disc brakes is not always reliable and you definitely find hydraulic disc brakes more problematic. Hydraulic hoses may not compress but over time contaminants in the fluid means you have to bleed the brakes. Compressionless housings with mechanical disc brakes can improve performance of mechanical. Out on a long ride I can adjust mechanical disc brakes in seconds but I can't really do anything with hydraulic if there is an issue. I'm a really heavy chap and have no problem stopping with mechanical disc brakes and they are less abrupt than the hydraulic disc brakes which are more effective at stopping but put the bike under greater stress with my weight if I brake hard in a emergency. I always stop with both brakes in order to share the braking force between both wheels and the tread of both tyres. You can always increase rotor size too to compensate for mechanical disc brakes and improve their performance.

Ultimately my viewpoint is for a long distance commuting bike it has to be mechanical disc brakes and for a proper off-road bike it has to be hydraulic.

 

[Woosh]

Out on a long ride I can adjust mechanical disc brakes in seconds but I can't really do anything with hydraulic if there is an issue

it's true that most people can adjust the barrel but tell me, how many time did you have to adjust your hydraulic brakes?