Don't forget to cut off the end of any pumps you have, to fit the new valve type...
Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
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Soldato
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- 5 May 2004
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- Northern Ireland
I nearly had an off going downhill at 30mph on Sunday. My right eye started watering again (my must look into that) and had the eye closed but missed the patch of gravel going across the road. The bike wobbled, and I slapped the brakes on in panic and thought that was it. I was going to hit the deck, but thankfully, I didn't. It did shake me up a little, and a bit of wee came out 
Can I get some buying advice off people?
Would this gravel e-bike be ok with some nice wheels and road focused tyres? Seems an ok price if I can get one on sale at the moment at £4199 and with a cyclescheme discount on top as well
Would this gravel e-bike be ok with some nice wheels and road focused tyres? Seems an ok price if I can get one on sale at the moment at £4199 and with a cyclescheme discount on top as well
I'd say any bike at that price point would be more than ok. Unsure of the purpose of going with an E bike, gravel and road tyre set up though.
I know its somewhat of a contentious issue on here but I just don't get Ebikes. Unless carrying a long term injury / disability / old age thing or using them for delivering takeaways. If that is the case then I'd wonder why you would want to spend so much on one?
I know its somewhat of a contentious issue on here but I just don't get Ebikes. Unless carrying a long term injury / disability / old age thing or using them for delivering takeaways. If that is the case then I'd wonder why you would want to spend so much on one?
Soldato
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- 17 Sep 2006
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- Gloucestershire
^this.
Save your money and get a proper bike. Or spend the same amount and get a much better bike.
Save your money and get a proper bike. Or spend the same amount and get a much better bike.
Is it for commuting or running errands? If it's getting out and enjoying cycling, I think you might be wasting a lot of money...
Have a read of the wonderfully bonkers Ebike snobbery thread in this section. First page is someone arguing that they actually get you fitter than normal bikes because you can switch the motor off and pedal harder. The last page is talking about how much damage a plastic drone could do to a Ferrari if it was hit by an unladen African Swallow in mid air.
You'll be none the wiser on your dilemma but you will be entertained.
It all depends on what you want to get out of your bike really. If you want to get fitness out of it then perhaps you are better off not getting an e-bike. Well, unless you have a stronger will than me. When I am suffering up a hill and had a little button to push to take away the pain I would be pressing that button!
If you want to explore your local area and do some epic rides but aren't so worried about fitness then an e-bike like that might be perfect. I imagine it will have an amazing range and to be honest, these days, as long as you put some high quality gravel tyres on it, it will be fine on the roads or off road. You don't need two sets of wheels or tyres. The main reason to get a road and gravel set is because the gravel ones will be slower on the road and the road ones will be sketchy/puncture prone off road. With an e-bike, that efficiency isn't quite such an issue.
Just make sure you know what you want to get out of it before dropping what I assume will end up being about £3-3.5k on a bike.
E-bikes are a wonderful thing (unless they are between the legs of the oiks of society). You just have to know what you want and what you are getting because they are expensive pieces of kit for the good ones. I don't know much about e-road/gravel bikes but the MTB ones certainly have much higher maintenance costs as well. They used to chew through drivetrains.
it'll be a good bike for sure, this is quite high end all in, I've seen some high end e-bike reviews on gcn etc. If it gets you out riding etc then do it, if you still have legs to push up hills on your own power then stick with a high end "manual" bike
Soldato
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- 9 Nov 2005
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- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
Nice enough looking ebike, but over three times the price I paid for my GT eGrade Bolt in April from Paul's Cycles (oos now I think).
This time three years ago I was doing ~4W/Kg for 20mins, often beating my segment times since beginning fitness cycling in '17 and getting a good handful of top tens.
Then I caught covid again in September '22 which became long covid, which destroyed me physically and not quite as bad mentally.
I've done more 20+ mile rides on the Bolt since April, despite 4.5+ weeks of illnesses, than the rest of the time since September '22 put together.
I think drivetrains have got a little better but unsure, but a couple mates with high end MTB ebikes just accept the churn and buy normal chains rather than specific expensive ebike chains.
I'm all for them, especially something like the above where you couldn't really even tell it's an ebike. Means you can get out and ride all day without having the required fitness in the hills and enjoy the day out rather than turn it into a slogfest.
Not as good a drivetrain, but this Canyon adds a little suspension which might be useful, especially because of the weight on the rough stuff
www.canyon.com
I'm all for them, especially something like the above where you couldn't really even tell it's an ebike. Means you can get out and ride all day without having the required fitness in the hills and enjoy the day out rather than turn it into a slogfest.
Not as good a drivetrain, but this Canyon adds a little suspension which might be useful, especially because of the weight on the rough stuff
Grizl:ONfly CF 7
Your gateway to amplified escape thanks to the latest generation Bosch SX power with its natural, engaging ride feel. Off-road performance meets everyday practicality, ride your way with this adventure-ready e-bike.
www.canyon.com
ribble has released some new e gravel bikes too, they look spot on spec wise : https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-allgrit-e-carbon-x-rival-xplr-axs-e1/
I have recently got a ribble steel for the wife and the finishing and quality is really good in my opinion. Way better than my boardman for example.
I have recently got a ribble steel for the wife and the finishing and quality is really good in my opinion. Way better than my boardman for example.
Great shout. 2kg lighter too than the Scott/Canyon
I've always looked at hub drive ones as cheapo ebikes. Thats perhaps a bit of snobbery from being into MTB at the time ebikes started to really emerge and all the good ones were mid drive. Its obviously just way cheaper and easier to stick it all in the wheel than having to have a special frame etc.
Mahle X20 is a higher end e bike set tho, yes its hub driven but that is why its much lighter from what I understand, you won't find it on a bike under £3500 really.. but yeah, there's the con of wheels being harder to swap if required
I think that's generally the case amongst the DIY builds too these days with mid drive being the preferred option. As much for weight balance as anything and it's where the power *should* be applied so fees natural.
Any hub drive motor i've used feels like you're either being pulled (front hub) or pushed (rear hub)