Please Help Me Find An e-Bike With The Following Requirements

[bbrebis]

Hi,
I'm in Europe and I'm looking for such an e-bike, but cannot find it:
- Yamaha motor (I tried Bosch 2 years ago but found it too noisy)
- Not a chain but a belt drive
- 27.5 wheels or smaller
- At least 700Wh battery
- As light as possible

The e-bike I have now (Giant Explore E+ with 800Wh) is great but too big for me (29-inch wheels) and slightly too heavy.

Thank you for your help!
Cheers

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Why Yamaha?

Turbo Vado 5.0 IGH

Consider Vado your high-performance transportation bike, getting you where you’re going with an unmatched combination of speed, reliability, and confide...

www.specialized.com

A very quiet motor, belt drive, 710 Wh battery.

You demand too much. A big battery e-bike is a heavy e-bike. Belt drive/IGH is a heavy e-bike.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Because he's probably familiar with the poor lifespan of those Specialized bikes/motors that interestingly fail just out of warranty with only a few thousand km

 

[bbrebis]

I had no idea that Specialized had such a rep.

 

[Chargeride]

My friends have had lots of problems, in fact the bike I bought off them is on its second motor and battery.
My Yamaha powered Haibike fattie, has 8000 miles, original everything, only repair was freehub.
I dont know why this is, but Stefan will have an idea

 

[EMGX]

Since you like your Giant why not look into swapping the heavy suspension fork for carbon rigid which will drop maybe 4 pounds and lower the front of your bike some. Maybe consider changing your wheels to 27.5 too.

 

[bbrebis]

Since you like your Giant why not look into swapping the heavy suspension fork for carbon rigid which will drop maybe 4 pounds and lower the front of your bike some. Maybe consider changing your wheels to 27.5 too.

Excuse my basic question, but can this be done?

 

[Gionnirocket]

My friends have had lots of problems, in fact the bike I bought off them is on its second motor and battery.
My Yamaha powered Haibike fattie, has 8000 miles, original everything, only repair was freehub.
I dont know why this is, but Stefan will have an idea

Yes he will... and some lame excuses as well.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Excuse my basic question, but can this be done?

I'm running a Rockshox 35 - 29" fork with 27.5 wheels. Their website states it is acceptable to do so.
You could also replace with a 27.5 fork. Keeping in mind your geometry will change quite a bit so I'd get some expert LBS advise.
The rear wheel may require a bit more research before starting such a project.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I dont know why this is, but Stefan will have an idea

Trail e-MTBs such as yours are being abused. That's why.
The other reason is older Levos had a totally silent motor based on an internal carbon drive belt. Newer Specialized e-MTB motors are of an improved design and are still pretty quiet.

Excuse my basic question, but can this be done?

Even if it can, it is a silly idea. The rigid fork on a heavy mid-drive motor e-bike leads to the stresses in the frame in the motor area. You wouldn't like the frame cracking. (Specialized learned that lesson with the first generation of Vado in 2017. First Vados were 2 kg more lightweight because of the rigid fork but frame cracks were common. Already in 2018, Specialized used a heavy suspension fork to prevent the phenomenon).

 

[stompandgo]

A suspension fork shouldn't be needed to keep a frame from cracking. It's a design issue.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A suspension fork shouldn't be needed to keep a frame from cracking. It's a design issue.

I beg to differ. The 2017 model frame was used on all Vado from the beginning to (and including) MY 2020. Only MY 2017 e-bikes had their frames cracked. You certainly think of lightweight bikes and e-bikes: these (like Vado SL) may have a rigid fork. It is different for heavy commuter e-bikes. Even Trek gave up using the rigid fork on its Allant+. For some strange reasons your Tesoro has the suspension fork. Would you replace it with a rigid fork to shave 4 lbs?

 

[stompandgo]

No, I would not significantly change any part of the original design of any bike. Major changes can cause problems.

Frames should not crack. Even extra special Specialized. I realize that some have cracked. It's a design issue.

 

[Base]

https://www.winora.com/nl-en/p/yucatan-r8f-wyan1/

XLC Range Extender Yamaha 360 Wh voor Haibike en Winora motoren Yamaha

XLC Range Extender Yamaha 360 Wh voor Haibike en Winora motoren Yamaha | Batterijen 100% compatibel met je fiets - 2 jaar garantie - De scherpste prijzen op het web!

doctibike.com

This could be something to look into.

Belt, Yamaha, 27.5"

 

[bbrebis]

https://www.winora.com/nl-en/p/yucatan-r8f-wyan1/

XLC Range Extender Yamaha 360 Wh voor Haibike en Winora motoren Yamaha

XLC Range Extender Yamaha 360 Wh voor Haibike en Winora motoren Yamaha | Batterijen 100% compatibel met je fiets - 2 jaar garantie - De scherpste prijzen op het web!

doctibike.com

This could be something to look into.

Belt, Yamaha, 27.5"

You're right, the Yucatan r8f is quite close to what I'm looking for. Thank you!

 

[Gionnirocket]

Friends don't let friends buy bikes with poorly desiged/manufactured frames and unreliable motors.
Even if they did get a ton of money in a battery fire settlement.

 

[Gionnirocket]

You're right, the Yucatan r8f is quite close to what I'm looking for. Thank you

Unfamiliar with the brand but it seems they have a few similar bikes with a mix of entry and mid level hardware and variations of the top bar.
A test ride can help confirm your expectations.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No, I would not significantly change any part of the original design of any bike. Major changes can cause problems.

Therefore, I was against the idea of changing the original design for @bbrebis e-bike.

Frames should not crack. Even extra special Specialized. I realize that some have cracked. It's a design issue.

It was 2017 when the modern commuter e-bike concept was in its beginnings. Yes, the original design issue was not to install the suspension fork on the Vado. After the redesign, Vado frames stopped cracking.

@bbrebis let me cover your points one by one.

The e-bike I have now (Giant Explore E+ with 800Wh) is great ... but... slightly too heavy.

Any full power, big battery, mid-drive e-bike will be heavy. There is no way to change it given the current technology state. Not only is the big battery heavy but also the frame has to be thick to ensure the structural strength.

but too big for me (29-inch wheels)

The wheel size does not actually determine the e-bike height. It is because 29" wheel bikes are usually equipped with narrower tyres than the 27.5" ones. If you look at two bikes, one with 700x47mm tyres and another with 27.5x2.6" tyres then you will find the outer diameter of both wheels will be about the same! Yes, your Explore E+ has 29x2.25" quite big wheels but that's not the reason the e-bike feels too big for you. Either, it is the wrong frame size for your own body or you need an e-bike with a Step-Through frame (the top frame tube lowered).

Yamaha motor (I tried Bosch 2 years ago but found it too noisy)

I owned a Yamaha motor Giant e-bike and the motor was noisy, with a low grunt. It was especially heard in the forest.

- Not a chain but a belt drive

Adding 2 kg to the e-bike weight (belt and IGH). Are you prepared to remove the rear wheel in case of a tyre flat?

- 27.5 wheels or smaller

Discussed above.

- At least 700Wh battery

Well, what if I told you that you could travel light on 520 Wh one day but could use 680 or 880 Wh on a long trip?

- As light as possible

20.5 kg is OK?

Turbo Vado SL 2 4.0 Step-Through

Nothing delivers more power, speed, and range at such lightweight than Turbo Vado SL 2. It’s a high-performance machine carefully engineered to make fit...

www.specialized.com

Easy to mount, lightweight, front suspension (Future Shock). 520 Wh battery in the frame, available 160 Wh Range Extenders in the form of a water bottle.