I only wish the LT+ was available to test. I live in Chicagoland and I don't believe there is one around. The HP+ isn't real available either. On a side note I took my Santa Cruz Mountain bike in for servicing Saturday and rode the new E Heckler. That is one fun Mountain Bike. Though I only rode it on pavement.
2020 Domane+ LT 9 (Fazua drive system)
- Thread starter e-boy
- Start date
old & slow
New Member
- Region
- USA
I purchased a Trek Domane + LT 7 last August. My LBS discounted $700.00 off the purchase price. For $8600 (USD) I could have bought 3 non-electric bikes. At 37 pounds (with battery pack) it weighs more than my 2 old bikes (a Trek Madone and a Colnago Master X-Light) put together. The good- I live in the foothills of northern California and this baby will get me up any grade hill as fast as a road runner. It has carbon rims and Ultegra electric (nice). It rides like a dream. Nicest riding bike I have ever owned. The bad- not a long range. I'm guessing around 36 miles. I usually turn the battery off when descending or riding the flats. The power turns off at 20MPH and I'm usually around 17MPH on flat ground. Having to take the battery out after every ride to recharge it is a pain. Wish there was a way to recharge it while still in the downtube. The locker for the Fazua broke when I was loading the battery last week. The lock cost $80.00, my LBS did not charge me for labor. I rode my old Trek Madone last week and I thought I was going to die. I wish I did not need an electric bike. At the age 78 I still get to ride and gather in the experience. I imagine within a few years, the range of the electric bikes will be longer and the battery will weigh less. My dealer had a Colnago E64, and he steered me away from it. I wish I would have taken one for a test ride. To get real, I need to drop 15 pounds and I would not need to ride an E bike. Boys and their toys . I'm a 15 year old kid stuck with a 78 year body....
Fast forward to Sep 2022. My Fazua battery is dead. It will not take a charge. I took it to my Trek dealer. The Fazua battery warranty is through Fazua (a German company) not Trek. My dealer had to contact Fazua. Trek for some reason wanted to see my entire bike. I was without my bike for about two weeks. Fazua is hard to contact. Calls made to Germany. Put on hold forever. My dealer was able to have the battery replaced. I had to pay for freight from Germany ($54.00). Now there is a massive forest fire near where I live. The air quality is very bad. I can't ride, nor do any physical activity outdoors. To top it off I lost the key for the battery compartment. I have a spare. The original key had a number on the key card which was attached to the key. I have to use the spare if I lose that, I am up the creek. As much as I love my Domane + LT 7. It has it's problems. As I discovered , like an automobile, never buy a first year model. If it could go back. I'd learn to suck it up and suffer up those steep hills. Deep sighing...yes old age sucks.
Fast forward to Sep 2022. My Fazua battery is dead. It will not take a charge. I took it to my Trek dealer. The Fazua battery warranty is through Fazua (a German company) not Trek. My dealer had to contact Fazua. Trek for some reason wanted to see my entire bike. I was without my bike for about two weeks. Fazua is hard to contact. Calls made to Germany. Put on hold forever. My dealer was able to have the battery replaced. I had to pay for freight from Germany ($54.00). Now there is a massive forest fire near where I live. The air quality is very bad. I can't ride, nor do any physical activity outdoors. To top it off I lost the key for the battery compartment. I have a spare. The original key had a number on the key card which was attached to the key. I have to use the spare if I lose that, I am up the creek. As much as I love my Domane + LT 7. It has it's problems. As I discovered , like an automobile, never buy a first year model. If it could go back. I'd learn to suck it up and suffer up those steep hills. Deep sighing...yes old age sucks.
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Jack Cox
Member
I'm in the same situation. After 9 months, I'm topping average speeds over 22 mph for my loop ride on the Creo, At first even with the motor full blast I was only averaging about 13-14 mpg. I'm now hoping to go acoustic for an MTB. I do still love the Creo for the speed sensation and keeping up with traffic.
Anybody that says these bikes aren't good fitness tools just doesn't get it.
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
The +HP is the real deal ! Bosch , 500wh+625wh (optional) pack,
Fazua is just a mockery system. Who has time to bend over and remove the battery from that mechanism just to charge it every single time when that is needed ?? And then there is the low range, 35NM vs 85NM for +HP.
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
That is impressive to me. I have never averaged above 20 mph on long rides and my bikes have the Bosch CX motors with de-limiters!
Jack Cox
Member
The power on the Creo is real too, It still delivers roughtly 250 watts to the wheel, you just have to spin to get at the power. If one works at their spin, you'll find that the Creo is actually quite powerful. It really is great in the 85-100 cadence range.
A good approximation is the difference between a hot-cammed 4 cylinder vs V8, they both can have the same HP, but will very different operating characteristics because the 4 needs RPMs to make the same output. It works on a road bike. It actually works on a mtb too, because the gears are really short, and full turbo mode on the Bosch is just too much at that point.
Jack Cox
Member
I've definitely been working at it, and losing weight definitely helps.
To be fair, it is very very flat here (NE Texas) and I am clydesdale rider (194cm/110kg). So while I have a lot of mass to move, I can really pound the flats and can at this point break 20mph pretty easily (not average over more than about 5 miles) on an acoustic bike.
The Creo makes it possible to average over 20mph.
I simply love it, and I've replaced nearly every piece of aluminum with carbon fiber parts (including wheels), which has been a lot of fun. (Spendy too.. I should have just bought the expert version instead of the comp..
). Honestly, it has been a ridiculously extravagant purchase but it has been worth every single penny in my health and stress level during this strange time.
