2021–2022 Riese & Müller Homage

[Alaskan]

If your stem has a standard round stem cap, you can replace it with one of the stem cap bottle cage adaptors. If you want two bottles on it, you can put a wolftooth doubler on this. This works well on Nancy's 2018 Homage Rohloff HS

TMARS Stem Bottle Cage Adapter NEW Product https://ebay.us/Saf7M

 

[Deleted member 18083]

No conventional stem cap.

Apart from making Richard's dual cage workaround near-impossible, I wonder whether the width (measurements, anyone?) will make fitting a conventional bar-mounted bag or shopping basket difficult.

 

[JVBulman]

We just finished building up our first 2021 Homage (1250Wh Rohloff HS w/ Nyon) and man I really like it with the comfort bars and dropper - reminds me of the 2018 Culture moreso than the Homage, which is definitely more my preference. The dual Powertube mounting solution is also far less complex than we'd imagined, though I will say replacing anything that's internally routed looks like it could be an even larger headache than the other Powertube models, but we'll have to wait and see.

Highly recommend this bike with the comfort package!

 

[PeterK]

I had my first ride today. I will post some detailed observations after another couple of rides but I’m very happy that I was able to change to the “comfort “ bars.

The riding position is perfect for my aging body.

Mine is the single battery Vario model with the Nyon.

 

[BMWzenRider]

I had my first ride today. I will post some detailed observations after another couple of rides but I’m very happy that I was able to change to the “comfort “ bars.

The riding position is perfect for my aging body.

Mine is the single battery Vario model with the Nyon.

I went back and forth about whether to go with the standard or comfort bars, but stuck with the standard ones because I do intend to ride on unimproved roads/trails in national parks & forests, and the wider bars should work better in those situations for hitting rocks, roots, and ruts.

My plan is to upgrade the grips to the Ergon G5 with independently adjustable bar-end horns, which will give me additional hand position options.

My bike is en-route, but I opted for standard shipping in the end, because I am out of town for at least through the end of the month, and the bike would have just been sitting in the shop waiting for weeks.
I had to take my hub-drive (but torque sensing) Raleigh Talus with me on my winter escape trip to the SouthWest.
There were definitely some hills where the extra assist of the 4th-Gen CX mid-drive would have been appreciated, especially off-road.

This was my first trip with any kind of e-bike, and I have to say, even the lower-tech and lower powered current e-bike was a more enjoyable time off-road than my infernal combustion powered Honda CT125 Trail Cub bike.
The larger diameter wheels and much lower weight made it easier to handle in loose sand and deep gravel sections, and the bicycle helmet and slip-on knee/elbow pads were so much more comfortable than my full face motorcycle helmet and armor.

YMMV

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My plan is to upgrade the grips to the Ergon G5 with independently adjustable bar-end horns, which will give me additional hand position options.

As a user of both GP5 and GP3 (on different e-bikes), I would suggest choosing the GP3. Unless your hands are really large, the GP5s feel "too much of a grip" to me. I really prefer GP3s.

 

[steve mercier]

That is why I love that FS 9 almost as much as this : https://citruscycles.ca/mo-samedi-weekend-fs-dual-eq

 

[Alaskan]

I went back and forth about whether to go with the standard or comfort bars, but stuck with the standard ones because I do intend to ride on unimproved roads/trails in national parks & forests, and the wider bars should work better in those situations for hitting rocks, roots, and ruts.

My plan is to upgrade the grips to the Ergon G5 with independently adjustable bar-end horns, which will give me additional hand position options.
View attachment 80963

My bike is en-route, but I opted for standard shipping in the end, because I am out of town for at least through the end of the month, and the bike would have just been sitting in the shop waiting for weeks.
I had to take my hub-drive (but torque sensing) Raleigh Talus with me on my winter escape trip to the SouthWest.
There were definitely some hills where the extra assist of the 4th-Gen CX mid-drive would have been appreciated, especially off-road.

This was my first trip with any kind of e-bike, and I have to say, even the lower-tech and lower powered current e-bike was a more enjoyable time off-road than my infernal combustion powered Honda CT125 Trail Cub bike.
The larger diameter wheels and much lower weight made it easier to handle in loose sand and deep gravel sections, and the bicycle helmet and slip-on knee/elbow pads were so much more comfortable than my full face motorcycle helmet and armor.

YMMV

I had a pair of the but found them awkward to hold on to, the angle just was not quite right, either that or my handlebars were too long at 28". I also fourd my hands were too far from the brakes and shifter. They also added difficulty getting the bike through doors. Finally the kind of stick out like a sore thumb, doing nothing to enhance from a beautiful bike. You loop you thumb around them and hold the handlebars with you three fingers leaving your index finger free to brake.

I put a pair of SSQ labs inner bar ends. They are shorter and mount just inside of the grips and thus are far less prominent so they don't detract from the bike's appearance nearly so much. They bring your arms next to your body and you hands closer together creating a more aero position. You loop you thumb around them and hold the handlebars with you three fingers leaving your index finger free to brake. They also allow you to activate the brake levers without moving your hands which makes me feel much safer. They definitely create a more comfortable and relaxed hand position.

SQlab Inner Bar Ends Black/Black

Unique inner position provides comfort and recovery Perfect for alternative hand positioning on long rides TECH SPECS color black/black

northwestbicycle.com

 

[Jay Kay]

Are bar ends even needed on the Homage, with such a plush upright riding position?

I used the bar ends on my Delite (GP3) a few times on the road/paved cycle trail, but for off-road and single track riding I never used them in the 12 months I was riding with them (80% off road). A few times they nearly got caught up in vegetation.

 

[Alaskan]

Are bar ends even needed on the Homage, with such a plush upright riding position?

I used the bar ends on my Delite (GP3) a few times on the road/paved cycle trail, but for off-road and single track riding I never used them in the 12 months I was riding with them (80% off road). A few times they nearly got caught up in vegetation.

After an hour or so on any flat bar ebike, my left hand starts going numb in the pinky and ring finger. I have to steer one handed and shake my left hand to get circulation restored. You might be surprised to learn that braking with a hand that has gone numb, makes for less than smooth accurate braking.

With the inner barends, once I feel the tingle coming on, I can shift to that position and the the tingling of lost circulation stops in a minute or two. I can then resume to normal for about another 20 minutes before the numbness starts again.

So at least for me barends are useful, if not absolutely needed, for both safety and comfort. YMMV

 

[PeterK]

As promised here is my mini review and first impressions of my new 2021 Homage.

The bike is a Vario with the Nyon cockpit and dropper post.

By way of background I am an almost 72 year old codger who discovered the joys of ebiking last year. I try to keep fit and now that my running days are well and truly over ebiking and hiking are my go to fitness activities. My wife and I purchased Gazelles last year and although we enjoyed them we discovered that the country roads in our area are pretty beaten up, particularly on the shoulders. We also hadn't factored in all the gravel bike trails that are available to us and we found the Gazelles with their very minimal front suspension and no rear suspension were not ideal. I tried a couple of seat post suspensions but was still not happy. This led me to focus on a full suspension bike but I wanted a step through so the Homage was my only alternative. Kelly at Citrus Cycles was very accommodating in trading the Gazelles in but it was a long wait for the R&M"s (My wife settled on a Nevo 3 because she is short and the smallest Homage would be to big for her)

Our road and trails iin this area are flat with headwinds being the biggest challenge so we opted for the Vario transmissions/

Here are my first impressions of the Homage - I have had the bike a few days and done about 70kms so far.

This bike is big and heavy. Loading it onto the car rack even with the battery removed is a chore. I don't know the numbers but it feels significantly heavy than my Gazelle. Somebody here called them the SUV of bikes and I don't disagree with that although the dual battery version might be more like a Mack truck than an SUV. It just, and I mean just, fits on my Thule rack.

The finish of both bike is good. No complaints about paint chips or blemishes. The cockpit is much neater than the earlier ones with concealed wires rather than a birds nest of wires dangling off the front of the bike.

The bike came with a pouch and some pretty impressive manuals. Closer inspection shows them to be very generic and to be in about five languages so the actual information is not that detailed. They Nyon manual is helpful but you still end up doing some trial error experimenting.

The bike comes with four common keys which is great.

The new lock doesn't have the alarm function which is pity. I might buy one if it fits OK.

The Nyon cockpit is neat but if you have it adjusted to maximum upright position the display is at quite as steep angle and a bit harder to read the smaller numbers. Not a big issue though.

I'm very glad I got the comfort bars fitted as an afterthought - the riding position is close to ideal for me.

The Vario shifter is smooth and easy and i think the right choice for our riding conditions.

The motor is significantly noisier than the Performance Line motor on my Gazelle Ultimate. My wife says it's noisier that the Shimano Steps motor on her old Gazelle

You can really feel the difference is power between this motor and the Performance Line - a big difference,,,,,

The Schwalbe Moto plus 62mm tires are great for the paved road and light gravel trails that we use -I had them slimed so hopefully punctures will be a rarity.

The suspension is a night and day improvement over my Gazelle

The saddle is a nice looking Selle Reyalle get medium comfort model. It and I are not best friends yet but it's early days.

I am not sure the dropper post is something I will use a lot. According to Kelly it makes stop and starting easier but I have not found it be a help. Perhaps I need more practice but I suspect it's something that I will soon forget I have.

No issues with the kickstand so far - it seems secure and doesn't rattle like it apparently does on other models

The Nyon display is nice. It has most of the functions that my Garmin Edge had. Syncing with the eBike Connect app is bit his and miss but it eventually succeeds. I have it connected to my iPhone bt Bluetooth and also use Wifi. The screens are customizable but there are limitations. There seem to be a few glitches eg I don't have a heart rate monitor but it shows an average bpm in my stats. Also calories burned are shown on the unit but stay at 0 after syncing. One weird "feature" is that there doesn't seem to be a readily accessible odometer on any of the screens. The only way to find the total kms ridden is to go to Settings - My Bike - Power Unit and it's listed along with the total hours used.

I think it's a bit cheap to want $12 for the Nyon "lock" feature subsription - you think it could be included on bikes that cost this much.

Alli in all I am very impressed with my new bike. They are wickedly expensive but the Homage was the only option for me as I wanted a step through bike with full suspension. I certainly don't regret the purchase and hope to log thousands of happy kms on it.

 

[PeterK]

Disregard my comments re buying a Bordo lock with alarm - that means I would loose the common key feature - not worth it imho

 

[webcurl]

I have the FSA Afterburner handlebars: https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/discipline/mtb/handlebars/mtb/afterburner-alloy-riser-handlebar with 15-20mm cutoff on each end so as to allow better movement through doorways along with the Large Rohloff version of Ergon GP3's.
I've found that the Ergon GP3 grips are absolute crap if not adjusted right and right adjustment requires multiple very fine adjustments, trial & error, but when adjusted right they are brilliant. Only problem is they get sticky if not cleaned for a long time.
With the ends on the GP3's i find they are protective of fingers/hand when bad things happen and when combined with the seat/saddle form a nice tri-stand when you need the bike upside down. I only occasionally use the ends on long trips.
Been seriously thinking about the GP5's next time, in Australia, if you're too close to tree branches then they tend to snap off (or already snapped off branches) and cut you to shreds, GP5's may be more protective in this case. I don't like to wear gloves
I bought these, installed closer to the headstem for when the need to conserve battery with strong head winds, cheap, nasty but work ok for a while: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001825313355.html

 

[BMWzenRider]

Disregard my comments re buying a Bordo lock with alarm - that means I would loose the common key feature - not worth it imho

Abus does offer the option of custom ordering locks to work with existing keys.

 

[PeterK]

Abus does offer the option of custom ordering locks to work with existing keys.

That’s worth investigating - thanks

 

[BMWzenRider]

Just received word that my dual-battery Rohloff Homage has arrived at the dealership warehouse, and should be delivered to the local branch store in Milwaukee, WI next week.

The thing is, I am currently in Columbus Ohio, and not scheduled to be back in Wisconsin until the beginning of April.
Ain't that just typical luck...

 

[Alaskan]

Just received word that my dual-battery Rohloff Homage has arrived at the dealership warehouse, and should be delivered to the local branch store in Milwaukee, WI next week.

The thing is, I am currently in Columbus Ohio, and not scheduled to be back in Wisconsin until the beginning of April.
Ain't that just typical luck...

That's probably about a 500-600 mile drive. If I were you, I would likely take two days, drive back to Madison get my bike and a rack, and take the bike back to Ohio. I would hate to miss any springtime ride opportunities...but that's just me.

 

[BMWzenRider]

That's probably about a 500-600 mile drive. If I were you, I would likely take two days, drive back to Madison get my bike and a rack, and take the bike back to Ohio. I would hate to miss any springtime ride opportunities...but that's just me.

Yeah, I have done that drive several times this last year.
I started dating a woman here in Columbus in the middle of the pandemic, and to top things off she has a genetic immune disorder making her at much higher risk.
Not the best timing to do so, but love knows no distance or health crisis.
If I do go back to pick the bike up, I will need to quarantine for a week before heading back down to Columbus for her safety.

I do have my current Costco/Raleigh e-bike with me in addition to a motorcycle and Honda CT125 Trail Cub, so I am not without a bike.
OTHO, I don't want them to wheel it onto the showroom floor for people to climb on it, and potentially scratch my brand new bike.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah, I have done that drive several times this last year.
I started dating a woman here in Columbus in the middle of the pandemic, and to top things off she has a genetic immune disorder making her at much higher risk.
Not the best timing to do so, but love knows no distance or health crisis.
If I do go back to pick the bike up, I will need to quarantine for a week before heading back down to Columbus for her safety.

I do have my current Costco/Raleigh e-bike with me in addition to a motorcycle and Honda CT125 Trail Cub, so I am not without a bike.
OTHO, I don't want them to wheel it onto the showroom floor for people to climb on it, and potentially scratch my brand new bike.

Decisions, decisions...

Sounds like love trumps bicycle...as it should be.

 

[John W M]

Yeah, I have done that drive several times this last year.
I started dating a woman here in Columbus in the middle of the pandemic, and to top things off she has a genetic immune disorder making her at much higher risk.
Not the best timing to do so, but love knows no distance or health crisis.
If I do go back to pick the bike up, I will need to quarantine for a week before heading back down to Columbus for her safety.

I do have my current Costco/Raleigh e-bike with me in addition to a motorcycle and Honda CT125 Trail Cub, so I am not without a bike.
OTHO, I don't want them to wheel it onto the showroom floor for people to climb on it, and potentially scratch my brand new bike.

Decisions, decisions...

I have a solution. I live in Gurnee IL. just outside of Milwaukee. I am waiting for two Homages to be delivered in May. I assume you purchased yours at Wheel and Sprocket. I would be happy to pick yours up and ride it for early spring in your absence to insure it is all working correctly LOL