An E-bike With A Quiet Motor

newts said:
Go with the Vado. MUCH quieter, the Brose motor uses an internal belt instead of a gear that isolates much of the noise.
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My Vado with Brose motor has done almost 15,000 km with zero problems. In fact the whole bike has been extremely reliable with one flat tire being the only repair I have ever done after warranty. It is the quietest motor I have come across because of the belt instead of the gear reduction.
 
Cyklefanatic said:
My Vado with Brose motor has done almost 15,000 km with zero problems. In fact the whole bike has been extremely reliable with one flat tire being the only repair I have ever done after warranty. It is the quietest motor I have come across because of the belt instead of the gear reduction.
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What max range can you ride with one battery charge? I'm trying to assess if the max range of a Vado 4 (average conditions) would be enough for me.
 
bbrebis said:
What max range can you ride with one battery charge? I'm trying to assess if the max range of a Vado 4 (average conditions) would be enough for me.
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The 2022 Vado 4 comes with a 710 Wh battery, and it is not a small one. If you set the ECO assistance level to 35/35%, you would be able to ride for some 116 km or more with a still decent support. If you adhere to the European 25 km/h limit, it will be even more, as the speed is one of the major factors affecting the range. I'm talking about Summer conditions, asphalt, moderate wind, no hills.

The interesting fact about the 25 km/h Euro Vado is it never requires more than 35/35% assistance as long as the ride is on the flat, and the headwind is not very strong. With 35/35% assistance level of Vado you practically ride at 25 km/h (the assistance to be set by Mission Control app).

I own a 45 km/h Vado with older batteries degraded even to 500 - 550 Wh. I could ride for 90 km on the 550 Wh (actual charge) battery at 30/30% assistance. I simply rode not faster than 25 km/h on that specific ride.
 
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Brose is so quiet. And if you are not insistent upon having a derailleur system, an internally geared hub will eliminate that irritating sound of the derailleur/chain when you are not pedaling. With the combination of a Brose motor and an internally geared hub, my BH Atom Diamond Pro is almost silent: the most noise comes from the crunch of the road under the tires. However, BH, an established Spanish bike manufacturer, is no longer in the US market. Ride1up's Prodigy is a very nice combination of components, though it does not have an IGH, at a great price. The Yamaha motor of the Giant E-Bikes is also a quiet motor with good torque. It would be my second choice after Brose.
 
Update: I've just tested a Giant Explore E+ with a Yamaha/Giant motor and I found it much quieter than the Bosch CX Gen4. The noise level from the Giant motor is acceptable, I can hear it of course, but that level of noise is not annoying. So now I have to check 2 things before making a decision:
- What about the noise level of the Bosch Performance Line (not CX)?
- What about the Brose motor in the Specialized Vado 4?

The Giant Explore E+ overall seemed a good quality bike.
 
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For sound it is not just the motor. It is how it is mounted and onto what. If it is mounted to a frame with a large hollow void at the mounting location, that will amplify the sound. Motors that are quiet on some bikes are loud on others. As for batteries the easiest thing is to have a second. I typically do external mounting with a universal connector. This way a bike can take several sizes of batteries. For most rides you want to take as small a battery as you can get away with. For extra long rides a small battery can be backup. Do not get a bike that weighs much over 18Kg or 40 pounds. There are a lot of porkers out there that are worth avoiding.
 
bbrebis said:
Update: I've just tested a Giant Explore E+ with a Yamaha/Giant motor and I found it much quieter than the Bosch CX Gen4. The noise level from the Giant motor is acceptable, I can hear of it of course, but that level of noise is not annoying. So now I have to check 2 things before making a decision:
- What about the noise level of the Bosch Performance Line (not CX)?
- What about the Brose motor in the Specialized Vado 4?

The Giant Explore E+ overall seemed a good quality bike.
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Hopefully you can try out your other choices and compare.
What kind of range are you wishing for?
 
Stefan Mikes said:
It is not the derailleur or the chain, Chez. It is the rear hub's freewheel (specifically, its pawls).
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Ah ! Thanks for that elucidation! I never knew what it was before.

Paws! In Urdu, the word for wheel is "paya" , which certainly seems related to the word for foot or paw, which is "pa". But I digress...
 
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bbrebis said:
80 to 110 km/day.
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OK, just curious.
My Stance comes with a 500wh battery, and Maxxis Rekon tires.
I'm 230lbs and ride in some varying terrain with some hills up to about 13% grade.
My habit is to ride in assist level 2 (out of 5), and sometimes use level 3 and 4 depending on the hill.
This method averages out to approx 1km per percentage of battery charge. I'm guessing that I could expect up to 80kms out of a charge but have not tested that yet.
As an example, yesterday I did 50 kms and got home with 45% charge left. I'm sure that would improve with tires that have less rolling resistance.
So, for me, if I wanted to guarantee 80 - 110kms per ride I would need either a 625wh, or 800wh, or bring with me an additional 500wh battery. Using level 1 assist would help as well, but to me is not quite enough (although that can be adjusted).
YMMV.
 
The Vado would be a great choice, although your budget might not extend to the IGH version (that's almost $10k here in Australia!).

Any 500W+ bike should be fine with that range under favourable conditions. I've done close to 200km on a charge once on my 500W Explore, but on the Eco power setting and mostly flat terrain. I'm also don't weigh much. On my daily commute I use Sport mode (cycle in business attire, don't want to arrive a sweaty mess) and get closer to 60km range.

Throw a strong headwind, climbs or a load into your route and you start to test that 80-110 range depending on power setting.

A lot will come down to your riding style. Are you a seasoned trekker looking for that little extra assist, or will you lean heavily on the assist (in other words Eco or Sport, in Giant language)? If it's the latter perhaps consider a second battery as @DaveMatthews suggests, or go with a dual battery capable bike. The excellent value Focus Adventura is one such option. Many bikes offer smaller range extender batteries as well. I think the Explore does, perhaps the Vado does too?

Who knows, if you're cycling those distances now you may find yourself extending to 150-200km trips with a motor, so the dual battery may come in handy down the track. @RabH routinely does crazy long rides in rolling, windy conditions. He may be able to offer some advice around expected range, longevity and other considerations.

As always, try as many bikes as stock and time allow - it'll only inform your decision better. Good luck with the hunt!
 
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pmcdonald said:
Who knows, if you're cycling those distances now you may find yourself extending to 150-200km trips with a motor, so the dual battery may come in handy down the track. @RabH routinely does crazy long rides in rolling, windy conditions. He may be able to offer some advice around expected range, longevity and other considerations.
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Its a difficult choice and there are so many paramaters involved, the main one being the riders fitness I think! I'm very fit for 64 years old and have strong legs, so I can manage most hills in eco mode up to around 10%! I live in a very hilly part of Scotland so getting the right bike was important, the Giant is the perfect bike for me! If you are relatively fit and able to use the lowest level of assist you will be able to travel a long distance on a single 500wh battery but having a second battery makes a big difference and allows you the opportunity to increase the assist level if you are starting to struggle! I cycled 162 miles on my Giant Road E+1 Pro yesterday, I covered 83 miles on my first battery which is over 4 years old!

I managed that mileage only because of the conditions though, very little wind and only 3000ft of climbing on that leg! Add in a strong wind and big hills and its a whole different ball game, strong headwinds really eat into battery power! My Giant is a compact double with 22 gears so it makes things easier and allows you to climb in eco mode in a lower gear, it allows you to keep a good cadence going and makes a big difference! Good luck with your choice, if you are only riding 80-120km and you are relatively fit then a single battery bike would be fine but a second one gives you peace of mind and reduces range anxiety!
 
marina.vlasenko said:
Yeah, I can guess why you are saying that...but better if you check their video + they have several youtube bloggers' reviews..
Seems to be high quality item, not just another random chinese cr**p.
And of course it's allowed in EU...anyways, I have watched this review, which made me feel convinced:
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If I have the opportunity, I'll test that bike, but I'm never convinced by Youtube bloggers' reviews because those "reviews" are just ads in disguise.
 
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