I've had my Arroyo C5 HMB over a week now and I thought I would post my initial impressions. To cut to the chase, I like it a lot - in my mind, it's well worth the US$4k I shelled out for it. I was looking for a low maintenance bike (belt drive, internal gears - and, therefore, mid-drive), upright position, and good finish (fenders, integrated lights, rack). The C5 has all of these.
There's only one thing I actively dislike - the bike has a built-in cafe lock (good!) but you can't take the key out unless it's locked (bad!). To be fair, Court pointed this out in his short review, linked below, so I was aware of this "feature." My garage gets hot (or cold, depending on the season) so I take my battery out after every ride. So I feel like I'm constantly having to lock the bike, remove the key, insert or remove the battery, then unlock the bike.
The C5 has the Intuvia 100 with the Bosch smart system. I have no interest in pairing my bike with my phone so I prefer the simplicity of the old Intuvia. But the smart system has some good features, even if I don't want to use them all.
- It shows the battery level as a percentage.
- The assist level is color coded on the LED controller, making it easy to see at glance which level you're in, and whether you've successfully switched levels.
- You can modify the assist levels using your phone.
- You can "lock" your bike with your phone. It's not literally locked, but the motor won't turn on unless your phone is close.
- You can set an alarm with your phone. If the bike is moved an alarm will sound that gets progressively louder. If your bike continues to move, it will send you a message. And you can track your bike's GPS location. The downside of this feature is that it requires a subscription.
The smart system also has Auto mode. As I understand it, Auto mode provides continuously variable assist level in an attempt to keep you at the same speed and cadence. I haven't used it a lot because, most of the time, it gives more assist than I want. It takes the place of Sport mode (level 3) and I use Auto mode when I would be in level 3 anyway. But there are times when I see it as a safety feature. For example, if there's a lot of traffic, clutter in the road, or something else I need to pay attention to, I set Auto mode so I don't have to think about switching gears or changing assist level. I have to admit, Auto mode is addictive and I can imagine using it a lot.
The bike rides well - I often turn off assist on flat stretches. Having only 5 gears takes some getting used to. I ride most of the time in gears 2-4 and assist levels 1 and 2. The gear ratio (263%) handles the few steep hills in my city without any problem. All in all, I'm happy with my C5 and see no reason I won't be, as long as it holds up.
There's only one thing I actively dislike - the bike has a built-in cafe lock (good!) but you can't take the key out unless it's locked (bad!). To be fair, Court pointed this out in his short review, linked below, so I was aware of this "feature." My garage gets hot (or cold, depending on the season) so I take my battery out after every ride. So I feel like I'm constantly having to lock the bike, remove the key, insert or remove the battery, then unlock the bike.
The C5 has the Intuvia 100 with the Bosch smart system. I have no interest in pairing my bike with my phone so I prefer the simplicity of the old Intuvia. But the smart system has some good features, even if I don't want to use them all.
- It shows the battery level as a percentage.
- The assist level is color coded on the LED controller, making it easy to see at glance which level you're in, and whether you've successfully switched levels.
- You can modify the assist levels using your phone.
- You can "lock" your bike with your phone. It's not literally locked, but the motor won't turn on unless your phone is close.
- You can set an alarm with your phone. If the bike is moved an alarm will sound that gets progressively louder. If your bike continues to move, it will send you a message. And you can track your bike's GPS location. The downside of this feature is that it requires a subscription.
The smart system also has Auto mode. As I understand it, Auto mode provides continuously variable assist level in an attempt to keep you at the same speed and cadence. I haven't used it a lot because, most of the time, it gives more assist than I want. It takes the place of Sport mode (level 3) and I use Auto mode when I would be in level 3 anyway. But there are times when I see it as a safety feature. For example, if there's a lot of traffic, clutter in the road, or something else I need to pay attention to, I set Auto mode so I don't have to think about switching gears or changing assist level. I have to admit, Auto mode is addictive and I can imagine using it a lot.
The bike rides well - I often turn off assist on flat stretches. Having only 5 gears takes some getting used to. I ride most of the time in gears 2-4 and assist levels 1 and 2. The gear ratio (263%) handles the few steep hills in my city without any problem. All in all, I'm happy with my C5 and see no reason I won't be, as long as it holds up.
