driftcafe
New Member
- Region
- USA
Last week I bought a Gazelle Ultimate T10+ size 53 in Orion Blue. My very first eBike was a 2019 Rad City that I got about 4000 miles out of before some things started failing on it. Rather than put more money and effort into it I decided to donate it and treat myself to an upgrade and boy am I glad that I did!
I test rode The Medeo T10+ and the Specialized Vado 4.0 to start. Between these two I actually liked the Vado a little more, the shifting seemed a little more crisp and the motor was very quiet and powerful. Something about the Medeo just didn't speak to me. Then I test rode the Vado and the Ultimate back to back in the rain... twice, over two days. I got soaked but it was actually a good test ride for living in Seattle, I'll be riding in the rain - I enjoy it. Going into the first test ride I had in my mind that I was going to get the Vado. I rode it first and it was fun, very sporty, fatter 2.3" tires but kinda bouncy so I tightened up the front fork a little. When I got on the Ultimate t10+ I immediately felt the more upright position and my first thought was that I wanted a little bit more reach. I started thinking of ways to gain more reach, maybe I could change the handlebar to something less swept back, maybe a longer stem, etc. The other thing I noticed was how solid and well built it felt. The shifting was clean and crisp, the bike just rolled right over potholes and bumps in the road smoothly and without rattles. The handling felt surprisingly agile and I could corner at speed smoothly. The torque of the motor crushed hills. While the tires are significantly narrower than the Vado, they still are more than capable for most of the off-roading I want to do which is mostly gravel and some dirt trails. The Ultimate definitely spoke to me so after the 2nd day of test riding I decided to go with it.
On my first real ride out with it, after about 5 miles I no longer felt the need for longer reach like I initially thought I wanted. The positioning was actually perfect. During my 25 mile ride, multiple times I was saying "Oh my God I love this bike... wow, this is so fun". When I got home I realized that my neck and shoulders and back didn't hurt like they usually did. In the morning I woke up feeling great, again without soreness. I'm in love with this bike!
The only things I've added so far are my JBL Wind bluetooth speaker, Arundel Looney Bin bottle cage, and my trusty Ortlieb pannier. I'm likely going to swap the pedals to Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Large for a little more grip and surface area.
I test rode The Medeo T10+ and the Specialized Vado 4.0 to start. Between these two I actually liked the Vado a little more, the shifting seemed a little more crisp and the motor was very quiet and powerful. Something about the Medeo just didn't speak to me. Then I test rode the Vado and the Ultimate back to back in the rain... twice, over two days. I got soaked but it was actually a good test ride for living in Seattle, I'll be riding in the rain - I enjoy it. Going into the first test ride I had in my mind that I was going to get the Vado. I rode it first and it was fun, very sporty, fatter 2.3" tires but kinda bouncy so I tightened up the front fork a little. When I got on the Ultimate t10+ I immediately felt the more upright position and my first thought was that I wanted a little bit more reach. I started thinking of ways to gain more reach, maybe I could change the handlebar to something less swept back, maybe a longer stem, etc. The other thing I noticed was how solid and well built it felt. The shifting was clean and crisp, the bike just rolled right over potholes and bumps in the road smoothly and without rattles. The handling felt surprisingly agile and I could corner at speed smoothly. The torque of the motor crushed hills. While the tires are significantly narrower than the Vado, they still are more than capable for most of the off-roading I want to do which is mostly gravel and some dirt trails. The Ultimate definitely spoke to me so after the 2nd day of test riding I decided to go with it.
On my first real ride out with it, after about 5 miles I no longer felt the need for longer reach like I initially thought I wanted. The positioning was actually perfect. During my 25 mile ride, multiple times I was saying "Oh my God I love this bike... wow, this is so fun". When I got home I realized that my neck and shoulders and back didn't hurt like they usually did. In the morning I woke up feeling great, again without soreness. I'm in love with this bike!
The only things I've added so far are my JBL Wind bluetooth speaker, Arundel Looney Bin bottle cage, and my trusty Ortlieb pannier. I'm likely going to swap the pedals to Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Large for a little more grip and surface area.
