Electric road bikes

[Captain Slow]

Trek has the Domane+, Cannondale just announced the Synapse Neo, Giant has the Road-E+

Seems like the electric road bike category is starting to see some more options. Would love it if Court reviewed some of these bikes. I love my Juiced, but I don't like the upright position that limits top speed and I would like a lighter bike. These relatively light electric road bikes are very interesting to me and I think they'd make great commuters.

 

[J0nG0m]

Hi there!

I'm with you, although I'm interested more in sort of adventure/cyclocross with not so long neither to short wheelbase. A traditional road bike position is just not that comfortable for me. Orbea Gain D50 seems good on paper for a decent price, or perhaps IGO Aspire for similar cost.

 

[Deacon Blues]

E-road bikes seems to be going in two directions. Bikes like the Cube Agree Hybrid C:62, Ribble Endurance SLe, Focus Paralane2, and Orbea Gain are focusing on keeping the weight and power down, so the bike is more light weight. The battery is small and power is limited, so the rider has to put more effort into his/her ride and in most cases power would only be used on hills. They're very stealthy. Most people wouldn't realize you're riding an e-bike.
The other direction is a heavier bike, such as the Bianchi Impulso e-road and the Cannondale Synapse Neo 1, (around 37-39 pounds) with a much bigger battery and more power. These bikes aren't as stealthy as the lighter e-road bikes and because of their heavier weight would probably need some power assist during much of the ride.

An important point for me is the electric motor's top speed. I think that Europe's governed 25 kph top speed is too low. Here in British Columbia (Canada) our regulated top speed is 32 kph, which is enough for my type of riding. The Cannondale is the first of these bikes that will soon be available were I live and it will have to governed electric top speed of 32 kph. The price, for the top of the line model, is a heart stopping $9,000 CAN!

 

[JRA]

The drop bar IGo needs to be on your list? Canadian company also.

 

[Deacon Blues]

JRA, thanks for mentioning the iGo Carbon Road. It's a decent price and at 28.7 pounds it's quite light.

E-Road list (so far)

Heavier, with larger battery and more torque:

-Cannomdale Synapse Neo 1
-Bianchi Impulso e-road

Lighter with smaller battery and less torque

-Cube Agree Hybrid C:62
-Rubble Endurance SLe (lightest bike in this group)
-Focus Paralane2
-Orbea Gain
-iGo Carbon Road

 

[John from Connecticut]

JRA, thanks for mentioning the iGo Carbon Road. It's a decent price and at 28.7 pounds it's quite light.

E-Road list (so far)

Heavier, with larger battery and more torque:

-Cannomdale Synapse Neo 1
-Bianchi Impulso e-road

Lighter with smaller battery and less torque

-Cube Agree Hybrid C:62
-Rubble Endurance SLe (lightest bike in this group)
-Focus Paralane2
-Orbea Gain
-iGo Carbon Road

And the there's the Pinarello NYTRO : )

http://pinarello.com/en/bikes-2019/e-road/nytro

 

[JRA]

I go in a third direction with my eRoad bikes in that I have been using 1000w front hub direct drives with no PAS. The lightest is 45lbs. but had fenders and 45c tires and a Di2 IGH hub with a 520wh battery. That bike is being decommissioned currently in favor of a new frame and some new wheels and losing the Di2 which didn't work out for me as I thought it might. A larger 720wh battery also so I don't hold much hope it will weigh any less and probably a bit more. But after my experiences so far I don't think for me it needs to be any lighter as both my bikes handle just fine in any situation I have had them in, especially on loose gravel they are very stable and I do a lot of that type or riding. Some of that is attributed to running low psi in the tubeless 40/45c tires though.

I have no problem averaging whatever wh/mi I want to even with just a throttle due to a cruise control function and being able to limit the watts in 250w increments via my Cycle Analyst 3. I have a wide range of gearing due to using a Schlumpf 2spd bb drive with either an 8/11 spd that allows for any cadence/effort I want for any situation and I pedal with vigor 99% of the time with no motor influence overriding my effort. To me this is the most important aspect of road riding to be able to keep a consistent cadence/effort whether on the flat bucking a headwind, catching a tailwind or climbing. However most of my rides entail a varied amount of terrain features such as gravel, single track, sandy beach, country pavé etc. which tie my routes together.

The bikes mentioned above would not work for me I feel because although I can do rides averaging below 10 wh/mi I find that most average more in the 15 wh/mi range and a 300wh battery just wouldn't go that far. Sure you could ride all day on a 300wh battery but for the most part you would just be riding a heavier bike than necessary in order to help out with a few hills and some headwinds. Sometimes I just like to up the watts and get up on step and 250w doesn't allow for that.

But as time goes on the developing eRoad category will seek it's level I'm sure as everyone just about has different needs and expectations.

 

[E-Wheels]

JRA, thanks for mentioning the iGo Carbon Road. It's a decent price and at 28.7 pounds it's quite light.

E-Road list (so far)

Heavier, with larger battery and more torque:

-Cannomdale Synapse Neo 1
-Bianchi Impulso e-road

Lighter with smaller battery and less torque

-Cube Agree Hybrid C:62
-Rubble Endurance SLe (lightest bike in this group)
-Focus Paralane2
-Orbea Gain
-iGo Carbon Road

What about BMC (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Johnny]

I like the BMC one.

As long as manufacturers give enough tire clearance for at least 45-50 tire I am for road bikes. Since weight savings by thin tires is irrelevant in ebikes there is no point of tolerating the harsh ride.

 

[Captain Slow]

Hey Deacon I'm in BC as well.

I am looking forward to my next ebike, which will likely be a lightweight road type bike. I love my Juiced but I don't like the weight and I don't like the upright position. Once I get to around 45 km/hr. the amount of battery power that goes into fighting wind resistance is just crazy. No point in going much above 40 km/hr.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Your motor is putting out power at 45 kph? I thought all ebikes in B.C. had a top speed motor limiter of 32 kph.

My Pedego Ridgerider mountain bike had a top speed engine limiter of 32 kph, but the top speed of Pedegos can be upgraded to 40kph, which is really nice.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Most of my riding is done on my two road bikes. I'd take a light bike with a smaller battery/torque over a heavier bike with a larger battery and more torque. With a light bike the only time I'd need e-power is on the hills.

My Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0 only weighs 17.5 pounds, while my Pedego Ridgerider is somewhere around 55 pounds.

 

[JRA]

Another offering to consider. Panasonic has been making mid drives for years for the Japanese market, Van Dessel is a know quantity also:

https://www.cxmagazine.com/van-dessel-teams-panasonic-release-passepartout-gravel-e-bike

 

[Deacon Blues]

The Van Dessel gravel ebike looks similar to the Cannondale Synapse Neo SE.

 

[JRA]

The Van Dessel gravel ebike looks similar to the Cannondale Synapse Neo SE.

While that may be true I think that the Van Dessel and Univega branded bikes are going to be different animals due to their relationship with Panasonic over Bosch. For one thing the GXO motor at 90nm and 2.95kg are pretty good numbers comparatively and also I would be surprised if they don't utilize the same 2170 cells, and that pack looks to be more than 500wh also, that Panasonic makes for Tesla here in the U.S especially as this article suggests that they will be assembled here:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...ed-to-transform-micro-mobility-300773062.html

Certainly not as stealth as some but more in line power/potential range wise with what I feel will get more excited about putting an eBike in their stable that will not just have a little assist to use once in awhile but to provide a whole new experience that caters to cyclists of long standing. Ebikes can be a great training tool in that you can work on your spin and get used to traveling more at speed which when you get on your light bike will be of benefit. An old industry friend years ago labeled it as "speed training" and I have found that to be true to this day.

 

[Deacon Blues]

You're right. 90nm is considerably more than the Synapse Neo, which I think puts out around 50nm.

 

[Captain Slow]

Your motor is putting out power at 45 kph? I thought all ebikes in B.C. had a top speed motor limiter of 32 kph.

My Pedego Ridgerider mountain bike had a top speed engine limiter of 32 kph, but the top speed of Pedegos can be upgraded to 40kph, which is really nice.

If you're going to ride off-road there is a video on youtube that shows you how to change the speed limiter.