Gazelle, Benno, oh my! Looking for some input.

[blasticon]

Hello! This forum has been super useful to me as I delve into the world of ebikes. I’m about to make a purchase though and could use some advice…

My situation: I’m a year round bike commuter in a wet'ish, cold’ish city. 15 miles everyday, round trip, including a proper beast of a hill. My current CAADX has served me well but I’m now a father of two and I need to reduce my general exhaustion level. Ebikes seem like a good route. $4k - $5k is more than what I intended but I can swing it.

I want to support my LBS, which basically offer two brand contenders: Gazelle and Benno. I’ve ridden the C8, C380, T10+, and RemiDemi type 3, and generally liked all of them.

My questions:
- Does anyone have a sense of just how much less maintenance belts are than chains/cassettes? On my CAADX I’m changing my chain about 1.5x a year, cassette .75 times. Oiling is easy, but not having to schedule with shops is valuable to me.
- Type 3 seems pretty nice, though I’m not entirely clear how much I’d use it. Do folks who bought type 1 regret not going for the faster option?
- My initial impressions of build quality and thoughtfulness favor the Gazelles over the Benno, though I confess the latter was really… fun? Any particular comments on those brands or specific models?
- Enviolo stepless CVT. From a long-term, I-will-put-loads-of-miles-on-this-and-don't-wanna-think-about-it perspective, how do these stack up? I've never owned a bike with a belt or a CVT, so it's sorta unknown waters for me and I'm finding it hard to compare the pros/cons of something like the C380 (or C380+) with the T10+.
- I probably have other brands available to me farther afield, so if folks have a bike in mind that would really suit my circumstances, it's possible I could seek it out.

Thank you!

 

[Gazelle]

Not sure if you made a decision or not. Having spent much time on this and other forums trying to find good information on Gazelle Ebikes, a brand very well known to my Dutch relatives but very unknown to the American market, I figured I’d join and chime in.

I road many Ebikes, and am tall (6’4” and 195lbs) and felt I was pushing the weight and size limits of most bikes, and felt like most ebikes were not great bikes but more like scooters with pedals. The R&M were very nice but very couture looking. I wanted a relaxed upright position, not a “spandexie” type drop bar ride. I def wanted a belt drive, and I found the cvt far superior in shifting to the nexus hubs. The Rohloff were very pricey and who cares about a little efficiency or weight on a 50-60 pound bike with a motor.

The gazelles road like Rolls Royce or a Cadillac to me, and the being hand made in the Netherlands and not china or taiwan or thailand manufacturing etc was a big deal to me. You can def tell the difference with a 130 year old bike company making an ebike vs a startup, china outsourced parts collection. Like a CIA trained chef making a new dish vs someone like me.
I ultimately got the c380+ Mid step 57cm. I wanted the C380 due to the quieter motor and liking the full step they design.

I ordered look pedals which I am waiting for because my size 13 feet are a bug big for gazelle’s pedals. Even the bell on the bike says made in Holland! Never looking back, never thought I’d spend $4500 on a bike!