Haibike eQ Xduro Cross

Very impressive Eddie! I love the pictures you shared and respect your thoughts, having gained so much experience with ebikes using the Jumper. The range you got is just amazing! Sounds like this machine is definitely going to get you to the shop and back. I could relate to the increase in noise and lower speeds that mid drive delivers vs. geared hub. Here's a video I shot with the Haibike XDURO AMT Pro a while back (with the quieter 350 watt motor) that sort of demonstrates the sound at ~4:10 (sorry for the wind noise).


I'm curious how shifting under power has worked for you? I usually have to adjust myself and ease off a bit before shifting so the motor won't pull the chain and grind gears, especially when climbing hills. Not a huge deal but something different than with a hub motor design.
 
Thanks so much for the report Eddie! It's quite cool what your able to accomplish on that bike. I'm actually kind of partial to the trekking myself as I like all the creature comfort it comes with, fenders, lights, rack etc. But I understand weight is a big factor particularly when riding without power. I also understand what you mean when comparing the bike to a hub powered bike like your EM. There are definitely some differences between the systems, but I feel that what the Bosch does well is undeniable. I think it might take some time for the US to fully appreciate what Bosch offers, but I know a lot of us , myself included, are extremely excited. They can't get here soon enough.
 
I think it will take just one flat tire that you have to repair yourself on a hub motor bike that will make you appreciate what Bosh is offering ;-)
 
I didn't find shifting gear to be any problem. I don't really know what I was expecting with SRAM and the three speed rear hub (still need to work out to take the rear wheel out) but I found the whole system superb, and actually prefer it to the Shimano offering on the BH. Having said that, I could really do with either replacing or sorting out the cables on the BH.

On both bikes though, I do try to plan my gear changes before they happen and on hills tend to select a lower gear than could be carried. :)

Obviously the crank drive is a whole new approach to me, which is going to take time to adjust to. But currently I do prefer geared hub drive. It may not have the duration of the Bosch system, but in an off road situation, I can trick the hub motor into powering me across short trickier mud sections where pedalling could be tricky. That is also where a throttle would be handy.

Last night we heard what sounded like a gun shot, and then when I went out to the shed this morning the following is what greeted me. The BH had suffered a blowout, and had fallen onto the Haibike. :( Just glad that the tube decided to blow now, and not in two weeks time at the race meet. Still an odd thing to have happen though.

The tube is in pieces, and the tyre was blown from the rim.

electric-bike-tire-blowout.jpg
 
did you stuff it with baking powder?

:)


I had no idea a tire could blow by itself in the middle of the night. Interesting.
 
I have no idea what happened.

No changes in temperature, the tyre pressures were check on Saturday and were fine, and nothing else had changed. It's probably just got the hump at having to share the workshop space with the Haibike. :D

Glad that I wasn't riding it at the time though.
 
I think it will take just one flat tire that you have to repair yourself on a hub motor bike that will make you appreciate what Bosh is offering
Brambor, Am I missing something? Looks like two 15mm bolts and one quick connect cable on my Carbon and the wheel is ready to be pulled off. The wheel will definately be heavier, but other then that and the one cable disconnect, not too bad.
 
Chris, Have you or do you know anyone who has tried the Badass dongle on the Bosch GenII motor?
 
I have no idea what happened.

No changes in temperature, the tyre pressures were check on Saturday and were fine, and nothing else had changed. It's probably just got the hump at having to share the workshop space with the Haibike. :D

Glad that I wasn't riding it at the time though.

I'm glad you weren't riding it either! Could have been exciting
 
Brambor, Am I missing something? Looks like two 15mm bolts and one quick connect cable on my Carbon and the wheel is ready to be pulled off. The wheel will definately be heavier, but other then that and the one cable disconnect, not too bad.

The first couple of times are a bit of a pain, but it doesn't take many minutes once you have the hang of it. :)

Handy hint in relation to disconnecting the plug at the rear wheel end... There are arrows on the connector, and putting a little Tipex white correcting fluid on the arrows before removing, makes life easier for lining it back up again. Some people also pull the cable forward slightly, then put a cable tie on it to stop it going back into the frame. I've never done this, as I haven't found it necessary.
 
Good tip on the line up arrows, especially for those of us who need reading glasses! Thanks Eddie.:)
 
Chris, Have you or do you know anyone who has tried the Badass dongle on the Bosch GenII motor?
Dave,

I don't have any experience with them. You can read about them a bunch on some of the European forums like Pedelecs.co.uk (here's a quick link to a search for dongle http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/search/35333/?q=dongle&o=date ). I will be sure to update here when I have more personal experience though. I have some customers that already plan to put this on the bikes they pre-ordered. I advised that it could impact their warranty, but they didn't seem to care.

Chris
 
Not sure how I missed this before, but the paint finish on the wheels is absolutely rubbish.

Both wheels look as though they were painted with dust underneath, and had I not bought the bike from Germany, I'd now be demanding a new set of wheels.

Still worth posting up, to warn any potential Haibike owners to check for before parting with any money.

One other point of note in relation to paint, is that the captive nut lug holes also contain powder coat paint finish, which means that the threads have to be re cut to remove paint before installing any bolt. Again something that should not happen.

haibike-rims-poor-paint-job.jpg

The bike is also now set up for it's role as a daily hack/commuter bike.

haibike-eq-xduro-commuter-setup.jpg
 
Wow... !!
When I received this notification, I was watching reviews of Haibike on YouTube and thought this will be my next bike. Now, you are mentioning this :D
I still think these are great bikes. I also learned that Haibike is pretty new to ebike market but their engineering aspect of the bike seems very good.
 
I wonder which vendor supplies their rims/wheels? Could it have been a bad batch from said vendor?
 
I wonder which vendor supplies their rims/wheels? Could it have been a bad batch from said vendor?

It could well have been, but Haibike should check before assembly.

I wouldn't let those two issues put you off Ravi. :)

The two issues raised are purely poor quality control at the paint stage, but the rest of the bike is superb.

I will give Haibike credit in respect of how the paint adheres to the frame though. The paint finish on the BH peels away from the aluminium very easily, but not on the Haibike. Whatever they have done to key/etch the primer on with works exceptionally well. :)
 
Is this the same Martin, Eddie?
I have been watching a bunch if videos and I'm impressed by the range and ability of mid-drive systems. Also, the general finesse of engineering is excellent, better than BH or any other mid-drive system like Scott I would say.

 
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