Haibike Sduro FullSeven AllMtn Plus

[Bicyclista]

It has a Yamaha motor, 250W nominal, 500W peak; it's a full suspension (Rockshox front and rear), all-purpose mountain bike; it comes with 27.5-inch wheels and 3-inch Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires. In other words, its tires are midway between a regular mountain bike tire (usually around 2.25 inches) and a fat bike tire (4 inches or more); its wheels are also between the traditional 26-inch wheel and a 29-inch wheel. The overall wheel+tire diameter ends up being very close to a 29er wheel with a 2.25 tire. I was attracted to this size wheel+tire combination due to the benefits of a large wheel (easier to roll over rocks and such) without some of its drawbacks (extra weight and sluggishness of fat tires).

In addition to the above it also has hydraulic disc brakes, derailleurs front and rear, dropper seat post (you can adjust its height as you ride via a lever near the right grip), a 400WH battery (I think), etc.

First impressions: the motor feels strong, specially going uphill; motor engagement from a dead start is very fast, no need for a throttle; the battery was down only about 25% after an 11-mile roundtrip, assist level high. I need to ride on a mountain trail to evaluate the suspension, but it feels good even on asphalt. I rode on sand for just a few yards; it was OK, but I would need to bleed the tires down to about 15 psi to ride on sand, I think. I didn't want to do that just yet because my ride home was mostly on asphalt. All in all, I was favorably impressed.

 

[pxpaulx]

Congrats on the bike! If you watch the power meter and use your gearing right, I'll bet you can do even better on the battery usage in high assist.

 

[Bicyclista]

Thanks, pxpaulx!

A few more comments: Compared to my other ebike, a Magnum Ui5, the Haibike AllMtn Plus feels stronger, specially going uphill. I know I already mentioned this, but to me it points to the futility of comparing motors based on their rated wattage. The Magnum's rear hub motor, an 8Fun, is rated at 350 watts nominal, whereas the Haibike's mid-drive Yamaha motor is 250 watts nominal. Yet the Yamaha feels stronger.

OTOH, the Magnum achieves a higher top speed, close to 28 mph with motor assist on level ground with little wind, whereas the Haibike is about 5 mph slower under the same conditions. Is this due to the governor?

I am having a taller stem installed on my Haibike, as I want a more upright riding position. This is much more complex than on a regular (non-electric) bike, as there are electrical cables to contend with in addition to brake cables. If you have to replace them all with longer ones to accommodate a taller stem, it is very expensive!

The handlebars are ultra wide, perhaps too wide for me. I am replacing the grips with ergonomic grips. Standard grips are fatiguing.

I'll update my impressions on this really extraordinary bike as I gain more experience on it.

 

[Bicyclista]

I'm really enjoying the dropper seatpost! This is my first dropper seatpost ever, after decades of riding (non-electric) bikes.

 

[EddieJ]

I wouldn't be without a dropper post.

 

[Bicyclista]

Thanks for your reply, EddieJ!

Another first for me is riding a full-suspension bike. I had previously been skeptical of full-suspension (non-electric) bikes due to the loss of pedaling efficiency. But the motor multiplies your leg power, so the loss of due to inefficiency is a smaller percentage of the total power. Maybe this is not the best technical explanation, but I'm a convert to full suspension, at least for electric mountain bikes.

 

[EddieJ]

One of the main things about full suspension, is to take full advantage of using the lockout. Which is what you are also getting at.

Before popping out to Switzerland I had a long chat to a pro rider about this very subject, as it wasn't something that I had ever really paid much attention to. People waste a lot of energy by not locking suspension out when on roads or for climbing.
Being in Switzerland has really highlighted this, as every other bike has full suspension and seemingly only the fast riders lock it out. The rest just spend their time popping up and down with every peddle stroke as they climb.
I had at one stage contemplated removing the remote lock out for the suspension, but not any more. I use it as much as the dropper post.