Haibike Xduro Trekking - trip report

[Jan1of1]

I just completed a six day, 350+ mile, ride of the C&O canal and GAP trail from Washington DC to Pittsburgh PA. The XDuro performed nicely except for one thing: The C&O was very muddy and the mud got kicked up from the front tires to the housing unit of the motor. From there it worked itself around to the front chain wheel and from there to the rear derailleur where it promptly deposited piles of mud which, in turn, prevented me from shifting gears until the mud was washed out. Possible fixes: 1) longer fenders for the front tires; 2) better design of the housing so the mud doesn't naturally flow onto the front chain wheel.

 

[Over50]

Sorry if you posted this elsewhere and I didn't see it: which trekking model do you have? I'm interested in the 2017 5.0 as a second commuter bike and was hoping to read some rider reviews here.

 

[Over50]

It sounds like you need a mountain bike, Jan1of1. The Trekking isn't really made for serious off-road adventures. A dirt path once in a while is the most I ask of my Trekking 6.0.

@Over50 - Depending on what kind of bags you have on the R&M, they might not fit on the Trekking 5.0. The XLC carrymore rack on the Trekking requires 20mm hooks for your panniers, instead of 12 or 16mm ones. And it's not that easy to swap them out the night before (at least with Ortlieb). So check the diameter of your current pannier hooks.

Thanks JayVee - I have a few other Ortleib panniers laying around that I use on various bikes (or else I'd buy something dedicated for the new bike). But you're right about it not being feasible to constantly having to switch the hooks especially the night prior to a ride. My ride preparation already takes a fair amount of time.

Am I right that your 6.0 is about the same frame as the 5.0 (but maybe you have the SDuro)? If so, how do you find the ride position (upright, sporty, aggressive...)? Is is comfortable enough for a 35 mile round trip commute (and mine is over a lot of bad pavement)?

 

[Over50]

...The 700C x 38C tires on the Trekking don't absorb much, and the Suntour fork only helps with the really big bumps. There are a lot of small country roads here which are poorly paved, and the bike rattles a lot....

I know there was another thread about adding wider tires and what the bike could accommodate w/out changing fenders and/or rims. Did you stick with the 38C? Do you know how wide you can go on your bike w/out modifying fenders etc? Its odd that (at least in the US), Haibike put the Super Moto X tires on their 20mph bike but 38C on the speed pedelec. Seems like it should be the other way around. If I end up buying the 5.0, I'd definitely want to add a wider tire if possible.

Currently I like the Bulls Cross Lite E as my 2nd (backup) e-bike which also has 38C but is a class 1. Court's reviews of the bike have been pretty favorable (he indicates that it wasn't too hard to sustain 23mph on the bike). Unfortunately I have no local Bulls dealers and I wanted to buy my 2nd bike from a local dealer this time.

Thus I'd default to my 2nd choice which is the Haibike XDuro Trekking 5.0 (my local Trek shop is also a Haibike dealer) but I'd want to add a wider tire even if I can only go to 40C. Distant 3rd and 4th choices are the Specialized Vado 6.0 (local dealer) and the R&M Roadster (no local dealer).

 

[barry g]

you could extend your front fender by cutting up an ordinary plastic water bottle & securing it to the bottom of your fender, "just sayn"