Hello from Paris, France

[Jean-Paul B.]

Hi everybody,
First of all, congrats for the quality and mindset of this forum. It is a pleasure to read.
I live in the immediate west vicinity of Paris, France, a pretty flat area, and own for 4 years now a VanMoof S2.
I use it for whatever I have to do in Paris, plus ccmmuting once or twice a week, weather depending, a 56 km round trip.
Let's say the S2 allows me to do it, but is pretty unsatisfactory, partly because of its own characteristics and partly because of mine.
I am pretty tall (6’6) and heavy (250 pounds), but golf, hiking and biking have kept me in reasonably good health at 60.
I have a non-e bike in Brittany, which is my main transportation mean when I’m there. Pretty flat countryside also.
So I’m looking now for a new bike, possibly R-M Homage, for current usage + touring outside Paris on week-ends with my wife, who has with her VanMoof X2 a bike practice similar to mine.
I’m not sure of what I can bring to the community, apart from feedbacks, but considering what already I got from you, I intend to bring what I can.

Best regards

Jean-Paul

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Welcome aboard, @Jean-Paul B. Which S2 characteristics are you hoping to improve upon in your new bike?

 

[Dewey]

A friend of mine is 6'2" and loves his VanMoof S2 for its comfortable size for taller riders. I'm 5'9" and wobbled all over the road when he let me ride his bike!

 

[Jean-Paul B.]

Well, it's really a bit small for me, 4 inches make a real difference, and I am afraid I am just too heavy for the bike.
As soon as there is a serious slope, even with the boost button, I reach the limits.
Which is why I said it is more a matter of mismatch with my profile than a true S2 weakness issue.
Absolute easy of use is its real strenght, and I love the design.
So I'm looking for :
- a bigger bike
- more torque and gear
- suspension
- ideally, almost equal ease of use, but I know there will be a trade-off on this point.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Why Riese & Muller?

 

[Jean-Paul B.]

It is not decided yet but :
- They stand for 150 kg of global weight, which is probably the minimum for me.
- I think their 58" Homage fits my size
- Rohloff helps filling the ease of use requirement
- They provide full suspension
- Dealer is 100 meters away from my home

Another known option yet to explore is Giant (Dealer 300 meters away ;-) )
I also looked at Moustache, but they don't provide hub.

 

[PedalUma]

If there is a Bulls dealer in your area, some come in a 60 for taller riders. I think they are nice. This one has internal gears with a belt. You can select the battery size that best suits your needs.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It is not decided yet but :
- They stand for 150 kg of global weight, which is probably the minimum for me.
- I think their 58" Homage fits my size
- Rohloff helps filling the ease of use requirement
- They provide full suspension
- Dealer is 100 meters away from my home

Another known option yet to explore is Giant (Dealer 300 meters away ;-) )
I also looked at Moustache, but they don't provide hub.

I understand, thank you!

 

[Dewey]

Another option for a really tall rider 6'6"-7'1" might be a Dutch Kruis frame men's bike (also called a Pastoorsfiets) with an extra large 73cm frame, for example using the Azor configurator you could build up a bike using the "e-stalen kruisframe heren" frame, size 67 or 73, front hub motor, rear Enviolo CVT hub. It wouldn't have a suspension fork but you could always try a suspension stem such as a Cirrus Kinekt with a quill adapter.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

front hub motor

Dewey, please.
You do not suggest it to a man who knows why he needs an R&M....

 

[PedalUma]

The R&Ms are so heavy.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The R&Ms are so heavy.
View attachment 152530

These are heavy not without the reason.

• High total weight limit
• Rohloff
• Suspension fork and the damper
• Dual battery (in many models)

With the needs Jean-Paul has defined it would be hard to find an alternative brand to R&M.
I wanted to suggest a Specialized Turbo Tero X 6.0 but it has a derailleur/chain. (Not sure about the total system weight limit).

 

[PedalUma]

The R&M is like a Bentley. But is also like dancing with someone overweight.

 

[Jean-Paul B.]

Many thanks for the info on Bulls.
They have a reseller in Paris.
I will look at it.
@ Dewey, thanks, composing my own bike is not an option I am considering. I want to be able to turn to a reseller for bike service. It’s part of the « ease of use » criteria

 

[JGcycle]

Welcome to the forum.