Hello from the Bay Area, San Francisco

[wildtrak]

Hi,
I am a German guy currently visiting the Bay Area for a while.
Riding Haibike eMTBs since 2012, got divorced after I bought my 8th Haibike . I've got lots of experience with the Bosch motors, riding them a lot and even repair the motors if necessary.

These are my bikes here in the US:
My German 2015 Haibike FatSix

My US version 2017 Haibike Cross 4.0

My German 2015 Haibike Sduro AllMtn Pro

And if I don't know what to do, I just cruise around with another 2017 FatSix which is so much fun using the eMTB mode

Here are some of my threads in the German Pedelec forum:
Repair broken Bosch motor
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/i...-sollte-es-eigentlich-nicht-aussehen-o.40234/

My current activities
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/index.php?threads/the-orange-thing-geht-auf-reisen.47919/page-9

My 2015 trip across Eastern Europe
http://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/in...ike-fatsix-vorbereitung-tourbilder-etc.34651/

 

[E-Wheels]

Hi,
I am a German guy currently visiting the Bay Area for a while.
Riding Haibike eMTBs since 2012, got divorced after I bought my 8th Haibike . I've got lots of experience with the Bosch motors, riding them a lot and even repair the motors if necessary.

These are my bikes here in the US:
My German 2015 Haibike FatSix
View attachment 18848

My US version 2017 Haibike Cross 4.0
View attachment 18849

My German 2015 Haibike Sduro AllMtn Pro
View attachment 18850

And if I don't know what to do, I just cruise around with another 2017 FatSix which is so much fun using the eMTB mode

Here are some of my threads in the German Pedelec forum:
Repair broken Bosch motor
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/i...-sollte-es-eigentlich-nicht-aussehen-o.40234/

My current activities
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/index.php?threads/the-orange-thing-geht-auf-reisen.47919/page-9

My 2015 trip across Eastern Europe
http://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/in...ike-fatsix-vorbereitung-tourbilder-etc.34651/

@wildtrak Welcome to the forum
Your post reminds me of the formula N+1 which is used in calculating the ideal number of bikes one should own in a lifetime
N being the number of bikes you currently own

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Same thing with guitars, sadly. Always need one more!

Love the wheels on that 2015 Sduro. Wish I had something like that on my Trek.

 

[bob armani]

Hi,
I am a German guy currently visiting the Bay Area for a while.
Riding Haibike eMTBs since 2012, got divorced after I bought my 8th Haibike . I've got lots of experience with the Bosch motors, riding them a lot and even repair the motors if necessary.

These are my bikes here in the US:
My German 2015 Haibike FatSix
View attachment 18848

My US version 2017 Haibike Cross 4.0
View attachment 18849

My German 2015 Haibike Sduro AllMtn Pro
View attachment 18850

And if I don't know what to do, I just cruise around with another 2017 FatSix which is so much fun using the eMTB mode

Here are some of my threads in the German Pedelec forum:
Repair broken Bosch motor
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/i...-sollte-es-eigentlich-nicht-aussehen-o.40234/

My current activities
https://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/index.php?threads/the-orange-thing-geht-auf-reisen.47919/page-9

My 2015 trip across Eastern Europe
http://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/in...ike-fatsix-vorbereitung-tourbilder-etc.34651/

You go German guy! You are an inspiration to all of us ebikers here in the US. Those are some nice ebikes you own. When it will cost you a divorce, you know where your passion is. Just like owning too many rebuilt muscle cars her in the US which may make the wifey a little pissed off...LOL
It seems like most of all the best engineered bikes come out of Germany IMHO. Love the designs and the styling of most of the brands. Bulls, Focus, KTM, Haibike etc. Enjoy and ride safe!!

 

[Over50]

Welcome Wildtrak! I just saw Court's recent video: I'm assuming this is you (the rabbits gave it away!)? Awesome video and I had to watch it twice to get a good look at those bikes. I love what you have done with the bikes and the ingenuity displayed. Obviously you're pretty much an expert on Bosch and Haibikes and have in depth knowledge on the European market. So I was wondering: from your perspective, which European and German manufacturers are making the best overall ebikes (Haibike, Riese and Muller, Moustache, Kalkhoff....)? I've noticed there are brands which have great looking bikes that are not sold in the USA such as Stevens. Are there others we should pay attention to that might make it to the USA as our market grows? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[wildtrak]

@Over50, Haibike was the first who put the Bosch first generation drive unit into the mountain bikes in 2011. And only with the second generation (Performance Line and Active Line), almost all bike manufacturers built bikes with the Bosch as they realized that there is a huge market in Europe. Cannondale, who originally built the very first Bosch Pedelecs in cooperation with Bosch, only built a city bike for men and one for women in 2010. As I had Cannondale bikes since 1992, my first thought then was "this in a mountain bike would be a perfect combination"... However, they displayed their first eMTB full suspension mountain bike at the EuroBike 2016, the Moterra.
The second biggest with the eMTB is Cube and then there are several others. Moustache is French.
So pretty much any eMTBs with the Bosch are a good choice. There are cheap ones with cheap components that might be okay if you don't do hardcore riding or the design and weight does really not matter.
I always recommend spending some more money to get something really good as you will love it. You will definitely ride a lot more and therefore you really want something very good.

 

[Over50]

@Over50, Haibike was the first who put the Bosch first generation drive unit into the mountain bikes in 2011...

Thanks Wildtrak. I don't currently do any off-road riding but I'm city commuting on a Haibike XDuro 4.0 Trekking and a R&M Charger (Nuvinci speed pedelec). I'm thinking that if all goes well mid-2018 I'd like to upgrade one of those bikes for a dual-battery capacity commuter. It appears the Haibike Sduro Trekking 9.0 for 2018 is basically the same bike as the XDuro 4.0 (frame and components) but allows for dual-battery with their new rail system and in-tube design. I definitely have my eye on the Trekking 9.0 but I'm also attracted to the Moustache Samedi and XRoads models (hidden battery but not dual-battery). As for a speed pedelec choice I have my eyes on the New Charger by R&M and the Bulls full suspension commuter the Six50 TR Street. Also, I'm pretty certain I'm also going to buy the Tern GSD as a grocery hauler/wife's bike/day tripper. So 2 new bikes for 2018 is the plan: the Tern GSD and a commuter replacement bike (Haibike, R&M or Bulls most likely). For the German brands that sell Bosch powered commuter bikes in the USA, it looks like they use similar specs/components but do you have an opinion coming from Germany, about which brand is better in terms of overall quality, customer service/support and innovation?

 

[e-boy]

... uh, your asking a guy from Germany that has bought 8 Haibikes !

 

[wildtrak]

@Over50, the Haibike Trekking 9.0 would be my first choice for commuting. To be honest, I was already thinking about ordering it
Their service is also pretty good in the US.

 

[Over50]

@Over50, the Haibike Trekking 9.0 would be my first choice for commuting. To be honest, I was already thinking about ordering it
Their service is also pretty good in the US.

I think in the video you mentioned about going 25 mph on the Cross (about 7:39 in the video) ... did you delimit the Bosch system or are those downhill speeds? Generally are you ok with a Class 1 for commuting? I can't pedal my 4.0 much over 20 mph (my commute if relatively flat) but I have so much of a start/stop commute that I find I don't really need the higher speeds anyway. I like the idea of switching out the 11 or 10 speed for an 8 as long as the overall gear range is similar.

 

[wildtrak]

I could delimit the Bosch, but as I am using the Nyon for my statistics, I just installed a 28mph motor. So I could upgrade my 2015 FatSix with the CX and eMTB mode. And the Nyon with custom modes can be set to 20mph limit - I do that when using the trailer to save battery. My commute here was 28 miles one way and the fast motor is more fun when riding in heavy traffic.
The Sram EX1 eight speed is perfect for stop and go. And as the gear range is 11-48, it is even better for the steep San Francisco streets.