I bought a Grizl:ON CF 9, AMA

[Jeremy McCreary]

I've got about 250-300 miles on the bike now. I've been using it to commute a couple times a week and I've ridden it on a wider variety of surfaces now.

Here are some additional notes:

• The lowest gear could be lower. The high assist levels make up for it, but if you want to save battery you are far from "spin it to win it" territory with a 1:1 low gear.

Any plans to anything about that? Both of my ebikes — a 500W 65 Nm torque-sensing hub-drive and a 240W 35 Nm Vado SL mid-drive — came geared too high for me on local hills. Ended up lowering gearing on both to good effect. But you could well be a stronger rider.

Does the Grizl motor favor higher cadences (80-90 RPM) like the SL's?

Interestingly, many of your comments on the Grizl come close to my own experience on the nimble, lightweight, low-power, low-torque, flat-barred SL.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

• I'm getting used to the reach. I thought it was 10-15mm too long when I got the bike, but apparently I'm stretching out over time.

If reach continues to be an issue it might be worth investing in drops with a rise. I have a pair of Surly Truck stop bars which have a rise of 30mm (coupled with a short stem). Other bars from Specialized (on the Creo) & Ritchey also have rises of around 15mm/20mm I think. Anyway I find the extra rise of the Truck stops very comfortable and makes the drops position much more useful too as it's now higher. Here's a pic (found online, not my bike).

 

[Ben J]

Does the Grizl motor favor higher cadences (80-90 RPM) like the SL's?

I think it feels smoother above 80, but if you play with Bosch's online range calculator, the peak range is a little lower (like in the 70s).